Category: MIL-OSI

Source: APO – Report:

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African leaders and global partners have agreed on a bold 10-year regional vision to redesign how essential health products are financed, produced, and delivered, marking a major step toward ensuring that everyone in the African Region can access affordable, quality-assured medicines and health technologies.

Meeting at the Blue-Sky Visioning and Think Tank Workshop in Johannesburg from 25 to 27 November 2025, policy-makers, technical experts, and development partners co-created the foundations of a Regional Strategy on Market Shaping and Supply Chain for Essential Health Products (2025–2035). This forward-looking strategy sets out 14 strategic pillars to renovate Africa’s fragmented systems and build resilient, efficient supply chains that can withstand global shocks.

This strategy represents a paradigm shift from Africa’s current fragmented and donor-dependent health product landscape to a coordinated, self-reliant system. Today, only 35% of essential medicines are available in public health facilities, and out-of-pocket spending can represent up to 90% of total health expenditures in some countries, leaving millions exposed to catastrophic costs. In several countries, such as Malawi, where external aid accounts for up to 65% of all health spending, the system remains highly vulnerable to sudden funding shocks. Donor investments are also heavily concentrated in a few vertical programmes: one-third of all health aid goes to HIV/STI control and 14% to malaria, while less than 1% supports noncommunicable diseases. A recent WHO assessment found that 56% of African countries are already facing shortages of essential products, including vaccines, tuberculosis medicines, neglected tropical disease treatments, and NCD supplies, with some facilities temporarily closing due to stock-outs.

The new regional strategy aims to revamp production and access by promoting local manufacturing, pooled procurement, and coordinated, shock-resistant supply chains. The 10-year roadmap prioritizes regional procurement platforms and strategic warehousing, mechanisms expected to reduce reliance on emergency imports, which proved inadequate during COVID-19 when 38 African countries urgently requested medical supplies.

The strategy also aligns with the African Medicines Agency (AMA) mandate and leverages the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to reduce or eliminate tariffs on locally manufactured health products. By fostering domestic resource mobilization and innovative financing tools such as debt-for-health swaps and health impact investment platforms, the strategy moves Africa away from donor-driven models toward sustainable, homegrown solutions.

“This meeting is about reimagining what is possible when African countries take the lead in designing resilient and self-reliant systems to deliver essential health products. We are building a future where no community is left behind due to stock-outs, inefficiencies, or unaffordable prices” said Dr Adelheid Werimo Onyango, Director for Health Systems and Services, WHO Regional Office for Africa.

Participants at the workshop applied a creative, “blue-sky thinking” methodology to tackle long-standing bottlenecks. Discussions explored innovative approaches to strengthen governance, improve financing, drive digital transformation, promote local production, modernize waste management, and enhance emergency preparedness, aying the foundations for a future-proof supply chain ecosystem.

The initiative aligns with major regional and global frameworks, including the African Union’s Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan, the African Medicines Agency (AMA) mandate, the WHO Access to Medicines Roadmap, and Sustainable Development Goal 3.8 on universal access to essential medicines and vaccines.

“The European Union is committed to advancing equitable access to essential health products across Africa. By supporting this regional strategy, we are investing in resilient health systems, stronger supply chains, and sustainable solutions that safeguard health for all” said Bianca Baluta, Health Policy Expert, European Union.

Once finalized, the strategy will serve as a unified blueprint to strengthen market systems, expand access to affordable, high-quality health products, and reinforce Africa’s health security for the decade ahead.

– on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.

Source: APO – Report:

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During a livestock vaccination program conducted in November, around 100 thousand livestock were vaccinated in the Molqui sub-zone, according to Mr. Leul Gaim, head of livestock resources in the sub-zone.

In the program, which was carried out in 19 administrative areas of the sub-zone, 65 thousand livestock were vaccinated against various animal diseases, while 2,000 dogs were vaccinated against rabies.

Mr. Leul, indicating the cooperation of livestock owners, said that thanks to their support, the program was successfully implemented.

Commending the efforts the Government is undertaking to ensure the health of their livestock, the farmers called for the sustainability of the program.

According to the report, similar vaccination programs were carried out in the sub-zone in the months of April and May.

– on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

Source: APO – Report:

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Social science training organized by the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students has been provided to 1,875 youth from the Warsai-Yikealo School in Sawa.

The training covered the National Charter, administration and leadership, types and objectives of government, foundations of Eritrean national culture and values, health and productivity of youth, the foothold and unity of the Eritrean people, nation-building and development, benefits and significance of organization, globalization and its influence, importance and influence of mass media, as well as the history of the armed struggle for independence and safeguarding national sovereignty.

Ms. Helen Amine, head of follow-up of regions at the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students central office, noted that strong efforts are being exerted to expand and strengthen organization with a view to nurturing competent youth, and that the training program was part of that initiative.

Representative of the trainees expressed readiness to practically translate the knowledge they gained from the training into their daily activities.

