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South Africa: Minister Lamola’s condolence message following the passing of Ambassador MKJ Nkosi

Source: APO


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The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) announces with deep sorrow the untimely death of His Excellency Muzikayifani Khehla Joseph Nkosi on 29 August 2026.

Ambassador Nkosi joined the Department on 18 September 2017 and served with unwavering dedication as Ambassador to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela from 11 March 2018 to 31 March 2022, and subsequently as Ambassador to the Republic of Chad from 3 August 2022 until his untimely passing.

Ambassador Nkosi was also known for his distinguished history of political activism, having served as the first Deputy President of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), and as the South African Communist Party (SACP) Provincial Chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal.

Ambassador Nkosi demonstrated exemplary commitment to South Africa through his steadfast representation of the country’s national interests, promoting its economic strengths, diversity and industrial capabilities, thereby reinforcing bilateral relations in the nations where he served.

Minister Ronald Lamola, Deputy Minister Alvin Botes, Deputy Minister Thandi Moraka, Director-General Zane Dangor and colleagues convey their deepest condolences to the family and friends of the late Ambassador Nkosi. May his soul rest in peace.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

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Cabo Verde: Arlinda Chantre é a nova Diretora Geral do Processo de Apoio ao Processo Eleitoral

Source: Africa Press Organisation – Portuguese –

A cerimónia aconteceu nesta terça-feira, 01 de setembro, no Ministério da Justiça, tendo a nova Diretora sido empossada pelo Ministro da Justiça, Clóvis Silva, ato que foi testemunhado pelos dirigentes do Ministério.

Na ocasião, Arlinda Chantre garantiu que irá trabalhar arduamente com a sua equipa para, por um lado, fazer evoluir os trabalhos em curso na DGAPE e, por outro, inovar para elevar Cabo Verde a melhores performances ao nível do processo eleitoral.

O Ministro Clóvis Silva salientou a necessidade de mudar e inovar, confiando nas competências e experiência acumulada da nova Diretora, sem deixar de enaltecer a excelente colaboração que o antecessor, Salif Silva, tem dado nesse processo de transição.

De salientar que Arlinda Chantre volta a ser diretora na DGAPE depois de ter desempenhado esse cargo, anteriormente. A nomeação para o cargo de Diretora-Geral da Direção-Geral de Apoio ao Processo Eleitoral (DGAPE), consta da Resolução n.º 62/2026, de 28 de agosto, publicado, em BO, na mesma data.

Arlinda Chantre é Jurista e especialista em administração eleitoral, com mais de duas décadas de experiência na Administração Pública cabo-verdiana, nas áreas da administração eleitoral, direito eleitoral, gestão pública e modernização institucional. Exerceu funções de Diretora-Geral da Direção-Geral de Apoio ao Processo Eleitoral entre 2007 e 2022, liderando operações de recenseamento eleitoral, logística eleitoral, gestão orçamental, tecnologias eleitorais, elaboração legislativa e reforma do quadro jurídico-eleitoral.

Liderou a implementação do primeiro sistema nacional de recenseamento eleitoral biométrico e do primeiro recenseamento biométrico dos cidadãos cabo-verdianos residentes no estrangeiro.

Distribuído pelo Grupo APO para Governo de Cabo Verde.

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Soudan : une frappe aérienne détruit 50 tonnes d’aide alimentaire du Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM)

Source: Africa Press Organisation – French

Les deux véhicules, qui se dirigeaient vers Kadugli, étaient clairement identifiés aux couleurs du PAM, avec des bannières et des drapeaux de l’agence. La frappe a détruit plus de 50 tonnes de denrées alimentaires, dont des céréales, des pois cassés jaunes, de l’huile végétale et du sel.

Cette cargaison aurait permis de fournir une aide vitale à près de 6.000 personnes pendant un mois.

À Kadugli, le PAM apporte une aide alimentaire en nature à près de 60.000 personnes confrontées à des niveaux d’insécurité alimentaire d’urgence ou pires.

L’attaque illustre une nouvelle fois les conditions extrêmement difficiles dans lesquelles les agences humanitaires tentent d’opérer au Soudan. Depuis le début de l’année, le PAM a recensé huit attaques aériennes ayant endommagé ses installations ou perturbé ses opérations.

