Category: English

Source: APO

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The North-West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has recorded no new cases of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) in the province over the past week, marking a significant development in the province’s ongoing efforts to contain and curb the spread of the disease.

This is the first week since December 2025 that the province has recorded no new FMD cases, signalling a positive shift in the province’s fight against the disease and providing encouragement that the intensified vaccination and disease-control interventions are beginning to yield results.

The Department has been implementing a mass provincial FMD vaccination programme across all four districts and 18 local municipalities, as part of the broader national intervention to contain the disease and protect the provincial livestock sector.

To date, the province has received One million five hundred and seventy thousand one hundred (1,570,100) doses of FMD vaccines, with One million four hundred and thirteen thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine (1,413,859) animals vaccinated across the province.

The MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Madoda Sambatha, welcomed the latest development. “The fact that we have gone a full week without recording a new case of Foot-and-Mouth Disease is encouraging and demonstrates the progress we are making through our collective efforts. However, we must remain vigilant. We urge all farmers and livestock owners to continue practising strict biosecurity measures on their farms and to report any suspected cases immediately to veterinary authorities,” said MEC Sambatha.

The MEC further emphasised that vaccination remains an important component of the province’s response but must be complemented by responsible livestock management and adherence to disease-control measures.

The Department anticipates commencing booster vaccinations in September 2026 in areas where animals have already received their initial vaccinations. This will take place alongside continued efforts to identify and vaccinate animals in areas that have not yet been reached by the vaccination programme.

The Department will continue working closely with farmers, organised agriculture, municipalities, traditional leaders and other stakeholders to strengthen disease surveillance, vaccination coverage and compliance with disease-control measures.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development: Republic of South Africa.

Source: APO

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The United Arab Emirates has expressed its solidarity with the Republic of Zimbabwe over the victims of a traffic accident that occurred in the center of the country and resulted in a number of deaths and injuries. 

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and to the Republic of Zimbabwe and its people over this tragedy, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Arab Emirates, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Source: APO

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The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has joined African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 as a Gold Partner, reinforcing the event’s role as a meeting point for the institutions financing Africa’s energy and infrastructure buildout. The partnership comes as the Pan-African multilateral finance institution completes a record capital deployment cycle spanning refining, transport, power generation and upstream oil and gas.

AFC’s 2026 deal flow demonstrates the depth and breadth of that capital. In August, the institution led investors into a $2.5 billion private placement for the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals complex in Lagos, the largest publicly disclosed primary equity private placement in African history. The deal was oversubscribed 3.7 times. In July, AFC reached financial close on the $753 million Lobito Corridor Railway Project in Angola alongside the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), a 1,300 km cross-border rail rehabilitation linking the Port of Lobito with the DRC border. AFC financing also supported what will become Burkina Faso’s largest power plant.

AFC raised a record $2 billion syndicated loan in June, upsized from an initial $1.6 billion target, drawing lenders from Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In July it raised $500 million through a Eurobond at the tightest pricing in its history, and in August it became the first African institution to issue a digital bond, raising CHF 350 million on a regulated Swiss digital exchange. AFC’s assets now exceed $19 billion, while its membership spans 48 African countries. The institution holds A-level investment-grade ratings from both S&P and Moody’s.

AFC’s Gold Partnership gives AEW 2026 delegates direct access to an institution that operates across the full infrastructure and energy value chain, from project development and advisory through to equity, debt and risk mitigation. The corporation’s State of Africa’s Infrastructure Report 2026, launched in Nairobi in April, found that Africa’s non-bank domestic capital pools now exceed $2 trillion and argued that the priority has shifted from raising capital to deploying it productively. AEW 2026 is built around that challenge, and AFC’s presence strengthens the event’s ability to connect bankable projects with the institutions prepared to finance them.

