Category: MIL-OSI

Source: APO

.

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has today launched the African Trade and Distribution Company (ATDC) to catalyse large scale trade in raw materials, minerals and value-added products from across Africa. 

Afreximbank, through the Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), established ATDC in collaboration with Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP), Equitane DMCC and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat. The new entity has already secured a US$1 billion funding pledge from Afreximbank to invest in aggregation of value-added goods, support logistics and distribution networks as well as financing its subsidiaries’ business operations.  

The President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Prof. Benedict Oramah officiated the operational launch of ATDC in an event held during the ongoing Intra-Africa Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025) in Algiers, Algeria. This was in the presence of the Acting Prime Minister of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, H.E. Sifi Ghrieb and other heads of government and ministers from African and Caribbean countries. 

Also unveiled during the launch was ATDC’s flagship subsidiary, ATDC Minerals (ATMIN), dedicated to trading and financing minerals and hydrocarbons.  

Prof. Benedict Oramah said: “Africa is rich in resources; but historical dynamics have skewed our trade outwards. Traditionally, the continent has relied on others to add value to its commodities and minerals as well as to trade them. Through ATDC and ATMIN, we aim to close the loop and to take back control of how our commodities and minerals in global Africa are produced and traded across value chains by integrating them in local economies to benefit more people.”  

On the margins of the official launch ceremony, ATDC signed deals with several firms across the continent spanning logistics, minerals, agricultural produce, among others. These include: a collaboration with Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP) to supply feedstock to its operating companies in various special economic zones; a co-investment partnership with BSMART Technology Limited to establish digitally integrated logistics hubs in key African ports trade repos with Export Trading Group (ETG), KK Kingdom Nigeria Limited and Sunbeth Global Concepts Limited. ATDC also agreed on terms for joint ventures with CBZ Holdings and Nigeria Commodity Exchange for setting up national ATDCs in Zimbabwe and Nigeria respectively. At the same time, ATMIN announced landmark deals to the tune of about US$3 billion which included oil lifting arrangements with Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited and Roxzen Nigeria Limited.  

Speaking during the event, the CEO of ATDC, Abdul Aziz Ba said: “We look forward to cultivating a robust trading ecosystem across Africa that integrates with global markets for shared prosperity through impactful partnerships and effective logistics. Through this, we will transform Intra-African trade by driving the continent’s transition from export of raw materials and minerals to value added products and last mile distribution. ATDC is investing in expanding production and processing capacity, establishing connections across regional value chains and to markets, and delivering effective distribution channels”.  

The CEO of ATMIN, Ajay Oommen noted: “ATMIN is committed to supporting the monetisation of Africa’s abundant fossil fuel resources ahead of the global energy transition. We aim to foster stronger Intra-African trade, drive value addition, and streamline supply chains to ensure that a significant share of this value is retained within the continent.”  

IATF2025 is ongoing until September 10, 2025. It is the fourth edition of IATF, the biennial event co-convened by Afreximbank, the African Union Commission and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and hosted by the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria. The last three editions of IATF have cumulatively generated over $118 billion in trade and investment deals and attracted more than 70,000 visitors and 4,500 exhibitors. IATF is a platform for businesses to showcase their goods and services to visitors and buyers while exploring opportunities and exchanging information. It aims to tap into opportunities from AfCFTA’s single market of over 1.4 billion people and GDP of over US$3.5 trillion. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

Media contact:
media@intrafricatradefair.com
press@afreximbank.com

About the Intra-African Trade Fair:
Organised by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), African Union Commission (AUC) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) is intended to provide a unique platform for facilitating trade and investment information exchange in support of increased intra-African trade and investment, especially in the context of implementing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). IATF brings together continental and global players to showcase and exhibit their goods and services and to explore business and investment opportunities in the continent. It also provides a platform to share trade, investment and market information with stakeholders and allows participants to discuss and identify solutions to the challenges confronting intra-African trade and investment. In addition to African participants, the Trade Fair is also open to businesses and investors from non-African countries interested in doing business in Africa and in supporting the continent’s transformation through industrialisation and export development.  

For more information, please visit www.IntrAfricanTradeFair.com. 

Source: APO

.

As part of efforts to accommodate more school-aged children, new classrooms have been constructed at Adi-Hawsha Elementary School at a cost of 800 thousand Nakfa.

At the inauguration ceremony held on 3 September, Mr. Belai Habtegabir, head of the education office in the Central Region, said the construction of additional classrooms will significantly contribute to the teaching-learning process and expand access to education for more children. He also commended all those who supported the construction.

