Category: English

Source: APO – Report:

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The 4th International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2025) will take place from 22 to 25 October 2025 in Durban, South Africa, under the theme “Moving Towards Self-Reliance to Achieve Universal Health Coverage and Health Security in Africa.”

Co-hosted by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and the Government of South Africa, in collaboration with AfricaBio’s 8th Annual BIO Africa Convention, the conference will convene political leaders, policymakers, researchers, innovators, civil society, and youth to define Africa’s pathway toward stronger, more resilient health systems and reduce dependence on foreign aid. 

“CPHIA is a vital part of ongoing efforts by African countries and Africa CDC to build stronger, self-reliant health systems” said H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General, Africa CDC. “It provides an important platform for leaders, public health experts, and communities to come together to reimagine and transform health financing, ensuring Africa’s health security is driven by African leadership, innovation and partnerships.”

This year’s conference also holds strategic global significance. It will precede the G20 Health Ministers’ meeting, taking place under South Africa’s Presidency in early November 2025. The CPHIA 2025 Outcome Declaration – the “Durban Declaration” will capture Africa’s collective voice, positioning African-led solutions at the centre of global health reform.

“CPHIA is a critical opportunity to promote an African-led agenda for health, anchored in self-reliance and transformation.” said Professor Olive Shisana, CPHIA 2025 Co-Chair. “We aim to align around a Durban Declaration that ensures these priorities are front and centre during the G20 and Global Fund Meetings in November.”

The G20 Health Ministers’ meeting will focus on accelerating health equity, solidarity, and universal health coverage, addressing the world’s most urgent public health challenges through dialogue, innovation and partnership. These outcomes will feed into the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg in November 2025, where Africa’s priorities on health and development will take centre stage.

Led by Professor Olive Shisana (President, Evidence Based Solutions) and Professor Placide Mbala Kingebeni (Director, National Institute of Biomedical Research, DRC) as Co-Chairs, the CPHIA 2025 scientific programme committee will bring together scientists and public health experts from over 20 countries to shape a dynamic, evidence-driven agenda. The conference will focus on three strategic pillars:

• Financing the Future: Investing in resilient, efficient and sustainable health systems, while unlocking innovative funding models that give African countries ownership of their health priorities.
• Boosting Local Manufacturing:  Scaling up vaccine, medicine, and diagnostic production in Africa to reduce dependence on imports and strengthen health sovereignty.
• Transforming Primary Health Care: Highlighting African-led innovations – from telemedicine to AI driven digital health solutions – that expand access and improve quality of care in rural and underserved communities.

“The BIO Africa Convention is proud to join forces with Africa CDC to connect science, innovation, and enterprise with public health,” said Dr. Nhlanhla Msomi, President of AfricaBio. “Together, we can harness the continent’s life sciences ecosystem to drive health resilience and self-reliance.”

– on behalf of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

Source: APO – Report:

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To restore professionalism and discipline in managing Uganda’s workforce, Members of Parliament have endorsed tough penalties against unqualified and unlicensed human resource (HR) practitioners.

The proposals are among many others contained in the Human Resource Management Professionals Bill, 2025, introduced by Workers’ MP, Hon. Margaret Rwabushaija.

The Private Member’s Bill seeks to regulate the HR profession through strict registration, licensing, and disciplinary measures.

Practicing HR without a valid practicing certificate is also a criminal offence and punishable by a fine of up to Shs10 million or six months in prison. Those who forge documents or pretend to be registered HR professionals will face even heavier penalties up to Shs 20 million or two years in jail.

Lawmakers said these tough measures are necessary to eliminate unqualified people who have damaged the reputation of the profession.

“Last week, we lost a mother because she went to a fake doctor. Today, I read of another mother who has died at the hands of an unqualified doctor. Even in HR, we have fake practitioners who have no clue about managing people. This Bill is going to save organisations from such quacks,” said Hon. Rwabushaija.

She made these remarks during a joint meeting between the Minister of State for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations, Hon. Esther Anyakun, and MPs from the Committees on Gender, Labour and Social Development and Public Service and Local Government, on Tuesday, 07 October 2025.