730 personnes déplacées par les violences

Parallèlement, le conflit continue de provoquer de nouveaux déplacements, notamment dans les régions du Kordofan.

Selon l’Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM), quelque 730 personnes ont fui dimanche plusieurs villages de la localité d’Abassiya, dans le Kordofan du Sud. Elles ont trouvé refuge dans d’autres secteurs d’Abassiya ainsi que dans la localité voisine d’Um Rawaba, dans le Kordofan du Nord.

Les violences continuent également de faire des victimes parmi les civils et les personnels humanitaires et sanitaires.

L’Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS) a indiqué qu’une vaccinatrice avait été tuée samedi lors d’une attaque contre un marché dans l’État du Kordofan occidental. Elle s’y était rendue à la recherche de son fils, qui figurait parmi les victimes d’une précédente attaque.

Face à cette escalade, l’ONU a renouvelé son appel à toutes les parties au conflit pour qu’elles respectent le droit international humanitaire, protègent les civils et garantissent la sécurité des personnels humanitaires et sanitaires. Elle demande également que l’aide puisse être acheminée de manière sûre, rapide et sans entrave.

Le choléra progresse dans un contexte d’insécurité

Malgré les violences, les agences des Nations Unies et leurs partenaires intensifient leur réponse à l’épidémie de choléra alors que la saison des pluies se poursuit.

Selon l’OMS, plus de 2.600 cas avaient été recensés dans plusieurs États au début du mois d’août, le Kordofan constituant dans son ensemble l’épicentre de l’épidémie.

Les équipes de santé continuent de soigner les malades, de mener des campagnes de vaccination et de distribuer des fournitures médicales essentielles.

Cette semaine, les autorités sanitaires soudanaises ont lancé des campagnes ciblées de vaccination orale contre le choléra dans plusieurs États du Darfour et du Kordofan occidental, avec le soutien technique et logistique de l’OMS et de l’UNICEF. L’objectif est de protéger près de 928.000 personnes âgées d’un an et plus.

La lutte contre la maladie passe également par l’accès à l’eau potable. Dans le Kordofan du Sud, un réseau municipal réhabilité avec le soutien de l’UNICEF à Abu Jubayhah fournit désormais chaque jour de l’eau potable à quelque 25.000 habitants, dont 5.000 personnes déplacées.

Des besoins immenses, des fonds insuffisants

Entre janvier et juillet, l’ONU et ses partenaires humanitaires ont fourni au moins une forme d’aide vitale à 12,3 millions de personnes à travers le Soudan.

Mais seules 2,2 millions d’entre elles, soit environ 18 %, ont bénéficié d’une aide multisectorielle. Pour le Bureau de la coordination des affaires humanitaires de l’ONU (OCHA), ce chiffre illustre l’impact des contraintes financières et des autres obstacles qui empêchent les acteurs humanitaires de répondre pleinement aux besoins les plus urgents.

L’ONU appelle donc les donateurs internationaux à renforcer leur soutien financier. L’appel humanitaire de 2,9 milliards de dollars pour le Soudan n’est actuellement financé qu’à hauteur de 40 %, soit environ 1,2 milliard de dollars reçus à ce jour.

Distribué par APO Group pour UN News.

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General Birame Diop Assumes Office as New President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission as ECOWAS Holds Welcome and Send-Off Ceremony for Incoming and Outgone Statutory Appointees

Source: APO

The ECOWAS Commission has  held a formal welcome and send-off ceremony for incoming and outgone statutory appointees and Heads of ECOWAS Institutions  following the completion of the outgone leadership’s four-year tenure. During the event, His Excellency,  General Birame DIOP of Senegal officially assumed office as  the new President of the ECOWAS Commission, succeeding H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY of The Gambia. H.E. Mr. Anthony OGUNJIMI of Nigeria also succeeded H.E. Mrs. Damtien TCHINTCHIBIDJA of Togo as Vice President.

Held at the Commission’s new headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, the ceremony included the unveiling of the ECOWAS@50 Special Exclusive Publication by Africa Agenda Network in partnership with the ECOWAS Commission, the symbolic presentation of the Management Performance Compendium to the incoming President, and the signing of handover notes by the outgone and incoming Presidents, Vice Presidents, and statutory appointees.

