Category: MIL-OSI

Source: APO – Report:

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President John Dramani Mahama has announced a high-level panel of the Accra Reset Initiative tasked with reforming the global health architecture and governance system.

The eighteen-member panel will be co-chaired by four distinguished global health leaders: Peter Piot, former Director-General of UNAIDS and Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; El Hadj As Sy, Chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation and former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations; Nisia Trindade, Minister for Health of Brazil and President Emerita of Fiocruz; and Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister for Health of the Republic of Indonesia.

The panel has been mandated to produce concrete, actionable proposals to restructure the global health order, which has historically treated governments of the Global South as passive recipients rather than sovereign actors with the right to shape the rules under which their people live.

“This initiative represents a fundamental reimagining of how global health governance should function in the 21st century,” said Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications.

The panel’s work will be guided by a High-Level Consultative Group, which includes leaders from the World Health Organisation (WHO), World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Global Fund, Africa CDC, AUDA-NEPAD, and the International Finance Corporation, among others. This structure creates a pathway for structured engagement with the principal organs of the existing global health system.

Notable panel members include Mohammed Pate, Nigeria’s Minister for Health; John Nkengasong, Executive Director of the MasterCard Foundation and former Director of Africa CDC; and Soumya Swaminathan, former Chief Scientist of WHO.

Michel Sidibé, former Executive Director of UNAIDS and former Minister for Health of Mali, has been appointed as Special Advisor to the High-Level Panel and Envoy of the Co-Chairs. Mr Sidibé brings decades of operational experience with the architecture the panel is charged with reforming.

The High-Level Consultative Group includes WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and other prominent leaders from global health institutions.

– on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.

Source: APO – Report:

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President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to transforming Ghana’s economy through strategic business development initiatives and partnerships with the private sector.

Speaking at the 2026 Kwahu Business Forum in Mpraeso, Eastern Region, the President announced plans to elevate the Forum into a world-class business platform. This includes the development of a state-of-the-art permanent convention, conference, and exhibition centre in collaboration with leading private-sector partners, Metalex and Trasacco.

This, he said, will create the enabling infrastructure intended to position Ghana as a regional hub for business, investment, and economic dialogue.

President Mahama unveiled a comprehensive package of incentives under the flagship 24-Hour Economy Initiative designed to support businesses operating multiple shifts and enhance industrial productivity. Key measures include duty-free importation of machinery for qualifying businesses, fast-track port clearance procedures to reduce operational delays and enhanced support for businesses committed to round-the-clock operations.

These incentives are central to the President’s vision of accelerating industrial growth, creating quality jobs, and positioning Ghana as a competitive manufacturing destination.

Mr Mahama emphasised the critical role of corporate citizenship in national development, calling on businesses to maintain transparent tax compliance, implement robust succession planning, invest in small and medium-sized enterprises and contribute to sustainable economic growth and job creation.

President Mahama commended his Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, for his visionary leadership in establishing and nurturing the Kwahu Business Forum into Ghana’s premier platform for business engagement, innovation, and investment partnerships.

This year’s Forum convened business owners, industrialists, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and development partners to chart pathways for accelerated economic growth and business development across Ghana.

– on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.

Source: APO – Report:

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In an endeavour to support the energy transition of Mauritius to a clean and renewable energy as well as to mitigate potential energy crisis, the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr Patrick Gervais Assirvaden, announced, today, a series of key projects that are in the pipeline to provide an additional boost of 405 megawatt (MW) in the electrical grid.

He was speaking at a press conference held at the seat of the Ministry in Port Louis. These projects have been identified following consultations with main stakeholders, namely the Central Electricity Board, the Mauritius Renewable Energy Agency and the Energy Efficiency Management Office and will be implemented on a period of three years.

Reaffirming Government’s commitment to easing pressure on households and businesses, Minister Assirvaden highlighted that the initiative forms part of broader efforts to address the ongoing energy crisis, exacerbated by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. He also underscored plans to further open the sector to private promoters and investors to accelerate renewable energy deployment.

A national sensitisation campaign will soon be launched to promote responsible electricity consumption and raise awareness of the benefits of renewable energy. The Minister added that only projects incorporating battery storage systems will be prioritised, alongside regulatory amendments to curb electricity wastage.