“AFC has shown consistently that African infrastructure and energy projects can attract serious capital when the structuring is right and the institutions behind them are credible. Having them at AEW strengthens the conversation between project sponsors and the financiers who can move deals forward,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

Source: APO

The ECOWAS Commission held a formal welcome and send-off ceremony for incoming and outgone statutory appointees and Heads of ECOWAS Institutions, following the completion of the outgone leadership’s four-year tenure. During the event, H.E. General Birame DIOP of Senegal officially assumed office as the new President of the ECOWAS Commission, succeeding H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY of The Gambia. H.E. Mr. Anthony OGUNJIMI of Nigeria also succeeded H.E. Mrs. Damtien TCHINTCHIBIDJA of Togo as Vice President. Held at the Commission’s new headquarters in Abuja, the ceremony included the unveiling of the ECOWAS@50 Special Exclusive Publication by Africa Agenda Network in partnership with the ECOWAS Commission, the symbolic presentation of the Management Performance Compendium to the incoming President, and the signing of handover notes by the outgone and incoming Presidents, Vice Presidents, and statutory appointees.

The other incoming statutory appointees are : Dr. Kalilou SYLLA (Côte d’Ivoire) Commissioner for Internal Services; Mrs. Francess ALGHALI (Sierra Leone), Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Mr. Dehpue Yenpea ZUO (Liberia), Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture; Mr. Amin Amidu SULEMANI ( Ghana) , Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation; Prof. Nassirou BAKO-ARIFARI (Benin), Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs; Ms. Carla Maria Borges BETTENCOURT (Cabo Verde), Auditor-General for ECOWAS Institutions; Dr. Palokinam PITCHE (Togo) , Director-General of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO); and Mr. Mam Cherno JALLOW, Director-General of the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).

In his farewell address, the outgone President, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve and reflected on the achievements of his four-year tenure, stressing that the outgoing leadership was leaving behind “not only memories, speeches and decisions” but also “a record” of institutional and regional accomplishments. In his inaugural address, the new President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. General Birame DIOP, called for renewed unity, solidarity and mutual respect as the foundation for advancing regional integration and strengthening the effectiveness of the ECOWAS Commission. He urged staff and stakeholders to work collectively to build a united, cohesive and efficient institution capable of responding to the aspirations and challenges of the West African region. “My solemn appeal to all of you is to make way for unity and solidarity, based on mutual respect,” he said, stressing that the strength of regional integration would be measured by the Community’s collective ability to remain united and purposeful. “A new chapter has been opened for West African integration. Let us work together to make it a chapter of peace, dignity and shared prosperity,” he declared.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Source: APO

Women queue at water points in the Al-Safa camps in Abu Jubayhah locality, South Kordofan state, Sudan. Jerrycans surround them, waiting to be filled. Until recently, getting water meant walking at least three kilometres.

This daily scene is part of a wider reality in Abu Jubayhah, which has become one of the main areas hosting displaced people in South Kordofan. Some live in camps such as Al-Safa, while many others have settled within the host community.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 57,880 displaced people are living across 62 locations in Abu Jubayhah, making it the second-largest hosting locality in South Kordofan, after Kadugli. Local authorities estimate the true number to be higher.

The scale of displacement may not be immediately visible in Abu Jubayhah town, but the conditions in the camps near the town centre tell a different story.

“When you go to the camps, you see the conditions people are living in,” says Ayşe Bilge Öztürk, MSF project coordinator in Abu Jubayhah.

Families live in temporary and semi-permanent shelters, including fabric tents and straw structures covered with plastic, as well as some concrete structures. Some tents are as small as 10 square metres, leaving little space for daily life. Many of the displaced people are women and children.

“The support available has not kept pace with the number of people who have arrived or the length of time they have been displaced,” says Öztürk.

Water: One of the first needs

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) began our response in Abu Jubayhah in June 2026. Providing water in the three Al-Safa camps were among our first priorities.

At first, water was brought to the camps by truck while teams worked to establish a more sustainable water source. This included drilling a borehole, laying a water network and installing a solar-powered water pump. Teams also repaired latrines and provided cleaning materials.

Since we began this activity, MSF has provided more than one million litres of water to the community. Families in the camps depend on this water.

Aisha Ahmed first stayed in a school after being displaced before moving to Al-Safa camps. She remembers water as one of their most urgent needs at the time.

“Sometimes we would go a whole week without water,” Aisha says. “Now, after MSF drilled the borehole and extended the network, water is available 24 hours a day.”

Smiling, Aisha describes how she feels about the change: “I am happy. Now the water is there whenever we need it.”

For Aisha and other displaced people living in the camps, the change was not only about having water available. It also meant no longer having to go so far to collect it. Previously, people had to walk at least three kilometres each day to reach a water source.