Other  Incoming  statutory appointees are :  Dr. Kalilou SYLLA (Côte d’Ivoire) Commissioner for Internal Services; Mrs. Ms. Francess Piagie ALGHALI (Sierra Leone), Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Mr. Dehpue Yenpea ZUO (Liberia), Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture; Mr. Amin Amidu SULEMANI ( Ghana) , Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation; Prof. Nassirou BAKO-ARIFARI (Benin), Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs; Ms. Carla Maria Borges BETTENCOURT (Cabo Verde), Auditor-General for ECOWAS Institutions; Dr. Palokinam PITCHE  (Togo) , Director-General of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO); and Mr. Mam Cherno JALLOW, Director-General of the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).

The outgone statutory appointees are : Dr. Habibu BAPPAH, Commission for Internal Services; Dr. Kalilou SYLLA (Ivory Coast), Commissioner, Economic Affairs and Agriculture; Prof. Fatou Sow SARR (Senegal) , Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs; Mr. Joao Alage Mamadu FADIA (Guinea-Bissau) , Auditor-General for ECOWAS Institutions; and Dr. Melchior AÏSSI ( Benin Republic),  West African Health  Organisation (WAHO).In his farewell address, the outgone  President, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve and reflected on the achievements of his four-year tenure, stressing that the outgoing leadership was leaving behind “not only memories, speeches and decisions” but also “a record” of institutional and regional accomplishments.

In his inaugural address, the new President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Retired General Birame DIOP, called for renewed unity, solidarity and mutual respect as the foundation for advancing regional integration and strengthening the effectiveness of the ECOWAS Commission. He urged staff and stakeholders to work collectively to build a united, cohesive and efficient institution capable of responding to the aspirations and challenges of the West African region.

“My solemn appeal to all of you is to make way for unity and solidarity, based on mutual respect,” he said, stressing that the strength of regional integration would be measured by the Community’s collective ability to remain united and purposeful. “A new chapter has been opened for West African integration. Let us work together to make it a chapter of peace, dignity and shared prosperity,” he declared.

“Beyond the challenges facing the regional integration process in West Africa, it is incumbent upon us to strive for the unity of our Member States and communities, because it is both right and good to do so. We must therefore maintain and develop open channels of communication with all entities and organizations within our region, including our brothers in the Alliance of Sahel States.”

“Because challenges know no borders, we must continue to collectively explore all avenues to achieve pragmatic and mutually beneficial cooperation. This cooperation must be maintained and developed on issues of common and highly strategic interest: security, connectivity, the movement of people, cross-border projects, and so on. Nothing should prevent us from working together for the unity of our peoples and their well-being.”

In his remarks, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola ENIKANOLAIYE, called on the new leadership of the ECOWAS Commission to place a strong emphasis on the effective implementation of regional programmes and projects that deliver tangible, measurable and lasting results. He stressed that ECOWAS must remain focused on initiatives that improve the lives and livelihoods of Community citizens, strengthen regional integration and contribute meaningfully to peace, security and sustainable development across West Africa.

“For Nigeria, ECOWAS must continue to justify the huge investments and sacrifices that have been made, not just by the government and people of Nigeria, including through the payment of the Community Levy, but also by other Member States in the sub-region to sustain the Organisation,” he said.

Ambassador ENIKANOLAIYE reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to supporting ECOWAS and its efforts to deepen regional cooperation, noting that the effectiveness and relevance of the

Community will ultimately be measured by its ability to translate its policies, programmes and collective commitments into concrete improvements in the lives of West Africans.

As ECOWAS moves into a new phase under its new leadership, the call is clear: regional integration must move beyond commitments to measurable results. By strengthening cooperation, delivering on priority programmes and keeping the needs of Community citizens at the heart of its work, ECOWAS can renew confidence in the regional project and reaffirm its enduring promise of a more peaceful, connected, prosperous and united West Africa.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

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Appointment of the Seychelles Licensing Authority Appeals Board

Source: APO

The Office of the President has today announced the appointment of the Seychelles Licensing Authority Appeals Board.

Ms Joëlle Perreau has been re-appointed as Chairperson of the Board.

The other Members are:

  • Mrs Kimberly D’Offay
  • Mrs Frederika Confait-Poussou
  • Mrs Sashi Deenu

The Appeals Board set up as per Section 18 of the Licenses Act 2010 is responsible for hearing and determining appeals against certain decisions made by the Seychelles Licensing Authority in relation to licensing matters. It provides an independent mechanism through which persons aggrieved by a decision of the Authority may seek a review of that decision.

