Source: Government of Qatar
Doha | November 18, 2025
HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi met today with HE Ambassador of the Republic of Honduras to the State of Qatar Blanca I. Zablah Bendeck on the occasion of the end of her tenure.
HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs extended thanks to HE the Ambassador for her efforts in supporting and strengthening bilateral relations, wishing her success in her new duties.
Source: APO – Report:
Canon Central & North Africa (CCNA) (www.Canon-CNA.com), successfully concluded its Executive Circle Partner gathering, hosted on 3–4 November 2025 in Seychelles. Marking a decade since CCNA’s establishment, this milestone edition brought together strategic partners, executives, and industry leaders to reflect on achievements and align on future growth opportunities across the African continent.
Established in 2016, Canon Central & North Africa was created to expand Canon’s presence across the African continent, forge deeper collaboration with partners, and accelerate regional growth. Over the past 10 transformative years, CCNA has strengthened Canon’s footprint across the African continent by expanding its operations and establishing a local presence in key markets. During this time, the organization has built a strong ecosystem of distributors, resellers, and channel partners, enhancing customer access to innovative imaging and print technologies. Additionally, CCNA has consistently delivered industry-leading service support and training programs, ensuring that partners and customers are equipped with the expertise and resources needed to succeed.
Through strategic partnerships and localized market initiatives, CCNA has consistently driven business value and fostered meaningful relationships, ensuring that Canon’s portfolio, solutions, and expertise truly serve the needs of Africa.
ICE: Canon’s Strategic Pillar – Innovation, Customer & Employee Experience
This year, the Executive Circle continued to reinforce ICE—Innovation, Customer, and Employee Experience, as the strategic pillar guiding Canon’s regional direction. The focus is on driving innovation through new markets and product categories, enhancing customer engagement across every touchpoint, and empowering employees through ongoing development to better support partners and customers.
“Our commitment to Africa goes beyond business, it is about collaboration, innovation, and shared growth,” said Somesh Adukia, Managing Director, Canon Central & North Africa. “As we celebrate 10 incredible years, we remain focused on enabling our partners, investing in our customers, and empowering our people. Together, we are shaping the future of imaging in Africa.”
Canon Launches Global Brand Campaign: ‘Canon’s World Unseen 2.0 – Coral Campaign’
Unveiled during the conference, the new brand campaign – “Canon’s World Unseen: 2.0, showcases Canon’s commitment to storytelling and sustainability. The campaign reveals the breathtaking beauty of coral reefs, much of which remains unseen to the world, and uses photography and imaging technology to raise awareness about the urgent need to protect marine ecosystems.
Hosting the Executive Circle in Seychelles, one of the world’s most pristine island nations, reflects Canon’s belief in the power of imagery to inspire change, creativity, and environmental stewardship.
Earlier this year, Canon EMEA announced the pioneering sustainability initiative in partnership with Nature Seychelles, a leading environmental non-profit in the region, and Coral Spawning International (CSI), recognized pioneers in land-based coral reproduction and restoration. This collaboration underscores Canon’s commitment to sustainability and marine ecosystem preservation in Seychelles and beyond. As part of the event, we also took our partners to witness these efforts firsthand and gave them a guided tour of the project site, allowing them to see the tangible impact of this collaboration in action.
This collaboration supports a first-of-its-kind coral restoration project in the Western Indian Ocean using an innovative coral regeneration method that strengthens reefs against climate change. The project leverages CSL’s groundbreaking expertise in coral spawning and Nature Seychelles’ deep environmental stewardship to protect and restore coral ecosystems at scale.
Regional Growth, Collaboration and Recognition
The Executive Circle aims to elevate partner collaboration and align strategic priorities across Africa. Through immersive discussions, knowledge-sharing, and business planning sessions, partners engaged directly with Canon’s leadership to accelerate collective growth and innovation in the region.
To commemorate the conclusion of the conference, Canon hosted a gala dinner and awards ceremony, recognizing top-performing partners across B2B and B2C segments for their exceptional contribution to the business over the past year. The evening also featured the special 10th Anniversary Awards, honoring our partners who have been with us on this incredible journey for the past 10 years.
The Executive Circle 2025 in Seychelles marked a significant milestone, celebrating a decade of partnership, regional growth, and shared success.
– on behalf of Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA).