Bringing healthcare closer to people

Water is only one of the needs displaced families have.

During one visit to the Al-Safa camps, an MSF team met a mother whose daughter was suffering from severe diarrhoea and needed urgent medical care. The team assessed the child and referred her to Abu Jubayhah hospital. Cases like this show how living conditions and health needs can become closely connected for families in the camps.

As teams identified more health needs, they began testing for and treating malaria in Al-Safa camp. Soon, however, patients were arriving with other health conditions, leading us to broaden our medical activities.

At the reception area for newly displaced people in Abu Jubayhah, MSF teams established a clinic. They screen new arrivals for malaria, malnutrition, and maternal health and general health conditions, and refer those who need immediate medical attention. 

MSF also provided logistical support to a multi-antigen catch-up vaccination campaign led by the Ministry of Health, which included measles, rubella, polio, and yellow fever vaccines, alongside other routine vaccinations. Many displaced people also live within the host community and rely on the same basic services.

At Abu Jubayhah General hospital, MSF is strengthening the emergency department through rehabilitation, equipment, medicines, and other essential supplies, while access to more specialised care remains limited.

Rainy season

The rainy season brings further challenges, as unpaved roads make it harder for people to move around and for teams and supplies to reach some locations.

Despite these challenges, something fundamental has changed in daily life in the Al-Safa camps — water is now closer and more reliably available.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).

Source: APO

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Dr. Al Zayani welcomed the Ambassador and affirmed the strong fraternal relations between Bahrain and Algeria, as well as the Kingdom’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation in support of their shared interests. He wished the Ambassador success in his diplomatic duties.

Ambassador Amini expressed his pride in representing Algeria in Bahrain and affirmed his commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation between the two countries and people.

The meeting was attended by Ambassador Shaikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Khalifa, Director-General of Bilateral Relations; Ambassador Salah Mohammed Shehab, Chief of Protocol; and Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Al Tarifi, Chief of Arab and African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Source: APO

‘Justice must not depend on who you are, whom you know, or the position you hold’ — President Herminie

Mr Divino Junior Sabino was officially sworn in as the new Attorney General this afternoon at State House, in the presence of President Dr Patrick Herminie, Chief Justice Mr Rony Govinden, Leader of Government Business Honourable Sylvanne Lemiel, and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Honourable Egbert Aglae.

Mr Sabino has built a career spanning over two decades in the legal profession. His professional experience encompasses law, arbitration, financial services, regulatory affairs and corporate governance, with affiliations to national and international legal and arbitration institutions.

He has held several senior leadership and advisory roles across regulatory, professional and national institutions, including chairmanship and board-level positions in the financial services, anti-money laundering, media, and cooperative and business sectors.

During the ceremony, Mr Divino Sabino took two oaths: the oath of allegiance and the official oath.

In his remarks, President Dr Patrick Herminie stated firmly that one principle must remain beyond compromise: the law must apply equally to all. He stressed that when a citizen encounters the power of the state, he or she will be treated fairly. ‘Justice must not depend on who you are, whom you know, or the position you hold,’ he said.

The President congratulated the new Attorney General and wished him and his office every success, adding that his tenure would strengthen the institution he leads, reinforce confidence in the rule of law, and contribute to a safer, fairer and stronger Seychelles.

Mr Divino Junior Sabino replaces Mr Vincent Perera, who served in the office from October 2024 to 2026.

This marks a new chapter for the Office of the Attorney General.

Also in attendance at today’s ceremony were Secretary of State Ms Margaret Moumou, Chief of Staff Ms Jennifer Vel, the Chairman and CAA members, family, and distinguished guests.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Seychelles.

Source: APO

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Vice-President Sebastian Pillay has departed Seychelles for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he will hold follow-up discussions with officials of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA).

The visit follows bilateral discussions held between President Dr Patrick Herminie and BADEA President, Mr Abdullah KH Almusaibeeh, on the margins of the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit in Durban recently. The discussions focused on strengthening financial cooperation between Seychelles and BADEA, with a view to identifying potential financing opportunities in support of national development priorities.

Vice-President Pillay will be absent from the country from 1 to 4 September.

During his visit, he is expected to advance the areas of cooperation identified during the discussions in Durban, ahead of further consideration at the Bank’s upcoming meeting later this year.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Seychelles.