Trade expansion, institutional cooperation, and the implementation of existing agreements were at the forefront of discussions this morning as the Vice President of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr Sebastien Pillay, received Hon. Christine Nkulikiyinka, Special Envoy of President Paul Kagame, during a courtesy call at State House.
During the engagement, the Vice President spoke of the strong and longstanding ties between Seychelles and Rwanda, noting the shared values and mutual respect that continue to underpin relations between the two countries.
Discussions centred on advancing cooperation in key sectors, including education, tourism and agriculture. In this regard, the Vice President proposed the establishment of a designated focal point of contact to facilitate coordination and enhance the implementation of joint initiatives.
Trade and export opportunities were also explored, with particular emphasis on opening new avenues for Seychelles’ maritime products in the Rwandan market.
The exchange also addressed collaboration in public service delivery, institutional capacity building, and the sharing of expertise, reflecting a common ambition to strengthen governance and drive sustainable development.
During the 2023 State Visit of President Paul Kagame to Seychelles, a comprehensive framework for cooperation across key sectors, including health, agriculture, tourism, investment and security, was established. Among these was a visa waiver arrangement aimed at facilitating the movement of people between the two countries, alongside strengthened collaboration in law enforcement and institutional capacity building. The ongoing engagement signals a shared commitment to advancing the implementation of these initiatives while exploring new avenues for partnership.
Vice President Pillay conveyed Seychelles’ appreciation for the continued engagement and partnership with Rwanda, noting the importance of sustained dialogue in advancing common development objectives.
Hon. Nkulikiyinka, who is also Rwanda’s Minister for Public Service and Labour, conveyed warm greetings from President Paul Kagame and reiterated Rwanda’s commitment to deepening bilateral ties and fostering closer cooperation with Seychelles.
The courtesy call reflects the enduring friendship between the two nations and their mutual dedication to promoting good governance and regional collaboration.
Before concluding the visit, the Vice President invited the Minister to take the opportunity to experience Seychelles’ natural beauty and visit key sites of interest during her stay.
The President of the Republic of Seychelles, Dr Patrick Herminie, on Wednesday set the tone for transparency in public office by becoming the first to submit his declaration of assets to the Anti-Corruption Commission Seychelles (ACCS), leading a coordinated exercise across the country’s highest offices.
The President’s submission was followed by the Vice President, Mr Sebastien Pillay, and members of the Cabinet ministers, with all 14 completing the process, underscoring a collective adherence to the principles of good governance and ethical leadership.
The move reflects the government’s continued efforts to uphold public trust and strengthen institutional accountability, as senior office holders fulfil their legal obligations under the asset declaration framework.
The legal framework for the declaration of assets in Seychelles was formally established with the enactment of the Public Persons (Declaration of Assets, Liabilities and Business Interests) Act, 2016, introduced as part of broader efforts to strengthen transparency, accountability, and the fight against corruption in public office. The law requires designated public officials to declare their assets, liabilities, and business interests, and establishes a mechanism for oversight.
In the years that followed, the legislation underwent several amendments, reflecting evolving policy priorities. Notably, in 2021, significant changes were introduced, including the transfer of oversight functions to ACCS and the removal of the requirement for public officials to declare the assets of their spouses and immediate family members; a-move that sparked debate over transparency and accountability.
Subsequent reforms have sought to revisit and strengthen aspects of the law. Recent legislative proposals and amendments, including those in 2025, aim to reintroduce provisions relating to the declaration of assets of immediate family members and refine definitions within the Act, signaling a continued effort to enhance the effectiveness of the asset declaration regime.
The coordinated submission of declarations by the country’s leadership highlights a unified approach to reinforcing transparency and ensuring that public office is exercised in the interest of the people of Seychelles.