The Board Members have been appointed for a three-year term, effective from 1 September 2026.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Seychelles.

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Africa’s Next Move and Why Data Sovereignty Is the Missing Key to the Continent’s Economic Future

Source: APO


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Ask what Africa needs to secure its economic future, and the answers tend to follow a familiar script: capital, technology and infrastructure. Rarely does ‘data’ make the list. Yet, data sovereignty, the ability to collect, control and act on reliable information about one’s own economy, has become one of the most consequential forms of sovereignty a nation can exercise.

It is the invisible foundation on which every effective policy, efficient tax system and well-designed social programme ultimately rests. Without data and its valuable insights, even the best-funded interventions operate in the dark, and African governments remain dependent on analysis produced elsewhere, by others, for other purposes.

Across the continent, a paradox persists. Governments collect vast amounts of tax administrative data, records of income, transactions, compliance and economic activity. This data, in the right hands and under the right conditions, has the potential to help design potent policies that rightly serve citizens. Yet, most of it sits untouched, locked in administrative silos, neither analyzed nor acted upon. The raw material for better governance already exists; what Africa largely lacks is the infrastructure to unlock its potential.

Proof of concept: the UNU-WIDER model

Since 2015, the United Nations University (UNU), through the UNU World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), has been building exactly this kind of infrastructure through its secure research data labs in South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. The model is deceptively simple: establish a protected environment where approved researchers can access anonymized tax administrative data without ever removing it from a secure setting. Researchers come in, insights go out and the data stays where it belongs.

The results have been striking. In South Africa, the lab has generated a body of evidence that has directly informed debates on personal income tax design, corporate behaviour and the formal economy’s structure. In Uganda and Zambia, it has enabled analysis of how tax systems interact with economic informality and social vulnerability — questions that matter enormously for social protection policy.

Previously invisible patterns in the data, made visible through responsible access, are changing how governments think about the problems they face.

Across all three countries, the common thread is the same: previously invisible patterns in the data, made visible through responsible access, are changing how governments think about the problems they face.

This is not abstract academic work. Tax data analysis has fed directly into discussions about how to design tax systems, who falls outside the formal safety net, and where administrative capacity needs strengthening. Crucially, this is homegrown evidence, generated by African researchers using African data to answer African questions. When a revenue authority can see the distributional consequences of a proposed tax reform mapped against real administrative records, the conversation changes. Evidence replaces assertion and debate becomes anchored to facts.

Scaling the model across the continent

The labs across three countries do not yet make a continental strategy. The next frontier is scale, creating the data infrastructure that allows many more African governments to turn their administrative records into policy intelligence and regain control over their own data while maintaining the rigorous privacy and security standards that make the model trustworthy in the first place.

Every country that builds this capacity is one less country that must rely on outside institutions to understand its own economy.

Scaling this model is not simply a technical task. It requires building trust between revenue authorities and research institutions, trust that data shared for analysis will be protected, that findings will be used constructively and that governments will retain sovereignty over their own records. It requires legal and regulatory frameworks that enable data access while establishing clear obligations. And it requires sustained investment, both from African governments themselves and from international development partners.

Data sovereignty is not a technical aspiration. It is an economic and political one. 

The good news is that momentum is building. Across the continent, a new generation of economists, statisticians and policymakers understand the opportunity. What is needed now is the institutional architecture to match that ambition: secure labs, skilled researchers and governments willing to treat their administrative data as a national asset rather than a bureaucratic by-product.

Data sovereignty as economic strategy

When development economists speak of sovereignty, they tend to mean political independence or control over natural resources. Rarely do they mean data. The countries that can generate, manage and act on data will make the most of their tax bases, human capital and natural resources.

Africa’s development story has too often been written by others, using data collected by others, to serve purposes not always aligned with African interests. Secure research data labs change that dynamic fundamentally. They put African institutions at the center of African knowledge production and enable governments to learn from their own experience rather than from generic prescriptions imported from elsewhere.

They create the conditions for evidence-based decision-making that is genuinely grounded in local realities. Countries that control their own data are the ones that set their own development agenda, design their own fiscal systems and capture the returns from their own resources.