Commending the initiative taken by the residents of Adi-Hawsha and stakeholders, Mr. Tekie Keleta, Director General of Administration and Finance at the Central Region administration, called for reinforced efforts to produce competitive students.

The administrator of Adi-Hawsha and members of the parents’ committee expressed appreciation for the valuable support provided by the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Eritrean Defense Forces for the construction of the classrooms.

The ceremony also featured the presentation of certificates of appreciation and other programs.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

Source: APO

.

Speaker Anita Among has deferred the debate over Lake Bunyonyi pollution to Thursday, 11 September 2025, to incorporate broader parliamentary perspectives.

The presiding officer’s guidance follows protest from Hon. John Baptist Nambeshe, the Chief Opposition Whip, in response to the statement presented by the Minister of State for Water and Environment, Hon. Aisha Sekindi, on the lake’s alarming brownish discolouration, foul odor, oily film, and white foam.

“It is disappointing that the minister is still promising a future report,” he stated during the plenary sitting on Tuesday, 09 September 2025, proposing that the Shadow Minister for Water and Environment, Hon. Christine Kaaya and also Kiboga District Woman Representative, compile a parallel report for a thorough debate.

The minister, in her presentation, said the ministry has initiated technological upgrades to treat the lake’s water, employing enhanced filtration and chlorination processes to ensure compliance with usability standards, adding that they will continue monitoring and conducting scientific research, with a comprehensive report to be presented to Parliament soon.

She attributed the lake’s condition to a combination of natural and human-induced factors.

“When deeper, colder water mixes with warmer surface water, it increases turbidity. This phenomenon, often triggered by heavy rainfall and temperature fluctuations, is exacerbated during Uganda’s dry and wet seasons, affecting not only Bunyonyi but also other lakes in the region,” she explained.

According to Sekindi, the lake’s location in a valley with steep slopes makes it vulnerable to runoff from surrounding agricultural farms, settlements, stone quarrying, and iron ore mining activities.

This contributes to siltation, resulting in brown discolouration. Degraded shorelines allow direct runoff into the lake, further deteriorating water quality.

She also explained that poor waste management from markets, car washing bays, and other establishments around the lake are contributing to low oxygen levels, foul odors, oily films, and white foam.

“Water quality tests confirmed critically low oxygen concentrations, threatening the lake’s ecosystem and its viability as a safe water source,” she stressed.

To address high turbidity, the National Water and Sewerage Corporation is upgrading its water treatment infrastructure, enhancing filtration and chlorination to meet safety standards.

Additionally, the ministry is scaling up catchment protection measures, including promoting sustainable farming, establishing bench terraces, constructing soil and water conservation structures, and initiating tree-planting programmes.

As immediate actions, the ministry will provide alternative income sources for upstream communities to incentivise catchment protection and collaborate with local governments to improve sanitation and waste management facilities at Harutindo Landing Centre Market, preventing direct waste discharge into the lake.

“These measures aim to restore Lake Bunyonyi’s ecological balance, ensuring its sustainability for aquatic life and local communities,” Sekindi assured MPs.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

Source: APO

.

H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, expresses deep concern over the reported Israeli strike in Doha, Qatar, warning that the attack risks endangering an already fragile situation in the Middle East.

The Chairperson reaffirmed the AU’s call for restraint, respect for sovereignty, and the protection of civilians.

He further noted Qatar’s longstanding role in peace, mediation, and diplomacy, underscoring the urgent need for renewed dialogue towards a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).

Source: APO

.

The Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) opened today in Addis Ababa with a clear call from African leaders to move from rhetoric to action—positioning Africa not as a victim of climate change, but as a driving force of solutions and the next global climate economy.

Convened by the African Union Commission (AUC) and hosted by Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), the Summit convened Heads of State and Government, ministers, diplomats, and international partners under the theme:
“Accelerating Global Climate Solutions: Financing for Africa’s Resilient and Green Development.”

PRIME MINISTER ABIY AHMED: “WE ARE NOT HERE TO NEGOTIATE OUR SURVIVAL”

During his keynote address, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) urged the world to rethink Africa’s role in addressing climate change. “Too often, Africa’s story at climate summits starts with what we lack—finance, technology, time. Let’s start instead with what we have,” he said.

He highlighted Africa’s unique assets:

• “The youngest population in the world, bursting with creativity and innovation.”
• “The fastest-growing solar belt on Earth.”
• “The planet’s last great carbon vaults—our forests, wetlands, and coasts.”
• “Vast arable land capable of feeding a growing continent and beyond.”

