Category: Africa

Source: APO – Report:

Emirates (www.Emirates.com) and South African Airways (SAA) today announced an expansion of their codeshare partnership, enabling access to nine cities and establishing the start of a reciprocal codeshare agreement between both carriers. The expanded partnership opens more destinations across central and southern Africa, simplifying connectivity for customers.

Since launching their codeshare agreement, Emirates and SAA have operated on a unilateral basis, with SAA placing its code on Emirates-operated flights between Dubai and Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, as well as interline access to 68 Emirates destinations worldwide via Dubai. With regulatory approvals secured, the new agreement will see Emirates place its code on SAA-operated flights, extending its network deeper into South Africa and neighbouring countries.

The expansion covers nine new routes including three domestic South African links connecting Johannesburg with Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, in addition to six regional routes linking Johannesburg with Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Gaborone (Botswana), Windhoek (Namibia), Lusaka (Zambia), Harare (Zimbabwe) and Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe).

Emirates and South African Airways have been partners for almost 30 years, marking one of the longest partnerships in Emirates’ portfolio. Since 1997, millions of passengers have benefitted from the partnership, with frictionless, single-ticket travel. This extension to the codeshare underscores the ongoing commitment to providing greater access, convenience and choices to travellers from South Africa and neighbouring countries.

The move builds on Emirates’ longstanding commitment to providing reliable, consistent connectivity for passengers travelling to, from and within South Africa and the broader region. It also responds to strong demand for travel to South Africa from key international markets, particularly across Europe, while providing customers with greater access to destinations throughout southern and central Africa.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, said, “This reciprocal codeshare partnership with South African Airways is a natural evolution of a relationship that has served our customers well for many years. By placing our code on SAA’s domestic and regional network, we are opening up seamless access to destinations across South Africa and neighbouring countries, backed by the reliability and consistency our customers expect from Emirates. It reinforces our long-term commitment to South Africa and wider region, and our confidence in the continent’s continued growth.”

Matshela Seshibe, Acting Group CEO of SAA, said, “The expansion of our partnership with Emirates marks an important milestone in SAA’s strategy to strengthen connectivity across Africa while enhancing access to global markets. Through this reciprocal codeshare agreement, customers will benefit from a more seamless travel experience and greater choice across our combined networks. This partnership is about more than connecting destinations. It is about connecting people, businesses and opportunities across the continent and beyond. By combining SAA’s growing African network with Emirates’ extensive global reach, we are creating greater value for our customers and reinforcing Johannesburg’s role as a key gateway for travel, trade and tourism in Africa.”

Emirates in South Africa

Emirates has been flying to South Africa since 1995, starting with its inaugural flight to Johannesburg. Since then, the airline has scaled operations, increased frequencies and gateways to Cape Town and Durban and served over 20 million passengers to and from the market. Currently, Emirates operates 56 weekly flights across the three gateways. South Africa is also the only market on Emirates’ Africa network to receive all three widebody aircraft types: the Boeing 777, the Airbus A380 and the A350.

As part of its commitment to offering best-in-class products to travellers in South Africa, the airline’s award-winning Premium Economy experience is available on flights between Dubai and both Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Customers travelling on the new codeshare routes will benefit from convenient single-ticket bookings, coordinated schedules and through-checked baggage to their final destination.

Tickets can now be booked on www.Emirates.com, via travel agents or at Emirates’ retail stores.

– on behalf of The Emirates Group.

About South African Airways:
South African Airways (SAA) is the national carrier of South Africa, committed to delivering safe, reliable, and world-class air travel while contributing to the country’s socio-economic development.

With 92 years in the skies, SAA links domestic, regional, and international destinations. SAA flies from Johannesburg to Abidjan, Accra, Dar es Salaam, Durban, Cape Town, Gqeberha, Harare, Kinshasa, Lusaka, Lubumbashi, Lagos, Mauritius (from Johannesburg and Cape Town), Windhoek, Victoria Falls, São Paulo (from Cape Town and Johannesburg), and Perth.

Since first taking to the skies in 1934, SAA has grown to include a passenger airline, a cargo transport service, and related services provided through its wholly owned subsidiaries, SAA Technical (SAAT) and Air Chefs. SAAT delivers high-quality maintenance services, major airframe checks, engine overhauls, mechanical components, avionics, and line maintenance to SAA and third parties. Air Chefs provides in-flight, airline lounges, and other catering services to the airline and third parties.

