Binance Equips Users in Guinea with the Knowledge to Spot Scams and Navigate Crypto with Confidence

Source: APO


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Binance (www.Binance.com), the world’s leading blockchain ecosystem and cryptocurrency exchange, is sharing simple, practical guidance to help people in Guinea recognise common scams and explore digital assets with confidence.

As digital finance continues to evolve across Africa, more people are looking at crypto as a way to save, send and manage money. Binance believes that education is the first line of protection – giving people the tools to make informed decisions before they take their first step.

Why this matters in Guinea

For many in Guinea, crypto is still new. That makes it a target for scammers who exploit unfamiliarity. One of the most common threats is the Ponzi scheme which is an arrangement where money from new participants pays earlier participants, creating the appearance of profit. These schemes are not unique to crypto; they appear across many industries. But learning to recognise them protects people far beyond digital assets.

There are simple signs to look out for:

  • A promise of guaranteed or unusually high returns for little or no risk
  • Pressure to act immediately or warnings that an opportunity will disappear
  • An offer where nobody can clearly explain how the returns are generated
  • Earning that depends on recruiting other people into the investment

Verified platforms are transparent about how they work and never rush a decision.

Free education for every level

Binance Academy (https://apo-opa.co/3TVvPPx) gives people a place to learn these fundamentals for free, with lessons on cryptocurrency, blockchain, security and responsible use of digital assets written in plain language for people at every level. Binance Academy has helped millions of learners around the world build their knowledge before taking their first step into crypto. It forms part of a wider set of tools Binance offers to help people use digital assets safely.

“Every day we see how a small piece of knowledge changes the way someone approaches crypto,” says AD Wondje, Marketing Manager for Francophone Africa at Binance. “Understanding how a Ponzi scheme works and knowing the signs to look for gives people real control over their financial decisions.”

Practical habits that protect

Education works alongside a few practical habits:

  • Take time to research the person, platform, or investment being offered — and verify details through reliable, official sources
  • Ask how returns are generated. An unclear answer is a reason to pause
  • Keep passwords, PINs and account recovery details private – even from someone claiming to represent a company
  • Most importantly: stop and check before sending money on any platform

“Trust is built by ensuring people stay informed,” adds Wondje. “That is why we invest in education alongside our products, so that people in Guinea can explore crypto at their own pace and with the confidence that comes from understanding it.”

A commitment to safety Globally and across Africa

Binance continues to focus on security, compliance, and user protection — investing around $300 million a year in compliance globally, with nearly 1 in 4 employees dedicated to keeping users safe. To date, Binance has supported global authorities across 313,653 law-enforcement requests, helping strengthen trust and accountability throughout the digital asset ecosystem. By working closely with regulators and industry partners, Binance is helping set a high standard for responsible crypto use across Africa.

Binance encourages anyone exploring digital assets for the first time to start with the basics – ask questions, verify before sending money and learn at your own pace. Free lessons are available through Binance Academy and more information on Binance products is available on their blog. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Binance.

About Binance:
Binance is a leading global blockchain ecosystem behind the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and registered users. Binance is trusted by more than 300 million people in 100+ countries for its industry-leading security, transparency, trading engine speed, protections for investors, and unmatched portfolio of digital asset products and offerings from trading and finance to education, research, social good, payments, institutional services, and Web3 features. Binance is devoted to building an inclusive crypto ecosystem to increase the freedom of money and financial access for people around the world with crypto as the fundamental means.

For more information, visit: www.Binance.com 

Binance fournit aux utilisateurs guinéens les moyens de repérer les arnaques et de se familiariser avec la cryptomonnaie en toute confiance

Source: Africa Press Organisation – French


Binance (www.Binance.com), premier écosystème blockchain et première plateforme d’échange de cryptomonnaies au monde, prodigue des conseils simples et pratiques pour aider les Guinéens à reconnaître les arnaques courantes et à faire usage des actifs numériques en toute confiance.

Alors que la finance numérique continue de se développer à travers l’Afrique, de plus en plus de personnes se tournent vers la cryptomonnaie pour épargner, envoyer et gérer leur argent. Binance estime que l’éducation constitue la première ligne de défense : elle permet de donner aux utilisateurs les outils nécessaires pour prendre des décisions éclairées avant de se lancer.

Pourquoi est-ce important en Guinée ?

Pour beaucoup de Guinéens, la cryptomonnaie est encore un phénomène nouveau. Cela en fait une cible de choix pour les escrocs qui exploitent cette méconnaissance. L’une des menaces les plus courantes est le système de Ponzi, un montage financier dans lequel l’argent des nouveaux participants sert à rémunérer les participants antérieurs, créant ainsi l’illusion d’un profit. Ces stratagèmes ne visent pas exclusivement la cryptomonnaie ; on les retrouve dans de nombreux secteurs. Mais apprendre à les reconnaître permet de protéger les gens bien au-delà du domaine des actifs numériques.

