Source: Government of Qatar
Riyadh, July 01, 2026
The State of Qatar has participated in the 20th meeting of Their Excellencies heads of government human rights agencies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), held at the GCC General Secretariat headquarters in Riyadh.
The Qatari delegation was led by Mashael bint Mana Al Hajri, Assistant Director of the Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – French
Le Ministre de la santé, Prof Benjamin HOUNKPATIN, a procédé au lancement du projet “Action intégrée pour la prévention du paludisme : partenariat public-privé et engagement local des jeunes au Bénin”. La cérémonie de lancement s’est déroulée à Cotonou, le mardi 30 juin 2026, en présence de l’Ambassadeur du Japon près le Bénin, S.E.M. Uezono HIDEKI et de la Représentante Adjointe de l’UNICEF au Bénin, Madame Aude RIGOT.
Les moustiques perdront définitivement la bataille du paludisme grâce à l’assaut technologique en préparation. Des drones ultra performants lâcheront le larvicide dans les zones à forte endémicité pour neutraliser ces bêtes dans leurs habitats. Le Japon et le Bénin se donnent la main pour réussir ce pari qui introduit des technologies innovantes telles que la cartographie géospatiale, les drones et l’intelligence artificielle pour mieux identifier les zones à risque, renforcer la surveillance environnementale et améliorer la lutte contre les gîtes larvaires.
Ce projet ambitieux financé par le Japon à hauteur de 2,3 millions de dollars, intègre le contrôle des vecteurs, la vaccination et l’engagement des jeunes dans les communes pilotes que sont Copargo, Djougou, Tchaourou, Ouidah, Abomey-Calavi et Cotonou.
Pour le Ministre de la santé, le Bénin renforce son arsenal de prévention grâce à cette technologie axée sur une approche de lutte antivectorielle intégrée. « Cette stratégie permet de réduire durablement la densité des moustiques. Le larvicide utilisé dans cette campagne, est homologué par l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé et sera appliqué conformément aux normes de sécurité recommandées. Grâce à l’utilisation des drones, il est désormais possible d’intervenir avec davantage de précision, de rapidité et d’efficacité, même dans les zones difficilement accessibles », a laissé entendre l’autorité ministérielle.
Dans son intervention, la Représentante Adjointe de l’UNICEF au Bénin, Madame Aude RIGOT, a relevé le mérite de ce projet qui allie à la fois l’innovation technologique et l’engagement des communautés. « Les jeunes, les relais communautaires et les leaders locaux joueront un rôle essentiel dans la sensibilisation, le suivi des interventions et la promotion des bonnes pratiques de prévention. C’est cette alliance entre innovation et mobilisation citoyenne qui permettra d’obtenir un impact durable », a-t-elle notifié.
Pour l’Ambassadeur du Japon près le Bénin, ce projet s’inscrit parfaitement dans la vision nationale « Bénin 2060 Alafia, un monde de splendeurs » et s’aligne sur les engagements pris dans le cadre de la TICAD9, qui accorde une place centrale au renforcement des systèmes de santé africains, notamment en matière de prévention, de préparation et de réponse aux menaces sanitaires.
Distribué par APO Group pour Gouvernement de la République du Bénin.
Source: APO – Report:
Accurate MRO data is becoming essential for operational resilience, cost control and supply chain visibility, especially as industrial operations across Africa modernise and expand. Erick Wessels, Sales Director at RS South Africa (www.Africa.RSDelivers.com/), explores how organisations can improve performance through better MRO data management and governance.
Maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) procurement has historically been treated as an indirect function, often receiving less strategic attention than direct materials procurement. Yet inaccurate or fragmented MRO data can have significant operational consequences, leading to unnecessary expenditure, stock duplication, unplanned downtime and procurement inefficiencies.
For many organisations, particularly those operating across multiple facilities or remote sites, poor visibility into spare parts and inventory creates an environment where the same product may be purchased repeatedly from different suppliers at different prices. At the same time, critical items may be unavailable when needed most. In sectors such as food processing, manufacturing, energy and mining, these inefficiencies can quickly translate into production losses and operational risk.
