MIL Africa Engine

Source: APO – Report:

At a meeting held in Barentu on 11 August, a call was made for enhanced participation by the public, particularly youth and experts, in efforts to explore and document the rich cultural heritage of the Gash Barka Region and pass it on to future generations.

The meeting reviewed activities carried out by the Culture and Sports Department in the region, in collaboration with partners, to preserve and document tangible and intangible heritage. It also assessed the progress made and discussed future programs.

Mr. Idris Saleh, Director General of Culture and Sports in the region, said that a number of cultural heritage elements that had been on the verge of extinction have been properly documented by an expert-led committee and are being showcased at regional and national events.

Mr. Idris also commended the public and the committees for their contributions and participation in promoting the region’s rich tangible and intangible heritage at various forums, including the national festival.

The participants adopted various recommendations, including the continuation of cultural competitions at the administrative-area level, the strengthening of exploratory and research activities on cultural heritage, and enhanced public participation in these efforts.

– on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

Source: APO

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The Department of Local Government, through its Sub-Directorate, Fire and Rescue Services, has officially handed over hazardous materials hazmat firefighting equipment to Overstrand Municipality, strengthening the municipality’s capacity to respond to incidents involving dangerous goods.

The equipment, purchased through the Fire Service Capacity Building Grant, represents a provincial investment of R500 000 in emergency response capacity. Overstrand Municipality further contributed R74 286.31, bringing the total expenditure on the equipment to R574 286.31.

The initiative forms part of the Department’s efforts to strengthen provincial resilience and ensure that municipal fire and rescue services are adequately prepared to respond to incidents involving hazardous materials. The transportation, storage and processing of dangerous goods can pose significant risks to communities, particularly where specialised chemical, biological and radioactive detection and mitigation capabilities are limited. The executive mayor of Overstrand municipality cllr Archie Klass he said today was not simply about the handing over of equipment. It is about building capacity, strengthening partnerships and ensuring that the Overstrand Municipality is better equipped to protect lives, property and livelihoods when emergencies occur. 

He further said for our firefighters, protective equipment is not a luxury. It is an essential part of ensuring that they can safely enter dangerous environments and carry out their duties effectively. “For our firefighters, protective equipment is not a luxury. It is an essential part of ensuring that they can safely enter dangerous environments and carry out their duties effectively.” Said mayor.

The thermal imaging camera, in particular, will enhance the ability of our teams to identify heat sources and locate persons during fire and rescue operations, especially in conditions where visibility is severely compromised.

The thermal imaging camera, in particular, will enhance the ability of our teams to identify heat sources and locate persons during fire and rescue operations, especially in conditions where visibility is severely compromised.

Dr Moses Khangale of Santam’s Western Cape region said during the handover of fire and rescue equipment to the Overstrand Municipality that Santam provides support to 110 municipalities across South Africa, with the Overstrand Municipality being one of them.

He said Santam has a strong footprint in the Western Cape and wants to continue building its strategic partnership with municipalities, particularly because Santam has a large client base in the province.

Dr Khangale emphasised the importance of collaboration, saying that stakeholders should work together rather than against each other. He also urged the municipality to take good care of the equipment, noting that it is expensive and plays an important role in protecting lives and property.

Western Cape  Disaster management deputy director Mr. Etienne du Toit represented the department highlighted the Western Cape Government’s continued commitment to strengthening municipal fire and rescue services during the hand over of hazardous materials equipment valued R 500.000 to Overstrand municipality. Mr Du Toit emphasised that an effective fire service rests on four pillars people, equipment, systems and partnership. “The provincial fire safety officer development programme invests approximately R1.2 million annually, equating to almost R 300.000 per student’ he said.

He also acknowledges the leadership and continued support of Minister Anton Bredell, who commitment has been instrumental in advancing these programmes and strengthening fire and rescue capacity across the Western cape. He said.

The equipment acquired by Overstrand Fire and Rescue Services includes Class A responder suits in sizes L and M, splash suits in sizes L and M, a thermal imaging camera, 210-litre over-drums, lane demarcation cones and firefighting gloves.

The investment will enhance the ability of firefighters to operate safely and effectively when responding to hazardous materials incidents, while supporting the broader objective of protecting communities, emergency personnel and the environment.

The Department of Local Government remains committed to supporting municipalities in building sustainable and resilient fire and rescue services through targeted capacity-building initiatives, specialised equipment and ongoing preparedness for foreseeable emergencies.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic Of South Africa: Western Cape Provincial Government.

Source: APO

WHO’s Department of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Child, Adolescent and Ageing Health (LHR) has formalized a memorandum of understanding with the Doris Mollel Foundation (DMF) to strengthen collaboration on the health and survival of small and sick newborns, particularly in Africa, but also globally.