The Prime Minister outlined Ethiopia’s own record of action, including the Green Legacy Initiative (48 billion trees planted in seven years), the Climate-Resilient Wheat Initiative, and the imminent commissioning of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), set to generate 5,000 MW of renewable energy.

“We are not here to negotiate our survival. We are here to design the world’s next climate economy,” he said. “When Africa’s land heals, when our rivers run clean, and our air is fresh, Africa wins—and the whole world breathes easier.”

He also announced Ethiopia’s candidacy to host COP32 in 2027, inviting the world to Addis Ababa as “Africa’s capital of diplomacy and climate ambition.”

AU COMMISSION CHAIRPERSON CALLS FOR FAIR CLIMATE FINANCE

Opening the Summit, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, stressed the need for justice and equity in climate finance.

 “The African Union Commission firmly believes that climate finance must be fair, significant, and predictable,” he said. “The vulnerability of our member countries—exacerbated by climate change, debt burdens, and structural inequalities in the global financial system—must be addressed through climate justice and genuine cooperation.”

The aspirations of our countries for substantial and meaningful financing must be taken seriously and with determination. This must be achieved through a genuine fund for loss and damage, endowed with sufficient financial resources. Carbon credits should not be managed by polluting states at their discretion but rather by an independent international body with supranational authority. The Green Fund must also be renewed and redirected towards financing projects that deliver regional and continental climate value.’’ He underscored.

The full statement of the Chairperson can be accessed on: https://au.int/en/speeches/20250908/statement-auc-chairperson-2nd-africa-climate-summit

PRESIDENT RUTO: “AFRICA IS A SOURCE OF SOLUTIONS”

H.E. President William Ruto of Kenya, host of the inaugural Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, praised Ethiopia for building on that momentum.

“In Nairobi, we introduced a bold new perspective of Africa as a continent of opportunity and solutions, not merely a victim,” he said. “We framed climate action not as a burden, but as a driver of economic growth, transformation, and job creation.”

President Ruto highlighted Africa’s progress since the Nairobi Declaration, including green infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture, and renewable energy advances. But he also cautioned:

“No nation can solve this crisis alone. Only bold, united, and sustained collaboration can avert a climate catastrophe. Isolation is not a winning strategy—it is courting failure.”

TREE PLANTING: A SYMBOL OF AFRICAN SOLIDARITY

The official opening of ACS2 began with a symbolic tree-planting ceremony at the Addis Ababa International Convention Center (AICC).

African Heads of State, ministers, and dignitaries planted trees as a powerful gesture of unity and commitment to ecosystem restoration. Each tree stands as a living testament to Africa’s resolve to safeguard the environment for future generations.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).

Source: APO

.

Shortly after presenting a mandated report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, chair of the Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, Mohamed Chande Othman, insisted that both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia had carried out atrocity crimes.

Among the testimonies gathered for the report, survivors from RSF detention sites described the locations as “slaughterhouses”.

Tortured, staved, denied medical care

In one notorious RSF facility, dozens of detainees died between June and October this year after being tortured, denied food and medical care, the independent rights expert said.

Equally, in SAF-run detention facilities, “civilians were also subjected to torture, including electric shock, sexualized abuse and they were held in cells so overcrowded that some prisoners had to sleep standing,” he added.

In addition, girls as young as 12 were forced into marriage, “sometimes under the threat of death to their families”, the fact-finding mission chair continued.

“Men and boys were also subjected to sexualized torture and such acts are rooted in racism, prejudice and impunity and they devastate entire communities.”

Highlighting the lack of diplomatic solutions to the conflict which began in April 2023, and its massive impact of the war on civilians, report co-author Mona Rishmawi insisted that “everybody knows you cannot rape, you cannot loot, you cannot destroy property. You cannot starve people…But if there is no accountability, of course they will continue doing it.”

Extermination goal

Asked why the report had decided not to describe what has been happening in Sudan as genocide, Ms. Rishmawi replied that the evidence “basically looks at more or less the same kind of violations as genocide”.

She added: “You kill, [you provide] no food, no water, you don’t allow food production. You don’t allow access to food, to markets…and you don’t allow access to humanitarian aid. What you do want is to kill the population…So, the effect of this is really the crime against humanity…of extermination.”

Hunger crisis

The investigative body created by the Human Rights Council in October 2023 highlighted the devastating humanitarian emergency that has resulted from the war.

