Category: Africa Press Organisation – English

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Wednesday, 2nd August 2023, commissioned the ultra-modern Simplified Sewerage Facility and Treatment Plant at Ashaiman, and the rehabilitated and expanded Bankuman Simplified Sewerage Plant. 

The two (2) new simplified sewerage networks, comprising some fifty-one kilometres (51kms) of sewer lines, and a new wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of some one thousand, eight hundred metre-cubed per day (1,800m3/day) in Ashaiman, is to serve some four thousand, eight hundred and five (4,805) households in the community. 

The plant in Bankuman, with a capacity of one thousand, six hundred metre-cubed per day (1,600m3/day), is to serve some three thousand, one hundred (3,100) households. 

Speaking at the ceremony, held at Ashaiman, President Akufo-Addo noted that the two (2) projects were constructed at a cost of $6.6 million, and reinforces Government’s commitment to offer solutions to the infrastructural gap identified as one of the major challenges plaguing the sanitation and water resources sector. 

The President stated that “the projects being commissioned today are examples of the many sanitation projects that have been provided across the country. This magnificent simplified sewerage system, as well as the rehabilitated Bankuman project, will inure to the benefit of the people living within the catchment areas of Ashaiman and Bankuman communities of Greater Accra.” 

Under the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project, conceived as one of the pro-poor interventions to ensure the policy of “One-House-One-Toilet” is delivered across the Metropolitan Area, he stated that the Project has delivered some 48,641 improved household toilets, which have benefitted some 389,128 people as at December 2020.

In addition to this, 406 improved and modern disability-friendly, gender sensitive institutional toilet facilities, benefiting some 251,872 schoolchildren has been completed, as at December 2020. 

“The GAMA Project has been so successfully executed that additional financing was sought and obtained from the World Bank to extend the intervention to the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area. Under the additional financing, a total of one hundred and twenty-nine (129) improved and modern disability-friendly, gender sensitive institutional toilet facilities, as well as thirty thousand (30,000) household toilet facilities are under construction for beneficiary schools and individual households, respectively, in the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area,” he said.  

The Kumasi Project, President Akufo-Addo said, will also expand and rehabilitate the 29-year-old Asafo sewerage system in Kumasi, provide an additional 12,000 household toilets and 30 institutional toilets in the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area. 

Component One of the Greater Kumasi Project, he added, will extend potable water, by laying some 120 kilometres of pipelines, and provide 5,000 new service connections; establish a telemetry, and also retool the Ghana Water Company’s metre shop to reduce non-revenue water.

“Ghana has made significant strides towards the attainment of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on water and sanitation. Currently, access to basic drinking water services has increased from 79% of the population in 2017 to 87.7% in 2021” he said. 

The President continued, “Access to improved toilet facilities, including public toilets, has also increased from 66% to eighty-point-eight percent 80.8% within the same period. The Akufo-Addo Government is investing an amount of some US$ 1.4 billion in several water and sanitation projects nationwide. Some of these projects have been completed, and others are still ongoing. It is expected that some 5.3 million people will benefit from these interventions when completed.”

Recognising the huge resources required to provide, maintain and sustain sanitation and water infrastructure across the country, President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that Government is in partnership with other key stakeholders and the private sector for support in providing these vital services. 

“I urge all of us to help sustain and improve the gains made so far by maintaining healthy environmental sanitation, protecting our water bodies and supporting the Clean Ghana Campaign,” he added.

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English

Third set of ministers and their deputies has subscribed to the oath of office at a swearing-in ceremony before His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio and dedicated all appointments to the young people of Sierra Leone in fulfilment of the provisions of the 1991 Constitution.

Chief Minister, Dr David Moinina Sengeh, spoke on behalf of his colleagues and thanked God for His grace for their appointment, pointing out that many in the public were qualified to be in their respective positions, but acknowledged that “we are all well aware that it is only by the grace of God and the generosity of His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio that we are in these roles at this moment.

“I have spoken to all of my colleagues, and we are ready, determined, and committed to this call to serve. We are because we believe in your vision and leadership. After all, we know that no matter how educated or wealthy we are, nothing compares to public service and delivery for our people.

“We are committed to the ideals on which our great party, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), was formed. ideals of human capital development and education, unity, inclusion, and economic prosperity, and ideals of nationalism and patriotism.”