The Bill provides that practicing certificates will expire every December 31, and renewal must be done at least two months before expiry. However, some MPs felt that this timeframe could be too limiting for some professionals.  

“The two-month renewal period could limit many individuals. What happens if one fails to renew within that timeframe? Should we leave the window open or expand it? We must consider its practical implications,” said Hon. Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, Chairperson of the Committee on Public Service and Local Government.

Wakiso District Woman MP, Hon. Ethel Naluyima, welcomed the Bill but questioned whether it caters for all categories of workers, especially those in small businesses and informal sectors.

“Given all the labour laws already in place, should we not consolidate them into one comprehensive framework? Many small enterprises rely on diploma holders managing dozens of staff. What happens to them if this Bill restricts practice to degree holders?” she asked.

In her response the minister defended the strict standards, saying renewal timelines and qualifications are necessary to preserve professional integrity.

“For you to be called a professional HR person, there must be a practical limit. Renewal should take place before expiry. This Bill inspires young people to aim for higher HR standards, just like in medicine or law,” she said.

The Bill also seeks to establish the Human Resource Management Professionals Society to regulate the profession, issue licences, and enforce a code of conduct. It further protects HR professionals from employer victimisation and sets up disciplinary mechanisms for cases of misconduct.

– on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

Source: APO – Report:

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The Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation welcomes the release of the six South African activists from Israel and wishes them a safe return home via Jordan. The activists formed part of the Global Sumud flotilla and are expected to arrive tomorrow in South Africa.

The activists were enroute to Gaza to deliver food and medical supplies when they were arrested in international waters and detained by the Israeli government. Former Member of Parliament Inkosi Zwelivelile Mandela raised the alarm on their arrest and the world joined the call for the release of the 470 activists and the end of the conflict between Palestine and Israel.

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Supra Mahumapelo, said: “We are thankful for the release of the six South African activists and we wish them a safe return home.

“We call on all the countries of the world to support the two-state solution approach to resolving the Israeli–Palestine conflict by creating two states. Palestine supports the creation of the two states however Israeli currently does not support the proposal. We call for the end of the conflict where the lives of innocent babies, children and women were lost. We call for the seize fire and destruction of both countries.”

– on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

Source: APO – Report:

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Nearly 22,000 people fled their homes in northern Mozambique in a single week last month due to a resurgence in fighting across Cabo Delgado, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday.

The surge in displacement in late September marks a turning point in the conflict – now entering its eighth year – with more than 100,000 people already uprooted during 2025.

The violence in Cabo Delgado began in 2017, led by armed groups locally known as al-Shabaab – unrelated to the Somali Islamist militia of the same name. The conflict has evolved into a complex crisis compounded by the effects of repeated cyclones, floods and drought that have devastated livelihoods.

For the first time since hostilities began, all 17 districts of Cabo Delgado have been directly affected, and more than 1.3 million people have been displaced – many multiple times.

“Families are reaching their limit,” Xavier Creach, head of UNHCR in Mozambique said, noting that some who once hosted the displaced are now fleeing themselves.

Civilians continue to be targeted amid reports of killings, abductions and sexual violence, while children face the risk of forced recruitment.

Women and girls most at risk

Women and girls are especially vulnerable when collecting water or firewood, and those with disabilities or older persons often cannot flee the violence. Many are traumatised and urgently need psychosocial support, Mr. Créach added.

The violence has sharply intensified this year, with more than 500 incidents recorded through August – surpassing even the peaks of 2022 – including raids, abductions and the destruction of homes and infrastructure.

Health system under siege

The humanitarian fallout has been compounded by the collapse of health services across the north.

According to the World Health Organization-led response, around 60 per cent of facilities in the worst-affected districts are non-functional due to insecurity, looting and staff displacement.

Essential services such as maternity care, HIV treatment and emergency response have been severely disrupted.

In Mocímboa da Praia, the only hospital is operating with less than 10 per cent of its staff – mostly volunteers struggling to keep the emergency room and maternity ward open.