Il existe des signes facilement repérables :

  • Une promesse de rendements garantis ou anormalement élevés pour un risque faible, voire nul
  • Une pression pour action immédiate ou des avertissements selon lesquels une opportunité va disparaître
  • Une offre pour laquelle personne ne peut expliquer clairement comment les rendements sont générés
  • Des gains qui dépendent du recrutement d’autres personnes dans le cadre de l’investissement

Les plateformes sûres font preuve de transparence quant à leur fonctionnement et ne précipitent jamais une décision.

Une formation gratuite pour tous les niveaux

Binance Academy (https://apo-opa.co/3TVvPPx) offre à chacun la possibilité d’apprendre gratuitement ces notions fondamentales, grâce à des cours sur la cryptomonnaie, la blockchain, la sécurité et l’utilisation responsable des actifs numériques, rédigés dans un langage simple et accessible à tous, quel que soit le niveau. Binance Academy a aidé des millions d’apprenants à travers le monde à acquérir les connaissances nécessaires avant de faire leurs premiers pas dans l’univers de la cryptomonnaie. Elle s’inscrit dans un ensemble plus large d’outils proposés par Binance pour aider les utilisateurs à utiliser les actifs numériques en toute sécurité.

« Chaque jour, nous constatons à quel point une petite parcelle de savoir peut changer la façon dont une personne aborde la cryptomonnaie », explique AD Wondje, responsable marketing pour l’Afrique francophone chez Binance. « Comprendre le fonctionnement d’un système de Ponzi et savoir reconnaître les signes avant-coureurs permet aux utilisateurs d’exercer un véritable contrôle sur leurs décisions financières. »

Des habitudes pratiques qui garantissent votre protection

L’éducation va de pair avec quelques habitudes pratiques :

  • Prenez le temps de vous renseigner sur la personne, la plateforme ou l’investissement proposé — et vérifiez les informations auprès de sources officielles et fiables
  • Demandez comment les rendements sont générés. Une réponse vague est une raison de faire preuve de prudence
  • Ne divulguez jamais vos mots de passe, codes PIN et informations de récupération de compte, même à une personne prétendant représenter une entreprise
  • Et surtout : prenez le temps de vérifier avant d’envoyer de l’argent sur n’importe quelle plateforme

« La confiance se construit en veillant à ce que les gens restent informés », ajoute Wondje. « C’est pourquoi nous investissons dans la sensibilisation parallèlement à nos produits, afin que les Guinéens puissent découvrir la cryptomonnaie à leur propre rythme et en toute confiance, du fait d’une meilleure compréhension. »

Un engagement en faveur de la sécurité, à l’échelle mondiale et à travers l’Afrique

Binance continue de mettre l’accent sur la sécurité, la conformité et la protection des utilisateurs : l’entreprise investit environ 300 millions de dollars par an dans la conformité à l’échelle mondiale, et près d’un employé sur quatre se consacre à la sécurité des utilisateurs. À ce jour, Binance a répondu à 313 653 demandes émanant des autorités chargées de l’application de la loi à travers le monde, contribuant ainsi à renforcer la confiance et l’obligation redditionnelle au sein de l’écosystème des actifs numériques. En collaborant étroitement avec les régulateurs et les partenaires du secteur, Binance contribue à établir des normes élevées en matière d’utilisation responsable de la cryptomonnaie à travers l’Afrique.

Toute personne découvrant les actifs numériques pour la première fois est encouragée par Binance à commencer par les bases : poser des questions, vérifier avant d’envoyer de l’argent et apprendre à son propre rythme. Des cours gratuits sont disponibles via Binance Academy et de plus amples informations sur les produits Binance sont disponibles sur son blog. 

Distribué par APO Group pour Binance.

À propos de Binance :
Binance est un écosystème blockchain mondial de premier plan qui sous-tend la plus grande bourse de cryptomonnaie au monde en termes de volume de transactions et d’utilisateurs enregistrés. Binance bénéficie de la confiance de plus de 300 millions de personnes dans plus de 100 pays grâce à sa sécurité de pointe, sa transparence, la rapidité de son moteur de trading, ses protections pour les investisseurs et son portefeuille inégalé de produits et d’offres d’actifs numériques, allant du trading et de la finance à l’éducation, la recherche, le bien social, les paiements, les services institutionnels et les fonctionnalités Web3. Binance se consacre à la création d’un écosystème crypto inclusif afin d’accroître la liberté monétaire et l’accès aux services financiers pour les personnes du monde entier, en utilisant la crypto comme moyen fondamental.