Le Projet d’Appui à l’Entrepreneuriat au Bénin (PAEB) franchit une nouvelle étape dans sa mission de promotion du tissu entrepreneurial national. Après une première phase jugée concluante, ayant permis d’accompagner 160 petites et moyennes entreprises (PME) dans des domaines diversifiés, dont 46 femmes et plus de 3,3 Milliards de FCFA déployés, le programme a procédé au lancement officiel de sa cohorte 2026.
La cérémonie s’est tenue le mardi 17 mars 2026 au Novotel à Cotonou, à l’occasion d’une matinée d’échanges, en présence des acteurs clés de l’écosystème entrepreneurial, ainsi que du Ministre des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises et de la Promotion de l’Emploi, Monsieur Modeste Tihounté KEREKOU.
Mis en œuvre par l’Agence de Développement des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises (ADPME), avec l’appui technique et financier de l’Agence Française de Développement (AFD) et de l’Union européenne (UE) pour un montant global de 32,2 Millions d’euros sur la période de 2023-2028, le PAEB vise à structurer, et renforcer l’accès aux services techniques et financiers destinés aux MPME béninoises afin d’accroître leur compétitivité et leur résilience.
« Notre ambition désormais est d’aller plus loin en accompagnant davantage les entreprises, en renforçant la présence du programme sur l’ensemble du territoire national et en encourageant davantage l’entrepreneuriat féminin » a indiqué Madame Marlène HOUSSOU, Coordonnatrice du PAEB.
Saluant les progrès enregistrés en deux années de mise en œuvre du Programme, la Directrice de l’Agence Française de Développement au Bénin, Madame Laure WEISGERBER laisse entendre que grâce au PAEB, les entrepreneurs, au delà du financement bénéficient d’un écosystème solide et d’un service d’accompagnement de qualité.
Pour le Directeur Général de l’ADPME, Monsieur Laurent GANGBES, les défis restent nombreux mais les résultats enregistrés sont encourageants et il faut les poursuivre, a-t-il martelé.
« Mon entreprise était risquée mais grâce au PAEB, elle est aujourd’hui derisquée » ont laissé entendre les bénéficiaires saluant un programme bien pensé et bien structuré.
Pour 2026, le PAEB veut changer d’échelle pour toucher plus de PME. Ainsi, après une phase de structuration réussie, le programme entre désormais dans une phase d’accélération avec 365 nouvelles PME à accompagner, 7,7 Milliards de FCFA de ressources mobilisées, 40% de femmes entrepreneurs à impacter et une couverture nationale qui sera étendue.
De quoi réjouir le Ministre Modeste Tihounté KEREKOU qui lance un appel vibrant à tous les PME afin qu’ils puissent candidater jusqu’au 31 mars 2026 afin de bénéficier du PAEB pour la croissance et la compétitivité de leurs entreprises. « Vous êtes les créateurs d’emplois et le Gouvernement continuera de prendre toutes les dispositions pour vous faciliter la tâche. Que les entrepreneurs, surtout féminin qui sont dans la salle et qui ne sont même pas ici prennent l’engagement de ce qu’ils seront parmi les 365 PME de 2026 » a indiqué le Ministre.
Le vœu de Modeste Tihounté KEREKOU est de voir plus de moyennes émergées avant la fin du programme. Un engagement pris par la Coordinatrice du programme ainsi que le Directeur Général de l’ADPME.
Le lancement de la cohorte 2026 du PAEB apparaît ainsi comme une opportunité stratégique pour de nombreuses PME, appelées à jouer un rôle déterminant dans le développement économique du Bénin.
Distribué par APO Group pour Gouvernement de la République du Bénin.
O Governo de Cabo Verde informa que o Banco Mundial aprovou, no dia 18 de março, o financiamento adicional para o Projeto de Melhoria da Conectividade e das Infraestruturas Urbanas de Cabo Verde (P178644), no montante total de 40 milhões de dólares norte-americanos da IDA, dos quais 30 milhões provenientes da Janela de Recuperação de Crises (CRW).