About Emirates:
Emirates began operations in 1985 and has grown into one of aviation’s most awarded airlines. The world’s largest international airline as measured in revenue passenger kilometres RPKMs), it connects travellers to Dubai, and through Dubai to more than 150 destinations across six continents on the world’s largest fleets of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s, alongside its newly introduced Airbus A350s. Emirates remains synonymous with service and product excellence at every touchpoint, from its award-winning cabin experiences and regionally inspired cuisine to its industry-leading inflight entertainment system, ice. Visit www.Emirates.com for more information

Source: APO – Report:

The Special Forces Command (SFC) on Sunday 2^nd August 2026 conducted a series of handover and takeover ceremonies as senior officers assumed new responsibilities following recent appointments within the force.

Lt. Col. Frank Murema officially handed over the office of Deputy Director of Operations at the SFC Headquarters to Lt. Col. A.C. Kaawe before taking over command of the 16 Service Brigade, headquartered at Busambaga in Entebbe.

At the brigade headquarters, Lt. Col. Allen Atuhaire, who had been serving in an acting capacity as head of the 16 Service Brigade, formally handed over office by presenting the official report on behalf of the outgoing Brigade Commander, Col. R.R. Tugume, who has proceeded to the National Defence College for a strategic course.

The report highlighted several achievements registered under Col. Tugume’s leadership, including the construction of modern storage facilities, fuel reserves, the main quarter guard and other key infrastructure projects that have significantly enhanced the brigade’s operational and logistical capacity.

Presiding over the ceremony, the Commander of the Special Forces Command, Maj. Gen. Asaph Mweteise Nyakikuru, commended Col. Tugume for his exemplary leadership and dedication in leading one of the SFC’s most critical formations.

He urged Lt. Col. Murema to build on the brigade’s achievements by fostering teamwork, integrity, professionalism and effective coordination.

Describing the 16 Service Brigade as the backbone of the SFC’s welfare and logistical support, Maj. Gen. Nyakikuru said strong leadership and unity would be essential in sustaining the brigade’s contribution to the force’s operational success.

The SFC Commander also announced the appointment of Lt. Col. Allen Atuhaire as Deputy Brigade Commander, noting that her previous position as Brigade Operations and Training Officer will be filled in due course.

Earlier at the SFC Headquarters, the Director of Operations, Col. Philip Mugizi, praised Lt. Col. Murema for his professionalism and outstanding contribution to the successful execution of SFC operations during his tenure as Deputy Director of Operations.

He welcomed Lt. Col. Kaawe to his new role and encouraged him to embrace innovation by leveraging emerging technologies and modern operational approaches to enhance mission effectiveness.

The ceremonies were attended by senior SFC leaders, including the newly appointed Chief of Staff, Brig. Gen. John Mango Baraza, the newly appointed Director of Human Resource Management, Hon. Col. Night Ikiriza, who also serves as the UPDF representative in Parliament, as well as senior and junior officers and non-commissioned officers.

– on behalf of State House Uganda.

Source: APO – Report:

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Garbage collection trucks will be deployed across the country ahead of the next national cleaning day to improve waste collection and ensure proper sanitation.

The Government Chief Whip, Hon. Ruth Aceng made the revelation while responding to concerns raised by Kampala District Woman Representative, Hon. Shamim Malende over poor waste management following the inaugural national cleaning day that was held countrywide on Saturday, 25 July 2026.

During the plenary sitting held on Tuesday, 04 August 2026, Malende said uncollected garbage within Kampala and its surrounding areas is a serious threat to public health and presented environmental risks.

“While the initiative was intended to improve sanitation and public health, the collected waste has remained on the roadsides of Kampala and in the communities of Lubaga, Kawempe, Makindye, Central and Nakawa,” Malende said.

She called for a clear garbage collection plan, to ensure better success of the forthcoming national cleaning day that will take place on Saturday, 29 August 2026.

“I would like the line minister to inform us of the long-term measures which government is putting in place to ensure that future national cleaning exercises are followed by timely waste collection, transportation and disposal,” Malende added.

Aceng acknowledged that the intensity of the initial programme revealed gaps that will be addressed in future.

“We take note that the first activity clearly showed that we are overwhelmed. However, this morning, this issue has been largely addressed. KCCA is still moving around collecting waste. In future, we will have more trucks all over the country because it is a national activity,” Aceng told the House.

She added government is seeking partnerships to improve the viability of the activity.

“We want to promise you that with serious sensitisation, it will be better done and there will be no garbage left around,” Aceng added.

The initiative is expected to run from 7am to 10am on every last Saturday of the month, with a goal of improving sanitation, preventing disease, protecting the environment and promoting a lasting culture of civic responsibility.

– on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

Source: APO – Report:

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For millions across Africa and the developing world, the biodiversity crisis is not an abstract problem – it’s the soil that no longer yields bountiful harvests and the fish that no longer return to coastal waters.

But the world spends 30 times more money destroying nature than protecting it, and Africa often lacks the necessary resources to address the crisis, the head of the UN’s Biodiversity Convention warned this week at a major scientific forum in Nairobi.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth. In addition to maintaining natural ecosystems, having a variety of species – both flora and fauna – also supports human survival through food and medicine.

