Category: Africa

Source: APO – Report:

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First Lady, Mrs. Lordina Dramani Mahama, on Friday, addressed beneficiaries at a comprehensive free public health screening event, emphasising the vital importance of early testing and proactive health management, especially for vulnerable populations within the community.

The event, a collaboration between the Office of the First Lady and the Ghana AIDS Commission, provided essential health services to various community members, including hairdressers, tailors, head-porters (kayayee), and market women.

Addressing the gathering, Mrs. Mahama underscored the purpose of the outreach. “We are here for a very important reason. For the health of our people, especially young people, women, and vulnerable groups in our communities,” she stated. “We aim to raise awareness, offer free check-ups, provide medical advice and counselling, and help more people take care of their health.”

The First Lady said many people may be living with serious health conditions without realising it, making such screening exercises essential.

“Sometimes, people are living with these conditions and do not even know it. That is why today’s health screening is very important,” she explained. “It provides an opportunity to get tested free of charge, know about their health, and take the necessary steps to maintain their health.”

She stressed the life-saving potential of early detection. “Early testing saves lives. Knowing your health status early enables you to start treatment early and prevent serious complications. Testing early can also help us to protect our loved ones.”

“For example, when people living with HIV get to know their status early, they can receive the right care and support, which will make them live long and healthy lives. But this can only happen if you get tested.”

The free health services provided at the event included HIV and syphilis screening, BMI and nutrition counselling, blood pressure checks and assessments for other medical conditions, and breast cancer screening.

Beneficiaries received awareness training on HIV/AIDS preventive measures and the importance of early antenatal care to prevent mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy.

Directing her message towards the younger generation present, the First Lady called for greater health consciousness. “I want to address the young people here directly. You are the future of this country. Your energy, your dreams and your well-being matter,” she said.

“However, many young people today are falling ill, sometimes due to a lack of access to the right information, services, or support they need. That must change. And it starts with talking openly to people who can help you, and by having a medical check at least once a year.”

She encouraged attendees to take full advantage of the services offered free of charge. “Today, you can check your HIV status, your blood pressure and sugar levels, and even be screened for breast cancer, right here at this event, all for free… I therefore encourage you all to take advantage of these services. Feel free to ask any questions that come to mind. We are here for you.”

Mrs. Mahama also highlighted broader government efforts aimed at improving access to and outcomes in healthcare. She mentioned the recently launched Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as MahamaCares.

“When this fund is fully operational, it will bring relief to many people suffering from non-communicable diseases,” she noted, adding that it will help diagnose and treat conditions like heart illnesses, kidney disease, and various cancers.

She also referenced the upcoming Free Primary Healthcare Programme, which she said will “enhance awareness of the health status of our citizens and contribute to disease prevention.”

“Together, we can create a Ghana where every person knows their health status. Where every pregnant woman gets the care she needs, and where every child is born healthy and free from infection,” she stated.

– on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.

Source: APO – Report:

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Over the past two years, Nigeria—Africa’s most populous country—has implemented difficult reforms to tackle long-standing obstacles weighing on the economy. While the reforms are starting to show results, poverty and food insecurity remain high, and the uncertain global environment presents additional challenges. As discussed in our latest annual economic health check of the West African nation, the right policies can help Nigeria realize its potential as an African and global economic powerhouse. 

A difficult starting point

Upon taking office in 2023, the new government faced low growth and rising poverty. Between 2014 and 2023, real per capita GDP declined on average by 0.7 percent annually. In 2023, the poverty rate stood at 42 percent. This difficult situation was compounded by limited access to dollars, which meant that people had to turn to the parallel currency market and thereby pay a much higher price than the official rate. In the meantime, public finances were strained by an opaque fuel subsidy system, which also caused recurrent petrol scarcity. And central bank financing of the fiscal deficit pushed up inflation.

In response to these challenges, Nigerian policymakers have embarked on a series of bold reforms over the last two years. In 2023 the new government and the Central Bank of Nigeria liberalized the foreign exchange market, stopped central bank financing of the fiscal deficit, and reformed fuel subsidies. The government also strengthened revenue collection, which is still one of the world’s weakest.

Since these reforms were implemented, international reserves have increased, and anyone can now access foreign exchange in the official market. Nigeria successfully returned to international capital markets last December and was recently upgraded by rating agencies. A new domestic, private refinery is positioning Nigeria up the value chain in a fully deregulated market.

The work continues

While progress has been encouraging, significant challenges remain. Inflation still exceeds 20 percent. Poor infrastructure, especially for electricity, inhibits economic activity. Poverty and food insecurity remain high. Nigeria lacks an effective social safety net to cushion the impact of shocks on the most vulnerable. 

In addition, the global environment is posing new challenges with elevated uncertainty and high borrowing costs. Nigeria is especially affected by volatile international oil prices since oil revenues account for a large proportion of government revenues—a figure that stood at 30 percent in 2024.