O presente financiamento adicional permitirá, nomeadamente:
(i) expandir o âmbito dos investimentos prioritários, identificados na sequência da rápida mobilização do financiamento inicial;
(ii) apoiar as necessidades de recuperação pós-desastre e de reconstrução resiliente, na sequência das cheias de agosto de 2025 nas ilhas de Barlavento e das chuvas intensas de novembro de 2025 em Santiago;
(iii) acomodar custos adicionais face às estimativas iniciais, decorrentes de ajustamentos de conceção, incluindo o reforço dos padrões de resiliência climática, bem como de atrasos associados a fenómenos meteorológicos extremos e a constrangimentos logísticos, entre outros fatores.
A concretização deste importante marco foi possível graças ao empenho, profissionalismo e espírito de colaboração dos parceiros envolvidos e dos representantes do Ministério das Finanças, nomeadamente da Direção Nacional do Planeamento (DNP) e da Unidade de Gestão de Projetos Especiais (UGPE), bem como do Ministério das Infraestruturas, Ordenamento do Território e Habitação e das demais instituições participantes.
Distribuído pelo Grupo APO para Governo de Cabo Verde.
O Ministério da Educação e a Universidade Estadual de Bridgewater assinaram, nesta quarta-feira (18), um Memorando de Entendimento para criar e implementar um Programa de Desenvolvimento de Liderança e Educação para as Futuras Gerações de Líderes Africanos – Intercâmbio de Líderes Africanos (ALEX), a ser realizado em Cabo Verde.
A parceria enquadra-se na visão estratégica do Governo de Cabo Verde de posicionar o país como um polo de conhecimento regional e global.
Consolidando um percurso de mais de vinte anos de parceria e colaboração entre a Universidade Estadual de Bridgewater (BSU) e diversas instituições em Cabo Verde, o protocolo fundamenta-se na vasta experiência da instituição universitária em acolher o Programa Mandela Washington Fellowship para Jovens Líderes Africanos. Este histórico permitiu o envolvimento com milhares de ex-bolseiros que buscam continuamente oportunidades de networking, aprendizagem e desenvolvimento de recursos.
A assinatura deste Memorando com a Bridgewater State University, segundo o Ministro da Educação, Amadeu Cruz, reveste-se de um profundo simbolismo institucional, sobretudo no contexto de final deste mandato.
“O Governo de Cabo Verde atribui especial relevância a este Protocolo, que terá como motor a inovação, considerando que os nossos jovens líderes beneficiarão de níveis superiores de preparação, alinhados com as exigências internacionais. Trata-se de um instrumento estratégico essencial para aferir a qualidade e orientar a evolução das políticas e das práticas educativas, consolidando as bases de um sistema mais robusto, competitivo e orientado para o futuro”, avançou.
É neste sentido que este governante mostrou disponibilidade para participar ativamente no Programa de Desenvolvimento de Liderança e Educação para as Futuras Gerações de Líderes Africanos – Intercâmbio de Líderes Africanos (ALEX), a ser realizado em Cabo Verde, assegurando o necessário endosso institucional e o apoio político à iniciativa.
“Paralelamente, o Ministério continuará a facilitar a coordenação com os parceiros nacionais, reforçando a articulação interinstitucional para garantir o pleno êxito do programa”, acrescentou.
Não obstante, Amadeu Cruz realçou que as universidades e as instituições de investigação aplicada devem dispor de instrumentos eficazes de avaliação da qualidade das aprendizagens, permitindo-lhes aferir o seu desempenho, estabelecer comparações relevantes entre instituições e considerar os diferentes contextos socioeconómicos.
“Este processo é igualmente fundamental para acompanhar a evolução dos indicadores de uma liderança eficaz, contribuindo para a construção de modelos formativos mais robustos e ajustados às necessidades de desenvolvimento do país.”
Distribuído pelo Grupo APO para Governo de Cabo Verde.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, Khusela Sangoni-Diko, has welcomed Postbank’s milestone achievement of successfully registering as a licensed Financial Services Provider (FSP) with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority.