The projects are as follows:

• Development of Renewable energy hybrid facility projects for the storage of solar capacity by Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) providing 100 MW as well as Solar Photovoltaic (PV) system to produce a total of 120 MW;
• Setting up of a Floating Solar PV Farm with a capacity of 17.5 to 20 Megawatts (MW) at the Tamarind Falls Reservoir in partnership with the National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd of India under a Government-to-Government agreement;
• Expansion of the Agrivoltaics Scheme allowing planters and livestock farmers to continue their primary agricultural activities while also producing renewable energy. A total of 39 applications for the scheme were submitted, with 18 projects already approved;
• Introduction of a 20 MW Carbon Neutral Scheme for Commercial Sector to encourage shopping malls and large enterprises to install solar PV on rooftops and covered parking;
• Extension of wind turbines at Plaine des Roches by an additional 15 to 20 MW in order to prevent energy shortages;
• Liberalisation of Home Solar Project targeting a high number of domestic houses to benefit from solar energy not exceeding 10 Kilowatt;
• Acquisition of 100,000 home solar kits to be installed on domestic houses with the help of the Indian Government and;
• Deployment of 20 MW BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) to support the high demands for electricity between 18 00hrs to 21 00hrs, operational as from July this year.

Moreover, three major hybrid renewable energy projects namely Stor’Sun with a total capacity of 30 MW are expected to be implemented by the private sector in September this year.

According to Minister Assirvaden, these projects will enhance grid stability, facilitate the integration of renewable energy, and ensure a more resilient and sustainable energy future for Mauritius.

– on behalf of Republic of Mauritius.

Source: APO

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The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has appointed H.E. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON, former Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as Senior Strategic Advisor to the Africa CDC Director General, H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya.

The appointment comes at a pivotal moment as Africa CDC advances the Africa Health Security and Sovereignty (AHSS) Agenda to strengthen Africa’s voice in global health, expand domestic and innovative financing, accelerate local manufacturing of health commodities, and build resilient health systems for pandemic preparedness, prevention and response across the continent.

Prof. Osinbajo served as Vice-President of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023 and previously as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007. A Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he is widely regarded as one of Africa’s leading legal, public policy and governance thinkers. During his years in public office, he chaired Nigeria’s Economic Sustainability Committee, helped steer major economic reform efforts, led ease-of-doing-business reforms through the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, and was closely associated with some of the country’s most significant social investment programmes.

“Professor Osinbajo brings exceptional experience at the intersection of governance, finance, law, and diplomacy. At a time when Africa must act with greater ambition and authority on the future of health, his leadership will be invaluable. This appointment reflects Africa CDC’s commitment to mobilizing African leadership of the highest calibre in service of the continent’s health security, sovereignty, and development”. said Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC.

In his new role, Prof. Osinbajo will advise on Africa’s positioning in global health architecture reform, sustainable and sovereign health financing, local manufacturing, strategic partnerships, and policy leadership for Africa CDC and the African Union.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

Source: APO – Report:

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2026 Easter Message by the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN):

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, and all People of Good Will,

1. The Lenten season just concluded, which partly coincided with the Ramadan period, offered us a solemn time of self-examination, repentance, and conversion. It was a journey of anticipation, preparing us to celebrate the central mystery of our faith: the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Today, that spiritual journey of self-discipline and discovery brings us to the consummation of the mysteries, the empty tomb. On behalf of all the Catholic Bishops in Nigeria, I greet you with the transformative joy of the Risen Lord: Happy Easter! Christ is Risen, Alleluia!

2. Even as we celebrate today, many Nigerians still bear crosses of grief and heartbreak caused by unabating insurgency, incessant kidnappings, and armed banditry. These are unarguably the consequences of many years of bad leadership; leadership marked by selfishness, greed, nepotism, tribalism, sectionalism, and a total lack of commitment to the common good.

3. For the disciples of Jesus, the harrowing journey from the darkness of Good Friday through the long Holy Saturday of emptiness, silence, and disbelief was shattered by the rejuvenating news of the rolling back of the stone. In this same vein, it is our fervent prayer that just as the stone of darkness and limitation was rolled back on that first Easter Sunday, bringing hope to the hopeless and the forlorn, so too may the heavy stone of anguish and pain caused by the excruciating burden of bad leadership be rolled back from the hearts and lives of Nigerians. 