This challenge is increasingly evident in complex and evolving industrial environments, where supply chain volatility, long lead times and infrastructure constraints often place additional pressure on maintenance operations. In many cases, replacement parts are sourced externally, meaning procurement delays can have serious implications for plant reliability and continuity. As a result, clean, centralised and actionable MRO data is no longer simply an administrative requirement; it has become a strategic operational asset.
Building a foundation through data governance
The starting point for effective MRO management is robust data governance. Organisations need systems and processes that ensure information is accurate, standardised and consistently maintained across the business.
This begins with something as fundamental as correct manufacturer names and part numbers. Without standardisation, duplicate records and inconsistent descriptions quickly emerge. A single supplier name entered in multiple ways can distort procurement reporting, complicate sourcing decisions and obscure inventory visibility.
Strong governance policies ensure that data follows a common structure across all facilities and departments. Standardised naming conventions, controlled fields and part classification protocols create consistency throughout the organisation and establish a trusted single source of truth.
For African businesses operating across geographically dispersed operations, standardisation becomes even more important. Mining houses, manufacturing groups and utilities often manage inventory across multiple provinces or countries. Without aligned systems and governance structures, data siloes emerge, preventing organisations from leveraging enterprise-wide visibility and economies of scale.
The hidden cost of poor data quality
Poor data governance frequently results in duplication, uncontrolled spending and operational inefficiencies. In many industrial environments, maintenance teams unknowingly purchase items already sitting elsewhere within the organisation simply because inventory data is incomplete or inaccessible.
Free-text fields and manual data entry further compound the problem. When systems are not purpose-built for MRO management, employees often improvise by storing critical information in inconsistent formats or locations. Over time, this creates fragmented datasets that undermine reporting accuracy and decision-making capability.
The financial impact can be substantial. Overstocking ties up working capital in slow-moving inventory, while understocking increases the risk of production interruptions and emergency procurement costs. In an African context, where import lead times may extend for weeks or months, poor inventory visibility can become particularly costly.
There is also a broader operational implication. Inaccurate MRO data limits the ability of procurement, maintenance and finance teams to collaborate effectively. Without reliable information, forecasting becomes reactive rather than strategic.
Digital procurement and inventory management are key enablers
Modern MRO environments require digital tools that enable more effective management of procurement and inventory. While strong governance provides the foundation, technology ensures these principles are applied consistently across operations.
RS South Africa’s procurement and inventory solutions demonstrate how digital platforms can bring greater structure and control to indirect spend. By integrating supplier catalogues into ERP and business spend management systems, organisations can improve visibility, reduce manual effort and make more informed purchasing decisions.
For organisations seeking a simpler approach, web-based tools can streamline sourcing and approval workflows without the need for complex systems integration, enabling faster adoption and improved efficiency.
Inventory management is equally critical. Solutions such as vendor-managed inventory (VMI) help improve visibility into stock levels and usage, reducing waste while ensuring critical components are available when needed.
Together, these capabilities enable a more controlled, resilient and data-driven approach to MRO supply chain management.
Real-time visibility creates operational agility
One of the greatest advantages of centralised MRO data management is the ability to achieve real-time visibility across operations. When organisations can see exactly what inventory exists, where it is located and how it is being used, they are able to make faster and more informed decisions.
Procurement teams can identify opportunities for supplier consolidation and spend optimisation, while inventory management systems provide insight into stock usage, replenishment requirements and demand trends. Maintenance teams, meanwhile, gain better visibility into critical spares availability, helping to reduce the risk of downtime.
Analytics dashboards also enable organisations to monitor inventory trends, maintenance frequency and spending patterns in real time. This visibility allows businesses to identify inefficiencies, reduce duplication and improve forecasting accuracy.
In complex operating environments, where disruptions can emerge unexpectedly due to logistics challenges, currency volatility or geopolitical developments, real-time visibility enhances resilience. Organisations with accurate, centralised data are better positioned to anticipate shortages, optimise stock levels and respond proactively to operational risks.
