Category: English

Source: APO

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) can only audit 4,500 out of 16,000 entities that fall within its mandate because of resource constraints, MPs have been told.

The revelation was made during a meeting with officials from the OAG and MPs on the Budget Committee chaired by Hon. Amos Kankunda, on Tuesday, 15 September 2026.

During the meeting, Assistant Auditor General, James Bantu, calmed the committee members, with assurances that they audit recoverable costs claimed by oil companies, amid concerns that the US$3.1 billion in claimed costs could significantly reduce Uganda’s future petroleum revenues.

“The Office of the Auditor General undertakes audits of the recoverable costs that are incurred by the companies contracted down in the Albertine,” Bantu said.

His assurance came after committee members questioned whether the Auditor General’s biannual audits of the Petroleum Fund also cover the costs being accumulated by oil companies and whether sufficient safeguards exist to prevent companies from inflating claims.

The issue was raised by Hon. Gyaviira Ssebina Lubowa, (NUP, Nyendo-Mukungwe Division) who pointed to a sharp increase in the recoverable cost figure reported by government.

Lubowa said the finance ministry had recently presented recoverable costs of about US$3.1 billion, compared with an earlier figure of about US$935 million that had remained largely unchanged in previous reports.

He asked the Auditor General to explain whether the figure had been audited and what it comprised.

Kankunda pressed Bantu for an explicit assurance, saying the committee needed confidence that Uganda’s petroleum revenues would not be eroded by costs that may not be genuine.

“I would like you to put it on record how frequent do you audit them,” Kankunda said, asking the Auditor General to assure the committee that petroleum revenues would be protected from potentially inflated costs.

Bantu said oil companies submit annual cost compilations which the Auditor General reviews against existing laws and the contractual arrangements governing petroleum operations.

He explained that recoverable costs represent expenditure incurred by companies during exploration and drilling, which they expect to recover once petroleum revenues begin flowing.

The Auditor General’s assurance comes as Parliament scrutinises Uganda’s fiscal framework ahead of expected petroleum production and amid growing concern about how much of the country’s future oil revenue will remain available to the national budget after allowable costs are recovered.

Hon. Lubowa noted that the US$3.1 billion recoverable cost figure translates into more than Shs11 trillion, while Uganda’s projected oil contribution to the national budget for the current financial year is only about Shs1.4 trillion.

He asked the Auditor General to provide Parliament with its audit reports showing how the US$3.1 billion figure had been arrived at and what it contains.

The committee’s wider engagement with the Auditor General focused on whether Uganda’s Charter of Fiscal Responsibility can be effectively audited and whether Parliament receives sufficient information to track government performance against its fiscal commitments.

Bantu told the committee that all five objectives in the Charter including public debt, debt servicing, fiscal balance, expenditure and petroleum management are auditable and have already featured in previous audits.

He said the Auditor General’s office has been re-computing fiscal indicators under previous Charters through audits of Treasury operations, government consolidated accounts and the Petroleum Fund.

Kankunda subsequently asked whether the Auditor General could produce an annual consolidated assessment showing government’s performance against each of the five objectives, including deviations and recommendations.

Bantu said the proposal was reasonable and that his office would consider producing a consolidated report on government’s compliance with the Charter, similar to thematic reports it has previously issued on areas such as domestic arrears, budget performance and the Parish Development Model.

“We can also issue a report summarising how government has performed in regard to the pronouncements in the Charter,” Bantu said.

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

Source: APO

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Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, as part of a working visit he is paying to the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Spokesman for the Presidency Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy said that the reception ceremonies included a commemorative photograph marking the visit, followed by a closed bilateral meeting between President El-Sisi and the Crown Prince, then expanded talks attended by the delegations of both countries.

The talks were followed by a lunch banquet hosted by President El-Sisi in honor of his distinguished guest and his accompanying delegation.

President El-Sisi welcomed Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Egypt, praising the depth of the fraternal relations between the two countries. The President also conveyed his greetings to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, H.M. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and extended his congratulations to His Majesty, the Crown Prince, and the brotherly Saudi people on the approaching Saudi National Day on September 23.

For his part, the Crown Prince expressed his appreciation for the President’s congratulations, as well as for the warm reception and generous hospitality.
He conveyed the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to President El-Sisi, underscoring the deep rooted fraternal ties between the two countries.

The Crown Prince also expressed his pleasure at visiting Egypt and meeting with President El-Sisi, lauding the continued development of bilateral relations and the mutual commitment to maintaining coordination and joint cooperation and exploring new avenues for cooperation across various fields.

President El-Sisi and the Crown Prince affirmed that relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia can only be exemplary within the Arab framework, and that the security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states is an integral part of Egypt’s national security.
In addition, Egypt categorically rejects and strongly condemns any attacks or threats that undermine the Kingdom’s sovereignty, stability, and territorial integrity, or freedom of navigation in international maritime waterways.

The two leaders emphasized that current circumstances call for greater solidarity and coordination between the two countries, that their interests and objectives are aligned, and that there is complete understanding between them. The Crown Prince’s visit also underscores the full solidarity and fraternal bonds between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and all Gulf states.