Pour plus d’informations, rendez-vous sur : www.Binance.com

Nana-Gribizi : À Badia-Salifou, la Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en République centrafricaine (MINUSCA) et les communautés s’unissent pour une transhumance apaisée

Source: Africa Press Organisation – French

Plus de 200 participants — éleveurs, agriculteurs, leaders communautaires et autorités locales — se sont réunis le mercredi 23 septembre 2026 à Badia-Salifou, une localité située à une trentaine de kilomètres de Kaga-Bandoro. Organisée par la section des Affaires civiles de la MINUSCA, cette rencontre d’information marque un tournant décisif vers la prévention des conflits et le renforcement de la cohésion sociale à l’approche de la nouvelle saison de transhumance.

Pendant longtemps, la zone de Badia-Salifou a été le théâtre de vives tensions. Les destructions de cultures et les vols de bétail avaient progressivement instauré un climat de méfiance et de peur au sein des populations. L’un des premiers impacts majeurs de cette journée de dialogue a été de rompre l’isolement des communautés et de libérer la parole sur des traumatismes quotidiens, permettant ainsi de libérer les esprits et de redonner confiance aux acteurs locaux. Zita, agricultrice locale, témoigne de cette réalité : « Les problèmes que nous avons eus avec la transhumance par le passé ont fait que, lorsque nous allions au champ, nous travaillions dans la peur. »

De la logique de représailles au retour de l’État de droit

L’initiative a également permis un changement de posture fondamental face aux cycles de vengeance. En réunissant l’ensemble des acteurs autour d’une même table, la rencontre a favorisé une prise de conscience collective : la violence ne peut plus servir de justice. Pour Richard, participant à la réunion, le retour à des mécanismes institutionnels demeure la seule voie durable. « Avant, ce n’était pas comme ça. Lorsqu’un éleveur attrapait un voleur, il l’amenait aux autorités. On le mettait en prison pour servir de leçon aux autres au lieu de le tuer. Nous n’aimons plus cela. Nous voulons une transhumance apaisée cette année », affirme-t-il.

Un avis pleinement partagé par les autorités coutumières, qui voient dans cette sensibilisation un outil concret de pacification durable. Ngate Daniel, chef du village Badia 3, insiste sur l’importance de cette dynamique : « Nous ne voulons plus que la population aille voler les bœufs des Peuls, ni que les Peuls détruisent nos champs. C’est pourquoi nous poursuivons ces activités de sensibilisation. »

Des solutions concrètes et un pacte de confiance renouvelé

Au-delà des échanges, cette initiative génère des retombées opérationnelles directes pour la sécurité des habitants de la Nana-Gribizi. Les participants ont notamment réclamé le respect et la délimitation stricte des couloirs de transhumance, une mesure clé appuyée par Severin Djonigba, chef du village Badia, pour éviter tout chevauchement entre zones agricoles et zones de pâturage. Parallèlement, le recueil d’informations de terrain permet à la MINUSCA et aux acteurs locaux d’anticiper les points de friction avant qu’ils ne dégénèrent.

Fred Bitindji, Assistant aux Affaires civiles de la MINUSCA, soulève l’importance stratégique de cette démarche préventive : « Nous avons choisi cet axe pour analyser et collecter des informations avec la communauté en vue de la prochaine transhumance. Cela nous permet de préparer ensemble des actions concrètes pour prévenir les violences, les destructions de champs et les vols de bétail, qui sont les causes principales des tensions. »

En faisant primer la concertation sur la confrontation, cette intervention de la MINUSCA laisse une empreinte durable en posant les bases d’un dialogue permanent entre agriculteurs et éleveurs. Grâce à l’engagement ferme des autorités locales et des populations à maintenir ce canal de communication ouvert, la Nana-Gribizi s’arme d’outils solides pour transformer la saison de transhumance 2026 en une opportunité de cohabitation harmonieuse.

Distribué par APO Group pour United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

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African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) National Oil Company (NOC) Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) to Drive Africa’s Energy Integration Agenda at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026

Source: APO


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Africa’s national oil company leaders will gather in Cape Town during African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 to address how greater cooperation can translate the continent’s energy resources into stronger regional markets, infrastructure and investment opportunities. The 8th Meeting of the APPO NOC CEOs’ Forum, sponsored by the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO), will take place on October 12, bringing together senior executives to work through a wide-ranging agenda spanning refining, gas and LNG, financing, digitalization, local content and regulatory cooperation.

