Category: Africa

Source: APO

On August 27, the 10th Japan-Nigeria Special Partnership Forum (bilateral policy consultation), was held in Abuja, the capital of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Japanese side was represented by Ms. TAKAHASHI Misako, Director-General for African Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Nigerian side was represented by Dr. Dunoma Umar AHMED, Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

At the meeting, consultations were held about bilateral relations, including business, development cooperation, and culture and sports. The two sides also exchanged views on a range of issues, including cooperation in international fora, such as UN Security Council reform, as well as regional situations in Africa, East Asia, and the Middle East.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

Source: APO

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Speaking at the opening of the twenty-fourth Cabinet meeting, held under the theme, “Value for Money; Maximizing Fiscal Space through System Efficiency and Government Asset Security,” President Boakai acknowledged that government procurement procedures can sometimes be frustrating because of the processes involved, but stressed that the safeguard measures are necessary to protect the country’s resources and ensure that opportunities are accessible to qualified Liberians. The edition of Cabinet meetings was focus on procurement and concessions.

“Sometimes people get frustrated about all what you have to do to go through to buy this and buy that; but just imagine if these things were not in place, and even if they are in place, that people there were not implementing them, the resources you are talking about, you will not have them,” President Boakai said.

The President asserted that procurement is not merely an administrative requirement but a key instrument for strengthening accountability, promoting fairness in the marketplace, and broadening citizen participation in government business.

“When we say procurement in the sense of procurement, it helps with accountability. It helps with fair play in the market. It also helps with making sure that every citizen has access to rendering services to this country,” he stated.

The President further emphasized that participation in government should not be understood solely as securing public employment, noting that Liberians can also contribute to national development by competitively supplying goods and services to the government. 

Noted the President, “Participation in the government doesn’t mean that everybody will work with the government, but you can serve, you can provide goods and services,” he said.

He stressed that such participation must be governed by a transparent and competitive system capable of giving all qualified citizens an opportunity, rather than creating perceptions that government contracts are reserved for friends or politically connected individuals. “To do that in a competitive society, you need to have a process by which everybody can have access without going around saying, well, they give it to their friend, they have this, they have that,” President Boakai said.

The President went on to applaud members of the Cabinet for their service, noting that public officials often receive attention for their mistakes while their day-to-day efforts frequently go unrecognized.

“People wait for the mistake you make, but we’re in leadership. So we watch and listen. We want to appreciate you very much,” he told Cabinet members.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Government of Liberia.

Source: APO

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The Ministry of Health (MOH), through its Performance-Based Financing (PBF) Program, has commenced a two-day stakeholder validation meeting on the PBF Mainstreaming Plan and Roadmap, aimed at sustaining the gains achieved through PBF and strengthening its integration within Liberia’s health system.

The meeting, taking place from August 27–28 at Olive Tree, Schefflin, Margibi County, brings together Government institutions, health facilities, County Health Teams, development partners and other stakeholders to review the evidence, lessons learned and proposed pathway for the future of PBF.

PBF has been implemented as a strategy to strengthen Government health systems, with its implementation framework embedded within existing Ministry of Health structures and processes. It is also recognized in Liberia’s National Health Plan 2021–2031 and Health Financing Plan and Strategy as an implementation strategy.

Over the years, PBF has contributed to improvements in service delivery, quality of care, accountability, facility management and performance monitoring. From 2023 to 2025, hospital quality increased from 64.5 percent to 83.3 percent, while mean PHC quality across the seven PBF county series increased from 34.0 percent to 78.2 percent. Fourteen of the 17 incentivized service indicators also increased each year during the period reviewed.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, the Chief Medical Officer of Liberia, Dr. Catherine Thomas Cooper, emphasized the importance of sustaining the gains achieved through PBF as external project financing comes to an end.

«“We have to think of ways where we can sustain it using more domestic funding, or think about alternative funding for maintaining our Performance-Based Financing.”»

The mainstreaming process therefore goes beyond continuing PBF as a donor-supported project. It seeks to strengthen and institutionalize the functions that have demonstrated value and ensure that they remain integrated within Government systems and processes. This includes performance management, verification, quality improvement, accountability, facility autonomy and the use of data to drive performance.

As Liberia transitions into a new budget year, stakeholders will also consider the appropriate Government budgetary allotment and financing arrangements needed to sustain the gains achieved through PBF and support the systems that enable results-based purchasing.

The mainstreaming agenda supports the Government’s broader vision, under the leadership of Hon. Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, Minister of Health, to promote a results-oriented culture across the health sector—where resources, accountability and management are increasingly linked to measurable results for the people of Liberia.