Unlocking long-term strategic value
The benefits of clean MRO data extend far beyond inventory management alone. Accurate and structured data creates a ripple effect of operational and financial improvements throughout the organisation.
With reliable information, businesses can improve budgeting accuracy, reduce emergency procurement, strengthen supplier negotiations and optimise inventory investment. Better forecasting reduces waste while ensuring critical components remain available when required.
Centralised data also enables more effective standardisation across facilities, helping organisations align around preferred suppliers, approved components and best practices. Over time, this drives stronger operational consistency and improved plant reliability.
Perhaps most importantly, clean data lays the groundwork for predictive maintenance and data-driven decision-making. As African industries continue investing in automation, digitalisation and smart manufacturing, organisations with mature MRO data practices will be significantly better positioned to compete.
Data quality as a competitive advantage
As industrial organisations navigate increasingly complex operating environments, MRO data management is evolving from a back-office administrative function into a strategic business capability.
In Africa, where operational resilience is often tested by supply chain uncertainty and infrastructure challenges, accurate and accessible data can provide a meaningful competitive advantage. Businesses that invest in strong governance, purpose-built systems and real-time visibility will be better equipped to control costs, minimise downtime and improve long-term operational performance.
Ultimately, effective MRO data management is about more than inventory accuracy. It is about enabling smarter decisions, stronger reliability and greater business agility across the entire supply chain.
– on behalf of RS South Africa.
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Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Marloes Janson, Professor of West African Anthropology, SOAS, University of London
Nigeria’s economic hub, Lagos, ranks among the fastest-growing cities in the world. Its huge population – estimated at around 20 million – and its rapid urbanisation contribute to a sense of life where survival hinges on improvisation and ingenuity.
Nigerian musician Fela Kuti captured the megacity’s chronic difficulties with the expression “impossibilityism”. Yet, Lagos is also widely regarded as a place brimming with possibility.
My research as an anthropologist with a focus on religion shows that a significant number of Lagosians turn to religion in the hope of converting the impossible into the possible. Religion is not only for spiritual purposes, but also a practical way to solve problems.
For a better life in Lagos, there are difficulties to overcome: economic uncertainties, infrastructure failures, governance issues, inequality and crime. To maximise their chances of success, a growing number of Lagosians combine elements from different religious traditions. A prominent example is Chrislam, which emerged in Lagos in the 1970s. It fuses Christian and Muslim beliefs and practices.
Although relatively small compared to the Pentecostal churches and reformist Muslim organisations that have mushroomed in Lagos in recent decades, Chrislam needs to be understood within a broader religious transformation.
This transformation is difficult to map. Scholars of religion tend to emphasise fixed religious boundaries rather than the improvisational ways in which people practise religion. In the media, religious encounters are often reduced to conflict and violence.
Chrislam may appear to be a marginal phenomenon, but understanding it is useful for developing a new perspective. It illuminates how urban Christians and Muslims live their religion and interact with one another in ways that exceed the stereotypical images of Nigeria.
“Welcome to Lagos; here everything is possible,” were the words my research collaborator, Mustapha Bello, greeted me with when I first arrived in the megacity in 2010. I soon discovered what “everything is possible” means when I met the founder of Chrislam.
Nigeria is divided almost equally between Muslims and Christians along a predominantly north-south axis. Muslim-Christian relations in the south-west, with Lagos as its centre, are far more dynamic.
In this region, Muslims and Christians have long lived side by side, often in close interaction with practitioners of Yoruba religious traditions. The latter believe that the material world is shaped by unseen powers, including the òrìṣàs (personalised deities) who are held responsible for good fortune. It is this particular religious mix that created the conditions in which Chrislam could emerge.
There are two main Chrislam movements. Ifeoluwa (“The Love of God Mission”) has a small congregation of about 50 followers. Oke Tude (“Mountain of Losing Bondage”) has grown to over 1,000 adherents.