The meeting comes as African countries face a common challenge: developing energy resources at a scale capable of supporting industrialization while reducing reliance on imported fuels, fragmented infrastructure and external financing. For national oil companies, greater cooperation can provide a route to combining markets, infrastructure and technical capabilities around projects that may be difficult to develop on a country-by-country basis.

Regional refining and petroleum-product integration will be a major focus. The CEOs will consider an African refining model, including potential regional hubs of at least 150,000 barrels per day and integrated facilities incorporating deep conversion, reforming and petrochemicals. The agenda also calls for discussion of an African petroleum-products exchange platform, harmonized product specifications and mechanisms to facilitate mutual recognition and more efficient customs procedures.

These initiatives are directly relevant to investment. Larger, more integrated markets can provide project developers with greater certainty around demand and offtake, while coordinated infrastructure can improve the economics of refining, storage, transportation and petrochemical projects. The forum will also examine hedging strategies designed to manage downside exposure and portfolio volatility in oil and gas investments.

Gas and LNG cooperation will form another core pillar of the discussions. NOC CEOs will consider regional platforms, long-term LNG contracts anchored in Africa and multi-country gas-to-power and gas-to-LPG programs. The focus reflects the opportunity to use Africa’s gas resources not only for international LNG markets but also to support domestic electricity generation, industrial activity and cleaner alternatives to more carbon-intensive fuels.

Financing will sit alongside these project discussions. The agenda includes structuring opportunities with the Africa Energy Bank and Afreximbank, developing offtake and throughput term sheets and identifying bankable projects for 2027. This emphasis on African financial institutions is particularly relevant as governments and NOCs seek to mobilize capital for large-scale energy infrastructure while strengthening the continent’s capacity to finance its own development priorities.

The forum will also examine how digital platforms can make African energy markets more connected. Proposed APPO platforms cover supplier and certification directories, tenders and finance access, research and development, training, intellectual property and business intelligence. Alongside these commercial tools, CEOs will discuss methane and flaring, carbon capture and storage, asset integrity and the harmonization of petroleum regimes across APPO member countries.

The meeting is expected to conclude with resolutions and a 2027 roadmap with key performance indicators, giving the discussions a practical implementation focus.

“NOCs have a central role in building the infrastructure and markets that Africa needs to turn its energy resources into broader economic value,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “The APPO NOC CEOs’ Forum is important because it brings the continent’s energy companies together around practical questions of refining, gas development, financing, market integration and cooperation. Turning those discussions into bankable projects and stronger regional markets will be critical to attracting investment and strengthening Africa’s energy security.”

The 8th Meeting of the APPO NOC CEOs’ Forum will take place during AEW 2026 in Cape Town, providing investors and industry stakeholders with a direct view of the priorities shaping cooperation among Africa’s national energy companies.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

Ministry of Health (MOH), Liberia Pharmacy Board Commemorate World Pharmacists Day

Source: APO


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The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Liberia Pharmacy Board, has commemorated World Pharmacists Day 2026 in Ganta City, Nimba County, under the theme “Empowering Pharmacists for Healthier Futures.”

The commemoration concluded a five-day World Pharmacists Week celebration featuring a series of activities to promote the profession and highlight its contribution to healthier communities. Activities included radio talk shows, volunteer services at John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Redemption Hospital, E&J Medical Center, JDJ Memorial Health Center, and Ganta Methodist Hospital, and health awareness sessions in schools.

The commemoration also featured community outreach and health testing at the Ganta General Market, followed by a parade through the principal streets of Ganta City to Prince Y. Johnson University, where the main indoor program was held.

Speaking during the occasion, keynote speaker Dr. Menmon P.Z. Dunah emphasized the essential role pharmacists play in strengthening Liberia’s healthcare system. He called for increased government investment in pharmacy education, greater opportunities for pharmacists to serve in leadership positions, postgraduate training through the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists, and the full integration of pharmacists into national health programs.

Dr. Dunah specifically highlighted the importance of pharmacists’ involvement in areas including immunization, antimicrobial stewardship, maternal and child health, and emergency response.

“Empowering Pharmacists for Healthier Futures is both timely and significant,” Dr. Dunah said, urging stakeholders to recognize pharmacists as essential partners in delivering quality healthcare services across Liberia.

As part of the scientific session, Dr. Joshua T. Peters, Jr., Director of Pharmaceutical Services at the Ministry of Health and Chief Pharmacist of the Republic of Liberia, delivered a presentation titled “The Effects of Drugs and Substance Abuse: A Call to Action.”

Dr. Peters challenged young pharmacists to take their knowledge and expertise beyond health facilities and return to their communities to help address the growing challenges associated with drug and substance abuse.

“We gather not merely to celebrate our historic lineage as compounders and dispensers of medicines… but to confront the defining public health crisis of our generation,” Dr. Peters stated.