As artificial intelligence (AI) tools become more capable of detecting patterns, modelling policy scenarios and identifying outliers in large datasets, the value of well-structured administrative data is amplified. As previously argued, AI models in Africa can work with smaller datasets, operate in resource-limited environments and be shaped by local knowledge.

The next chapter of these labs is, naturally, AI. Embedding AI directly into the research environment of data labs will drive even greater efficiency in revenue collection and greater equity in how public resources are distributed, with technology that serves their priorities rather than someone else’s.

Data sovereignty is not a technical aspiration. It is an economic and political one. Secure research data labs are not a luxury for a later stage of development. They are how Africa claims sovereignty over its own economic future and builds the conditions for faster, more equitable growth.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations University.

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Unstoppable Africa 2026 to bring African and global Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and leaders to New York to drive investment, ownership and growth across the continent

Source: APO

More than 2,000 African and global business leaders plus heads of state will gather in New York on September 20–21 for Unstoppable Africa, flagship event of the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI).

Convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and organized and coordinated by the UN Global Compact, the fifth edition of Unstoppable Africa will convene under the theme “Powering Business, Scaling Economies, Shaping the Future”.

Held on the sidelines of the opening of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Unstoppable Africa will feature leading  investors, policymakers, creatives, sports executives and decision-makers working to accelerate Africa’s business, trade and investment and amplify its role in shaping global markets.

Sanda Ojiambo, Assistant Secretary-General and CEO of the United Nations Global Compact, said: “This year, we are sharpening the focus on mobilising capital, forging partnerships, building businesses and turning Africa’s assets and opportunities into investable, scalable outcomes. The ambition is not simply to shape how the world sees Africa, but to shape where global capital flows, where value is created and how Africa can capture it.”

The high-level convening comes at a time of global supply chains being redrawn by geopolitical tension, energy insecurity and shifting trade rules. For the African continent, these pressures  create an opportunity to leverage its critical minerals, renewable energy potential, expanding consumer markets and young workforce to attract long-term capital and capture more value from global shifts.

Unstoppable Africa 2026 will look at how the continent can turn these shifts into lasting economic opportunity.  The program will focus on how Africa can capture more value from its critical minerals, strengthen infrastructure and trade, mobilise capital at scale and build more integrated and competitive markets. Discussions will also explore Africa’s energy transition, the development and ownership of AI and digital infrastructure, the financing and global distribution of African creative industries, and how sport can become a stronger engine for investment, talent development and economic growth.

Other confirmed speakers include:

  • H.E. Julius Maada Bio, President, Republic of Sierra Leone
  • H.E. Duma Gideon Boko, President, Republic of Botswana
  • H.E. Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation, Rwanda
  • Samaila Zubairu, President and CEO, African Finance Corporation
  • Nolitha Fakude, Chairperson, Anglo American South Africa
  • Tidjane Thiam, General Partner, Allied Critical Minerals Fund
  • Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO and Executive Director, Naspers
  • Olugbenga Agboola, CEO, Flutterwave
  • Cameron Bailey, CEO, Toronto International Film Festival
  • Wanuri Kahiu, filmmaker
  • Akunna Cook, Founder and CEO, Next Narrative Africa Fund
  • Luol Deng, former NBA All-Star and President, South Sudan Basketball Federation
  • Clare Akamanzi, CEO, NBA Africa
  • Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations
  • Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor to the President of the United States on Arab and African Affairs
  • Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All

The five themes of GABI and Unstoppable Africa, namely Energy, Digital Transformation, Trade, Creative Industries, and Sport, will be supported by high-level plenaries, CEO and investor roundtables, ministerial dialogues, startup showcases, and GABI Solutions Labs. The 2026 edition will create opportunities to spark transactions, develop investment vehicles, and form cross-border alliances and partnerships. Full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area could create a $3.4 trillion market, according to UNCTAD’s 2024 Economic Development in Africa Report, highlighting the scale of the opportunity as regional integration deepens.

Once again, the event will be hosted by Folly Bah Thibault, Senior News Anchor at Al Jazeera Media Network, and Larry Madowo, International Correspondent at CNN, and will spotlight more than 500 nominees in the Unstoppable Africans campaign.