The agreement was signed on 29 June 2026 by Dr Jeremy Farrar, Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care, on behalf of WHO. The agreement sets out a framework for joint advocacy, evidence generation and strategic communications.

Planned areas of cooperation include joint advocacy with regional and global platforms such as the African Union and the African First Ladies Development Organization, support for research and documentation of effective models of newborn care, and coordinated communications around key global health observances, including World Prematurity Day.

Doris Mollel Foundation is a women-led Tanzanian foundation working to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths and to advance adolescent reproductive health in East Africa, through evidence-based, research-driven and community-led interventions.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO).

Source: APO

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The Federal Government has charged State Director of Cooperatives from the 36 States and FCT to lead the practical rollout of the National Cooperative Smart Registry, NCSR, describing them as “Frontline Implementers, not spectators” in Nigeria’s cooperative sector transformation.

Speaking during the National Technical Workshop on Cooperative Sector Digitalization organized by the Ministry in collaboration with its Technical Partner, Seam fix Limited on Tuesday 11th August,2026, in Abuja, Minister of State for Agriculture & Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Sen. Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the workshop was convened to move from “Reform Conversations to Reform Implementation” under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform & Revamp Program, RH-CRRP 2030.

The Minister stated that the purpose of the workshop is to equip State Directors with the knowledge and tools to drive the digitalization agenda at state and community levels. “Distinguished Directors of Cooperatives, this is particularly why you are here. The Federal Government cannot successfully digitalize Nigeria’s cooperative sector from Abuja alone. Cooperative regulation and administration take place across our States and communities. You are therefore not spectators in this transformation; you Are Frontline Implementers,” he said.

Sen. Abdullahi urged them to understand the search, registration and validation workflow, how the Cooperative Verification Number, CVN, and Cooperative Member Identification Number, Coop ID, will be generated, and the responsibilities that will fall on State Cooperative Departments. “Ask questions. Challenge the process constructively. Seek clarification. Identify peculiarities within your States.

We are building a national infrastructure, and therefore it must work for every cooperative across the entire federation, “he charged.

The Minister explained that digitalization is designed to solve decades of identity and data gaps. “For too long we could not plan for cooperatives because we could not see them. We cannot effectively finance what we cannot identify. We cannot properly regulate what we cannot see. With NCSR, CVN and Coop ID, government, banks and development partners can now identify, verify, finance and regulate cooperatives with confidence,” he emphasized.

According to him, at the foundation of the transformation is the NCSR, which provides the infrastructure for cooperative search, registration, verification and digital governance. From the NCSR will emerge the CVN for cooperative organizations and Coop ID for members. Together, the NCSR, CVN and Coop ID will strengthen registration, identity verification, data management and regulatory oversight, while building trust, visibility and integrity within Nigeria’s cooperative ecosystem.

Sen. Abdullahi described cooperative sector digitalization as “not merely an ICT project, but an economic and institutional reform.” He warned that it “must not simply reproduce our existing manual inefficiencies on a computer screen.”

He added that it must improve transparency, strengthen accountability, make cooperative administration easier, provide reliable information for policy and planning, and ultimately deliver value to the ordinary cooperative member.

The Minister linked the digital infrastructure to the proposed Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, (Coop Bank), noting that the NCSR, CVN and Coop ID will provide the verified data and trust required for share subscription, credit profiling, risk management and sustainable operation.

He disclosed that the Bank will be “government-enabled, 7 cooperatively-owned, cooperatively-controlled and professionally managed,”_ and that share-subscription is targeted to commence by the end of October 2026, pursuant to resolutions of the 8th National Council on Cooperative Affairs.

The Minister also gave an update on the Ministerial Advocacy Tour, noting that the South-West, North-West and South-South zones have been covered. Visits to the North-Central, South-East and North-East will follow before the Coop Bank launch. He also revealed that tomorrow, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria, (CFN), and technical partner Seam fix Limited will formally execute a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the framework for collaboration.

Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the Minister stated that government is determined to build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, inclusive, transparent and accountable, and capable of contributing significantly to food security, financial inclusion, job creation and shared prosperity. He called on the Federal Department of Cooperatives, State Directors, CFN, Institute of Cooperative Professionals of Nigeria, (ICOPRON), Seam fix and all stakeholders to approach implementation as a shared national responsibility.

Concluding, Dr. Abdullahi declared: “A New Era for Nigeria’s Cooperatives is here”

In a welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi revealed that ‘’ the digital infrastructure we are building today, starting with the CVN and Smart Registry, will serve as the primary strategy for transparently delivering input subsidies, credit interventions, and technical assistance directly to verified cooperators under the AGROW initiative’’.

Dr. Ogunbiyi stated that ‘’the RH-CRRP 2030 is designed to modernize our cooperative sector to boost financial inclusion, eliminate fraudulent actors, and unlock capital for smallholder producers across and cooperative generally across the country’’.