Aid groups warn that disease risks are mounting, with malaria and cholera cases expected to rise as the rainy season begins.

Severe funding shortfall

The health sector’s annual response plan is only 11 per cent funded for this year, leaving stocks of essential medicines critically low.

UNHCR also faces severe funding shortfalls. It has received only $66 million of the $352 million required for its Mozambique operations this year, leaving response capacity “stretched just as needs rise.”

– on behalf of UN News.

Source: APO – Report:

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Parfait Onanga-Anyanga was speaking at a Security Council meeting focused on the key issues faced by Africa and cooperation between the UN and the African Union (AU) – a continental organisation comprising 55 African Member States.

He warned that “concerns remain in some parts of the continent about the number and complexity of conflicts.”

He said these conflicts were often worsened by “weak or ineffective State authority, violence extremism conducive to terrorist activities, the inequitable management of natural resources, organized crime, the impact of climate change, acute food insecurity and, in some cases, denial of fundamental human rights.”

Conflicts in the Horn of Africa, Sudan, South Sudan and the Great Lakes region – including the Democratic Republic of the Congo – have caused widespread displacement and multiple humanitarian emergencies.

“No military solution whatsoever can resolve underlying causes of the conflict in the DRC or elsewhere in Africa,” said Mr. Onanga-Anyanga. “I call upon this Council to continue to leverage its influence towards peaceful settlement of outstanding issues between the parties.”

The Special Representative highlighted two critical conflict-related issues to Council members: climate change as a conflict multiplier and the challenges faced by women and girls in battle-scarred regions, noting the consistent spillover effects of climate-induced insecurity across all these crises.

Unprecedented wave of threats

Speaking for the AU, Ambassador Mohamed Fathi Ahmed Edrees told the Council that

“Africa is facing an unprecedented wave of threats to its security” adding that “solutions are needed to achieve greater stability.” 

The UN and the AU have long collaborated on issues affecting the continent and according to the UN’s Onanga-Anyanga “significant progress has been made, particularly in supporting recent free, fair, and credible elections across the continent—in Botswana, Ghana, Mauritius, and most recently Malawi, where a new president was inaugurated last week.”

Mr. Onanga-Anyanga said that fostering consensus was more important than ever.

“The strong and enduring partnership between the United Nations and the African Union, as well as with other regional organizations, constitutes the foundation of effective and networked multilateralism, essential to address today’s complex, evolving and interconnected threats to peace, security, development and human rights, particularly in Africa,” he said.

Responding to armed conflicts

In December 2023, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to enhance cooperation between the UN and AU.

Addressing the Council, Martha Pobee, a UN Assistant Secretary-General with a brief focusing on Africa said that the resolution (2719) was conceived “as a means to address a longstanding gap in the African Union’s peace and security architecture to better to respond to armed conflicts on the African continent, with the support of the broader international community, and this Council in particular.”

Work is continuing on the operationalisation of the resolution across four key workstreams with some progress reported.

Joint planning modalities for AU-led peace support operations were approved in September, establishing a shared decision-making framework.

Mission support planning was also finalized to ensure coherent field operations.

Earlier in the year, the UN outlined financial rules for AU-led missions, now under legislative review.

Progress was also made on compliance and the protection of civilians including strengthening accountability mechanisms and developing gender-responsive policies.

The efforts “seek to ensure that our collaboration is grounded both in strategic vision and in operational practicality,” said Ms. Pobee.

– on behalf of UN News.

Source: APO – Report:

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Today, World Health Organization (WHO) joined Uganda’s Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to disseminate the Family Planning Bottleneck Analysis Report, a rapid assessment that highlights barriers hindering the scale-up of evidence-based family planning practices in Uganda.

Led by WHO, Ministry of Health, Makerere University School of Public Health, and UNFPA, the study applied the WHO global protocol adapted to Uganda’s context, ensuring locally relevant and sustainable solutions.

“Ensuring access to quality family planning services is a high-impact intervention that can address the unmet need and improve coverage as a key pillar for safe motherhood,” said Dr Joseph Okware, Director of Health Services for Governance and Regulation at the Ministry of Health.

