MIL Africa Engine

Source: APO – Report:

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Although West African farms produce plenty of food, many people in the region live with the constant threat of hunger. With better data tools, policymakers can fight hunger by improving trade in food across the region.

The International Trade Centre (ITC) provides a suite of tools used to analyze trade data and strengthen agricultural value chains. A workshop in Nigeria showed policymakers from across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) how to use those tools to sure that food grown in the region reaches people who want to buy it.

The training, provided in English and in French, explained how to use ITC tools to evaluate export potential and market opportunities for cassava, maize, onions, pineapple, rice, and tomatoes. Factsheets on value chains for these foods were provided to support communication and policymaking.

‘The tools presented were highly relevant, the discussions rich, and the training environment made learning both effective and enjoyable,’ said Jean Hugues Amichia, Senior Project Officer at Côte d’Ivoire Export.

ITC, under the ECOWAS Agricultural Trade (EAT) Programme, conducted the workshop in Abuja, Nigeria from 24 to 27 March 2025. The workshop brought together 43 West African policymakers from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

The participants – 16% of whom were women – included key ECOWAS Directorates as well as national statistical offices, trade promotion agencies and regional research institutes.

Special attention went to exploring how food is traded in the informal economy. ITC technical experts led a review of the ECOWAS Informal Cross-Border Trade database.

The database was developed by Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel and the West African Association for Cross-Border Trade in Agro-Forestry-Pastoral and Fisheries Products.

They also tested a new interactive dashboard created by ITC to visualize informal trade data in the region. These tools give insights that are often overlooked in formal trade statistics. Participants provided feedback for enhancing the tools, such as adding domestic supply-demand data and improving the dashboard’s usability with clearer language. 

With reliable data tools and methodologies, this initiative strengthens the foundation for more effective food trade policy and deeper integration in West Africa.

– on behalf of International Trade Centre.

Source: APO – Report:

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The initiative offered finalists professional song and video production, training in lyric writing and civic education, and media exposure. It has been implemented by Nafasi Art Space, which led the overall event organization and conceptualization, and Tanzania Bora Initiative, which provided training, guidance, and production support.

The European Union (EU) Delegation to Tanzania, in partnership with Nafasi Art Space, Tanzania Bora Initiative and East Africa Radio, celebrated the launch of a music video by Mziki na Maarifa finalist, Gloria M. The event, hosted at Nafasi Art Space, brought together artists, youth representatives, cultural leaders, civil society and media to showcase the role of young Tanzanian talent in inspiring positive change through music.

Launched on 15 September 2024 to mark the International Day of Democracy, Mziki na Maarifa is a music competition giving young Tanzanian artists a platform to grow their careers while addressing civic education themes through their songs. Last year, on 16 November, six finalists were crowned, marking a milestone in the competition. The recent music video presentation by Gloria M represents the next exciting highlight of the journey.

The initiative offered finalists professional song and video production, training in lyric writing and civic education, and media exposure. It has been implemented by Nafasi Art Space, which led the overall event organization and conceptualization, and Tanzania Bora Initiative, which provided training, guidance, and production support.

Reflecting on her experience, Gloria M, Artist and Mziki na Maarifa Finalist said;

“This initiative has given me the platform to speak about the real challenges young people face today, but has also given me the chance to share my dreams and hopes for a better future. I trust that my song will help inspire other young people to know that their voice matters and that they too can shape the world of tomorrow.”

Highlighting the EU’s support for youth and creativity, EU Deputy Ambassador to Tanzania, Isabelle Mignucci said;

“Mziki na Maarifa combines the pillars of youth empowerment, creativity, and civic engagement—areas the European Union strongly supports. The EU is proud to support the journey of young Tanzanian artists as they express themselves, raise awareness on important societal issues, and contribute to positive change in their communities.”

On the significance of arts and culture in driving change, Nafasi Art Space Director, Lilian Hipolyte, said;

“Competitions like Mziki na Maarifa highlight the power of creativity in shaping society. Music and arts give young people a voice to share ideas, spark conversations, and inspire positive change in their communities.”

Tanzania Bora Initiative Executive Director, Abella Bateyunga, emphasized the practical impact of the programme;

“Our focus was on equipping the finalists with the tools to create music that matters—through civic education workshops and production guidance, we helped them transform messages about society into songs that can inspire their peers. Music is such a powerful way to connect with young people, helping them reflect, engage, and contribute to their communities.”

