Category: English

Source: APO – Report:

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The Speaker of the National Assembly of Mauritius, Hon. Mrs. Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra, paid a courtesy call on the President of the Republic of Seychelles, Dr Patrick Herminie, on Friday 13th March, 2026, during the President’s State Visit to Mauritius. The meeting focused on parliamentary cooperation and legislative best practices, with particular attention given to Mauritius’ initiative to introduce Mauritian Creole as a language of debate in the National Assembly, an approach inspired in part by the experience of the National Assembly of Seychelles in making parliamentary proceedings more accessible to citizens.

During the discussions, Speaker Aumeeruddy-Cziffra briefed President Herminie on the initiative, which aims to allow parliamentary debates to be conducted in Mauritian Creole so that proceedings can be more easily understood by the wider public. She noted that implementing this proposal would require the necessary legal and procedural adjustments, including amendments to the Constitution and revisions to the Standing Orders of the National Assembly.

The meeting provided an opportunity for both sides to exchange views on legislative matters and share experiences from their respective parliamentary systems. President Herminie, who previously served as Speaker of the National Assembly of Seychelles, reflected on his experience in parliamentary leadership and governance, and welcomed continued dialogue between the two legislatures.

The discussions also touched on the importance of inclusive representation in democratic institutions. Speaker Aumeeruddy-Cziffra commended Seychelles for its high representation of women in the National Assembly and for the significant roles women occupy in leadership positions across government.

The courtesy call underscored the close cooperation and mutual respect between the legislative institutions of Mauritius and Seychelles, as well as the shared commitment of both countries to strengthening democratic governance, parliamentary practice, and citizen engagement.

– on behalf of State House Seychelles.

Source: APO – Report:

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The President of the Republic of Seychelles, Patrick Herminie, received the Honourable Chief Justice of the Republic of Mauritius, Rehana Bibi Mungly-Gulbul, for a courtesy call on Friday, 13 March 2026, during his State Visit to Mauritius.

The meeting provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on the important role of the judiciary in upholding the rule of law and safeguarding democratic governance. Both sides also reflected on the longstanding legal and institutional ties between Seychelles and Mauritius.

During the discussion, the close professional links between the two judicial systems were highlighted, including the presence of a Seychellois-born judge practising in Mauritius and a Mauritian-born judge serving on the Seychelles Court of Appeal. These exchanges were noted as a testament to the strong legal cooperation and shared traditions between the two countries.

President Herminie expressed his appreciation for Mauritius’ longstanding support in the training and development of legal professionals from Seychelles, noting the important contribution this partnership has made to strengthening the country’s legal and judicial capacity.

Both parties also exchanged views on the functioning of their respective judicial systems and explored potential avenues for further cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Chief Justice Mungly-Gulbul further informed the President that she has been invited to participate in the East African Judges Forum 2026, scheduled to take place in Seychelles from 21 to 25 March 2026. She expressed her interest in meeting again with President Herminie during the forum to continue their discussions on strengthening judicial cooperation between the two nations.

– on behalf of State House Seychelles.

Source: APO – Report:

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and the World Bank as co-secretariat, convened the 18th meeting of the Coordination Committee of the West Africa Unique Identification for Regional Integration and Inclusion (WURI) Programme. The virtual meeting, held on the 11th March, 2026 gathered Project Coordinators from five participating countries; Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, and Togo, alongside representatives from the ECOWAS Commission and the World Bank to review progress in the implementation of the project since the last Coordination Committee meeting, along with plans and priorities for the second and third quarters of 2026.

The WURI Programme, funded by the World Bank, aims to increase the number of persons in participating countries who have government-recognized proof of identity, facilitating their access to services both within and across national borders. The programme focuses on three key areas: strengthening the legal and institutional frameworks for foundational identification (fID) systems; establishing robust and reliable fID infrastructure; and enabling access to services through fID-issued identity credentials.

On behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, the meeting was opened with welcome remarks by the Director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration and the Project Coordinator of the WURI Project, Mr Albert  Siaw-Boateng, followed by remarks from the representative of the World Bank and a representative of the Chair of the Coordination Committee, Mr. Moniyiel Kantchoa.

During the meeting, chaired by Mr. Moniyiel Kantchoa, project coordinators from each participating country presented key achievements recorded, updates, plans and priorities for the second and third quarters of 2026. The World Bank also provided an update on programme-level developments.

Another key agenda item was the review and endorsement of the agenda for the upcoming Supervisory Committee meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 10:00 WAT. The Supervisory Committee serves as the highest governance body of the WURI Programme and is responsible for validating decisions and recommendations submitted by the Coordination Committee.