Media partners to date include African Business/New African; African Renewal; Afrique Media; AllAfrica; Arise News; Business Digest Magazine; Citizen TV; EIB Network; Envoy Magazine; The Kenyan Wall Street; News Central TV; SDG News; The Africa Report; The Nation Media Group; TIME Africa.

Unstoppable Africa 2026 will take place at the New York Marriott Marquis, Times Square, 1535 Broadway, New York City. Accredited media and other eligible communication professionals can register at https://apo-opa.co/4xvM3xh.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Global Africa Business Initiative.

Media Enquiries:
Ekene Nwakonobi
Ekene.Nwakonobi@apo-opa.com
Tel: +(234) 90 2130 8781

Journalists wishing to cover Unstoppable Africa 2026 can apply for media accreditation here —https://apo-opa.co/4xvM3xh.

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Xi Jinping Arrives in Cairo for State Visit to Egypt

Source: APO

On the evening of September 1, 2026 local time, President Xi Jinping arrived in Cairo by special plane for a state visit to Egypt at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Upon Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan’s arrival at Cairo International Airport, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his wife were present to warmly greet them. Honor guards stood in formation along both sides of the red carpet in salute, while Egyptian youths waved the national flags of China and Egypt to welcome Xi Jinping and his wife.

Xi Jinping delivered a written statement extending sincere greetings and best wishes, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, to the Egyptian government and people.

Xi Jinping noted that China and Egypt are both ancient civilizations, with a traditional friendship that has endured and grown stronger over millennia. Over the 70 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have always stood together and cooperated for mutual benefit, regardless of changes in the international and regional landscape. In recent years, together with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, I have guided the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership to achieve leapfrog development. The two countries enjoy solid political mutual trust, fruitful mutually beneficial cooperation, and close and robust multilateral coordination, setting an example of friendship and solidarity among developing countries. During this visit, I will have an in-depth exchange of views with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on China-Egypt relations, all-round bilateral cooperation, and international and regional issues of mutual concern, jointly charting the course for the development of the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership and opening a new chapter in the history of China-Egypt friendship.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi and other accompanying officials arrived on the same plane.

Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang also went to the airport to welcome the delegation.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.

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Eritrea: Bahti Meskerem Celebration in Gash Barka Region

Source: APO

The 65th anniversary of the beginning of the armed struggle for Eritrean independence was enthusiastically celebrated at the Gash Barka regional level in Keru, Dige sub-zone.

The celebratory event was attended by Ambassador Mahmud Ali Hirui, Governor of Gash Barka Region; Maj. Gen. Romodan Osman Awelyay, Commander of the Eritrean Defense Forces Training Center; Brig. Gen. Tsehaye Mekonnen, Chief of Staff of the Western Command of the Eritrean Defense Forces; Ambassador Mahmud Ali Jabra, Secretary of the PFDJ in the region; senior Government and PFDJ officials in the region; as well as a number of residents.

At the event, Maj. Gen. Romodan Osman Awelyay laid a wreath at the tomb of the first martyr, Abdu Mohammed-Faid.

Mr. Idris Saleh, Chairman of the Holidays Coordinating Committee in the region, noted that the celebration was being conducted at the place where the remains of the first martyr, Abdu Mohammed-Faid, were laid to rest and that the day held deep meaning beyond commemoration. He also called for renewed commitment to live up to the expectations of the martyrs’ trust.

Ambassador Mahmud Ali Hirui, on his part, said that the Bahti Meskerem commemorations, celebrated every year with strong public participation, are august occasions on which the people renew their pledge to work with commitment in implementing national development programs and safeguarding national sovereignty.

The event featured cultural and artistic performances, as well as sports competitions.

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

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Primeiro Ministro (PM) recebe autarcas do Fogo e da Brava: zona alta dos Mosteiros será contempalda com duas importantes estradas para permitir escoamento de produtos. Brava pode ser modelo em energia sustentável

Source: Africa Press Organisation – Portuguese –

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“O desencravamento das zonas altas do concelho dos Mosteiros é um grande projecto. Temos de assumí-lo como bandeira deste Governo”, é com esta determinação que o Primeiro Ministro, Francisco Carvalho, respondeu à proposta do Presidente da Câmara dos Mosteiros, Fábio Vieira, que pediu duas novas estradas: uma que liga Cutelo Alto a Penedo Rachado e outra que parte de Cutelo Alto até ao centro de Monte Velha.