– on behalf of Delegation of the European Union to the United Republic of Tanzania and the East African Community.

Source: APO – Report:

Jennifer Nadel, co-founder of Compassion in Politics and co-author with Gillian Anderson of We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere, joins Dominic Wilhelm on the recently released Closing Distance podcast to show why compassion and trust are democracy’s fiercest allies. 

“Compassion isn’t soft. It’s fierce.” That was the message from barrister, award-winning journalist, and political reformer Jennifer Nadel in conversation with Dominic Wilhelm on the Closing Distance podcast. Nadel, who co-founded Compassion in Politics, argues that embedding compassion at the heart of political decision-making is not a luxury, but a democratic necessity. 

Nadel’s career has been defined by confronting power with honesty. As an investigative journalist at ITN, she exposed war crimes and provided evidence to the United Nations. As an author, she co-wrote We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere with actress Gillian Anderson, a book that urged a shift from the me-centred way of living to a we-centred one. Nadel’s and Anderson’s manifesto championed resilience, compassion, and collective responsibility, principles that Wilhelm develops through the Global Trust Project’s focus on trust as the essential condition for closing distance between people and societies. 

Through Compassion in Politics, the cross-party group she co-founded, Nadel has championed reforms that bring empathy and integrity into the heart of public life. Its initiatives include mental health support for MPs, culture-change campaigns such as Stop the Nastiness, and the Honesty Standard in Parliament – now being piloted in Wales to sanction politicians who deliberately deceive the public. 

“We’ve normalised politics that causes avoidable suffering,” Nadel says. “But compassion means action. It means standing up to dishonesty, refusing to turn away from hardship, and insisting that politics return to its moral compass.” 

Nadel acknowledges that compassion can be dismissed as naïve, even “churchy.” Yet she insists the opposite is true: “Compassion requires courage. It means walking into adversarial spaces and saying there is another way.” 

Her work resonates with younger generations disillusioned by politics. Only 1% of Britons under 35 believe politicians tell the truth, a statistic Nadel cites as evidence of a trust crisis that Compassion in Politics is determined to address. “When people know that dishonesty carries real consequences, public trust can begin to be rebuilt,” she argues. 

The conversation with Wilhelm underscored the alignment between compassion and trust. While Wilhelm’s Global Trust Project works to operationalise trust in organisations and governments, Nadel insists that compassion is politics’ “magnetic north” – the principle that can guide choices back to fairness, dignity, and truth. 

Her own journey adds weight to the message. After years at the frontline of journalism and campaigning, Nadel burnt out, forcing her to rebuild her life from the inside out. That experience, she says, clarified the urgency of compassion not only as a personal practice but as a political framework. 

“For me it always comes back to action,” she reflects. “Compassion isn’t sentiment. It’s activism – a call to act for the world we long for, not the one we settle for.” 

– on behalf of VUKA Group.

Available on Spotify:  
Search “Closing Distance” 
Episode Link: https://apo-opa.co/4n17sJj

Available on YouTube:
Search “Closing Distance” 
Episode link: https://apo-opa.co/3Vb6SMX

Contact:
path@theglobaltrustproject.one  

About Jennifer Nadel:
Jennifer Nadel is a barrister, award-winning journalist, author, and co-founder of Compassion in Politics. Her investigative reporting for ITN exposed war crimes, providing evidence to the United Nations. She has authored We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere (with Gillian Anderson) and How Compassion Can Transform Our Politics, Economy and Society. She is Director of Compassionate Politics at Stanford University and a founding figure in the Global Compassion Coalition. 

About Compassion in Politics:
Compassion in Politics is a cross-party organisation dedicated to embedding empathy, fairness, and integrity into the political system. Founded by Jennifer Nadel and Matt Hawkins, the group campaigns for systemic reforms that address the culture of adversarial politics, promote honesty in public life, and reduce avoidable suffering caused by government policy. 

About Closing Distance:
Closing Distance is a podcast hosted by Dominic Wilhelm, Executive Director of The Global Trust Project – a proud venture partner of The VUKA Group. Through candid conversations with global thinkers, it explores how trust can close the distance between people, leaders, and societies – and bring us closer to what matters most. 