The 2026 World Pharmacists Week celebration provided an opportunity to recognize the contributions of pharmacists while strengthening dialogue around the profession’s expanding role in Liberia’s health system.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Republic of Liberia.

South Sudan – From violence to justice: A police unit gives survivors hope

Source: APO

In a makeshift courtroom inside a police station in South Sudan’s largest camp for displaced families, a young woman stares into her lap.

Her hands are clasped together; her fingers twitch nervously. A large open wound marks her right cheek.

We learn it was inflicted by her husband, who is standing on the other side, behind the defence lawyer. He bit her and threatened to blind her in a fit of rage.

Mary** (name changed), a mother of two, listens as the defence lawyer argues that Mary had failed to prepare food on time, suggesting that she had shirked her duties.

On the other side, Nyawel Liah Diu, 28, clears her throat to speak. She is a police investigator with the Special Protection Unit, which handles cases of sexual and gender-based violence.

Nyawel tells the court that Mary spent the day toiling in her tiny stall to earn an income for her family. She arrived home with a large fish to cook for her children and husband when the attack took place.

She says Mary’s husband does not work or support the children financially. That’s why Mary was compelled to seek employment, and she had informed her mother-in-law, who had approved of it.

Mary is one of the women who has been given the chance to be heard. The judge rules that her case has merit and sets a date for a later hearing, dismissing the defence lawyer’s request for it to be thrown out.

“The biggest challenge is the culture which perpetuates that women in South Sudan only belong in the kitchen and that domestic violence is not important,” says Nyawel. “It is my duty to change history, so that it is not repeated in the future by our children.”

Nyawel herself is no stranger to the devastating impact of violence having lost her four-year-old child during the conflict.

That loss, and the burden of history carried by women in South Sudan, impels her to seek justice for women and girls, she says.

Nyawel joined the South Sudan National Police Service in Unity in 2023. Two years later, she was part of the first cohort of police officers selected for the Special Protection Unit (SPU). Since then, she’s been on a mission to protect women.

The SPU is part of the national police response to gender-based violence, with the Rule of Law Section of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan supporting it to investigate cases and improve access to justice.

“Violence affects women on many levels, so the first thing I do, even as an investigator, is to counsel them – to tell them their life is not over – and that they must stay hopeful. After that it is to determine the facts, the truth, and then to go after the perpetrators,” says Nyawel.

Her investigations, she explains, help the public prosecutor build a strong case against the perpetrator.

“We cannot undo the rape but once the survivor sees that the perpetrator is convicted for his crime and is in prison there is a sense of satisfaction – there is a sense of peace.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

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Deputy Minister Mhlauli to release PYEI Q1 2026/27 Quarterly Progress Report

Source: President of South Africa –

The Deputy Minister in The Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, will release the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) Quarterly Progress report for the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, covering the period April to June 2026.

The release will provide an update on the progress made in expanding pathways for young people to transition from learning to earning, as well as key achievements recorded across the various components of the PYEI during the first quarter of the financial year.

Details of the Event are as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Time: 10h00
Venue: GCIS Media Centre, 1035 Francis Baard, Hatfield, Pretoria

Media enquiries: Mandisa Mbele, Office of the Deputy Minister in The Presidency, on 082 580 2213 or mandisam@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

République centrafricaine : Face à la pénurie d’eau, les localités de Niem et de Yelewa misent sur deux nouveaux forages

Source: Africa Press Organisation – French

Les habitants de Niem et de Yelewa pourront bientôt compter sur deux nouveaux forages pour accéder à l’eau potable, une ressource devenue rare et source de nombreuses difficultés dans ces localités de la sous-préfecture de Bouar. Le projet a été officiellement lancé le 25 septembre 2026 en présence des autorités locales, des leaders communautaires et des populations bénéficiaires.

Pour les familles de Niem et de Yelewa, la quête quotidienne de l’eau pourrait bientôt appartenir au passé. Dans ces deux localités de la commune d’élevage de Niem-Yelewa, l’annonce de la construction de deux forages est accueillie avec soulagement par des populations confrontées depuis plusieurs années à des difficultés d’approvisionnement en eau.

Le lancement de ce projet marque une étape importante pour ces communautés qui espèrent bénéficier d’un accès plus sûr à cette ressource essentielle. L’initiative vise non seulement à améliorer les conditions de vie des habitants, mais aussi à renforcer le bien-être collectif et la cohésion sociale au sein de la commune.