São projectos ambiciosos que, materializados, permitirão aos produtores dessa região, bastante produtiva, escoar em melhores condições seus produtos agrícolas, particularmente café e frutas, e reduzir, quiça eliminar, a perda de cerca de 30 toneladas de frutas, anualmente.

Os recursos para financiar essas importantes infraestruturas rodoviárias devem estar inscritos nos próximos orçamentos, conforme indicação do Primeiro Ministro, no encontro com o Presidente da Câmara dos Mosteiros.

A Ministra da Agricultura, Eveline Ramos, adiantou que o programa Pró-Água, financiado pelo FIDA vai beneficiar a ilha do Fogo, com acções que agregam valor aos produtos-agro-pecuários da ilha.

Ainda no quesito melhoria da produção agrícola, o Ministro da Economia, António Baptista, garantiu que o ministério que tutela vai implementar projectos integrados que visam acrescentar valor a toda cadeia produtiva, com a transferência de competências que permitem por em prática a transformação industrial dos produtos.

O Presidente da Câmara dos Mosteiros falou dos vários ganhos no domínio da educação, mas também de desafios, particularmente no domínio da habitação social, recebendo a garantia do Ministro das Infraestruturas que o município vai ser contemplado pelo novo programa Casa para Todos e verbas para reabilitação de residências.

Outro grande problema apontado é no domínio ambiental. Fábio Vieira alertou para o que considera ser “um grande atentado ambiental” na zona da Baleia, onde uma empresa privada extrai inertes para construção civil.

São Filipe se posiciona como produtor e abastecedor do mercado

O Presidente da Câmara de São Filipe, Nuías Silva, apresentou ao Chefe do Executivo um conjuntos de propostas de parceiras para a materialização de projectos que impulsionam o desenvolvimento do seu município, da ilha e da região Fogo/Brava.

Um dos grandes projectos apresentados pelo autarca é a construção do matadouro municipal, considerado pelo Presidente da Câmara de São Filipe como o primeiro industrial de Cabo Verde, orçado em 40 mil contos, em fase final de construção. Do Governo espera parceria, para conseguir igual montante para equipar a infraestrutura que permitirá o abate, acondicionamento e embalagem de carne, tendo o mercado turístico como alvo, com produtos de valor acrescentado, que respeitam normas internacionais.

Paralelamente, o autarca de São Filipe falou do projeto do Parque Agro-Alimentar, que deverá ficar situado na zona de Monte Barro. A estratégia camarária prevê integrar no parque o Centro de Pós-Colheita, construído em 2015 e que está abandonado e, por isso, pediu ao  Governno que ceda a posse do espaço ao município para ser incorporado ao parque.

Após ouvir os projectos, o Primeiro Ministro reiterou o que tem dito nos diferentes encontros: O Presidente da Câmara é quem melhor conhece a realidade das localidades, é um autêntico Ministro do Território, para considerar que as propostas apresentadas são coerentes e que vão ao encontro das expectativas das pessoas.

O Presidente da Câmara de São Filipe pediu parceria do Governo para melhorar o déficit habitacional, arruamentos e construir equipamentos sociais e desportivos, como a ciclovia, tendo recebido garantia do Ministro das Infraestruturas de que o Governo será parceiro de São Filipe, a começar com a retoma das obras do Complexo Casa Para Todos, cujo montante estimado para a conclusão, 140 mil contos, será inscrito no orçamento do próximo ano.

O Governo também assegurou ao autarca que o município deverá contar com mais uma farmácia, conforme pedido feito por Nuías Silva que conseguiu, ainda, o parecer favorável para que São Filipe seja palco dos Jogos Escolares em 2027.

O Presidente da Câmara de São Filipe, que no presente é também Presidente da Associação dos Municípios Fogo/Brava, apresentou projetos que terão impactos regionais, como o reforço do Gabinete de Desenvolvimento Regional, que precisa de mais recursos para contratar mais técnicos, tendo recebido compromisso do Governo em apoiar financeiramente para que o gabinete possa contratar engenheiros, topógrafos e arquitetos para servir os 4 municípios e colaborar com o Governo, por exemplo na monitorização da manutenção rodoviária.