Coming Up Next on Closing Distance:
In the next episode, Wilhelm is joined by Jim Harter, Chief Scientist at Gallup, to examine how trust is faring across society – from leadership and governments to non-profits and organisations. Harter reveals where trust is faltering, where it is thriving, and why leaders who build authentic connections with their people achieve not only higher engagement, but stronger resilience and profitability. 

Source: APO – Report:

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In a strategic effort to strengthen health systems and improve access to essential services, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMHSW) has launched a collaborative initiative to integrate sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) with communicable disease interventions. 

Bridging Service Gaps Through Coordinated Action

Led by the Family Health and Public Health Departments, this initiative is designed to overcome longstanding barriers that vulnerable populations face in accessing care such as fragmented services, limited coordination between health programmes, stigma, and low community awareness. By combining SRHR with communicable diseases interventions, the programme aims to deliver more accessible, efficient, and people-centered care thereby strengthening the integrated delivery of antenatal care, HIV, viral hepatitis, STI, adolescent health, and GBV services to streamline care for vulnerable groups, including adolescents, pregnant women, people living with HIV (PLHIV), and key populations. This initiative will also enhance referral systems to ensure seamless transitions between different levels of care and services, including community-based care. The approach seeks to deliver equitable, efficient, and people-centred healthcare, aligning with Nigeria’s commitment to universal health coverage (UHC).

Funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and technically supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the initiative will be piloted in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and four states: Anambra, Ebonyi, Gombe, and Kwara. At the programme’s inception meeting in Abuja, Dr Binyerem Ukaire, Director of the Family Health Department, underscored the value of integrated services.

“By centring care around the needs of individuals, particularly women and adolescents, we make services more accessible, affordable, and effective,” she stated. “This initiative bridges critical gaps in our health system.” 

Dr Godwin Ntadom, Director of the Public Health Department, highlighted alignment with the Ministry’s Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), which promotes coordinated planning and service delivery. “Integration fosters a harmonised system, breaking down silos to achieve better health outcomes,” he said.

WHO Guidance and Global Standards

WHO provides technical support, adapting global best practices and tools to Nigeria’s context. The initiative contributes to WHO’s efforts to strengthen resilient health systems and advance Sustainable Development Goal 3 (health and well-being).

“Integrated care reduces fragmentation, enhances efficiency, and prioritises people,” said Dr Mya Ngon, Team Lead for Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases at WHO Nigeria. “This approach maximises resources to deliver improved outcomes.”

Additional partners, including the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and Jhpiego, will support implementation through expertise in capacity building and innovative service delivery.

Community Engagement for Impact

Community involvement is integral to the initiative’s success. Community-based organisations, traditional and religious leaders, and youth groups will promote awareness, dispel misconceptions, and encourage health-seeking behaviours.

“Engaging communities builds trust and empowers individuals to take charge of their health,” noted Dr Ukaire. “This leads to higher service uptake and improved outcomes.”

Implementation and Monitoring

The initiative will be jointly coordinated by the Safe Motherhood Branch of the Family Health Department and the National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NASCP) under the Public Health Department. Implementation includes integrating service delivery at selected primary healthcare facilities, training health workers, updating clinical protocols, and harmonising monitoring tools.

A robust monitoring and evaluation framework will track service uptake, care quality, and health outcomes. Insights from the pilot phase will guide national scale-up

A Step Towards Inclusive Healthcare

By integrating SRHR with communicable disease programmes, Nigeria is advancing a more inclusive, efficient, and accountable health system. This initiative exemplifies a commitment to delivering equitable care, particularly for the most underserved, paving the way for sustainable health improvements across the country.

– on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Nigeria.

Source: APO – Report:

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The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) wishes to clarify that none of its Oryx helicopters are abandoned in the  Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as alleged by some media sources. Such allegations are misleading and do not reflect the actual condition or status of SANDF aircrafts.

Out of the three helicopters reported, only one sustained damage during the United Nations peacekeeping military operations last year, and it will undergo repairs. The other helicopters are operational and remain under the strict control of the SANDF.

The SANDF reaffirms that all its Oryx helicopters are being maintained in accordance with technical and safety requirements.

– on behalf of South African Government.