“In displacement camps such Zamzam and Abu Shouk, witnesses describe children dying of hunger and dehydration in the streets, including people eating animal food,” said Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, Expert Member of the Fact-Finding Mission.

Addressing the council earlier, fact-finding mission chair Mr. Othman insisted that the war was “destroying not only lives but also the means of survival”, with hospitals, markets, water and electricity systems – and even humanitarian convoys – systematically attacked.

“Markets, the backbone of food access, have been repeatedly bombed,” he said, adding that in October 2024, SAF airstrikes on El Koma market killed at least 45 civilians.

Dying of thirst

“Two months later, Kabkabiya market was struck, killing more than 100. In March this year, SAF bombed Tora market during peak hours, killing and injuring hundreds.”

The mission report underscored how the RSF had also shelled markets, pillaged entire areas and destroyed Zamzam camp’s market.

RSF drone strikes hit the Merowe Dam and water towers, leaving communities without drinking water, while “one mother told us she lost all four of her children to thirst while fleeing”, said Mr. Othman, who like the other members of the panel is an independent human rights expert and not a UN staff member.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.

Source: APO

.

Government welcomes the latest economic figures released by Statistics South Africa, which indicate that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.8% in the second quarter of 2025 (April–June), following a modest increase of 0.1% in the first quarter.

This growth reflects a broad-based recovery across key sectors of the economy. The manufacturing industry expanded by 1.8%, contributing 0.2 percentage points to overall GDP growth. Seven of the ten manufacturing divisions reported positive growth, with the largest contributions coming from petroleum, chemical products, and rubber and plastic products. The motor vehicles, parts and accessories, and other transport equipment divisions also supported growth.

The trade, catering, and accommodation sector showed strong performance, increasing by 1.7% and contributing 0.2 percentage points to GDP growth. This was driven by increased activity in retail trade, motor trade, accommodation, and food and beverages.

Amid challenging global economic conditions, these figures demonstrate the resilience of South Africa’s economy. Government views this as a positive sign of the impact of ongoing initiatives to stimulate growth, support local industries, and create jobs. Government remains committed to policies that foster inclusive and sustainable economic development for all South Africans.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Government.

Source: APO – Report:

.

From 8–10 September 2025, the Africa Climate Summit 2 (ACS2) is bringing together over 100 speakers, accelerating Africa’s resilient and green development. Guided by Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want and rooted in multilateralism, the Summit is highlighting Africa-led climate solutions and re-greening landscapes across the continent to address climate impacts and promote sustainable development.

AU-IBAR is actively participating, reflecting its mandate of promoting sustainable management of animal resources to support food security, livelihoods, and climate resilience. Today, AU-IBAR contributed to the IGAD-led side event on “Harnessing Economic Cooperation and Regional Integration to Address Climate Change in the IGAD Region.”

At the session on Advancing Blue Economy Governance and Climate Resilience, leaders and experts discussed ways to strengthen governance frameworks, unlock investment, and safeguard marine and inland ecosystems in the Horn of Africa. AU-IBAR’s Dr. Mohamed Seisay, Fisheries Management and Blue Economy Expert, was joined by Dr. Jakob Granit, Director-General of SIDA; Dr. Keriako Tobiko, Special Advisor on Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability at AUDA-NEPAD; Ms. Anene Kejela Wodajo, Maritime Lawyer & Advisor from Ethiopia’s Ministry of Transport; and Mr. Harsen Nyambe Nyambe, Director for Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy at the African Union Commission.

Through its participation, AU-IBAR is demonstrating the critical role of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture governance in Africa’s climate agenda, and is advancing resilient, inclusive, and green development solutions across the continent.

More Details on ACS 2

– on behalf of The African Union – Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR).

Source: APO – Report:

.

The Arab Republic of Egypt expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the aggression carried out by the Israeli occupation forces today against the State of Qatar.

The attack targeted a meeting of Palestinian leaders in the Qatari capital, Doha, to discuss means to reach a ceasefire agreement. The attack is a flagrant violation of international law and the principles of respect for the sovereignty of states and their territorial inviolability.

Egypt affirms that this attack sets a dangerous precedent and an unacceptable development, and is considered a direct assault on the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, which plays a key role in mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Egypt views that this escalation undermines international efforts aimed at calming the situation and threatens security and stability in the entire region.

Egypt announces its full solidarity with the leadership and people of the State of Qatar and calls on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities regarding this flagrant Israeli violation, to take immediate action to halt the Israeli aggression, and to hold those responsible accountable, so that it does not add to Israel’s usual impunity.

– on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.