Questões relacionadas com grandes infraestruturas, como ampliação e/ou deslocalização do porto, ampliação do aeródromo de São Filipe, merecerão atenção do Governo que promete recursos nos orçamentos futuros.

Brava pode ser modelo em energia sustentável

No encontro com o Presidente da Câmara da Brava, o Primeiro-Ministro ouviu as necessidades imediatas apresentadas pelo autarca Amândio Brito, como reabilitação de casas, construção de estradas de acesso para localidade de Rasca, onde fica a central dissalinizadora e para Cabo Té, fez as contas e concluiu que praticamente todos os pedidos são atendíveis e materializáveis. A edificação de parques infantis, em praticamente toda ilha, será também realidade. Mas há questões estruturais, cuja solução ainda não foi encontrada e continuam a preocupar e a condicionar o desenvolvimento da ilha. Uma delas, é a questão dos transportes.

“A questão dos transportes continua a nos apoquentar. É um dos problemas estruturais da ilha de prioridade alta, altíssimo”. Com estas palavras o Presidente da Câmara da Brava, Amândio Brito, começou a expor ao coletivo governamental os principais desafios que o mais pequeno município do país enfrenta.

O Presidente da Câmara da Brava, à semelhança dos demais, também enalteceu a iniciativa do Primeiro-Ministro, Francisco Carvalho, de se reunir com todos os presidentes das câmaras, pois acredita que é a melhor forma de se alinhar as ações do Governo com as da Câmara e vice-versa.

A irregularidade na ligação marítima, de e para a ilha, continua a ser a principal reivindicação dos bravenses. A posição é assumida por Amândio Brito que apela para que “ninguém vá à Brava com receio de poder regressar. Há que haver certeza, se sim ou se não”, arrematou o Presidente da Câmara da Brava que teve a garantia do Governo de que a embarcação recém-adquirida, Eugénio Tavares, vai ter sua base no porto de Furna para assegurar ligações regulares com a ilha do Fogo.

A melhoria do atendimento na área da saúde foi outro desafio apontado pelo autarca bravense que pediu novas valências médicas para a o centro de saúde da ilha, para se reduzir as transferências de doentes para a ilha do Fogo, com todos os problemas que acarreta. Amândio Brito lamenta situação daqueles que são obrigados a viajarem para fora da ilha em busca de saúde. “É triste ver uma pessoa a desfazer de seu animal para ir fazer uma consulta de especialidade no Fogo”. Do Ministro da Saúde, Lúcio Fernandes, recebeu a garantia de que as obras de beneficiação da infraestrutura sanitária serão retomadas, imediatamente, e a ilha contará com mais especialidades médicas, para se reduzir as transferências de doentes para os hospitais do Fogo ou de Santiago.

Ainda associada à questão sanitária, a ilha enfrenta também um sério desafio no abastecimento de água, tanto em quantidade quanto na qualidade. Pediu uma solução urgente para se melhorar a qualidade e a quantidade de água, o que deve acontecer com a entrada em funcionamento da central dissalinizadora de Furna, após a colocação de filtros para melhor a qualidade do líquido.

Ligada à produção da água está a questão da energia. O Primeiro-Ministro defendeu a ideia de se transformar a ilha Brava na primeira com energia sustentável, limpa, quase a 100% e pediu os demais governantes para se aproveitar a oportunidade para se transforma a ilha num modelo em energia sustentável.

Relativamente à perda da população, ficou claro que é um problema que afeta vários pontos do país e a ilha Brava não foge à regra. Para ajudar na fixação de pessoas, nas localidades e na ilha, o Presidente da Câmara da Brava apelou à retoma de serviços anteriormente existentes na localidade de Nossa Senhora do Monte e que deixaram de existir. “No passado tínhamos em Nossa Senhora do Monte Correios, serviços bancários, Posto Sanitário, escola, tudo funcional. Agora…nada”, lamentou.

Apesar da ilha ter várias casas praticamente desabitadas, com os proprietários a residirem fora da ilha, o Presidente da Câmara da Brava pediu ao Governo construção habitações sociais, mas num modelo diferente. Pede construção de casas individuais, em diferentes localidades, em vez da concentração de blocos de apartamentos num único ponto, proposta que será avaliada.

Distribuído pelo Grupo APO para Governo de Cabo Verde.