This means that Postbank is now authorised and regulated to provide financial services that meet the standards set by the regulator, under the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (FAIS Act).
Diko described the development as a significant milestone in the ongoing journey to transform Postbank into a fully-fledged State-owned bank, capable of advancing financial inclusion and supporting economic participation for all South Africans.
“This is a moment of great progress and affirmation. The licensing of Postbank as a financial services provider signals that the institution is steadily meeting critical regulatory requirements and strengthening its capacity to operate within South Africa’s financial sector,” said Ms Diko.
She further noted that the achievement reflects sustained efforts by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies and Postbank to rebuild governance, enhance compliance and restore public confidence in the institution.
“As the committee, we have consistently emphasised the importance of strong governance, accountability and regulatory compliance. This milestone demonstrates that Postbank is moving in the right direction and lays a solid foundation for its evolution into a fully-fledged state-owned bank,” she added.
Diko highlighted Postbank’s strategic importance in extending affordable and accessible financial services, particularly to underserved and rural communities.
She said that a properly capacitated Postbank has the potential to play a transformative role in deepening financial inclusion, reducing the cost of banking and ensuring that no South African is left behind in accessing essential financial services.
While welcoming the progress, Diko stressed that more work remains to be done to secure a full banking licence and achieve operational readiness.
She commended all stakeholders involved in achieving this milestone and looks forward to further progress in the establishment of a state-owned bank that serves the developmental needs of the country. – SAnews.gov.za
To mark International Women’s Day 2026, UN Women East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), in partnership with UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Eastern and Southern Africa (RBESA), convened a Media & Legal Café in Nairobi under the global theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women and Girls.”
The Café brought together media professionals, legal practitioners, refugee-led and women-led organizations, civil society actors, and survivors to examine persistent barriers to justice—particularly for women and girls affected by conflict, displacement, and violence.
Opening the dialogue, Idil Absiye, Regional Policy Advisor for Women, Peace and Security at UN Women ESARO, underscored the urgency of transforming justice systems that continue to fail women and girls. She highlighted the widening global justice gap and the critical role of media and legal actors in advancing accountability, shifting harmful narratives, and ensuring survivors are believed and supported.
A powerful testimony by Jacqueline Mutere of Grace Agenda, a survivor of Kenya’s 2007–2008 post-election sexual violence, grounded the discussions in lived experience. She shared the long and painful journey survivors continue to face in their pursuit of reparations and recognition, reminding participants that justice delayed remains justice denied—especially for women and children born of conflict-related sexual violence.
Media leaders and journalists reflected on their responsibility to report ethically and amplify women’s voices without causing harm. Panelists emphasized the need for survivor-centered storytelling, protection of identities, and inclusive representation—particularly of refugee and marginalized women—both in the media and in policy spaces.
The panelists also examined gaps in existing legal frameworks, noting that while innovations such as GBV courts and digital case-tracking have improved access, patriarchal laws, documentation barriers, and systemic exclusion continue to obstruct justice for many women.
Fatima Mohammed Cole, Head of Bureau Protection and Solutions Service at UNHCR RBESA, called for justice systems that go beyond laws on paper to deliver dignity, safety, and redress in practice—especially for displaced and stateless women and girls.
The IWD 2026 Media & Legal Café reaffirmed UN Women’s commitment to survivor-centered justice, inclusive participation, and strategic partnerships that turn rights into action—and action into lasting change.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Women – Africa.
The war in the Middle East is creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.
The impact is being felt by countries across the globe. African countries are no exception, including those that produce oil.
We asked five scholars from Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Kenya and Ethiopia to answer the question: Is the spike in oil prices hurting your country’s economy?
The answer was a uniform “yes”. The universal fear is the effect the rise in prices is having on fuel, a staple commodity in every one of the countries for ordinary people as well as industries. In some cases, such as Ethiopia, the government has already introduced fuel subsidies to shield people from the impact of having to pay more at fuel pumps.
The fear that higher prices and outright scarcity could have damaging effects, notably on food production, was also near universal.