In addition to their Yoruba names, they use “Chrislam” as a way to describe their faith. While the two movements share certain practices – like drawing on both the Bible and Qur’an and invoking Jesus and the Prophet Muhammad in their prayers – they also differ. The founder of Ifeoluwa, Tela Tella, lives a secluded life in a densely populated suburb of Lagos. The founder of Oke Tude, Prophet Dr Samsindeen Saka, uses modern media to spread his message of unity between Christians and Muslims.
This mixing and matching is locally described as “religious shopping”. According to the hundreds of self-identified religious shoppers I’ve interviewed over the past 15 years, those seeking health and wealth cannot afford to be picky.
Chrislamists, for example, explained that their faith enabled them to “hedge their bets” by “combining the powers in Christianity and Islam”, doubling their chances of achieving a “good life”. And the Oke Tude imam told me that he prayed eight times a day – five times in the Muslim way and three in the Chrislam way – in order to benefit from the cumulative power of prayer.
The Chrislam prayer involves running seven times around a replica of the Ka’bah – the most sacred site in Islam – while shouting “Hallelujah” and “Allahu Akbar” (God is great).
The Chrislamists I studied actively crossed religious boundaries. This needs to be understood against the backdrop of an urban environment marked by uncertainty and instability, where two-thirds of Lagosians live below the poverty line.
In this context, it’s both pragmatic and strategic to draw on the perceived potency of both Christianity and Islam.
Chrislam challenges portrayals of Nigeria as a country defined by Islamist-Christian clashes. While religious violence is a serious concern in the country, my research shows that Christian-Muslim relations cannot be reduced to conflict alone.
Chrislam is far from an isolated case. Across multifaith settings in Africa (and beyond), one finds movements that combine elements from different religious traditions. They defy neat classification.
A notable example is the Afrikania Mission, which emerged in Ghana in the 1980s. It blends elements of Christianity with so-called African traditional religion. Religious boundary-crossing is an integral feature of contemporary religious life in Africa.
Read more: Is there a Christian genocide in Nigeria? Evidence shows all faiths are under attack by terrorists
It’s not that religious differences don’t matter in these movements. They do, but religious divergence does not automatically give rise to violence or polarisation. It can just as readily serve as a basis for copying, competition, and mutual exchange.
Indeed, Chrislamists see Christianity and Islam as complementary rather than contradictory. For instance, a dedicated Chrislamist responded to my question about whether he worshipped Jesus as the son of God (as in Christianity) or as a prophet (as in Islam) by saying “he is both”.
The founder of Ifeoluwa, Tela Tella, preached:
Jesus Christ is on my right-hand side, the Prophet Muhammad is on my left-hand side; they are two of my best friends.
In my view it’s time to rethink how we study religion in Africa by moving beyond western, Christian-derived conceptions of religious traditions as fixed and bounded.
An Afrocentric lens begins with African forms of knowledge, practice and meaning – how African religious practitioners actually live, blend and interpret religious traditions.
Read more: God in Nigeria: the country’s novelists help us understand the complexity of Christianity
Viewed through this lens, Africa does not appear as a passive recipient of the so-called world religions but as a powerhouse of religious creativity and innovation.
Chrislam is then no longer an oddity or contradiction, but a political resource in a place where religious identities are often weaponised.
It provides a lesson that today’s fractured world urgently needs. Religious boundaries need not function as battle lines; they can also serve as meeting points.
– Shopping for God in Lagos: what is Chrislam?
– https://theconversation.com/shopping-for-god-in-lagos-what-is-chrislam-285308
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Joshua Brahinsky, Researcher, Department of Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University
Do the world’s religions and contemplative traditions send people to the same place – compassion, bliss, awe, a sense of God, awareness, or the universe?
We conducted a study that asked a smaller version of this question.
As scientists with a research focus on brain science and spirituality, we ask whether people from very different spiritual traditions – Buddhism and Christian Pentecostalism – use their bodies in similar ways when they’re in intense contemplation.
To make this concrete, let’s play a game. Consider the following quote and ask if it sounds like a person engaged in ecstatic Christian prayer – speaking in tongues – or someone in a deeply quiet Buddhist meditative state known as jhāna.
