WASHINGTON, November 26, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, signed an advisory agreement with the government of Guinea to structure and implement a public private partnership for Electricité de Guinée, the national power distribution company. The mandate will be implemented in parallel with the World Bank’s power sector recovery project, providing a huge boost to Guinea’s efforts to improve EDG’s performance and attract significant new investment in the country’s power sector. Guinea has identified the challenges in the power sector as a key impediment to the country’s economic growth. Access to electricity is…
Author: apofeed
ALGIERS, Algeria, November 26, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission, led by Mr. Zeine Zeidane, visited Algeria November 12-25, 2013 for the annual Article IV discussions. The consultation will conclude with the preparation of a report to be discussed by the IMF Executive Board in January 2014. The team met with Finance Minister Karim Djoudi; Housing and Town-planning and Cities Minister Abdelmadjid Tebboune; Labor, Employment, and Social Security Minister Mohamed Benmeradi; the Delegate Minister for Budget, Mohamed Djellab; and the Governor of the Bank of Algeria, Mohammed Laksaci. The mission also held discussions with several…
ABUJA, Nigeria, November 26, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Deputy Chief of Foreign Affairs in China’s Ministry of National Defence, Major General Hu Changming has declared the country’s intention to foster cooperation with ECOWAS in improving the effectiveness of the regional security architecture, particularly the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF).The visiting deputy chief said during a courtesy call on the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Mrs. Salamatu Hussaini Suleiman on Thursday, 21st November 2013 that the support would help address the logistic and capacity development needs of the ESF.Under the regional security architecture, the ESF consists of…
GENEVA, Switzerland, November 25, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In the Central African Republic, tens of thousands of people who dare not leave the bush because of the lack of security are vulnerable to malaria and diseases caused by consuming unsafe water. “Even though the authorities of the Central African Republic and the international community are working to boost the presence of security forces in the provinces, tens of thousands of people have been forced by the lack of security to take refuge in the bush, where their living and hygiene conditions are appalling,” said Georgios Georgantas, who heads the…
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, November 25, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A total of eight new agreements of an overall amount of almost €240 million have been announced during a visit by the European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). The financial assistance is for projects that will, among other things, help to ensure basic services such as primary schools, health care and water supply, and to support female entrepreneurs. Through one of the projects, for instance, EU funds will contribute to drastically reducing the number of mothers who die around the time of giving birth. Another…
TUNIS, Tunisia, November 25, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Tunisian civil society organizations are once again invited to compete for financing through the Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA). The GPSA will fund civil society organizations in Tunisia working in the field of social accountability. Social accountability work is wide ranging and includes activities like public disclosure of budgets; access to information, user satisfaction surveys; community scorecards and IT-based citizen feedback mechanisms. Organizations that are working to strengthen the accountability of government to its citizens are welcome to apply. The GPSA is a coalition of donors, governments and civil society…
BAMAKO, Mali, November 25, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Head of ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM), Prof. Amos Sawyer has commended Malians for their orderly conduct during balloting on Sunday to fill the country’s 147-seat parliament.The legislative election is the last stage of the political transition process facilitated by ECOWAS to restore constitutional order and the country’s territorial integrity after its 10-month political and security crises.“The electoral process today has been orderly, security and the general atmosphere is fine and the preparation has been very good,” Prof. said after observing the elections in several voting centres in the Bamako…
NAIROBI, Kenya, November 25, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — – Kenya will be pilot country for the industrialization and commercializationSchneider Electric (http://www.schneider-electric.com), the market leader in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, inaugurated the MiCROSOL project aims to develop a single, modular standard technology for producing electricity, drinking water and heat simultaneously, primarily to benefit micro-industries located in rural areas of countries with high levels of sunshine, especially in Africa.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/schneider_electric.jpg Download the press kit: http://www.apo-mail.org/131121en.pdfWatch the video: http://youtu.be/9opfKp8gj0c TVs can download HD videos via FTP: Host: sd-27619.dedibox.fr; ID: user; Password: f1H3KnnNPhoto 1: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/dsc_9710.jpgPhoto 2: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/dsc_9720.jpgPhoto 3:…
GENEVA, Switzerland, November 25, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, Sheila B. Keetharuth, expressed great concern about rampant human rights violations in Eritrea which caused hundreds of thousands to leave their country for an unknown and precarious future. “I call on the Eritrean Government to respect its human rights obligations and to put an immediate stop to human rights violations that are committed in the country”, Ms. Keetharuth stressed after interviewing Eritreans during an official mission* to Tunisia and Malta. The blanket disrespect of fundamental human rights in…
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, November 25, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — An African Union- United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) convoy came under attack by unknown armed people on the road from Kabkabiya to Saraf Umra in North Darfur on 24 November. One soldier from Rwanda, who was shot during the assault, succumbed to his injuries later in the Mission’s hospital in Kabkabiya. One of the UNAMID vehicles was hijacked by the attackers. UNAMID Joint Special Representative (JSR) Mohamed Ibn Chambas strongly condemns yet another attack on a UNAMID convoy. He notes that this deplorable act that has caused the…