Uganda has made commendable progress in family planning. Through the 2020 Family Planning Costed Implementation Plan II and family planning 2030 commitments, the Government has prioritized equitable access to modern contraception. As a result, the modern contraceptive prevalence rate among women of reproductive age increased from 27.3% in 2016 to 29.8% in 2022, while the unmet need for family planning declined from 28.4% to 18.5%.

Despite these gains, challenges persist. Uganda’s total fertility rate remains high at 5.2 children per woman. Teenage pregnancy continues to be a concern, with 23.5% of girls aged 15–19 having begun childbearing. Alarmingly, only 2% of mothers receive immediate postpartum family planning services.

Barriers to effective implementation and scale up of evidence-based family planning services included inadequate financing to facilitate the full scale of social behavioral change communication for family planning, health system weaknesses (constraints in supplies, human resources and service delivery) and inadequate policy regulation and guidance to facilitate task sharing and equity in service delivery.

To address these, the report recommends strengthening provider training and mentorship, improving contraceptive supply chains, integrating of social and behavior change communication indicators into the Health Management Information System, and developing comprehensive policies to support task-sharing.

“To improve family planning outcomes, we must do things differently. This means strengthening leadership, financing, commodity management, community engagement, service delivery, and data use,” said Kira Koch, the cluster lead for Universal Health Coverage at WHO Uganda.

Kira pledged WHO’s continued support to the Government of Uganda in addressing family planning coverage through technical assistance, policy review, and capacity building. These efforts are fully aligned with Uganda’s national commitments under Universal Health Coverage, Family Planning 2030, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Family Planning Bottleneck Analysis Report provides insights into the key action areas for enhancing uptake of family planning services through scale up of evidence-based practices. By addressing systemic barriers and investing in sustainable, evidence-based solutions, Uganda can accelerate its journey toward universal access to family planning. With strong leadership and continued collaboration, the country is well-positioned to transform lives and communities for generations to come.

– on behalf of World Health Organization – Uganda.

Source: APO – Report:

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In connection with World Teachers’ Day, eleven exemplary teachers have been awarded in Elaberet sub-zone.

The recognition program was organized by the Teachers’ Association in the sub-zone, and the awardee teachers have long years of teaching experience in pre-school, elementary, junior, and high schools.

Ms. Asha Ali-Nur, administrator of the sub-zone, noting the importance of the teaching profession in societal development, highlighted the significance of recognizing exemplary teachers in the development of the teaching and learning process.

Mr. Kibrom Gebrezgi, head of the education office in the sub-zone, said that the teaching profession shoulders the responsibility of nurturing generations, and stated that organizing capacity-upgrading programs for teachers is one of the priority tasks of the branch office.

Col. Kibrom Nerayo, Director General of Social Services in the Anseba Region, and Mr. Mulu’e Tesfamariam, head of Political Affairs of the PFDJ in the sub-zone, commended the initiative to encourage teachers and called for its sustainability.

Mr. Kiflai Andemariam, head of the education office in the Anseba Region, on his part, indicated that the teaching profession develops through sustainable effort, congratulated the awardee teachers, and called on them to exert more effort for better outcomes.

– on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

Source: APO – Report:

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Awat and Freselam Elementary and Junior Schools in Asmara have provided awards to 418 outstanding students who scored high marks in the eighth-grade national examination for the 2024/2025 academic year.

Accordingly, Awat School has presented medals and certificates of recognition to 109 students who scored over 90 points and tablets to outstanding students who scored above 98 points.

Freselam School, on its part, has provided medals and certificates of recognition to 309 students as well as certificates and monetary awards to exemplary teachers.

According to reports presented by each school, compared to previous years, the number of students passing to the next level has increased from 87% to 95% in Awat School, and from 94.7% to 97% in Freselam School.

Noting that the success being registered in the Central Region is the result of the hard work of students, coupled with the strong support of parents and teachers, Mr. Belai Habtegabir, head of the education office in the region, called for sustained effort to achieve better outcomes.

– on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.