MIL Africa Engine

Source: APO

.

​The European Union is reinforcing its support with USD 345,000 in humanitarian aid to contribute to the support to the increased number of Zimbabweans returnees fleeing violence in South Africa and to strengthen Zimbabwe’s response to a surging cholera outbreak. The funding will help provide life-saving assistance to thousands in urgent need.

The EU is supporting Zimbabwe Red Cross Society in assisting over 5,000 vulnerable returnees from South Africa following violence targeting foreign nationals. Between April and 28 July. almost 110 thousand people have crossed back into Zimbabwe, placing significant pressure on reception facilities at Beitbridge Border Post. Many returnees are spending nights at the reception centre while waiting for transport home, facing cold winter temperatures and limited shelter. This support intends to join forces with the ongoing Government-led efforts and other partners to assist returnees at Beitbridge and with transport services.

The EU funding will reinforce the efforts of the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society in delivering much-needed relief including emergency shelter, food, blankets, clean water, healthcare, hygiene support, and essential relief supplies. The operation will also provide psychosocial support, protection services, and Restoring Family Links (RFL), helping families reconnect with loved ones. The humanitarian response prioritizes support for women and children, older persons, people with disabilities, and others with specific needs. Women and girls, who constitute an estimated 65 per cent of the returning population, will receive targeted support to address their specific health, protection, and dignity needs.

The cholera outbreak, first detected in Rushinga District in January 2026, has since spread to several districts in Manicaland and Midlands provinces. Since then, transmission has been reported in Nyanga, Mutasa, Mutare City, Chipinge, Chimanimani and Zvishavane, with mining communities and border areas emerging as major hotspots. Limited access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene services in these areas continues to increase the risk of further transmission. 

In response to the cholera outbreak, the EU funding will provide 88,200 people with anticipatory measures and response, such as training and deploying volunteers to strengthen community surveillance, early case detection and referral, hygiene promotion, household water treatment, a rapid response strategy to mitigate cholera outbreaks, and community engagement in the affected districts.

The two operations will run for six months and will be conducted in coordination with the Government of Zimbabwe, the IFRC, United Nations agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of European Union External Action: The Diplomatic Service of the European Union.

Source: APO – Report:

The ECOWAS Commission has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming West Africa into a competitive automotive manufacturing hub by convening the ECOWAS Regional Automotive Industry Development Forum in Abuja, Nigeria, to accelerate the implementation of the ECOWAS Regional Automotive Policy Framework and unlock the region’s vast industrial potential.

Despite the adoption of the Regional Automotive Policy Framework more than a decade ago, implementation has remained uneven across Member States. According to the ECOWAS Commission, only Nigeria, and to a lesser extent Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, have recorded measurable progress in implementing the policy.

The region currently has seven vehicle assembly plants operating at the Semi-Knocked Down (SKD) level, with a combined installed production capacity exceeding 100,000 vehicles annually. However, actual production remains below 10,000 units per year, representing a capacity utilisation rate of less than 10 percent. At the same time, West Africa continues to import more than 450,000 vehicles annually which are predominantly used and grey imports thereby highlighting a significant opportunity for import substitution, industrial growth and job creation.

Against this backdrop, the ECOWAS Commission, through its Directorate of Private Sector and Industry, convened the three-day Regional Automotive Industry Development Forum from 4–6 August 2026 in Abuja, Nigeria. The forum assessed progress in implementing the Regional Automotive Policy Framework, identified key constraints hindering its effective implementation, and developed practical actions to accelerate the growth of the regional automotive industry, particularly towards achieving the Framework’s 2028 target of producing 50,000 locally assembled vehicles annually.

The forum brought together senior policymakers and key industry stakeholders from across West Africa to advance coordinated regional action towards building a competitive, integrated and sustainable automotive industry capable of driving industrialisation, regional trade and economic diversification.

Participants included Nigeria’s Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan ENOH; the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dr. Kalilou SYLLA; representatives of Ministries responsible for Industry and Trade; Customs administrations; standards and quality assurance institutions; national automotive councils and agencies; vehicle manufacturers and assemblers; manufacturers’ associations; Chambers of Commerce; development partners; financial institutions; and officials of the ECOWAS Commission.