Prenant la parole au nom des autorités locales, Aminou Seyni, premier adjoint au maire de la commune de Niem-Yelewa, a salué une réponse concrète à une préoccupation majeure des populations. « Les populations de Niem-Yelewa souffrent d’un manque cruel d’eau potable. Ce projet à impact rapide vient à point nommé pour améliorer leur accès à cette ressource essentielle et, par conséquent, leurs conditions de vie », a-t-il déclaré.

S’exprimant au nom de la MINUSCA, Dramane Daravé, chargé de l’information publique, a rappelé que cette initiative s’inscrivait dans un programme plus large d’appui aux communautés locales. « Ce projet constitue la première étape d’une série d’actions destinées à renforcer durablement l’accès aux services sociaux de base. Il s’inscrit également dans le cadre de l’accompagnement du processus de paix et de la mise en œuvre de projets à fort impact socioéconomique au profit des populations locales », a-t-il indiqué. « La réalisation de ces forages contribuera à réduire les maladies hydriques telles que le choléra, les diarrhées et la typhoïde. Elle permettra également d’alléger les corvées d’eau qui reposent principalement sur les femmes et les jeunes filles, tout en réduisant les tensions parfois observées autour des points d’eau », a-t-il précisé.Pour les communautés bénéficiaires, ces nouveaux points d’eau devraient ainsi faciliter le quotidien de nombreuses familles, tout en offrant une meilleure protection contre les risques liés à la consommation d’eaux non traitées.

Le représentant de la MINUSCA a par ailleurs rappelé que ce projet s’inscrivait dans la continuité des réalisations déjà soutenues dans la commune, notamment la construction de la mairie de Niem-Yelewa, la réhabilitation du collège de Yelewa ainsi que la mise en œuvre d’activités de réduction de la violence communautaire. D’autres initiatives sont également envisagées, parmi lesquelles la construction de hangars dans les marchés de Niem et de Yelewa ainsi que la construction d’un nouveau collège à Yelewa.

Pour sa part, Kelani Chester Adonis, représentant de l’organisation chargée de l’exécution du projet, a souligné l’importance de cette intervention pour des populations qui continuent de dépendre de sources d’eau souvent impropres à la consommation. « Ce projet répond à une demande pressante des communautés. L’utilisation d’eaux non potables expose particulièrement les enfants âgés de zéro à cinq ans à diverses maladies. Les travaux seront exécutés sur une période de six mois, avec l’ambition de les achever avant le délai prévu », a-t-il expliqué. L’organisation chargée de la mise en œuvre prévoit également d’associer étroitement les communautés au suivi des ouvrages à travers la création d’un comité de gestion des points d’eau, afin d’en garantir la pérennité.

Au cours de la cérémonie, la MINUSCA a rappelé à l’organisation bénéficiaire son obligation de gérer les ressources financières mises à disposition dans le strict respect de l’accord signé et du code de conduite de la Mission. Les autorités locales et les communautés ont, quant à elles, été encouragées à mettre en place un mécanisme de suivi opérationnel pour assurer une exécution transparente et efficace du projet.

En attendant l’achèvement des travaux, les habitants de Niem et de Yelewa se projettent déjà vers un quotidien moins marqué par les longues corvées d’eau et les risques sanitaires. Financé dans le cadre d’un Projet à impact rapide (QIP) de la MINUSCA, ce projet illustre l’appui apporté aux populations à travers des réalisations répondant à des besoins essentiels et contribuant au renforcement de la cohésion sociale ainsi qu’à la consolidation de la paix dans la région. 

Distribué par APO Group pour United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

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Child malnutrition is one of Africa’s biggest health challenges: food aid is only part of the solution

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Gabriel Kanuti Ndimbo, Lecturer in Development Studies, University of Dar es Salaam

Malnutrition among children under five remains one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most persistent public health challenges. Countries and development partners have introduced numerous nutrition programmes. Yet millions of young children continue to suffer from poor nutrition.

Drawing on our expertise in public health, nutrition and health systems research, we conducted a review of recent evidence about child malnutrition from across the sub-Saharan Africa region. The review examined 50 studies published between 2015 and 2025 that covered the forms of malnutrition and intervention strategies for children under the age of five.

The research shows that malnutrition is a complex problem. It isn’t caused solely by a lack of food. Other influences are disease, poor sanitation, climate pressures, limited access to healthcare, gaps in caregiver knowledge, and socio-cultural and behavioural factors.

Our review found that undernutrition – particularly stunting, wasting and underweight – is the main form of child malnutrition in the region. Malnutrition is a broad term that refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in a person’s intake of nutrients. Undernutrition is a specific form of malnutrition that occurs when children do not receive enough essential nutrients to support healthy growth and development.