Col. Debesay Ghide, Commander of the National Service Training Center, called on the trainees to apply the knowledge they gained in serving their society and influencing their peer groups.

In related news, the Amberbeb Share Company provided training on material management to 50 workers from seven Government institutions.

The training covered scientific methods of material management, materials and workshop handling, as well as spare-parts management.

Indicating that the training was unique in its type, Mr. Solomon Negash, head of material management at the company, commended the interest the trainees demonstrated during the program.

Mr. Girmay Berhe, manager of the company, for his part, indicating that the program was a continuation of efforts to enhance the capacity of members of the company and partner institutions, called on the trainees to apply the knowledge they gained in their daily activities at their respective workplaces.

– on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

Source: APO – Report:

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International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 3 December, has been observed today in Asmara at the national level under the theme “Holistic Participation of Persons with Disabilities for Development.”

Mr. Mihreteab Fesehaye, Director General of Social Welfare at the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, said that before the International Day of Persons with Disabilities came into effect at international level, in Eritrea there had been customary laws in place for a long time that respected the equitable rights and human values of citizens with disabilities. He also said that the day serves as a reminder to acknowledge the situation and challenges of persons with disabilities and to conduct coordinated efforts for prevention and support.

Mr. Abdullahi Mohammed Yussuf, UNICEF Representative in Eritrea, for his part, said that across the world, persons with disabilities are not passive recipients of assistance; they are innovators, leaders, and agents of change, and that efforts should be made to ensure that children with disabilities have equal access to education, health care, protection, and participation.

Mr. Abdullahi also commended Eritrea’s strides to ensure that nationals with disabilities have inclusive access to education and community-based rehabilitation services.

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is being observed for the 30th time at the national level.

The event featured exhibition of paintings, ceramics, and other artifacts produced by citizens with disabilities.

– on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

Source: APO – Report:

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Binance (www.Binance.com) today announced the launch of Binance Junior (https://apo-opa.co/49UWuBE), a new parent-controlled app and sub-account for kids and teens, ages 6-17, that offers parents a family-centric platform to build crypto wealth and savings, helping prepare their children for a digital financial future. Binance Junior allows parents to open and manage crypto savings accounts on behalf of their children, enabling young users to save and earn crypto in the account through Binance Flexible Simple Earn, while restricting trading activities to ensure safety. 

Parents can fund the Binance Junior account via their master account or through on-chain transfers. By offering controlled early exposure to savings and digital assets, Binance Junior empowers parents to invest in their children’s financial future and nurture positive saving habits. As crypto becomes increasingly integrated with mainstream finance, this new product aims to provide young users with a strong foundation in personal finance and digital asset education, promoting long-term financial literacy and readiness for the evolving economic landscape.

“As parents who love our children, we not only nurture them in their early development but long-term growth with responsibility and wisdom—helping their ability to face real life challenges independently where financial health and literacy are key to preparing them for the future, especially as money is evolving,” said Binance co-CEO Yi He. “Today, parents can take the first steps to prepare for their children’s financial future and equip them for the future financial landscape. Binance Junior is a family finance initiative that helps parents build crypto wealth and savings for their children and encourages them to teach and practice healthy financial habits for the next generation into adulthood.”

Designed for both crypto-native parents and those new to digital assets, Binance Junior helps them begin their digital finance journey as a family in a secure environment with parental control and monitoring via a simplified interface, with safety measures in place. Binance Junior users aged 13 and above can initiate transfers on their app, with a higher age criteria where required by local regulations, and with daily limits applied. Trading is not permitted and transfers to non-parental adult users are also restricted. Parents will be notified of every transaction from their Junior account and have the ability to disable their child’s Junior account at any time, immediately halting all transfers. 

As part of Binance’s continued mission to educate people about the world of digital assets, while preparing the next generation for financial health and wealth under its broader family finance initiative, it has released a self-published book, “ABC’s of Crypto.”

The “ABC’s of Crypto” is an educational book designed as a children’s book for anyone who is interested in learning about crypto and illustrating how crypto can be “as easy as ABC.” The book breaks down fundamental terms in crypto, from security and blockchain technology to types of coins, in a fun and easy-to-understand way—encouraging families to learn together in their digital finance journey. 

Binance Junior will be available in select countries via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. For more information on features and how to get started, visit: https://apo-opa.co/49UWuBE.

– on behalf of Binance.

About Binance:
Binance is a leading global blockchain ecosystem behind the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and registered users. Binance is trusted by more than 290 million people in 100+ countries for its industry-leading security, transparency, trading engine speed, protections for investors, and unmatched portfolio of digital asset products and offerings from trading and finance to education, research, social good, payments, institutional services, and Web3 features. Binance is devoted to building an inclusive crypto ecosystem to increase the freedom of money and financial access for people around the world with crypto as the fundamental means.

For more information, visit: www.Binance.com