For some there may be a silver lining: Kenya and Senegal are in the early phases of oil production. But they’re some way off reaping the benefits of higher prices. And in the case of Nigeria, the danger is that any windfall that comes its way won’t ease the economic burden faced by ordinary people.
– Oil price surge is hurting African economies: scholars in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa take stock – https://theconversation.com/oil-price-surge-is-hurting-african-economies-scholars-in-ethiopia-kenya-nigeria-senegal-and-south-africa-take-stock-278679
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Henning Melber, Extraordinary Professor, Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria
Namibia might not be well known in many parts of the world. But the arid southern African country has an extraordinary history.
Rich in indigenous cultural diversity, Namibians lived for more than a century under German and South African rule. Their anti-colonial resistance shaped the country from 1960 to independence on 21 March 1990 and beyond.
Henning Melber is a political scientist who works with this history. In numerous books he has tried to understand Namibia. His latest effort is a history for German speaking readers. We asked him about it.
What is the German connection?
Namibian and German histories have been entangled since the mid-1800s when German missionaries interacted with local communities. German settler-colonial rule followed in 1884.
C.H. Beck
The complicated ties with Germany remain alive today. Namibia’s three million inhabitants include an estimated 15,000-20,000 White German speakers. They outnumber those during colonial times and maintain minority rights, with their own institutionalised identity. Namibia has the continent’s only German daily newspaper and a German radio programme by the public broadcaster.
Likewise, Namibia is the most prominent African country in the German public sphere. Hundreds of thousands of German speakers visit the country every year – almost half of Namibia’s overseas tourists are from German speaking countries.
Before independence, the West German parliament adopted a resolution declaring a special responsibility for Namibia. It referred to the German speakers in the country as the reason, without mentioning the colonial history.
The book includes the role Germans played and continue to play. I came to Namibia as the young son of German emigrants in 1967. When I was 24, in 1974, I joined the South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo), the liberation movement fighting for independence. The book is therefore also partly a personal history.
What is Namibia’s early history?
In contrast to the colonial view, Namibia’s territory has neither been uninhabited (terra nullus) nor unknown (terra incognita).
The country’s world famous rock art has World Heritage Site status. Some of the paintings date back 3,000 years, created by the Bushmen (San) groups as the country’s first peoples. Migration within Africa added to the local ethnic diversity.
As hunters and foragers with high mobility, Bushmen became marginalised when newer groups claimed land. Like other indigenous minorities, some now earn a living as tourist attractions.
What happened under Germany?
Germany’s first colony was based on fraudulent land deals in 1883 and 1884 by the merchant Adolf Lüderitz, acting under German “protection”. He tricked the local Nama chief into giving away much more land than intended.
German negotiations with the Portuguese and British established the borders of the current state in the early 1900s. The British harbour enclave of Walvis Bay was integrated in 1994.
From the early 1890s, local resistance to colonisation was met with brute force. Leaders were executed, and communities forced into “protection treaties”. In 1893 the massacre at Hornkranz was the writing on the wall. Over 80 women and children of the Witbooi Nama were murdered by German troops.
Settler colonial encroachment became an existential threat. In 1904 the Ovaherero resorted to armed resistance. They were joined by the Nama. The German military response ended in the first genocide of the 20th century.
An estimated 80% of the Ovaherero and 50% of the Nama were killed, plus an unknown number of Damara. German settlers organised hunting safaris to exterminate the Bushmen.
Nama and Ovaherero were imprisoned in concentration camps on Shark Island, in Swakopmund and elsewhere. Their land was appropriated, and strict segregation through laws and reserves was imposed.
Apartheid – institutionalised racial segregation – is usually associated with South Africa, where it was entrenched in law in 1948. But I argue it was in fact a German invention.
German colonialism left scars and open wounds, mainly among the descendants of the decimated indigenous communities. In 2015, the German government admitted to genocide. Negotiations between the governments have tried to come to terms with this crime, but reparations remain a contested issue.
