ABUJA, Nigeria, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — ECOWAS officials and health experts from within and outside the region are meeting in Abuja to develop a Community Mobilization Plan of Action to boost the regional Malaria Elimination Campaign through the strengthening of the vector control strategy.The meeting, which opened on 2nd December 2013, seeks to generate ideas and strategies for effective community mobilization and buy-in to make the regional anti-malaria campaign a resounding success.In his opening speech, the ECOWAS Commission’s Vice President, Dr. Toga McIntosh gave an update on the Commission’s collaboration with Cuba and Venezuela to scale up…
Author: apofeed
PARIS, France, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution today providing technical and financial support to MISCA, the African Union’s peacekeeping force currently being deployed in the Central African Republic (CAR). The resolution also authorized the deployment of more French troops to the country to help quell the escalating violence and inter-religious attacks.Given the complicated task of stabilizing the CAR, FIDH has repeatedly called for the immediate deployment of a UN-led peacekeeping mission to this country, but the UNSC did not authorize such a UN force at this time. Nevertheless, the UNSC…
DUBLIN, Ireland, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Minister for Trade and Development Joe Costello TD has launched a school rehabilitation programme in Uganda. The Minister launched the programme in Karamoja, the poorest area in the country during a visit to see the impact of Ireland’s support to Uganda’s most vulnerable communities and explore options to strengthen trade between Ireland and Uganda. The Irish Aid-funded Karamoja Primary Education Programme (KPEP) involves the rehabilitation of 21 primary schools in Karamoja, the poorest region in Uganda, where three quarters of the population lives below the poverty line and where literacy rates…
GENEVA, Switzerland, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Following attacks since 5am this morning in Bangui, Central African Republic, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are responding and have treated wounded in hospitals in the city. Sylvain Groulx, the general coordinator of MSF in CAR, reports that around 65 wounded have been taken to the hospital Communautaire, 20 of them in critical condition, 8 have died. An MSF team has been dispatched to the hospital to support the staff. The volatile situation in Bangui means it is difficult to report a reliable number of dead and wounded at this time.…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, has strongly condemned a violent attack on Puntland government forces today. At approximately 11 am this morning, a suicide car bomber targeted Puntland forces in the port city of Bossaso; reports suggest that several people were killed and dozens injured in the attack. Puntland is in the midst of an electoral process that should lead to a new parliament this year and presidential elections in January 2014. “Such cowardly acts will serve no purpose,” SRSG Kay said. “We stand…
PARIS, France, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Schneider Electric (http://www.schneider-electric.com) announces that two projects in its BipBop (1) access to energy program have been chosen to participate in the “Africa Forum – 100 innovations for sustainable development” taking place in Paris on 4 and 5 December 2013. This forum was initiated by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, prompted by the Deputy Minister responsible for Development, Pascal Canfin, in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD). Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/schneider_electric.jpg Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/mohammed_saad_president_africa_schneider_electric.jpg (Mohammed Saad, President Africa, Schneider Electric)The “Africa Forum – 100 innovations for sustainable development” aims to highlight innovative…
NAIROBI, Kenya, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A team from Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa recently installed a new weather system at the Kenyan Military Airport in Nairobi.The team included U.S. service members from the J3 Meteorological and Oceanographic Office, J3 Special Operations Command and Control Element Weather System and Support Cadre and the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion.Before the new system was installed, the Kenyan Defense Forces relied on data from a civilian weather system which can be very time consuming.The system, officially called the TMQ-53 Tactical Meteorological Observing System, assists war planners and combat…
CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — South African financial services group Sanlam (http://www.sanlam.co.za) announced today that it had opened its prestigious financial journalism awards to reporters across Africa for the first time. The group aims to recognise and celebrate the contribution journalists across the continent are making towards the African growth story. The Sanlam Awards for Excellence in Financial Journalism have been rewarding exceptional reporting in South Africa since 1974. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/sanlam-1.jpgThrough a newly introduced award, Sanlam will award outstanding, in-depth reporting that highlights and contributes towards the economic rise of the continent. News value, rigour in…
ROME, Italy, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — World cereal production will reach a new high of almost 2 500 million tonnes, including rice in milled terms, according to new FAO estimates. The figure is almost 8.4 percent more than last year and some 6 percent above the previous record in 2011, according to the latest issue of the Crop Prospects and Food Situation Report. While global cereal production is expected to increase, FAO warned that food security conditions in several parts of Africa and elsewhere are deteriorating. In the Sahelian countries of West Africa – Chad, Mali, Mauritania,…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Statement by H.E. Anne Mamakau Mutelo, Ambassador of the Republic of Namibia to Ethiopia, AU and UNECA at the PSC open session on women and children’s vulnerability in conflict situationsYour Excellency Ambassador of The Gambia and Chair of the PSC for DecemberYour Excellencies Members of the PSCYour Excellencies Distinguished Invited GuestsLadies and GentlemenI have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of Her Excellency Anne Namakau Mutelo, Ambassador of the Republic of Namibia to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for…