In this context, the two leaders agreed on the need to intensify efforts to formulate and implement practical measures to advance bilateral cooperation and remove any obstacles that may hinder increased trade and investment flows, thereby elevating relations to a level commensurate with the historic bonds and strategic proximity between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The talks also tackled regional developments and current challenges. President El-Sisi reiterated Egypt’s unwavering position in supporting Saudi Arabia and all Arab countries in confronting the prevailing regional circumstances. In this regard, the two sides reaffirmed the need to intensify coordination and communication between the two countries. The Crown Prince appreciated Egypt’s positions, under the leadership of President El-Sisi, in support of regional stability and peace efforts, valuing Egypt’s solidarity and support for the Kingdom in confronting the recent geopolitical challenges.

The two sides also underscored the Egyptian-Saudi position in support of ensuring freedom and security of maritime navigation in the Straits of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Red Sea. President El-Sisi stressed Egypt’s support for the measures taken by the Kingdom to safeguard its security and stability, as well as for efforts to reach a comprehensive and sustainable political solution to the Yemen crisis.

The two leaders affirmed the convergence of Egyptian and Saudi positions on the Palestinian cause and the need to achieve a just and comprehensive settlement based on the two-state solution and the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy. The two sides also stressed the need to implement the obligations of the second phase of the U.S. President’s peace plan and UN Security Council Resolution 2803, while ensuring the delivery of sufficient quantities of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and putting an end to Israeli violations in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.

The President and the Crown Prince further reaffirmed Egypt and Saudi Arabia’s continued support for the security and stability of Sudan, the need to preserve the exclusivity of its national institutions, and the rejection of equating the Sudanese Armed Forces with any militias or other illegitimate parallel entities. They stressed that any threat to Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity poses a danger to the collective security of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and all countries of the region.

The meeting also witnessed an affirmation of shared Egyptian-Saudi positions in support of the sovereignty and stability of all Arab countries. President El-Sisi and the Crown Prince concurred on maintaining direct consultations and coordination in the coming period on various bilateral issues and regional developments.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Source: APO

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Five Portuguese-speaking African countries have developed national roadmaps to establish and strengthen emergency medical teams capable of rapid deployment during disease outbreaks, disasters and other health emergencies.

Representatives from Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe developed the roadmaps during the first regional Emergency Medical Team workshop specifically designed for Portuguese-speaking African countries. Organized by WHO, with support from the Government of China and the Macao Special Administrative Region, the workshop addressed a longstanding gap in access to specialized emergency preparedness and response capacity-building opportunities tailored to the Portuguese-speaking context in Africa.

WHO specialists collaborated with country delegations to assess existing capacities, identify operational gaps and define priority actions for building trained, equipped and coordinated national teams. The resulting roadmaps outline responsibilities and actions for the next 12 to 24 months, providing a foundation for sustained national action, continued WHO technical support and measurable progress towards operational readiness.

“A strong emergency response depends on national teams that can be mobilized quickly and operate effectively from the outset,” said Dr Marie-Roseline Darnycka Bélizaire, Regional Emergency Director for WHO in Africa. “This initiative is equipping Portuguese-speaking countries with the systems, skills and expertise to lead emergency responses nationally and deliver life-saving care when it is needed most.”

The WHO African Region records over 100 public health emergencies annually, ranging from disease outbreaks and climate-related disasters to humanitarian crises. While 27 countries are developing national emergency medical teams, only 12 have achieved operational readiness in line with WHO minimum standards. Progress among Portuguese-speaking countries has been partly constrained by limited access to specialized guidance and language barriers.

During the workshop, participants were introduced to WHO’s ten-step approach to developing national emergency medical teams and integrating them into existing health emergency response systems. Drawing on experiences from COVID-19, cholera, cyclones and other emergencies, each delegation examined the governance, financing, workforce, equipment, logistics and coordination arrangements required to establish a sustainable national team.

Participants also visited the WHO Emergency Medical Teams Training and Knowledge Hub in Addis Ababa, gaining practical insight into how multidisciplinary responders are trained and prepared for deployment. The hub maintains a roster of approximately 650 trained emergency responders, including 250 trained in 2026.

The workshop supports the implementation of the Regional Framework on Emergency Medical Teams, 2026–2030, adopted by African health ministers. The framework calls for every country in the region to have at least one functional national emergency medical team by 2030, marking a shift from relying on teams assembled during crises to maintaining permanent national capacities that are trained, tested and ready to deploy.

Support from the Government of China and the Macao Special Administrative Region has enabled WHO to begin closing an important capacity gap while strengthening cooperation and peer learning among Portuguese-speaking countries.

WHO will continue working with the participating countries to refine and implement their roadmaps, strengthen national coordination and expand practical and simulation-based training.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.