This finding highlights the need to strengthen existing efforts. At the same time, the wider social, economic and environmental factors that contribute to poor nutrition must also be addressed. Understanding which forms of malnutrition remain most common can help policymakers and practitioners decide how to intervene and what resources they will need. Lasting solutions must combine nutrition support with action on poverty, food systems, health and community needs.

Undernutrition remains a major concern

Stunting was the most frequently reported form of malnutrition in the studies we reviewed. The condition occurs when children are too short for their age, owing to long-term nutritional deprivation.

More than 25% of children under five were reported to be stunted in many African countries. Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Liberia and the Central African Republic were some of them.

The first two years of life are particularly important. Many children experience nutritional setbacks when exclusive breastfeeding ends and the new foods introduced are insufficient in quantity or quality.

Across the reviewed studies, about 20% of children under five in 12 sub-Saharan African countries were underweight. Nutrition programmes reduced underweight rates. But illness, poor diet, unsafe water, poverty and limited maternal education increased the risk.


Read more: South Africa’s food system is failing children – what must change


Wasting was also widely reported. This form of acute malnutrition comes with rapid weight loss and increased risk of illness. It is strongly linked to food insecurity, poverty, poor sanitation and limited access to healthcare services.

At the same time, the region is beginning to face another challenge: children who are overweight. It is reported less frequently in the reviewed studies. But childhood overweight is increasing in some countries, especially where urbanisation and changing food systems have increased access to highly processed foods.

Undernutrition and overweight can exist together, creating a double burden.

What interventions work?

Our review grouped responses to child malnutrition into three broad categories: nutrition-specific, nutrition-sensitive and integrated approaches.

Nutrition-specific interventions directly address nutritional deficiencies. They make sure children get more nutritious food (including breast milk). Programmes like this have shown positive results, particularly in treating acute malnutrition and improving child growth outcomes. Screening and treating children in their communities has become an important way to reach families.


Read more: Child malnutrition in Kenya: AI model can forecast rates six months before they become critical


But that doesn’t solve the underlying causes of malnutrition.

Nutrition-sensitive interventions address wider factors that influence children’s health. Agricultural programmes, water and sanitation improvements, disease prevention, cash transfers and maternal education are examples.

Home gardens can help households to get enough food and a variety of food in their diets. Their effects on children’s physical growth have been mixed, however. Having food does not always mean better nutrition. Care practices such as exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding must improve. In addition, families also need access to nutrition counselling, immunisation and safe water.

Integrated solutions are best

We found that combining approaches may provide the most sustainable results. Integrated programmes bring together direct nutrition support and interventions addressing poverty, food security, health services and environmental conditions.

Examples include programmes that combine breastfeeding promotion, nutrient supplementation, agricultural support and caregiver education. These approaches recognise that children’s nutrition depends on the wider conditions in which families live.

Strong community involvement is also essential. Local knowledge, cultural practices and community participation can determine whether programmes are accepted and sustained over time.

A broader response is needed

Reducing child malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa will require coordinated action. Governments, communities, health systems, the agricultural sector and development organisations must all get involved.

Policies must address immediate nutritional needs, and also drivers such as poverty, climate change, food insecurity and unequal access to services.

The evidence shows that no single intervention can end child malnutrition. Sustainable progress will depend on combining nutrition programmes with investments in resilient food systems, education, sanitation and healthcare.

Improving child nutrition is an investment in Africa’s future human development.

– Child malnutrition is one of Africa’s biggest health challenges: food aid is only part of the solution
– https://theconversation.com/child-malnutrition-is-one-of-africas-biggest-health-challenges-food-aid-is-only-part-of-the-solution-291163

More land, better life? South African farming study asks if that’s the road to rural development

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Neo Mathinya, Lecturer, University of the Free State

South Africa’s rural development debate often starts with a familiar idea: if rural households have more land, they can produce more food, earn more money and become “emerging farmers” who eventually develop into commercial farmers.

This idea appears in several government policy documents, such as the National Development Plan 2030, the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, the Strategic Plan for Smallholder Support and the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan.

Within these documents and political rhetoric, farming is expected to act as the main engine for economic development in the deprived former homelands of South Africa. This ambition is rooted in South Africa’s history.

Under colonialism and apartheid, laws such as the 1913 Natives Land Act restricted Black land ownership and concentrated much of the Black population in the former “homelands”. These areas became characterised by overcrowding, poverty and inadequate infrastructure, which continue to shape rural livelihoods today.

Current agricultural and rural development policy therefore combines several objectives: redressing unequal access to land, improving agricultural production and food security, creating employment, expanding market participation and developing an inclusive rural economy. This has often meant providing small-scale farmers with land alongside agricultural inputs, infrastructure, finance, training and other forms of support intended to increase production and participation in agricultural value chains.