I let go of everything … It feels like you’re falling. The first few times that happened to me, it was terrifying. I like to call it ‘slipping upward’ because it feels like a lifting to me…
Now consider this one:
It feels like a constant invitation to let go of more control, and the more control I let go the more powerful an experience it is … The more I let go, the lighter I feel…
Can you tell which is speaking in tongues and which is jhāna? The first was meditation; the second was tongues. If you got it wrong, don’t worry – even experienced contemplative practitioners identify them correctly only about half the time.
Our research suggests that these traditions, which on the surface appear so different, may, in fact, share a fundamental neurobiological mechanism. And further, that this mechanism might be a tool for self-transformation.
It’s true that jhāna meditation and speaking in tongues could hardly look more different.
Jhāna is an ancient Buddhist practice from India, centred on intense concentration. Speaking in tongues is a Christian prayer practice in which worshippers utter a fluid string of speech that doesn’t have a semantic meaning.
In jhāna, the body is still. You sit. You do not move. From the outside, almost nothing seems to happen. The practice is deliberate, austere, and precise. Attention is guided – patiently and repeatedly – back to a single object, often the breath. Gradually, attention gathers. The mind steadies. A sense of ease appears – sometimes warmth, sometimes a spreading pleasure.
In deeper states, meditators describe absorption so complete that the sense of acting or choosing dissolves into something quieter.
Tongues prayer unfolds in a very different register. Sound spills out. Voices rise, overlap, and break apart. Bodies sway or tremble. Some people weep; others laugh. Some rock rhythmically. People may dance.
For those who pray this way, they feel the prayer is not produced by them – it moves through them.
Placed side by side, these practices appear to belong to different worlds. If you only watched, you would not confuse them. Yet when we listened closely to how practitioners described what it felt like from the inside, the contrast began to soften.
For this study we conducted in-depth interviews with 116 practitioners and then mapped their responses against neuroscience theory. The work continues. We are currently exploring the physiological (bodily function) side of the story to see if brain activity can be used to measure the pattern we observed at the level of experience.
Across many conversations – with experienced jhāna meditators and long-time tongues practitioners – we noticed a recurring pattern. Attention gathers. Feeling intensifies. And then, at some unpredictable moment, something releases.
Whether in stillness or fire, the rhythm was familiar. The inner sequence was strikingly similar. Attention to the act of practising feeds arousal of the senses and emotions. Arousal, in turn, stabilises attention. Together, they facilitate the sense of reduced effort – until effort is no longer required at all.
A jhāna meditator told us:
I set the intention. Then I let go.
She described it as falling upward – quiet, buoyant – as though the experience were happening through her.
A tongues practitioner said:
The more I let go, the stronger it gets.
He spoke of shaking, of tears, of feeling small – of God taking over.
In both practices, attention and feeling work together. Intensity does not disrupt focus; often it sharpens it. Focus then allows the rest of the mind to let go. In the wake of surrender, both groups described emerging clarity, a sense that the process renewed their minds.
We began to suspect that both practices rely on a simple loop – one that aligns well with predictive processing, a dominant framework in today’s neuroscience. It suggests the brain uses predictive models to perceive and navigate the world. We think that people, instead of seeing everything as fully new, have maps from their previous experience that allow them to recognise that, for example, a chair is for sitting on and that a creature with arms and a beard is a person.
The loop might work like this: attention is placed and held on something – the breath, God. As attention stabilises, the object grows vivid. That vividness brings pleasure, as the brain enjoys the experience of clarity in its effort to predict sensory input.
Pleasure, in turn, makes attention easier to sustain. What begins as effortful becomes easier. Control gives way to momentum and attraction. At a certain point, practitioners report that their familiar sense of “doing” falls away as what we call the Attention–Arousal–Release Spiral develops and deepens.
Finally, surrender enables a renewal, as their minds are refreshed by a momentary release of prior patterns of thought.
Read more: How higher states of consciousness can forever change your perception of reality
Seen this way, our analysis argues that jhāna and tongues might be culturally distinct tools acting on the same human mechanism – a spiral of attention, arousal and release that enables renewal.