Policy priorities

To address these challenges, Nigeria should focus on three key priorities:

First, the country needs stronger and more sustained growth to lift millions of people out of poverty and food insecurity, which is what the authorities are focusing on. This does not happen overnight. In the meantime, making growth more inclusive also requires scaling up the existing cash transfer system.

Second, as an essential ingredient for economic development, Nigeria needs an effective budget framework. Delivering effective investments in people and infrastructure requires realistic budget assumptions, strong expenditure management, and transparent implementation and reporting—which, in turn, can strengthen accountability. For its part, monetary policy should continue to decisively tackle inflation and reduce economic uncertainty.

Third, the government should continue to increase domestic revenues. This is essential given Nigeria’s substantial funding needs in growth-enabling areas such as agriculture, infrastructure, including access to electricity, and climate adaptation. The government’s tax reforms will make it easier to pay taxes and ensure that everyone who owes taxes pays them. Over time, once the ongoing cost-of-living crisis abates and the cash transfer system is fully operational, there will be room to align tax rates with those in neighboring countries. For now, the share of revenue that goes to interest spending leaves too little for investment in people and infrastructure. It is therefore critical that the substantial financial savings from the removal of fuel subsidies flow to the government to fund priority spending.

Nigeria’s potential is beyond doubt but achieving it will require continued reforms and an effective social safety net to carry the most vulnerable along.

– on behalf of International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source: APO – Report:

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The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) is pleased to announce the entry of the Kingdom of Morocco into its growing network, with Bank Al-Maghrib officially signing the PAPSS membership agreement. As a result, Morocco becomes the 17^th country to join the PAPSS network, further solidifying the continent’s commitment to financial integration and intra-African trade under the banner of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Developed by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in partnership with the African Union and the AfCFTA Secretariat, PAPSS enables real-time, efficient, and cost-effective cross-border payments in local currencies. By welcoming Bank Al-Maghrib, PAPSS advances its mission of connecting African central banks and facilitating seamless cross-border trade, payment flows, and investment across the continent.

Mike Ogbalu III, Chief Executive Officer of PAPSS, lauded this latest milestone, stating: “We are delighted to welcome Bank Al-Maghrib to the PAPSS family. Morocco’s entry as our seventeenth central bank member demonstrates the growing momentum and trust in PAPSS as the solution for Africa’s cross-border payment challenges. With more countries joining, we are taking significant strides towards a truly unified African market, driving down transaction costs and empowering businesses and individuals across the continent.”

With Morocco’s addition, PAPSS now has seventeen countries among its membership, along with over 150 commercial banks and 14 switches, and continues to expand its reach and impact across Africa.

– on behalf of Afreximbank.

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About PAPSS:
The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System – PAPSS is a centralised Financial Market Infrastructure that enables the efficient flow of money securely across African borders, minimising risk and contributing to financial integration across the regions. PAPSS collaborates with African central banks to offer payment and settlement solutions that commercial banks and licensed payment service providers (switches, fintechs, aggregators, etc.) across the continent can connect to, making these services accessible to the public. To date, PAPSS has developed and launched 3 payment solutions: PAPSS Instant Payment System (IPS), PAPSS African Currency Marketplace (PACM), and the PAPSSCARD.

Afreximbank and the African Union (“AU”) first announced PAPSS at the Twelfth Extraordinary Summit of the African Union held on July 7, 2019, in Niamey, Niger Republic, therefore adopting PAPSS as a key instrument for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). Further, in its thirteenth (13th) extraordinary session, held on December 5, 2020, the assembly of the African Union directed Afreximbank and the AfCFTA secretariat to finalise, among others, work on the Pan-African Payments and Settlements System (PAPSS). The 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU further directed the AfCFTA and Afreximbank to deploy the system to cover the entire continent. PAPSS was officially launched in Accra, Ghana, on January 13, 2022, thus making it available for use by the public.

For more information, visit: www.PAPSS.com.

Source: APO

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Asmara Technical School yesterday graduated 143 students, including 61 female students, who completed two years of theoretical and practical training in auto mechanics, construction, woodwork, electronics, and electricity.

Mr. Semere Worede, Director of the school, stated that Asmara Technical School is graduating students for the 64th time and that, in the 70 years since its establishment, it has graduated over 10,000 students.

Mr. Semere noted that the school, with substantial investment from the Government is equipped with modern teaching facilities and is playing a significant role in producing youth equipped with the necessary professional skills to contribute to the nation-building process.

Mr. Tesfay Seium, Director General of Technical and Vocational Education at the Ministry of Education, called on the graduates to apply the training they received toward the implementation of national development programs.

A representative of the graduates expressed their commitment to making meaningful contributions in their future workplaces by applying the knowledge and skills acquired during their training.

At the event, awards were presented to outstanding students, and certificates of recognition were given to teachers and members of the parents’ committee.

Since its establishment, Asmara Technical School has graduated 10,300 students.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.