Media enquiries, please contact:
Canon Central and North Africa
Mai Youssef
e. Mai.youssef@canon-me.com
APO Group – PR Agency
Rania ElRafie
e. Rania.ElRafie@apo-opa.com
About Canon Central and North Africa:
Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA) (www.Canon-CNA.com) is a division within Canon Middle East FZ LLC (CME), a subsidiary of Canon Europe. The formation of CCNA in 2016 was a strategic step that aimed to enhance Canon’s business within the Africa region – by strengthening Canon’s in-country presence and focus. CCNA also demonstrates Canon’s commitment to operating closer to its customers and meeting their demands in the rapidly evolving African market.
Canon has been represented in the African continent for more than 15 years through distributors and partners that have successfully built a solid customer base in the region. CCNA ensures the provision of high quality, technologically advanced products that meet the requirements of Africa’s rapidly evolving marketplace. With over 100 employees, CCNA manages sales and marketing activities across 44 countries in Africa.
Canon’s corporate philosophy is Kyosei (http://apo-opa.co/43xEHwr) – ‘living and working together for the common good’. CCNA pursues sustainable business growth, focusing on reducing its own environmental impact and supporting customers to reduce theirs using Canon’s products, solutions and services. At Canon, we are pioneers, constantly redefining the world of imaging for the greater good. Through our technology and our spirit of innovation, we push the bounds of what is possible – helping us to see our world in ways we never have before. We help bring creativity to life, one image at a time. Because when we can see our world, we can transform it for the better.
For more information: www.Canon-CNA.com
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Source: Government of South Africa
The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), in partnership with Vhembe District Municipality and the University of Venda, will on Thursday host an innovation workshop at the University of Venda in Thohoyandou, Limpopo.
The Vhembe Technical and Vocational Education and Training will also be part of hosting the workshop.
This is as part of the mandate to support the South African innovators from idea, development of prototypes, protection of intellectual property and commercialisation of innovation.
The workshop aims to unearth technologies from underdeveloped rural and township communities, create networking platforms for technology development and commercialisation and focused technology development and innovative thinking.
According to the Acting Chief Director of Operations in the Investment and Spatial Industrial Development branch of the dtic, Takalani Ramuthaga, innovation has a direct link to economic growth and development, and there is a direct correlation between innovative countries and industrialised countries.
Ramuthaga explained that the workshop will enable entrepreneurs in the Vhembe district and surrounding areas to access information on innovation support instruments, as well as other incentives of the dtic.
She emphasised that engaging with innovators and entrepreneurs located in rural and township areas has a potential to stimulate local economic activity and growth within communities.
“The innovators will receive information on the Khoebo Innovation Promotion Programme (KIPP), which was established with the objective of stimulating township and rural economies by supporting Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises and start-ups.
“However, the programme does not exist in isolation, as it is supported by programmes such as the Support Programme for Industrial Innovation (SPII), which serves as a feeder for the KIPP.
“Furthermore, with agriculture being one of Limpopo‘s main economic activities, information on incentives in agro-processing and manufacturing support will also be shared with participants,” Ramuthaga said.
She said apart from information dissemination, the workshop is aimed at identifying gaps that the innovation support programmes should effectively bridge between the markets and local communities, including innovation in townships and rural areas that policies and strategies may not have addressed adequately.
Ramuthaga underscored the valuable knowledge that exists in townships and rural areas where there is mainly no infrastructure and services.
To add value to such knowledge, Ramuthaga said government intervention is needed in the form of funding, exposure and forming linkages with the existing instruments. To this end, the workshop is aimed at identifying and unearthing innovative solutions.
“These engagements will also create awareness of valuable knowledge and skills that exist in the township and identify innovation that can be supported through other existing innovation instruments of the dtic, as well as other role players.
“The planned presentations will cover programmes from the dtic, Department of Small Business Development, Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency, Companies, and Intellectual Property Commission, UNIVEN, Vhembe Municipality and other supporting entities on their products and services,” Ramuthaga said. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: Government of South Africa
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Following a visit to the historic Ohlange Institute with the family of Dr John Langalibalele Dube, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, Dean Macpherson, on Monday announced that a Special Technical Construction team will be established to expedite the project’s completion.
Macpherson was accompanied by KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Mntomuhle Khawula, eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba and KwaZulu-Natal National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Whip, Mzamo Billy.
The Ohlange Institute, founded by Dr Dube and his wife in 1901 and where former President Nelson Mandela cast his first democratic vote, has received over R33 million worth of investment since 2012, but has since fallen into a state of disrepair.