At a moment when religion is often experienced as a polarising force, this kind of research might offer a window into a shared foundation that we can all use to shift how we experience the world.
– Meditation and speaking in tongues: the surprising similarities between two spiritual practices
– https://theconversation.com/meditation-and-speaking-in-tongues-the-surprising-similarities-between-two-spiritual-practices-284215
Source: Africa Press Organisation – French
Dans le cadre du suivi des opérations du Baccalauréat, session unique de juin 2026, la Ministre de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique, en charge de la Formation Technique, Madame Sèdami MEDEGAN FAGLA, accompagnée du Ministre de l’Enseignement Secondaire, Monsieur Clément KOUCHADÉ, a effectué, le mardi 30 juin 2026, une visite de terrain au CEG Gbégamey et au Lycée Technique Coulibaly à Cotonou.
Cette descente vise à constater le bon déroulement des travaux de Secrétariat et de correction des épreuves du Baccalauréat. Dans les deux centres visités, les membres du Gouvernement ont pu s’assurer de l’effectivité des activités, de l’organisation mise en place ainsi que du respect des procédures qui encadrent cette étape déterminante de l’examen.
Les Ministres ont échangé avec les responsables des centres, les secrétaires et les correcteurs. Tout en saluant leur professionnalisme, leur engagement et leur sens élevé de responsabilité, ils ont également insisté sur la nécessité de préserver les principes de rigueur, d’équité, de confidentialité et de transparence afin de garantir la crédibilité des résultats du Baccalauréat.
Au terme de la visite, les deux autorités se sont déclarées satisfaites des dispositions observées sur le terrain et ont encouragé l’ensemble des acteurs à maintenir le même niveau d’engagement jusqu’à l’achèvement des travaux.
Le Gouvernement réaffirme, à travers cette descente des Ministres, son attachement à une organisation exemplaire des examens nationaux et son engagement à assurer à tous les candidats un processus d’évaluation conforme aux exigences de qualité, d’intégrité et d’excellence qui caractérisent le système éducatif béninois.
La visite a connu également la présence du Directeur de l’Office du Baccalauréat, Monsieur Alphonse da SILVA, et de plusieurs autres cadres.
Distribué par APO Group pour Gouvernement de la République du Bénin.
Source: Government of South Africa
New Ministers, Deputy Ministers sworn in
South Africa’s new Ministers and Deputy Ministers have been sworn in following changes to the National Executive made by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
They were sworn in during a ceremony at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday afternoon.
“In terms of the powers that are vested in me by Section 91 subsection 2, read with Section 91, subsection 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996, I have decided to appoint the following persons as Ministers for the portfolios indicated in the signed President’s Act: David John Maynier to be Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and Dina Deliwe Pule to be Minister of Social Development,” President Ramaphosa said.
The two then took the oath of office or affirmation and were sworn in by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Nonkosi Mhlantla.
“In terms of the powers that are vested in me by Section 93 subsection 1a of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996, I have decided to appoint the following persons as Deputy Ministers for the portfolios indicated in the signed President’s Act: Mr John Henry Steenhuisen to be Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition; Dr Jack Bloom, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation and Mr Yusuf Cassim, Deputy Minister of Higher Education,” the President said.
They, too, were sworn in.
President Ramaphosa announced changes to the National Executive in a statement on Tuesday night.
The changes followed consultation with the leadership of the Democratic Alliance as a member of the Government of National Unity (GNU). – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Source: Government of South Africa
President Ramaphosa receives Nkabinde Enquiry report
President Cyril Ramaphosa has received the report of the Enquiry into the Fitness to Hold Office of South Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Andrew Chauke, known as the Nkabinde Enquiry.
The enquiry was led by retired Constitutional Court Justice Baaitse Elizabeth Nkabinde, who handed over the report to the President on Wednesday.
The President established the Nkabinde Enquiry in September last year, in terms of section 12(6)(a) of the National Prosecuting Authority Act 32 of 1998.
“The mandate of the enquiry was to investigate and determine whether Adv Chauke was fit and proper to continue to hold such office in the context of certain serious allegations…
“[The enquiry’s] terms of reference were in line with the requirements of the National Prosecuting Authority Act, read with section 179 (3) of the Constitution,” the Presidency said in a statement.