“It is these ideals, which are embedded in the People’s Manifesto and the New Direction Vision, that are evident in our proud and glorious faces today. My colleagues have already started working, Your Excellency. They are collaborating with each other and are eager to demonstrate that it is possible to transform our nation. This work has been ongoing. In fact, over the last five years, we have reformed policies, laws, regulations, treaties, and more than had been touched since independence,” he revealed.

President Julius Maada Bio, while presiding over the swearing-in ceremony, congratulated the appointees, stating that “It is a difficult and national task that must be accomplished with no excuses. We represent the people, and we have to make sure we deliver for them. Congratulations on a very difficult job.

“It is extremely difficult to take on the task that we have ahead of us. Our State may be independent but not properly formed because the structures have a lot of capacity gaps. We expect you to fill those gaps. You must fill them in whichever way you can, and that is where your work becomes extremely difficult. In the last five years, we have done extremely well by laying a solid foundation for which we have been recognised both locally and internationally. Our human capital development programme started well, and we must take it further.

“I am going to challenge all of you, no excuses. You must perform and take your ministry to the next level. We are far behind, but we have our way with us, and that is what I want to inspire you all to do. We can do it. We can feed Sierra Leone. By 2028, we should not be importing rice into this country. Whichever way we can, let’s take the route to get there,” the President urged.

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English

President Cyril Ramaphosa wishes Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi a speedy recovery.

Prince Buthelezi has been unwell and is hospitalised in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

President Ramaphosa has communicated with the Buthelezi family, who have briefed him about Prince Buthelezi’s health condition.

The President has expressed his well wishes and conveyed that his heartfelt prayers are with Prince Buthelezi and the family. 

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, received a phone call, on August 02, 2023, from the UK’s Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and United Nations, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon.

Mr. Ahmad of Wimbledon, who described as “constructive” the telephone conversation he had with Mr. Bourita, tweeted that the exchange focused on the “situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Niger, and Libya, in addition to broader bilateral and regional issues.”

On this occasion, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon conveyed his “warm wishes to His Majesty King Mohammed VI following Throne Day.”

Relations between Morocco and the United Kingdom are constantly being strengthened, thanks to a shared political will to make a century-old partnership a lasting one.

In May, the two Kingdoms held the 4th session of their strategic dialogue in Rabat, an opportunity for London to emphasize that this eight-century-old partnership can only grow stronger, especially as it extends to several key sectors such as education, trade, and climate change.

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English

Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Minister of Social Solidarity, Ms. Nivine El-Kabbag.

The Spokesman for the Presidency, Counselor Ahmed Fahmy, stated that the meeting followed-up on the State’s efforts to promote traditional crafts and handmade products across Egypt. President El-Sisi gave directives to continue supporting owners of traditional crafts to maintain and develop them, as part of the State’s strategy to support owners of small and micro projects as they play an effective role in the social and economic growth. This is in addition to the important contribution of traditional crafts in reserving Egypt’s national identity, culture and heritage. The President also directed the application of the highest standards of quality for craft industries, in accordance with national and international measurements, while ensuring innovation and the combination of authenticity and contemporaneity, taking into account the operation of capital in effective ways for the preservation of the national heritage, and the promotion of human and sustainable development.

The meeting also discussed the experience of community leaders in the field of enhancing awareness of women, families and society through the development efforts carried out by the mechanism of community leaders on several axes related to services and awareness, in addition to coordination with civil societies and local leaders. The President gave directives to continue efforts to monitor and solve common societal problems on the ground and to develop the best ways to implement appropriate solutions.

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English

Dar es Salaam Declaration. Sub-Saharan Africa scores the lowest of all the world’s regions on the World Bank’s Human Capital Index (HCI) yet faces a youth bulge that could be leveraged to supercharge African economies if the right policies and investments are implemented today.

The leaders met for two days at the inaugural Africa Human Capital Heads of State Summit convened jointly by the Tanzanian government and the World Bank. The summit was a call to action at the highest level to the importance of investing in Africa’s people as a core driver of innovation, productivity, resilience, and growth on the continent. It also underscored the urgency of addressing Africa’s young and rapidly growing population, and the need to create productive employment and functioning markets that can make the most of these changing demographics.

Africa’s Human Capital Index (HCI) score of 0.40 means the region is only reaching 40% of its productivity potential. Many children and young people in Sub-Saharan Africa face significant barriers to realizing their potential due to insufficient access to and poor quality of critical services such as health and education. Today, about 89% of 10-year-olds are unable to read and understand a simple text. These challenges have been further exacerbated by various crises including pandemics such as COVID-19, conflict, and climate change-induced droughts and floods.