How did South Africa end up running the country?
After the fist world war, the League of Nations turned all German colonies into mandates. These were administered by member states of the allied forces until their inhabitants were able to govern themselves.
The Union of South Africa got the mandate over neighbouring Namibia, then named South West Africa. This meant annexation in all but name. South Africa would later refuse to remain accountable to the United Nations (UN) Trusteeship Council, which exercised oversight over the mandates.
This motivated the UN to declare Namibia a “trust betrayed”. In 1971 South Africa’s mandate was revoked by the International Court of Justice.
After long negotiations a one-year transition under UN supervision paved the way for decolonisation. Independence was declared on 21 March 1990 and Namibia became the 160th UN member state.
How did organised resistance emerge?
The genocide had decimated the people needed as labour for the settler economy, so the German administration established a system of contract labour. Workers from the northern region under indirect rule, the so-called Ovamboland, were recruited.
The first coordinated resistance emerged within the ranks of the contract labour movement. It was a nucleus for the formation of Swapo.
Independence was finally won in 1990.Image: Henning Melber
Swapo was founded in 1960 after the killing of unarmed demonstrators, who refused forced resettlement from Old Location, a residential area for Africans in the city of Windhoek. In 1966 it began an armed struggle. In 1976 the UN recognised Swapo as “the sole and authentic representative” of the Namibian people.
The warfare against the South African regime mirrored the ambiguities and dilemmas of most armed liberation struggles. Swapo’s military command structure in exile enforced a non-democratic, centralised totalitarian mindset and a willingness to violate human rights. But the war was a relevant factor to end the foreign occupation by a White minority regime.
How has the past shaped the present?
Germans and Namibians share the long shadow of German colonialism. Most Germans know little about German colonial history. But its legacy continues to influence Namibian realities.
This is most visible in the inequality of land distribution. For the descendants of those robbed of their land, colonialism remains present. Many consider German development cooperation as another form of injustice.
Swapo transformed into a dominant party in government. It cultivates heroic narratives and a selective patriotic history. A new Black elite justifies its privileges with the struggle sacrifices.
But Namibians live in relative peace and freedom. The constitution protects civil liberties and democracy. It entrenches the rule of law. These essentials have remained respected in governance since independence. Despite all the shortcomings, it is worth it for the colonised to fight for such a society – not only in Namibia but anywhere in the world.
– Namibia: the history of a country shaped from a rich and traumatic past – https://theconversation.com/namibia-the-history-of-a-country-shaped-from-a-rich-and-traumatic-past-277655
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, Nicholas (Fink) Haysom.
Mr. Haysom was appointed by the Secretary-General to his role at UNMISS in January 2021, bringing with him decades of distinguished service to the United Nations across Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and New York.
A seasoned mediator, diplomat and constitutional expert, he played crucial roles in progressing peace processes and governance reform in some of the world’s most complex environments.
As the top United Nations official in South Sudan, Mr. Haysom was steadfast in his conviction that the international community stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of South Sudan in their journey of nation-building. He was committed to advancing a peaceful, inclusive, and democratic transition for the country, one that placed the aspirations and welfare of its citizens at the very foundation.
Mr. Haysom remained true to the ideals that shaped his early years, firmly believing that the will of the people must be the fulcrum upon which South Sudan shapes its political destiny.
These ideals were rooted in his upbringing and education in South Africa, where he left an indelible imprint as an anti-apartheid activist and lawyer upholding human rights. It is this lifelong passion for justice that fueled his dedication to public service, democracy, and the rule of law.
Mr. Haysom’s principled leadership, wisdom, diplomatic skills, and unwavering commitment to a brighter future for South Sudan inspired not only UNMISS peacekeepers, but the communities we serve and all those whose lives he touched.
We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Haysom’s family, loved ones, colleagues across the United Nations system, and to the Government and people of South Africa.
He will never be forgotten, and his legacy will continue to be a beacon of hope.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