Chauke was placed on suspension in July last year, pending the outcome of the enquiry.
“Today, President Ramaphosa expressed his appreciation to enquiry chairperson Justice Nkabinde, assisted by Adv Elizabeth Baloyi-Mere SC and Attorney Matshego Ramagaga, for the work undertaken by the panel.
“President Ramaphosa will now study the report and subsequently make a determination,” the statement concluded.
In April, the enquiry reached a critical stage, with both legal parties having formally closed their cases.
– SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Source: Government of South Africa
President Ramaphosa to lead AU Mission to DRC as Africa strengthens Ebola response
Kinshasa, DRC – President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday undertake a high-level African Union (AU) solidarity visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), reaffirming Africa’s collective commitment to containing the ongoing Ebola outbreak and strengthening the continent’s preparedness for future public health emergencies.
President Ramaphosa will visit Kinshasa in his capacity as the African Union Champion for Pandemic Preparedness, Prevention and Response (PPPR), where he is expected to hold talks with DRC President Félix Tshisekedi.
The visit comes as the AU intensifies efforts to coordinate a continental response to the Ebola outbreak, with the mission expected to reinforce regional collaboration, strengthen cross-border preparedness, and mobilise greater political, technical and financial support for outbreak containment.
As AU PPPR Champion, President Ramaphosa provides political leadership and oversight of the continental Ebola response, while also championing efforts to replenish the African Epidemic Fund.
African Union Member States have pledged more than US$100 million towards the fund, while global partners have committed more than US$910 million to support the Ebola response. South Africa has committed US$13.5 million.
The solidarity mission also underscores South Africa’s continued leadership in advancing Africa’s health security agenda.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa played a pivotal role in coordinating the continent’s response, advocating for equitable access to vaccines and medical supplies, and calling for stronger global health governance.
The country’s leadership helped shape Africa’s collective approach to managing one of the world’s biggest public health crises.
Building on that legacy, South Africa is once again taking a leading role in supporting a coordinated African response to a major disease outbreak, reflecting its commitment to strengthening health systems, improving pandemic preparedness and promoting solidarity among AU Member States.
Beyond the immediate public health response, the visit is expected to further strengthen the longstanding bilateral relations between South Africa and the DRC. The two countries enjoy strong diplomatic, political and economic ties and continue to cooperate on peace, security, trade and development initiatives aimed at promoting stability and prosperity in the region.
The DRC remains an important strategic partner for South Africa within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the broader African continent. The two countries have worked closely on regional peacebuilding efforts and continue to collaborate through continental institutions to address shared challenges.
President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Thandi Moraka.
The Presidency said the mission seeks to demonstrate the African Union’s collective support for the Government and people of the Democratic Republic of Congo while strengthening a coordinated continental response that will support outbreak containment.
“The mission will provide high-level political stewardship to strengthen a coordinated continental response to the Ebola outbreak, reinforce regional collaboration and cross-border preparedness, and mobilize political, technical, and financial commitments from African Union Member States and Partners.
“These efforts are intended to support outbreak containment, strengthen public health systems, and enhance resilience against future public health emergencies,” the Presidency said in a statement – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Source: APO – Report:
Just after 05:00 am this morning, Emirates’ (www.Emirates.com) long-awaited third daily flight between Dubai and Nairobi arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for the first time. With the launch of EK717, Emirates now offers 21 weekly flights on the Dubai-Nairobi route, strengthening global connectivity and supporting Kenya’s tourism ambitions.
Optimally timed for the summer schedule, EK717 departs Dubai at 01:20 and arrives in Nairobi at 05:25, allowing better connectivity from major US gateways and key destinations in Europe. The return flight, EK718 departs Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 07:10 and arrives in Dubai at 13:15*, unlocking more seamless onwards connections into the UK, France, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Portugal, among other European destinations.