The Coordination Committee serves as a key Governance structure of the WURI Programme, responsible for the facilitating opertaional sterring of its common objectives, mobilizing technical expertise through the Technical Committee, and promoting the sharing of experiences and harmonization of tools among participating countries. Its decisions and recommendations are subsequently submitted to the Supervisory Committee for validation.

The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of ECOWAS, participating countries and development partners to advancing inclusive and interoperable identification systems that support regional integration, improve service delivery and enhance the implementation of the ECOWAS Free Movement framework.

– on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Source: APO – Report:

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has taken a significant step toward strengthening transparency, innovation and digital governance in West Africa by advancing efforts to establish a harmonised regional framework for open data.

Through its Directorate of Digital Economy and Post, the Commission convened a Validation Workshop in Abuja, Nigeria, on the Regional Open Data Legal Framework. The meeting brought together representatives of ECOWAS Member States and digital governance experts to review and refine the proposed regional framework for the publication, access and reuse of public sector data.

The two-day workshop provided a platform for Member States to collectively examine and validate the draft legal framework designed to guide open data governance across the region. The initiative reflects the growing recognition that open data plays a pivotal role in strengthening transparency, supporting digital transformation and fostering economic innovation.

Opening the workshop, Mrs. Folake Olagunju, Director of Digital Economy and Post at the ECOWAS Commission, emphasised the importance of strengthening governance mechanisms for public sector data. She noted that improving access to government-generated data has the potential to stimulate innovation, promote transparency and enable businesses, researchers and civil society organisations to develop solutions addressing key socio-economic challenges across West Africa.

Chairing the session, Ing. Abdulai Sankoh (PhD), Director of Technology at Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation, underscored the importance of developing a regional framework that enables governments to fully harness the value of public sector data. He highlighted that a coordinated approach to data governance would support evidence-based policymaking, enhance service delivery and strengthen innovation ecosystems within ECOWAS Member States.

During the workshop, participants from Member States reviewed the draft legal framework article by article with the objective of consolidating national inputs and reaching consensus on a harmonised regional framework. The proposed directive promotes the principle of open-by-default public sector data while ensuring appropriate safeguards for privacy, security, intellectual property and commercially sensitive information. Discussions also focused on enhancing interoperability between national data systems and encouraging the publication of high-value datasets in accessible formats that support responsible reuse, innovation and digital entrepreneurship.

Through this initiative, the ECOWAS Commission aims to establish a coherent regional open data ecosystem capable of driving digital transformation, strengthening regional integration and promoting knowledge-based economic growth. By facilitating responsible access to public sector information, the future legal instrument is expected to empower entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers and citizens to develop digital solutions that improve public service delivery and strengthen institutional accountability across West Africa.

– on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Source: APO

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‘Let children be children.’ This is the one of the messages that resonated most with participants during the many meetings preceding and informing the reform of customary law, also known as Naath law. Today, they are. At least by law.

Updating this customary law was not easy. And it hadn’t been done since 1942.

Following many failed attempts over past decades, in an inception workshop in Juba last October where paramount chiefs, government officials and community leaders came together to initiate the process; these discussions were subsequently trickled down to various counties across Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states.

These discussions exposed major disconnects between formal law and current customary practices, gaps that not only keep women disadvantaged but also propagated harmful cultural practices such as exorbitant dowries. But the power of community collaboration when it came to providing justice for all cannot be overstated in South Sudan.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), therefore, facilitated and provided legal advice during the meetings headed by the Naath Law Review Committee

“As women, we traditionally sit together and discuss which laws are good for us. We also go to payams to raise awareness on revenge killings, visit prisoners and advise incarcerated women. Therefore, we were very happy to participate in reviewing and passing the Naath law,” revealed Mary Nyathum Kher, Chair of the Akobo Women’s Association during a local reform meeting.

Across these states, Committee members critically evaluated and revised a complex system of customary law that had been developed over centuries, coming up with a version that is fit for purpose today. For example, the updated Naath law has placed a cap on dowry, recognized child rights and abolished forced marriages.

Although reforms like this do not eliminate inherent challenges in navigating customary law, they are expected to ease them.

“What makes this reform such a groundbreaking initiative is that it is one of the few examples where it was possible to create pathways for a harmonious balancing between customary and statutory law,” explains Anees Ahmed, Chief of UNMISS Rule of Law section.

The creation of such commonly agreed upon justice infrastructures are an important step towards a better future for all South Sudanese.

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