PBF will also contribute to this longer-term vision by providing a foundation for the development of Liberia’s broader strategic purchasing architecture and the Liberia Health Equity Fund (LHEF). The intended pathway is PBF → Government Mainstreaming → LHEF, with lessons and systems developed through PBF informing the transition toward broader pooled financing and strategic purchasing.

The two-day validation meeting is expected to conclude with stakeholder agreement on the PBF Mainstreaming Plan and Roadmap, providing a practical pathway for Government ownership, sustainable financing, continued performance improvement and progressive integration into Liberia’s health financing system.

The goal is simple: protect the gains, strengthen Government systems, finance results, and build toward a stronger and more sustainable health financing system through LHEF.

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

Source: APO

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In this message, the Sovereign expresses His warmest congratulations, along with His best wishes for good health and happiness to President Sandu as well as for further progress and prosperity to the friendly Moldovan people.

On this occasion, His Majesty the King conveys His esteem for the relations rooted in friendship and cooperation between the two countries, expressing His willingness to further strengthen these ties for the benefit of both peoples.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.

Source: APO

Bbaale County Member of Parliament, Hon. Charles Tebandeke has questioned the cutting of hair of prisoners asking whether the practice does not infringe on the religious freedoms and constitutional rights of inmates of some faiths.

Tebandeke raised the matter on Thursday, 27 August 2026 at a sitting chaired by Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth.  

Tebandeke said the law provides exemptions for inmates whose religious beliefs prohibit hair cutting.

He cited provisions under the Prisons Regulations which state that the hair of a female prisoner should not be cut unless recommended by a medical officer.

He added that the hair of a prisoner whose religion prohibits cutting it should not be cut without a written order from the officer in charge, issued on grounds of necessity and certified by a medical officer.

Tebandeke argued that the matter went beyond prison regulations and touched on fundamental constitutional protections.

“Article 34 of the Constitution provides for respect to humanity, dignity, human treatment, protection from torture, cruelty, degradation, among others, and these are non-negotiable rights according to Article 44,” Tebandeke said.

He called on the line minister to follow up the matter with the Uganda Prisons Service and ensure that prison authorities comply with the law and regulations governing the cutting of prisoners’ hair, particularly where exemptions are provided.

The MP also asked the Committee on Human Rights to investigate the extent of the practice across prisons and establish whether the rights of prisoners were being protected.

The Minister for Internal Affairs, Hon. Ephraim Kamuntu said they will engage the prison authorities.

However, Deputy Attorney General, Hon. Jackson Kafuuzi said there is no immediate need for a parliamentary investigation into the matter.

He said that if the practice has been taking place, prison authorities may have been acting under the existing regulations which instead can be reviewed.

“We will sit with the Law Reform Commission and consider your concern and if it requires an amendment, we will advise accordingly and move on,” Kafuuzi said.

However, Deputy Attorney General, Hon. Jackson Kafuuzi said there is no immediate need for a parliamentary investigation into the matter.

He said that if the practice has been taking place, prison authorities may have been acting under the existing regulations which instead can be reviewed.

“We will sit with the Law Reform Commission and consider your concern and if it requires an amendment, we will advise accordingly and move on,” Kafuuzi said.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

Source: APO

The Prime Minister, Rt Hon. Robinah Nabbanja has revealed that conflicting lists of beneficiaries have delayed the compensation of traders whose businesses were destroyed following the flooding of the Nakivubo channels.

Speaking during the Prime Minister’s time on Thursday, 27 August 2026, Nabbanja said her office convened several meetings with traders and other stakeholders to establish credible lists of beneficiaries.

“We constituted a team comprising of Uganda Revenue Authority [URA], Kampala Capital City Authority [KCCA] and Kampala City Traders Association [KACITA]. This team agreed to come up with the list of beneficiaries, but each had their own list,” said Nabbanja.

She said URA submitted a list of 360 beneficiaries with KCCA and KACITA presenting 460 and 480 traders respectively.

According to the Prime Minister, the failure to harmonise these lists prevented government from releasing the compensation before the end of the 2025/2026 financial year.

“We wanted to start paying them in May but the traders petitioned the President again. As a result, the financial year in which they were to be paid ended and money was not sent to the Office of the Prime Minister because it lacked a list of beneficiaries,” Nabbanja said.

She told the House that the verification undertaken by the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) had identified 737 beneficiaries and that the compensation process now awaits guidance from President Yoweri Museveni following the traders’ petition.