The addition of the morning schedule adds a new, complementary dynamic to Emirates’ operations: for international tourists arriving in Nairobi, they have more time to reach their final destination even if outside the city – such as a lodge in one of the national parks, or a beach house on the Kenyan coast. For business travellers, the morning outbound enables same-day connections to key commercial hubs in Europe, such as London and Paris.
Christophe Leloup, Emirates’ Country Manager for Kenya, led H.E. Dr. Salim Ibrahim Bin Ahmed Mohammed Alnaqbi, the UAE Ambassador to Kenya; Teresia Mbaika, Principal Secretary of State Department for Aviation & Aerospace Development under Ministry of Roads and Transport; Ambassador. (Professor.) Julius K. Bitok, CBS. Principal Secretary, State Department for Tourism; and Emirates staff in welcoming the flight on the runway, marking this significant milestone.
Christophe Leloup, Emirates’ Country Manager for Kenya, said, “For three decades, Kenya has been one of Emirates’ most important destinations in Africa, and this third daily service reflects both the strength of that relationship and our confidence in the country’s future. More than adding capacity, this flight creates better connections for travellers from across Europe, North America and beyond, making it easier for people to visit Kenya, do business here, and connect with family and opportunities. It is an investment in a market we know well and a commitment to supporting Kenya’s growing role as a regional and global gateway.”
Emirates operated its first flight into Nairobi in 1995 and, in the three decades since, has transported over six million passengers to and from the country, connecting Kenya to over 138 global destinations, via Dubai.
“I congratulate Emirates on the launch of its third scheduled flight into Nairobi. This is a strong vote of confidence in Kenya’s aviation, tourism and trade sectors. Kenya and the UAE have enjoyed cordial and mutually beneficial relations over the years, and we look forward to strengthening this partnership even further. I am also confident that Emirates will soon benefit from the ongoing modernisation of JKIA, which is designed to improve efficiency, capacity, and the overall passenger experience,” said Teresia Mbaika, CBS, Principal Secretary, Aviation and Aerospace Development.
Enabling Pan-Africa connections, Emirates signed an interline partnership with Kenya Airways in 2023, and to date, over 31,000 passengers have already travelled smoothly between the two airlines’ networks, continuing to Rwanda, Kilimanjaro, Mozambique, and beyond. The third daily service provides more options for travellers with additional departure times that simplify regional onward travel.
The additional frequency also unlocks an extra 280 tonnes of cargo capacity every week. For Kenya’s flower farmers and fresh produce exporters, the early morning departure is a huge boon, allowing flowers to be picked and on their way to markets in Europe and the Gulf by dawn, arriving fresh and blooming. Along with Emirates SkyCargo’s three weekly freighters already serving Nairobi, the airline now transports over 1,100 tonnes of goods in and out of Kenya weekly.
Earlier this year, Kenya and the UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, deepening ties between the two countries in many ways beyond aviation. Kenya aims to welcome five million international tourists by 2030, an ambition that relies heavily on making the country easier to access from important markets. Emirates’ three daily flights from Dubai, along with onward connections across Europe and North America, play a significant role in achieving that goal.
Ambassador. (Professor.) Julius K. Bitok, CBS. Principal Secretary, State Department for Tourism said, “As we continue to showcase Kenya to the world, enhanced air connectivity plays a vital role in movement of people, goods and services while helping more travellers discover the incredible diversity of our destination. Emirates’ third daily service to Nairobi will make it even easier for visitors to experience Kenya’s spectacular wildlife, pristine coastline, vibrant culture and warm hospitality. We welcome this important investment in connectivity and look forward to inspiring more travellers to visit our magical destination – ‘the origin of wonder’”.
June Chepkemei, the CEO of the Kenya Tourism Board said, “As Kenya continues to pursue ambitious tourism growth, strong international air connectivity remains one of our greatest enablers. The third daily service from Emirates will improve access for visitors from key global markets and support our efforts to grow tourism, create jobs and deliver greater economic value for communities across the country. Together with partners like Emirates, we look forward to welcoming more travellers to experience the unparalleled beauty and diversity of Destination Kenya.”
*All times local
– on behalf of The Emirates Group.
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