The Minister said the special technical construction team — between the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and its entity, the Independent Development Trust (IDT) — will have to develop a plan of action within two months to ensure that the project is completed as soon as possible.
The Minister said the completion of the Ohlange Institute is part of ensuring that public assets contribute to the public good, instead of becoming eyesores in the communities where they are located.
This is especially important for projects such as the Ohlange Institute, which were intended to honour the past as South Africa works towards a better future.
“The era of half-completed Public Works and Infrastructure projects across South Africa is coming to an end. In its place, we are introducing urgency, transparency and accountability to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.
“It is through this culture of excellence that we are building a better department, and indeed, a better South Africa,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: Government of South Africa
National Treasury has encouraged taxpayers, tax practitioners and members of the public to submit technical tax proposals to be considered for possible inclusion in the 2026 Budget Review.
The technical tax proposals requested in this invitation must be limited to unintended anomalies, revenue leakages, loopholes and technical matters applicable to the current tax legislation that require correction.
“More substantive tax policy proposals and rate changes are dealt with through a different process, and hence this request does not apply to major tax policy proposals,” National Treasury said on Monday.
Every year in February, the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, announces new tax proposals in the Budget.
The Budget Review, published with the Budget Speech, provides additional information on the tax proposals made in the Budget as well as proposed changes to tax legislation.
More substantive tax policy proposals and rates changes are contained in Chapter 4 of the Budget Review, while the more technical tax proposals are generally contained in Annexure C of the Budget Review.
National Treasury will consider Annexure C tax proposals. They should be submitted by no later than Friday, 28 November 2025.
To clarify issues raised in the submitted technical proposals, to further assist in the prioritisation of the issues raised and to obtain further information, virtual workshops will be held with stakeholders on 11 and 12 December 2025.
The dates for the workshops will be confirmed by way of an electronic invitation to taxpayers, tax practitioners and members of the public who submitted proposals.
Following the above process, National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) will submit recommendations to the Minister of Finance for possible inclusion in Annexure C of the 2026 Budget Review.
“It should be noted that engagement or request for more information on any proposal before the 2026 Budget is no indicator that the proposal will be included in the 2026 Budget Review. The final decision to include any proposal is the sole prerogative of the Minister of Finance,” National Treasury said.
Written submissions should be sent to:
National Treasury: AnnexCProposals@Treasury.gov.za or SARS: 2026LegislationComments@sars.gov.za.
Any substantive tax proposal relating to a policy change should be addressed, separately from the technical tax proposals requested under this invitation, to Mr Christopher Axelson (Deputy Director General: Tax and Financial Sector Policy) at: Christopher.Axelson@treasury.gov.za. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: Government of Qatar
Doha, November 17, 2025
The national committee tasked with preparing the National Human Rights Action Plan concluded its first two-day consultative session on Monday. The session, which focused on developing the National Human Rights Action Plan (2026-2030), saw broad participation from representatives of government agencies, national institutions, experts, and civil society organizations.
The consultative session featured rich discussions and an exchange of views on national challenges, gaps, and priorities. It resulted in a set of important recommendations that will be included in the initial draft of the National Action Plan.
The session emphasized the importance of continuing the participatory approach to ensure a comprehensive plan that reflects the aspirations of society and strengthens the human rights system in the country.
The national committee for preparing the National Human Rights Action Plan affirmed that this consultative session represents the first phase of a comprehensive consultative process. This will be followed by high-level sessions with decision-makers, and then similar expanded sessions to discuss the draft.
Source: APO
His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Chair of the ECOWAS Authority, today presided over a high-level United Nations Security Council open debate on “Threats to International Peace and Security: Conflict-Related Food Insecurity” at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Addressing the Council for the second time in two years during Sierra Leone’s tenure, President Bio warned that hunger is increasingly being used as a weapon of war and called for stronger global action to prevent the deliberate starvation of civilians. He stressed that such acts are prohibited under international law and constitute war crimes.
The President highlighted that conflicts across regions—from Gaza and Sudan to Haiti, Ukraine, and the Sahel, continue to devastate food systems, destroy livelihoods, and deepen humanitarian crises. He described starvation as a “slow, silent, corrosive” form of violence that fuels instability, displacement, and renewed conflict.
President Bio outlined three core messages saying starvation is not collateral damage but a crime; food insecurity is both a driver of conflict and a peacebuilding imperative; and sustainable peace requires investment in agricultural resilience, markets, and human capital, especially women and youth.