But research findings from two rural communities suggest that this picture is too simple. Our farming systems research team at the University of the Free State investigated the role farming actually plays in rural households’ livelihoods, the constraints on agricultural production and the alternative farming futures that might be possible.

We engaged with 132 small-scale farming households in two provinces. We used household surveys, life history interviews, farm mapping and focus group discussions. The study locations were Emmaus, near Bergville and the Drakensberg mountains of northern KwaZulu-Natal, and Thaba Nchu, about 60km from Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State. These communities were selected as they are both in former homeland areas, but differ in their environmental and socioeconomic circumstances.

Our study found that farming remained important to food security and the income of rural households, but it was rarely the main source of income. Instead, households combined farming with wage employment, small businesses, social grants and other activities to make a living.

This matters because rural development policies that focus mainly on increasing agricultural production or expanding access to land (as South Africa’s do) miss the interconnected factors that actually determine whether households can improve their livelihoods. These factors, including labour dynamics, infrastructure, markets, institutions and household aspirations, determine whether people can – and want to – expand farming.

Farming is part of a broader livelihood system rather than a standalone route out of poverty.

Farming is only one part of rural livelihoods

First we conducted a survey of households. This collected a broad range of information about land, production, incomes and so on.

In both survey locations, rural households differed hugely from one another.

Some households had very limited incomes and depended heavily on off-farm sources of income such as social grants, wage employment and small businesses. They often invested these resources back into farming. For most households, farming contributed to food security and provided some income, but it was rarely enough to support the household on its own. Only 16% of households in Emmaus and 19% in Thaba Nchu were able to surpass the South African Food Poverty Line (currently R868 or US$54 per person per month), and off-farm sources contributed the most to their income.

The differences between households matter. A household with a stable income from employment may be able to buy livestock, hire labour, or invest in farming inputs. A poorer household may have land but lack the money or labour needed to cultivate it. The two households may therefore have access to similar agricultural resources but very different opportunities to benefit from them.

The same applies to aspirations. Some households see farming mainly as a way to secure food. Others see it as an income earner. Only 12% of household heads in Emmaus and 36% in Thaba Nchu aspired to farming as a business. Household dependants (aged between 18 and 32) on the other hand (64% in Emmaus and 80% in Thaba Nchu), aspired to education, wage employment or migration.

This means that there is no single pathway from small-scale farming to improved livelihoods. Rural households start from different positions, face different constraints, and aspire to different futures. Treating them as a single category of “small-scale farmers” can lead to policies that work for some households while doing little for others.

The biggest constraint to expansion is labour

Another striking finding was that land was not necessarily the biggest obstacle to increasing production. Many households had access to land but could not use all of it.

Our research identified four obstacles.

Firstly, labour. A household might have land available, but insufficient labour to cultivate it.


Read more: African farmers are younger than you think. Here is why


Secondly, infrastructure. In Emmaus, for example, poor roads and inadequate water infrastructure limited the potential to expand or diversify production.

Thirdly, in Thaba Nchu, communal grazing land was important to livestock farmers, but conflicts over its use and management undermined productivity.


Read more: 17 million South Africans live on communal land – new study of a rural valley offers insights on how to manage it


Fourthly, farmers couldn’t necessarily develop alternative farming enterprises. In Emmaus, for example, people like to grow maize and beans to eat themselves, leaving less land for more market-oriented crops and other farm activities.

A farming system can appear productive and profitable on paper and still fail in practice if it does not fit the community’s social and institutional realities.

Rural households also have aspirations beyond farming

One of the most important lessons is that many rural households are not simply waiting for an agricultural intervention. They have their own ideas about what a better future looks like.

Many households in our study viewed farming as a means of survival and social security rather than a long-term commercial career. Younger household members were not all interested in taking over the farm.


Read more: Ghana needs more young farmers, but does climate change put them off? Study shows surprising results


This does not mean that agriculture has no future in the former homelands of South Africa. Rather, the future of rural livelihoods is likely to involve a combination of activities. Rural development programmes should be designed accordingly.

We need to look at the whole system

This is where a farming systems approach can make a difference. Instead of asking only whether farmers have enough land, fertiliser, water or technology, it asks how these factors interact with the household, labour availability, markets, institutions, natural resources and people’s aspirations.


Read more: How young Kenyans feel about farming goes against conventional wisdom


Rather than asking only how to turn small-scale farmers into commercial farmers, we should also ask: what combination of opportunities can help rural households build the futures they want?

For younger generations in particular, better opportunities may lie partly outside agriculture.

– More land, better life? South African farming study asks if that’s the road to rural development
– https://theconversation.com/more-land-better-life-south-african-farming-study-asks-if-thats-the-road-to-rural-development-290459