In his welcome address, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dr. Kalilou SYLLA, underscored the strategic importance of the forum as a platform for translating the region’s industrial ambitions into concrete outcomes. He emphasised that discussions would focus on practical measures to stimulate investment, expand local manufacturing, strengthen regional value chains, promote technology transfer and innovation, and position the automotive sector as a major driver of industrialisation, skilled employment and SME development.

“The automotive industry presents an important opportunity for West Africa’s industrial transformation. Its potential extends far beyond vehicle assembly. A competitive automotive industry can stimulate component manufacturing, support ancillary industries, promote technology transfer and innovation, create skilled employment, strengthen SMEs and deepen regional value chains. The scale of the opportunity is enormous. What we need is a predictable and coherent policy and regulatory environment that gives investors the confidence to make long-term decisions,” Dr. SYLLA stated.

Declaring the forum open, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan ENOH, said the meeting reflected the region’s shared determination to strengthen implementation of the ECOWAS Automotive Industry Policy Framework and transform West Africa into an integrated and self-sustaining automotive manufacturing hub. He stressed that achieving this vision would require harmonised regulations, policy consistency and a stable investment climate capable of attracting long-term private sector investment.

Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to regional cooperation, the Minister announced that the country would make its automotive infrastructure available to all ECOWAS Member States.

“As part of Nigeria’s concrete commitment to support this collective effort, Nigeria formally commits to opening its national automotive quality infrastructure, including our three National Automotive Testing Laboratories in Enugu, Lagos and Zaria, as well as our 22 Mechatronics Skills Training Centres, to all ECOWAS Member States as Regional Centres of Excellence for vehicle homologation, quality testing and capacity building,” Senator ENOH declared.

In his remarks, the Chairman and Founder of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited, Chief Dr. Innocent CHUKWUMA, highlighted the indispensable role of policy certainty in attracting private investment and building a competitive regional automotive industry.

“Investor confidence thrives where policies are stable, implementation is consistent and regional integration is genuine. If ECOWAS can provide a predictable policy environment, harmonised regulations and actively support local manufacturing, private sector investment will follow, regional value chains will flourish and West Africa will emerge as a globally competitive automotive hub,” he said.

The forum concluded with renewed commitment from Member States, industry leaders and development partners to strengthen policy coordination, harmonise regulatory frameworks, promote regional production networks and mobilise strategic investments that will drive the implementation of the ECOWAS Regional Automotive Policy Framework.

– on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Source: APO – Report:

.

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Mr Tebogo Letsie, has warned that the high cost of student accommodation is making education extremely expensive and could exclude poor students from accessing higher education in South Africa.

Speaking during an oversight visit to the University of Mpumalanga yesterday, the Chairperson raised a concern that student accommodation has been turned into a huge profit-making scheme by private accommodation providers across the country.

“Education is a social good, but we have people who decide they are going to make huge profits. The exorbitant cost of student accommodation is making education unaffordable, this is tactical exclusion for the poor,” he said.

Some accommodation providers charge students more than the National Student Financial Aid capped rates forcing students to pay the difference, or leaving them with huge debts to the university, in cases when the institutions cover that amount on their behalf.

To try find solutions to the challenges, the committee has organised a colloquium on student accommodation to be held on 28 August 2026, and invited the Competition Commission, the Estate Agency Affairs Board, NSFAS and other relevant stakeholders to attend.

– on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

Source: APO – Report:

The President of the Republic of Seychelles, Dr Patrick Herminie, received internationally acclaimed comedian, writer and radio host Daliso Chaponda during a courtesy call this morning. The meeting focused on Mr Chaponda’s ongoing engagement with young people in Seychelles through a series of comedy and performance workshop.

Mr Chaponda arrived in Seychelles on Monday and has since been conducting comedy workshops for young people and others interested in developing their skills in the performing arts.