He presented Sierra Leone’s Feed Salone Initiative as a national model demonstrating that food security is integral to the peace and development nexus. The four-pillar programme, production, resilience, markets and value chains, and human capital, aims to strengthen productivity, reduce import dependence, and build climate-smart systems that secure stable livelihoods.
At the regional level, President Bio emphasized ECOWAS efforts to integrate food security into peacebuilding, early warning, and trade frameworks, including the expansion of the ECOWAS Food Security Reserve and the ECOWARN early warning network.
Proposing six concrete global actions, the President urged the Council to protect food systems in conflict zones, institutionalize early-warning mechanisms, safeguard humanitarian access, advance accountability for starvation crimes, link peacebuilding finance to agriculture and livelihoods, and prioritize the empowerment of women and youth across agricultural value chains.
He affirmed that Africa does not seek sympathy but partnership, noting that the continent holds the majority of the world’s uncultivated arable land and significant youth-driven innovative potential. Preventing future wars, he stressed, requires treating food security as central to peace and security rather than a secondary humanitarian concern.
President Bio concluded by calling on the global community to “ensure that no child is starved into submission, no harvest held hostage, and no community driven to violence by hunger,” urging nations to align moral conscience with international law and collective action.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Sierra Leone.
Source: APO
In recent days the Emergency Relief Coordinator has travelled to various parts of the war-torn country and met leaders, frontline responders and survivors of the crisis.
“We need more UN boots on the ground,” Mr. Fletcher said. “The UN is a ship that was not built to stay in the harbour, and this visit has been part of that big push to make sure we’re mobilised closer to those we serve.”
Progress on negotiations
Mr. Fletcher said he had a “useful” meeting with General Burhan, leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), focused on getting “unlimited” and “unhindered” humanitarian access.
He also met representatives from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in what was a “tough” discussion, where he set out “unequivocally” that the UN will be expecting protection for civilians and insisting on accountability and safe passages for civilians and aid convoys.
“We have, I think, a pretty strong agreement from the authorities [of the military government] in Port Sudan and the RSF on full access and safe passage for our convoys to go in and for civilians to get out,” Mr. Fletcher said. “Now let’s see what happens next.”
‘Crime scene’ in El Fasher
The UN also made progress on getting teams into El Fasher, in Darfur, on the organization’s terms, Mr. Fletcher added.
“We’re not going to be instrumentalised,” he emphasized. “This is a potential crime scene, and we’ve got to make sure we’ve got the right people going in, and that the aid is genuinely neutral and impartial.”
El Fasher was captured by the RSF last month after more than 500 days of siege, leading to the displacement of some 90,000 people since the end of October.
When asked about the number of deaths in El Fasher, Mr. Fletcher said there is no credible answer on how many have been killed so far.
There are hundreds of thousands of people in Tawila, but “many people clearly aren’t getting out of El Fasher,” he said.
“One of the things we want to do when we go in is to find out why that is and to see what the conditions are, in which they are being held there.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.
Source: APO
The Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Her Excellency Damtien L. Tchintchibidja on the 11th November 2025 paid a working visit to the site for the new Headquarters complex of the ECOWAS Commission, in the company of the technical officials from the Directorates of Transport and Administration & General Services. Representatives from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nigeria, the major financier, was also in attendance.
The Vice President and Her delegation were briefed on the progress of the project, the expected completion timelines and a few challenges requiring urgent attention to ensure the functionality of the Complex once completed. The overall physical progress was given as around 85%, and arrangements have been made to ensure that the remaining 15% works are completed urgently for handover. The excessive rainfall in the past months and a few site issues had led to substantial delays especially to the external works, but the contractor has doubled up its workforce to ensure the timely completion.
The Commission also acknowledged the progress made by the Federal Republic of Nigeria on contracting out the construction of the buildings for the ECOWAS Parliament, Community Court of Justice, and thanked His Excellency the President, H. E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his continued support to ECOWAS Community Institutions, through direct assistance to strengthen the institutions.
The Vice President of the Commission made a humble request for the Federal Government and the Federal Capital Territory and its Development Authority to expedite works on the district infrastructure and utilities connecting the site to the respective national/FCT networks including the access road, district water & sewage system, as well as telecommunication and electricity.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Source: APO
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission on Friday, 14 November 2025 launched Phase II of the Pan-African Consortium for Master’s Degrees in Translation and Conference Interpreting (PAMCIT). The event was held at the headquarters of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) in Lomé, Togo and also featured scholarship awards to students from Gaston Berger University in Saint Louis, Senegal, and a pledge to support the University of Lomé, Togo, in meeting the challenges associated with degree programmes in Translation and Conference Interpreting.