The Dar es Salaam Declaration constitutes tangible financial and policy commitments made by African leaders to prioritize investing in people with a focus on reaping a demographic dividend. The declaration recognizes that Africa’s most important asset is its people and there is no time to waste.

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English

The Head of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), Ambassador Mohamed El-Amine Souef, on Monday visited Kismayo where he met with ATMIS and United Nations personnel to discuss ways of bolstering support to Somalia’s state-building process. 

“Somalia has made great progress, and that progress is due to the collaborative work with ATMIS and the UN in terms of improving security and fight against Al-Shabaab militants. Today, people in Somalia can live safely,” said Ambassador Souef. 

The Head of ATMIS made the remarks during a joint working visit to Jubaland State, alongside the Head of the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), Assistant Secretary-General Aisa Kirabo Kacyira. 

The two officials were accompanied by ATMIS Force Commander Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding, Police Commissioner Hillary Sao Kanu, and other Senior UNSOS and ATMIS officials. The delegation was received by Mr. Abdirahman Abdi Ahmed – Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of Jubaland State, and discussed ongoing offensive against Al Shabaab, Security, Political and the relationship between FMS, ATMIS and UNSOS. 

The visit comes at a time when ATMIS and its partners are preparing to conduct a joint technical assessment on phase one of ATMIS troop withdrawal which was concluded in June 2023. 

The findings will inform the second phase which requires ATMIS to withdraw another 3,000 troops by end of September 2023. 

During phase one, ATMIS withdrew 2000 troops from Somalia and handed over six Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) to the Somali Security Forces (SSF). 

While pointing out the milestones made so far in stabilising the Horn of Africa country, Ambassador Souef noted that the successful re-establishment of State authority by the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) was a result of the collaborative efforts of the Somali leadership, ATMIS, the United Nations and other key international partners. 

He urged UN and ATMIS personnel to continue to provide specialized training and knowledge transfer to Somalia’s public servants to help increase the number of skilled personnel in various sectors. 

“I would like to remind you that we are here for a good cause to support the people of Somalia. Whatever we do, we should put their interests first,” said Ambassador Souef in his address to the Mission’s staff based in Kismayo. 

Highlighting the successful implementation of phase one drawdown, the AU Special Representative requested the personnel to support the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions 2628 and 2670 (2022) and 2687 (2023) which mandates ATMIS to assist SSF in gradually taking over security responsibilities ahead of the Mission’s exit from Somalia in December 2024. 

In her remarks, Dr. Kacyira said UNSOS will continue to mobilise resources to support ATMIS troops in degrading Al-Shabaab during the transition period. 

“We are cognisant that the threat is still real and, therefore, we want to ensure that as the drawdown continues, we will also continue to support to ensure that peace and security is upheld,” she noted. 

The Head of UNSOS who was on her maiden tour of Jubaland State reiterated that UNSOS will continue to provide logistical support to ATMIS and SNA during joint military operations. 

Lt. Gen. Okiding said the purpose of the visit was to enhance coordination between ATMIS, the United Nations and Somali authorities. 

“We shared vital information with Jubaland officials mainly on security and explored new areas of cooperation,” said the Force Commander. 

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English

Refugee hosting districts around the country will soon be connected to high speed internet under the Uganda Digital Acceleration Project (UDAP-GOVNET).

According to Dr. Hatwib Mugasa, the Executive Director of the National Information Technology Authority (NITA-Uganda), the move aims at promoting digital inclusion in the 12 districts hosting refugees.
“We shall deploy 80 mobile broadband masts, purchase additional bandwidth, develop a telecentre for refugee hosting communities, set up an e-waste management centre and expand Wi-Fi hotspot sites,” Mugasa said.

Mugasa made this revelation while appeared before the  Committee on ICT and National Guidance on Wednesday, 02 August 2023.

Mugasa (L) said the refugees and the host communities will soon have access to the internet

Mugasa said that the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank is satisfied with government’s refugee protection framework.
To ensure the success of the UDAP project, 53 district headquarters have been connected to the national backbone infrastructure (NBI) under the last mile connectivity project.

Another 61 local government sites have been connected.

Hon. Gorreth Namugga (NUP, Mawogola South) put NITA-U to task on their impact on improving e-services within government.
“What brings about this complaint by local governments of the system being on and off? The infrastructure is there but I doubt that it is performing up to your expectation,” Namugga said.

Collin Babirukamu, the Director for E-government at NITA-U said the authority is providing a platform to integrate the different systems used at the administrative centres.