Budadiri County East MP, Hon. Julius Nakiyi had who expressed concerns about the prolonged delay in compensating the affected traders.

Nakiyi said traders who had approached him wanted clarification on the whereabouts of the compensation package of Shs20 billion pledged by the President and when it would be released.

The compensation relates to losses suffered during the severe flooding of October 2025 when water from the Nakivubo drainage channel flooded arcades and commercial buildings in downtown Kampala.

Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth expressed concern that compensation exercises were repeatedly undermined by inflated or manipulated beneficiary lists. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

Source: APO

The Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Hon. Desire Muhoozi has faulted Soroti farmers over failure to utilise the aflatoxin removal machine.

The minister said this as she was responded Bukedea County Member of Parliament, Hon. David Okwere who said that 80 per cent of cereals being purchased by PELA commodities factory in Soroti contain aflatoxin.

Okwere said that the discovery was made during a recent visit to Soroti Industrial Park which houses PELA commodities, a factory that deals in value addition of cereals like millet and sorghum, among others. 

“What we learnt is that all the cereals which this factory is purchasing have got about 80 per cent of aflatoxins and this is a red flag that all the people in Teso Sub Region are consuming aflatoxins,” he said.

Okwere called for an intervention from the Ministry of Agriculture saying that if not mitigated, residents of Teso risk contracting cancer as a result of consuming aflatoxins.

The minister however, said that government invested in the aflatoxin removal machine in Teso sub region but it has been idle since 2018. 

“Ever since government availed the equipment according to your requirement, you have not been using it and right now the Uganda Development Corporation has taken on the responsibility to privatise it,” she said.

She called on leaders to encourage locals to utilise such equipment, once they are availed.

The Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperative (Industry), Hon. David Bahati said he will coordinate with the Agriculture Ministry and send a technical team to Soroti to establish the facts on the ground.

Aflatoxins are poisonous and cancer-causing chemicals made by certain molds (Aspergillus fungi). They grow on staple food crops like corn, peanuts, tree nuts and grains especially in warm and humid areas.

Eating contaminated food can cause severe liver damage and long-term health issues.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

Source: APO

Concerns over gaps in cancer detection and emergency health services have been raised with legislators questioning why the country has limited screening facilities and unfulfilled promises of ambulances despite the growing burden of the disease.

The concerns were raised during the plenary sitting on Thursday, 27 August 2026 following a communication by Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth on Parliament’s support towards the fight against cancer and the upcoming Rotary Cancer Run.

Earlier in the day, Oboth announced that Parliament had made a deposit of Shs3 billion to support the construction and equipping of the Cancer Centre at Nsambya Hospital.

Maruzi North County MP, Hon. Benard Otim called on government to invest in mobile cancer screening services, saying access to early diagnosis remains a major challenge.

He said the Uganda Cancer Institute has only one screening van and called for funding to enable more people across the country to access cancer screening services.

The debate also turned to the shortage of ambulances, with Buzaaya County MP, Hon. Martin Muzaale demanding an explanation from the Ministry of Health over the government’s earlier promise to provide ambulances to constituencies.

The Minister of State for Health (Primary Health Care), Hon. Charles Ayume said the government had planned to decentralise ambulance services and purchase ambulances every financial year.

However, he said the programme stalled after Shs750 billion was dis-appropriated affecting the planned interventions.

Ayume revealed that, government nevertheless allocated Shs20 billion in the previous financial year for the purchase of 54 ambulances.

On cancer, the minister acknowledged the enormous pressure the disease places on Uganda’s health system saying treatment requires substantial investment in specialised equipment, trained personnel and infrastructure.
“Cancer is an intense sector in terms of the machines, training and infrastructure,” Ayume said.

He said the government increased investment in cancer care compared to 20 years ago and had begun decentralising treatment services to improve access outside Kampala.

Ayume said prevention will also be critical in reducing the country’s cancer burden pointing to the ministry’s policy of vaccinating 10-year-old girls against the Human Papillomavirus to prevent cervical cancer.
The minister also warned that lifestyle, diet and environmental exposure may contribute to cancer.

Speaker Oboth said the scale of cancer deaths in the country requires a stronger collective response from Parliament, the Ministry of Health and the public.

With about 18,000 people dying from cancer annually, Oboth said MPs have a responsibility to use their positions to increase awareness about prevention, screening and early treatment.

Wakiso District Woman Representative, Hon. Ethel Naluyima called on MPs to become advocates in the fight against cancer saying awareness and collective action are necessary to reduce the disease burden.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.