BONN, Germany, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Government of Egypt, in cooperation with Germany, Switzerland and other partners, has pledged to assess and further address the issue of unregulated hunting and bird netting practices along the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. The agreement came as top-level officials from those countries joined representatives from the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and its relevant Agreements, NGOs and key wildlife experts at a one-day meeting at the UN Campus in Bonn, Germany on 29 November. The meeting, organized and facilitated by the UNEP-administered Secretariat of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA)…
PARIS, France, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Schneider Electric (http://www.schneider-electric.com), the global specialist in energy management, and DONG Energy, one of the leading energy groups in Northern Europe, announced today an agreement to cooperate on a technological and commercial partnership for a more sustainable energy supply of remote islands in Africa. The ambition is to enable African electric network operators of remote or isolated island grids to increase the share of renewable used while maintaining grid stability and reliability for consumers.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/schneider_electric.jpgOf the world’s fifty-two Small Island Developing States (SIDS), six are in Africa. They include; Cape Verde,…
WASHINGTON, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press StatementMarie HarfDeputy Department Spokesperson, Office of the SpokespersonWashington, DCDecember 4, 2013The United States is appalled by today’s reports of the murder of innocent women and children outside of Bangui. This horrifying account is the latest in a string of reports that illustrate the deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) that could lead to an escalation in violence and further atrocities.We are working with our partners in the international community, including through our efforts on the United Nations Security Council, to find the swiftest and most effective…
OTTAWA, Canada, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Following ongoing reports of violence in the Central African Republic, including a United Nations report today of an attack on civilians near the capital Bangui, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement:“Canada is very concerned by the recent acts of violence in the Central African Republic (CAR). We call for an immediate end to the violence against civilian populations of all faiths and on humanitarian workers active in the country.“Canada strongly condemns those fuelling tensions between communities that have lived in peace with one another in the past.…
ABUJA, Nigeria, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission visited Nigeria during November 13-26 to conduct discussions for the 2013 Article IV consultation. The mission met with Finance Minister and Coordinator Minister of the Economy Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, senior government officials, members of the Legislature, and representatives of the private sector. At the conclusion of the visit, Mr. Gene Leon, the Fund’s mission chief and senior resident representative in Nigeria, issued the following statement:“Nigeria’s economy has continued to perform strongly in 2013. Real GDP grew by 6.8…
BASEL, Switzerland, December 5, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — • Africa’s healthcare challenges are compounded as it begins to face a dual disease burden as non-communicable diseases rise • In addition to existing corporate responsibility efforts such as its Malaria Initiative, Novartis is implementing innovative commercial models, utilizing new technologies and increasing healthcare education and training • African countries seen as the next set of fast growing markets as middle class projected to grow substantiallyToday, Novartis senior executives gather in Basel, Switzerland for the first-ever Novartis Africa Day (http://www.novartis.com), to review the company’s innovative work in Africa, including growing commercial…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, December 4, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Commission of the African Union (AU), convened a two day consultative workshop from 3-4 December 2013, to review the AU DDR operational guidance documents on issues of Detention, Women and Children in armed conflict, Reintegration and developing frameworks for National DDR initiatives, which will assist the AU’s engagement in DDR related activities.The meeting was opened by Dr. Tarek A. Sharif, Head, Defense and Security Division (DSD), and brought together DDR experts from selected Member States, representatives from the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), representatives from Center of Excellence (Kofi Annan…
DUBLIN, Ireland, December 4, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Minister for Trade and Development Joe Costello TD began an eight day visit to Kenya and Uganda today to promote increased trade with East Africa and see the impact of Ireland’s aid programme. The Minister’s visit comes a month after he led a successful Trade Mission to Nigeria and South Africa, in which almost 40 companies participated. This mission secured new contracts worth more than €7m in the financial services, telecommunications and education sectors. The Minister will explore opportunities for Irish companies in the Kenyan market in sectors including oil and…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, December 4, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 407th meeting held on 4 December 2013, devoted an open session to the theme: “Women, children and other vulnerable groups in conflict situations in Africa”. The meeting was held in pursuance of the decision adopted by Council at its 223rd meeting held on 30 March 2010, to convene such a session once every year.Council took note of the statements made by the Commission, the Representatives of Namibia, in its capacity as the country that championed the adoption of…
GENEVA, Switzerland, December 4, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) assisted in the transfer of five Sudanese Armed Forces personnel released today by the Sudan Liberation Army – Ali Karbino (SLA-AK), an armed opposition group in Darfur. The soldiers were handed over to the Sudanese authorities in Al Fashir, North Darfur. “So far in 2013, ICRC staff in Sudan have facilitated the handover of 78 persons: 37 Sudanese armed forces personnel and 36 civilians released by armed opposition groups, and five South Sudanese prisoners of war released by the Sudanese government,” said Jean-Christophe…