He said reducing the unit cost of a smartphone on the market will improve access to e-governance services.
“We still have taxes on these smartphones which are inhibiting e-government usage. We want to have all these services on a phone so that one can get a passport or driving permit on their mobile devices,” Babirukamu said.

Legislators, however, expressed concern on the level of security of Uganda’s internet backbone system.

Hon. Joyce Bagala (NUP, Mityana District Woman Representative) was not convinced by a NITA-U report indicating the cyber threat awareness to be at 87 per cent.
“Is the awareness really at this level? Because if it were, then the situation of issues that occur online would not be happening. There may be awareness but I am not convinced by your figure,” said Bagala.

Richard Obita, the Director for Planning, Research and Development at NITA-U said they have made deliberate efforts to sensitise the public on matters pertaining to cyber security.
“We hired a firm to do an independent assessment on awareness of cyber threats, as a requirement by the World Bank. This project was done across the country and we will share an analysis of the target respondents,” Obita added.

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English

Conflict in Sudan has forced nearly four million people to flee their homes in a little over 100 days, the UN migration agency, IOM, has warned. 

Latest data from IOM’s displacement matrix indicates that the clash between the Sudanese army and paramilitaries has uprooted a staggering number of people, with more than 926,000 seeking refuge abroad and a total of 3.02 million internally displaced. 

According to IOM’s latest humanitarian situation update, individuals have been forced to leave all of Sudan’s 18 states. Those with the highest proportions of displaced people are River Nile (15 per cent), North (11 per cent), North Darfur (9 per cent) and White Nile (9 per cent).

IOM field teams have reported that the majority of internally displaced individuals, 71 per cent, originated from Khartoum State. 

The UN organization emphasized that the current estimate of displacements over the past 108 days surpasses the total recorded for the previous four years. But it also noted that access to many areas remains impossible because of the fighting, meaning that current assessments have been based on preliminary reports or estimates.

Shelter across borders

A total of 926,841 people have now sought refuge in neighboring countries such as Egypt, Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Ethiopia. Sudanese nationals accounted for more than two-thirds of these arrivals, while foreign nationals and returnees made up the remaining third, IOM said. 

To mark 100 days since the start of the conflict on 24 July, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said that it was “time for all parties to this conflict to immediately end this tragic war”, amid growing concerns for refugees fleeing Sudan. 

According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, conditions have been “harrowing” for those reaching shelter in neighbouring countries, where displacement camps are overcrowded and the looming rainy season has made relocation and aid deliveries harder. 

Echoing those concerns, the IOM also warned on Wednesday that the rains pose a significant risk of flooding and could exacerbate the already fragile conditions. 

Horrors of war

Since mid-April, the conflict between Sudan’s armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has caused displacement, death, injury and an unfolding humanitarian crisis. Reports of looting, attacks on public institutions and the occupation of private homes continue in the capital Khartoum, while clashes persist in four out of the five Darfur states.

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported cases of infectious diseases and other illness among displaced populations who have sought shelter in hard-to-reach locations, where health services are limited. The UN agency also reported that more than 50 health facilities have been attacked. 

Although the WHO is supporting health services both in Sudan and bordering countries, the organization warned that the health crisis has impacted the entire region. And as efforts continue to bring about an end to the fighting, humanitarians fear that the situation could worsen for already vulnerable civilians caught up in the conflict.

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English

The 5th conference of the National Council of Eritrean American convened on 1 August in Seattle under the theme “Succession of Generations for Bright Future”.

The conference was graced by the regional Governors of Eritrea including Ambassador Abdella Musa of Anseba Region, Ambassador Ali Mahmud Hirui of Gash Barka Region, and Ms. Asmeret Abraha of the Northern Red Sea Region.

The conference is being attended by over 500 representatives of national associations and organizations as well Americans friends of Eritrea.

Mr. Berhane Gebrehiwet, Charge d’Affairs at the Eritrean Embassy in the US, stated that the conference is unique because it is being held at a time when Eritrea has triumphed over the complex external hostilities and is marching towards a promising future.

Mr. Berhane also urged a thorough review of the activities that have been carried out thus far and design development programs that are appropriate for the current situation.

Ambassador Ali Hirui Mahmud also gave extensive briefing on the objective situation in the homeland as well as the role of Diaspora nationals in the national affairs.

The participants also conducted extensive discussion on the reports presented by the various heads of national organizations and associations.

The conference was highlighted by a cultural troupe from Eritrea.