Source: APO

• Building local medical expertise while creating the social understanding and acceptance needed to access fertility care without shame or stigma

Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation (https://Merck-Foundation.com/), has been driving a comprehensive approach to transform fertility care and break infertility stigma through Merck Foundation’s “More Than a Mother” movement, addressing not only the shortage of trained fertility specialists but also the social, cultural, religious and communication barriers that prevent women and couples from seeking and benefiting from quality fertility care.

“Lasting change rarely comes from solving only the problem you can see. A leader must identify—and then work on—the many layers surrounding it,” says Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.).

For Dr. Rasha, the “More Than a Mother” movement was never simply about providing scholarships to fertility specialists and embryologists. It was about changing the entire environment around infertility.

“If there were no trained specialists, we had to build medical capacity. If stigma prevented women and couples from seeking care, we had to change perceptions. If misinformation was being reinforced through public narratives, we had to engage and train the media. If deeply rooted cultural or religious beliefs created resistance, we had to enter those conversations respectfully,” explains Dr. Rasha.

Building Local Fertility Expertise

A key pillar of the movement has been to build sustainable local medical expertise. More than 800 scholarships for healthcare providers from 42 countries have been provided as part of the “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother” movement, supporting specialized training in fertility care and contributing to the development of the first local fertility specialists and embryologists in many countries where there was not even a single local specialist.

Dr. Rasha’s objective was not simply to train doctors, but to ensure that women and couples could access quality fertility and reproductive care in their own countries, through public hospitals, private centers and academic institutions, while ensuring that this expertise could be sustained over time.

“My objective was to build local expertise so that women and couples could have access to quality fertility and reproductive care in their own countries,” says Dr. Rasha.

This approach reflects a fundamental principle of the “More Than a Mother” movement: access to fertility care should not depend on geography, social status or the ability to travel abroad.

Going Beyond the Healthcare System

However, Dr. Rasha recognized that training doctors alone would never be enough.

Infertility is surrounded by stigma and misconceptions, with women often carrying a disproportionate burden of blame. In some communities, cultural and religious beliefs also create resistance to fertility treatment.

To address these deeply rooted perceptions, the movement went beyond the healthcare system and brought together Africa’s First Ladies, Ministries, healthcare professionals, media, artists, religious leaders and community leaders.

Dr. Rasha partnered with Africa’s First Ladies to become Ambassadors of the “More Than a Mother” movement, using their influence to reach communities and contribute to a culture shift around infertility.

Listening to Communities First-Hand

Dr. Rasha also personally visited communities, including rural areas, across Burundi, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Guinea Conakry, Chad, Niger and the Central African Republic.

During these visits, she listened to women, couples, doctors, community leaders and religious leaders and witnessed first-hand the stigma surrounding infertility and, particularly, the enormous burden placed on women.

These experiences reinforced the need for an approach that addressed infertility from every direction rather than treating it only as a medical issue.

Making Media Part of the Solution

Changing public perceptions also required changing the way infertility was discussed.

Together with local media societies, Merck Foundation provided health media training to journalists and media professionals, helping ensure that infertility could be discussed accurately, sensitively and responsibly.

The objective was not simply to inform journalists, but to make the media part of the solution, rather than unintentionally reinforcing infertility stigma.

The movement also launched annual media and creative awards, encouraging journalists, filmmakers, fashion designers, musicians, singers and other artists to use their influence and creativity to address infertility stigma and other critical health and social issues.

Through articles, films, songs, fashion, storytelling and other forms of creative expression, the movement has taken these messages beyond traditional healthcare settings and reached people in ways that medical conferences alone could not.

Creating an Ecosystem for Change

The “More Than a Mother” movement therefore brings together many voices because changing deeply rooted perceptions requires a collective effort.

“We engaged First Ladies, Ministries, healthcare professionals, media, artists, religious and community leaders because changing such deeply rooted perceptions requires many voices working toward the same goal,” says Dr. Rasha.

This is why Dr. Rasha considers the achievement to be much more than a medical training program.

The movement has worked to build an ecosystem in which local medical expertise develops alongside the social understanding and acceptance necessary for women and couples to actually seek and benefit from that expertise.

A Vision Beyond Access to a Doctor

At the heart of Dr. Rasha’s vision is a simple principle: no woman should be blamed for infertility, and no couple should be denied the possibility of appropriate care simply because specialized expertise does not exist in their country.

True access to fertility care means more than having a trained doctor or a fertility center.

It means that the expertise is available, communities understand that infertility is a medical condition, women are no longer blamed, and couples feel able to seek care without shame or stigma.

Through “More Than a Mother,” the approach has therefore been to address the problem from every direction: build medical capacity, change perceptions, challenge misinformation, engage communities, work with First Ladies and other influential stakeholders, strengthen responsible media coverage, and use creativity to reach people beyond conventional healthcare communication.

This comprehensive approach reflects Dr. Rasha’s belief that lasting change requires looking beyond the problem that is immediately visible and working on the many layers surrounding it.

“My vision was simple from the beginning: no woman should be blamed for infertility, and no couple should be denied the possibility of appropriate care simply because specialized expertise does not exist in their country,” concluded Dr. Rasha Kelej.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.