“Thanks to biodiversity, we have food. Biodiversity gives us clean water. It helps us fight climate change. It makes us more resilient,” Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity Astrid Schomaker told UN News. “All these issues matter to all of us.”

Africa is home to 25 per cent of the world’s biodiversity but has also lost about 24 per cent of its species since the pre-industrial period, according to a recent study. 

The continent is uniquely impacted by biodiversity loss because many people rely on its bountiful natural resources to earn a living.

Ms. Schomaker said climate change is the single biggest driver, and Africa is especially vulnerable to climate shocks.

But because of massive government subsidies for fossil fuels and private industrial spending around the world, biodiversity loss outpaces efforts to protect it, UN Environment Programme, UNEP, warned earlier this year.

Ms. Schomaker said rising temperatures, invasive species, pollution and overexploitation of land and water all deplete the resources rural and coastal communities rely on for food, income and clean water.

From science to funding

If the recent meeting of the UN’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice identified biodiversity loss as a problem, the Subsidiary Body on Implementation – meeting until 12 August in Nairobi – will focus on how to solve it.

Negotiators are now working through how to embed biodiversity into national decision-making, draw financial institutions into the conversation and raise the money needed to close the gap.

“We have a very solid understanding of where we are,” Ms. Schomaker said. “And now it is taking this understanding of where we are and translating it into recommendations on how we can move forward faster.”

Cautious optimism ahead of COP17

Despite alarming figures, reports submitted to UNEP by 125 countries show strong global engagement on solving the crisis of diversity loss.

In fact, whether it be planting a tree, creating insect havens or avoiding harmful chemicals, UNEP says everyone has a role to play in protecting biodiversity.

The recommendations from the two Nairobi conventions will inform Member States’ negotiations and decisions at COP17, the biennial meeting of parties to the Biodiversity Convention, which begins on 19 October.

This year in Yerevan, Armenia, countries will review progress toward the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted at COP15 as a roadmap to reverse biodiversity loss and help people live in better harmony with nature.

“That is our biggest challenge: How can we turn this around?” Ms. Schomaker said. “How can we make everybody understand that biodiversity matters for them – that destroying biodiversity means you essentially destroy what you are building your lives on, and then make the right decisions.”

– on behalf of UN News.

Source: APO – Report:

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Dr Philippa Boulle, deputy medical director for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), provides a statement on the occasion of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), high-level visit to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“Two and a half months after the Ebola disease outbreak was declared, the situation in eastern DRC is more critical than ever. The outbreak is spreading at an alarming and unprecedented rate, despite the tireless efforts of frontline medical teams.

According to the WHO, 3,605 confirmed cases had been reported by 1 August, making this the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the DRC, surpassing the 2018 epidemic. In just 11 weeks since it was declared, nearly 1,500 people have died. That is a far higher death toll than in comparable periods of previous outbreaks; the devastating 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa caused 279 deaths over the same timeframe.

Even more concerning, the outbreak shows no sign of slowing down. New suspected cases are being reported almost daily in new locations, outside already identified transmission chains. To prevent further loss of life, the response must outpace the current rate of transmission. The international medical response must scale-up without delay, and many critical gaps still need to be addressed.

Undeniable progress has been made in screening and contact tracing, but these efforts remain very insufficient to contain the epidemic. In the MSF Ebola treatment centre in Bunia, 90 per cent of admitted patients were not traced contacts, while in the whole of Ituri province only 59 per cent of contacts were traced. There is an urgent need for improved community engagement. A successful response can only be achieved if it is built with and led by local organisations. Without communities at the centre of the response, surveillance and contact tracing will continue to miss cases. Better integration of local communities is essential to ensure cases are detected as early as possible and followed up rigorously.

This outbreak is aggravating an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Malaria, measles, cholera, malnutrition, and other preventable and treatable conditions continue to cause significant illness and death. Continued support for health facilities is also critical so they can keep providing vital healthcare services throughout the response and protect health workers.

Access remains a critical issue, particularly in remote areas where the onset of the rainy season will make movement difficult and risk disrupting operations. Providing medical supplies, as well as incentives and support for frontline health workers, is essential. Clear assurances are needed that border restrictions, sanitary measures, or administrative burdens will not impede humanitarian staff rotations, medical referrals, or the delivery of supplies. For now, the situation remains uncertain.

Strengthening epidemiological surveillance, improving community engagement, and guaranteeing access for humanitarian personnel are top priorities.

The response is expanding but is still not reaching communities quickly enough to break transmission chains. Immediate action is needed. Every day lost allows the virus to stay one step ahead and more lives to be needlessly lost.”

– on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).