Born in 1979 in Zambia from Malawian parents, Mr Chaponda rose to international prominence after reaching the final of Britain’s Got Talent in 2017, where he finished third following a Golden Buzzer from judge Amanda Holden.

Mr Chaponda began his comedy career in Canada, performing at open mic events before staging his first solo show, Feed This Black Man, in 2002. He later moved to the United Kingdom in 2006, where he established himself on the comedy circuit and supported renowned comedian John Bishop. Since his breakthrough on Britain’s Got Talent, he has enjoyed a successful international career, creating and hosting the Rose d’Or-nominated BBC Radio 4 series Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere, while performing at leading comedy festivals in Edinburgh, Melbourne, Singapore, and Cape Town.

During the meeting, President Herminie commended Mr Chaponda for his commitment to engaging with Seychellois youth through these workshops. The President highlighted the importance of providing positive and creative opportunities for young people, noting that such initiatives can play a valuable role in addressing social challenges, including helping young people build confidence, resilience and positive alternatives to harmful behaviours such as drug abuse.

Mr Chaponda also spoke about his upcoming stand-up comedy performance, during his stay in Seychelles, and revealed that audiences can look to a second instalment of his acclaimed comedy show.

Mr Chaponda was accompanied during the courtesy call by Mr Kurt Lagrenade.

– on behalf of State House Seychelles.

Source: APO – Report:

.

The Portfolio Committee on Land Reform and Rural Development held a successful stakeholder dialogue this week at Parliament on the State of Farmworkers Equity Schemes in South Africa: Policy Implications and Possible Interventions to address complaints raised in the Farmworker Equity Schemes Petitions.

The committee received extensive submissions from beneficiaries, civil society organisations, researchers and agricultural stakeholders regarding the status of farmworker equity schemes in South Africa and their impact on beneficiaries.

The stakeholder dialogue formed part of the committee’s ongoing processes to consider a petition received from a consortium of civil society organisations (including the Legal Resources Centre, Surplus People’s Project, Corruption Watch and Support Centre for Land Change) acting on behalf of Farmworker Equity Schemes beneficiaries and members across South Africa.

Stakeholders presented evidence highlighting concerns relating to beneficiary rights, governance failures, access to information, financial accountability, tenure security and the management of public investments made through farm worker equity schemes.

The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Albert Mncwango, said: “One worrying factor was the absence of organised agriculture and commercial farmer partners to equity schemes. Although invited, they did not attend with some submitting apologies related to harvest season and other commitments.”

Presenters argued that many beneficiaries have received little or no meaningful financial benefit despite substantial public funding invested in schemes established on their behalf. Concerns were raised about dividend payments, access to financial records, uncertainty regarding beneficiary rights after retirement or death, and the exclusion of beneficiaries from important decision-making processes.

Civil society organisations called for the development of a National Corrective Action Plan that would include:

• An independent review of all farm worker equity schemes;
• Beneficiary-centred redress processes;
• Independent audits and forensic investigations where necessary;
• Stronger accountability measures; and
• Ongoing parliamentary oversight until corrective actions have been implemented.

Some of the agricultural stakeholders, experts and academics present at the dialogue highlighted the practical challenges facing beneficiary-owned farming enterprises, including high production costs, limited access to finance, working capital constraints, and restricted market access. They stressed that land reform beneficiaries require ongoing technical, financial, and institutional support to succeed in a highly competitive agricultural environment.

Another critical consideration for lawmakers is whether the existing legislative instruments for land reform and agricultural development were adequate to meet the challenges. A strong case was made for legislative review, including protections for equity and strategic partnerships.

The committee acknowledged the significant concerns raised during the meeting and noted the importance of hearing directly from beneficiaries and stakeholders affected by these schemes. Members emphasised the need to ensure that land reform interventions achieve their intended objectives of meaningful ownership, economic participation and improved livelihoods for farm workers and their families.

The committee will, in the coming week, continue to consider the submissions and responses from the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, the provincial departments of agriculture and the Land Bank. Following this process, it will develop its recommendations to strengthen accountability, improve implementation and ensure that beneficiaries derive lasting benefits from farm worker equity schemes.

– on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.