He urged participants to engage actively during the technical sessions and to ensure that the outcomes of the workshop translate into concrete actions at state and grassroots levels for the benefit of cooperative members.

In attendance were Directors of Cooperatives from the 36 States and FCT, members of the RH-CRRP 2030 National Steering Committee, leadership of CFN and ICOPRON, representatives of MDAs, relevant institutions, development partners and technology experts

The Highlight was a live demonstration of the platform by the technical partner, Seam fix Limited.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nigeria (FMARD).

Source: APO

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As commodity markets enter a new era defined by a rising demand for critical minerals, Mercuria Energy Group is rapidly expanding its global footprint through major acquisitions, strategic joint ventures and infrastructure investments. Against this backdrop, the company will participate as a Bronze Partner at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, taking place in Cape Town from October 12–16, where it will engage African governments, national oil companies and industry leaders on the next generation of energy investment opportunities.

Mercuria’s latest expansion reflects a strategy centered on controlling physical assets alongside its global trading operations. In June 2026, the company signed a marketing agreement and inventory prepayment facility with Lotus Resources. The agreement will support the commercialization of approximately 1.3 million kg of uranium from Malawi’s Kayelekera Mine over 30 months, strengthening the country’s role in global nuclear fuel supply while demonstrating growing investor confidence in African mining assets.

The company is also deepening its presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), one of the world’s most strategic critical mineral producers. In February, Mercuria completed its first purchases of responsibly sourced copper and cobalt from Enterprise Générale du Cobalt following a strategic agreement to strengthen traceability across artisanal mining supply chains. The partnership supports greater transparency while expanding international market access for Congolese minerals.

Mercuria continues to increase its financial commitment to Africa’s mining sector through large-scale prepayment financing that provides producers with development capital in exchange for long-term supply agreements. This approach is helping miners secure financing outside traditional banking channels while supporting new production across minerals essential to electrification, battery manufacturing and advanced technologies.

The company has also been linked to discussions surrounding the proposed development of Western critical mineral supply chains anchored by the DRC’s Kipushi Mine. By supporting financing structures for copper, zinc and other strategic minerals, Mercuria is reinforcing Africa’s role as a long-term supplier of resources required for global industrial growth and the energy transition.

These investments are supported by a significantly strengthened financial position. Mercuria reported an 88% increase in first-half 2026 profit and subsequently retained earnings to expand its equity base rather than distribute dividends. In June 2026, the company further enhanced its capacity to finance large-scale investments by securing a $3.84 billion multicurrency revolving credit facility, providing additional liquidity to support future projects, including across African markets.

“Access to innovative financing and global commodity markets will be essential to unlocking Africa’s full energy and mining potential,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber. “Mercuria’s growing investment across African critical minerals and resource value chains makes the company a valuable addition to AEW 2026, where industry leaders will shape the partnerships needed to drive the continent’s next phase of growth.”

Mercuria’s participation at AEW 2026 comes as African producers seek greater access to capital, trading expertise and commercial partnerships capable of accelerating resource development. As countries pursue new investment across hydrocarbons, critical minerals and associated infrastructure, the company’s integrated approach to financing, marketing and commodity trading offers a relevant model for unlocking large-scale projects across the continent.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

Source: APO

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The National Assembly (NA) yesterday passed the Independent Municipal Demarcation Authority Bill.

The Bill provides for the establishment of an Independent Municipal Demarcation Authority, which will replace the current Municipal Demarcation Board under a new legislative framework. It sets out the criteria and procedures for determining and redetermining municipal boundaries and for delimiting municipalities into wards. The Bill also seeks to ensure that municipal boundaries support effective local governance, the equitable and sustainable provision of services, integrated development and economic development.

Other important provisions in the Bill include public participation in municipal boundary determinations and ward delimitation. This means that communities can comment on and object to proposed decisions, while a Demarcation Appeals Authority will provide a mechanism for challenging certain demarcation decisions. The Bill also includes information technology among the areas of knowledge and expertise that may be considered when appointing members of the Board.

In addition, the selection panel responsible for recommending Board members will include representation from the National Assembly oversight committee responsible for local government and the National House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders, along with the other representatives provided for in the Bill.

The National Assembly first passed the Bill on 30 November 2023 and sent it to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) for concurrence. However, the Bill lapsed at the end of the Sixth Parliament in May 2024 and was revived by the NCOP on 29 July 2024. The Council passed the Bill with amendments on 27 November last year. After considering the NCOP’s amendments, the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs recommended that the NA concur with them.

The House adopted the committee’s report, concurred with the NCOP’s amendments and passed the Bill.

The Bill will now be sent to the President for assent.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.