4. We are sustained in hope and relentless in prayer that these travails of our dear people and the gloom that currently envelopes the country unite with the passion and agony of Jesus to bring renewal and enduring succour to our nation. This is because the power of the Resurrection assures us that “weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

5. This confidence is founded on Jesus who while on the cross in agony, and cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34), was not forsaken by the Father. This is the same anguished cry of all who suffer in Nigeria today, for God will not abandon His children who truly call upon Him in distress (Psalm 107:6). 

6. Like the disciples, we follow a Master who neither deceives nor fails. Even in this darkest hour of our country’s history, God is not a bystander. Nevertheless, his patience must not be taken for granted, because though merciful, He is also just (Psalm 116:5); he will surely repay every man according to their deeds (Ps. 28:4; Matt. 16:27; Romans 2:6; Rev. 22:12). 

7. The Resurrection of Jesus changed human history forever. St. Paul reminds us that if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is without substance (cf. 1 Cor. 15:14). Because He is raised, we can face tomorrow. The Risen Christ continues to stand with the wretched of the earth, the poor and oppressed, with the afflicted and with the victims of ethnic conflicts, the unemployed, the imprisoned, and the internally displaced (IDPs) because He is a loving and compassionate saviour.

8. With the 2027 General Elections some months away and the INEC timetable already released, everyone must recognise that each hour of our life is loaded with consequences. We cannot afford to let the “gold” of our opportunities be trodden underfoot. Hence:

a. To the electorate, we say, it is not unexpected that many of you are disillusioned, feeling that your votes do not count. This has led to dangerous voter apathy. However, you cannot choose to abandon your moral duty to promote the common good. Faithful citizenship means becoming informed, active, and responsible participants. We therefore appeal to all eligible voters to ensure that you get your voters cards ready and verified. All well-meaning Nigerians must use the eyes of faith to ensure that only people with competence and integrity are elected.

b. To INEC as the electoral body, we admonish you to do all within your power to assure Nigerians that their votes will not only count but be seen to count. No willing voter should be disenfranchised due to distance or surmountable administrative challenges or any form of glitches. The Church stands ready to collaborate with you to ensure that justice prevails.

9. To majority of Nigerians who feel the fatal sting of bad government, banditry, instigated and politically-motivated communal attacks, loss of dear ones, hardship and joblessness: your scars make the promise of the Resurrection even more meaningful. Because the tomb is empty, no grave, not even the challenges facing Nigeria, can hold back the power of a new beginning. The dawn is coming. Don’t let go now, hold on to hope! The Risen Christ is proof that even the deepest darkness must eventually give way to light. The dawn is coming. Just as He arose, so too shall Nigeria be restored in victory into a season of peace and plenty.

I wish you all a happy and joyful Easter celebration! May the Risen Christ grant comfort to all who mourn at this time, and lasting victory to Nigeria, our country. Amen.

Signed: 
Most Rev. Matthew Man-Oso NDAGOSO
Archbishop of Kaduna
President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN)

– on behalf of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

Source: APO – Report:

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On the occasion of Easter, the President of the Republic of Seychelles, Dr Patrick Herminie, shares his message with Seychellois at home and abroad as they mark this moment in the Christian calendar.

The President notes that Easter is a time of reflection and renewal, inviting individuals and families to pause and consider what truly matters and reconnect with the values that guide everyday life.

Reflecting on the Easter message delivered by the Pope Leo, President Herminie highlighted the continued call for peace and restraint in a world facing tension and conflict. He noted that this message resonates beyond borders and speaks to the need for a more measured and humane response to the challenges of our time.

He further highlighted that for Seychelles; this message carries particular relevance. Within our communities, Easter is observed through family gatherings and quiet reflection. It is also a moment to look inward, and to consider how we relate to one another in our daily lives.

President Herminie emphasised that the meaning of Easter lies in renewal. Even in periods of difficulty, it reminds us that there is always a path forward, shaped through steady effort and through the choices made each day.

He further noted that as a nation, Seychelles continues to move forward with a shared sense of responsibility. While challenges remain, our progress depends on how we respond, with purpose, clarity and unity

The President expressed his hope that this Easter will bring calm to homes across the country, and a renewed sense of strength for the days ahead.

He concluded by wishing all Seychellois a meaningful Easter.

– on behalf of State House Seychelles.