With the theme “Promoting regional integration: institutional and academic cooperation in the service of multilingualism,” the event is part of the ECOWAS 50th anniversary celebrations. It was chaired by H.E. Damtien Larbli Tchintchibidja, Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, in the presence of the President of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), Dr George Agyekum Donkor, the new ECOWAS Resident Representative in Togo, H.E. Madam Deweh Emily Gray, the Head of the ECOWAS National Office in Togo, Mr Lagnie Bambimle and Mrs Olukemi Robinson-Atabuh, Director of Conference and Protocol at the ECOWAS Commission and institutional chair of PAMCIT II. Also in attendance were representatives of partner universities and guests from various walks of life.
In their welcome addresses, Dr George Agyekum Donkor and Mr Lagnie Bambimle stressed the importance of such a programme for students. It will prepare them to become experts to work in international organisations, ultimately promoting local expertise and reducing dependence on foreign expertise.
The Director of Conference and Protocol at the ECOWAS Commission and institutional chair of PAMCIT II, Ms Olukemi Robinson-Atabuh, praised the commitment of ECOWAS senior officials, including the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr Omar Alieu Touray, to supporting PAMCIT II and increasing funding programmes targeting young people in the region. She highlighted the relevance of PAMCIT, noting that “for decades, our continent has been heavily dependent on external institutions for the professional training of interpreters and translators.” She also praised the role played by the BIDC in PAMCIT.
In her speech launching PAMCIT II, H.E. Damtien L. Tchintchibidja expressed the ECOWAS Commission’s clear commitment to ensuring the success of PAMCIT II by awarding scholarships to deserving West African nationals according to clearly defined criteria. She spoke on the technical support to the University of Lomé to improve teacher mobility, the harmonisation of curricula and ensuring that universities offer degrees of the same level to students from different universities.
She also stated that ECOWAS will coordinate the work of the PAMCIT Task Force, including the harmonisation of curricula, the mobility of interpretation and translation trainers, and technical support from the University of Lomé, among other activities.
Furthermore, Vice President Tchintchibidja sent a strong message to the Community: “With the launch of the programme today, let us remember that translation and interpreting go beyond words and speeches. Translators and interpreters build bridges and foster dialogue between different cultures and peoples. With PAMCIT II, we are investing in the interpreters of our aspirations and the translators of our common destiny. Let us never lose sight of the fact that translators and interpreters are not only facilitators of communication, but also the true architects of dialogue. They bear the noble responsibility, through words and ideas, of facilitating cooperation and dialogue in unity.”
H.E. Damitien L. Tchintchibidja then proceeded to open the ceremony before expressing hope that the new phase would mark a decisive turning point in the construction of an Africa where every voice can be heard, every language can be expressed and every institution can function effectively across linguistic borders. ‘With PAMCIT, Africa continues to affirm that multilingualism is not a barrier, but a bridge to unity, knowledge and progress,’ she concluded.
In his closing speech, the language coordinator, Mr Alphousseyni Diamanka, noted that for ECOWAS, the programme is directly aligned with the mission to promote regional integration, peace and development through multilingual dialogue and cooperation. In a region as linguistically diverse as West Africa, PAMCIT equips our professionals with the skills they need to overcome language barriers, enabling effective communication in diplomacy, trade and governance, peace and security, among other areas.
Tthe Pan-African Consortium for the Master’s Degree in Conference Interpreting and Translation (PAMCIT) was launched in 2009 as a strategic initiative to strengthen Africa’s capacity for high-level language services, with the support of the European Union and the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON).
PAMCIT is implemented by a network of five African universities, each offering a Master’s degree in Conference Interpreting and/or a Master’s degree in Translation to the best students in the faculties of interpreting and translation. The current member universities of the network are Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis, Senegal, the University of Ghana in Legon, Ghana, Universidade Jean-Piaget in Cabo Verde, the University of Lomé in Togo,the University of Buea in Cameroon, the University of Nairobi in Kenya and Universidade Pedagógica de Moçambique in Mozambique.
The programme was designed to equip African language professionals with the skills necessary to work in international organisations, regional bodies such as ECOWAS and the African Union, and other multilingual institutions. It was also designed to forestall the need for young Africans to leave the continent to pursue internationally recognised professional training.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
