BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, October 10, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, will sign today the National Indicative Programmes (NIP) for development cooperation with Belize, Lesotho, Togo and Zambia in the 2014-2020 period, which amount to €869 million. The signing ceremony with representatives of those countries will take place in the margins of the annual meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Washington. Commissioner Piebalgs said: “The programmes that we will sign are the fruit of close cooperation with the four partner countries and reflect their own policies, strategies, and needs…
Author: apofeed
WASHINGTON, October 10, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah will travel to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Senegal Oct. 13-17, to meet with national and local officials, aid organizations, and staff coordinating the international response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. USAID is helping to coordinate an aggressive U.S. Government response to the Ebola outbreak that leverages broad expertise and personnel from several federal departments and agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, and State, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the first…
NEW YORK, October 10, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Bonjour, Je suis ravi d’être de retour en Tunisie. Je remercie le Gouvernement et le peuple tunisiens de leur accueil chaleureux. Le Président et moi-même venons de tenir une réunion très productive. J’ai salué la façon dont il dirige le pays, sans transiger sur les principes, en cette période critique de l’histoire de la Tunisie. Les élections marqueront une étape importante dans la démocratisation de la Tunisie. L’Organisation des Nations Unies fera tout son possible pour veiller à ce qu’elles soient ouvertes à tous, transparentes et pacifiques. J’engage tous les Tunisiens…
JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, October 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) (http://www.gemalto.com), the world leader in digital security, announces that Nedbank Ltd, a leading commercial bank in South Africa, is deploying its Ezio eBanking solution to provide their wholesale customers with unmatched online transaction security and superior convenience. Gemalto also provides Nedbank with consulting services, device fulfilment to the end users, and operates remote management of the tokens on behalf of Nedbank Ltd. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/gemalto.jpgPhoto: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/141007g.jpgWith this fully outsourced solution, Nedbank users simply connect a USB key, which launches a “safe zone” that permits to securely review,…
PARIS, France, October 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Uhuru Kenyatta’s presence at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 8 October 2014, as ordered by the Trial Chamber Judges, must be seen as the opportunity to place victims’ right to truth and justice at the center of the ongoing debates on the fate of this case, our organizations said today. The Kenyan authorities must ensure full cooperation with the ICC and conduct genuine investigations and prosecutions at the national level so that the victims of the 2007/2008 post-election violence get justice and redress. On 7 and 8 October 2014, the…
KIGALI, Rwanda, October 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission, led by Mr. Paulo Drummond, visited Kigali during September 22 to October 7 to conduct the 2014 Article IV Consultation and the second review of the economic program supported by the Policy Support Instrument (PSI).1 Mr. Drummond, released the following statement at the end of the mission:“Rwanda’s recent economic performance has been favorable. Growth in the first half of 2014 rebounded to 6.8 percent. Agriculture output also recovered due to favorable climate conditions. The pick-up in growth was broad-based, including construction, real estate, and services.…
GENEVA, Switzerland, October 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In response to the flooding of 2013 and the subsequently displaced population of over 150,000 persons, the government of Mozambique established voluntary relocation sites for the most vulnerable districts in Gaza Province. These locations will offer refuge should the area be hit by another natural disaster.With financial support from the People of Japan, IOM carried out an ambitious plot registration campaign that will provide families with the exact address of their new plot. The registration was done by teams of field monitors hired by IOM who registered over 5,000 family plots…
NAIROBI, Kenya, October 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Today, Taisys Technologies Co., Ltd. (http://www.taisys.com) announced that Kenya’s leading bank Equity Bank will be issuing a ultra-thin mobile banking smart SIM with patented technology from Taisys. Equity Bank customers can now enjoy funds transfer, micro-payments and other mobile financial services that are agnostic across mobile devices, including traditional basic-feature phones using Taisys’s “mBanking” and “duoSIM”. The technology also allows the bank to extend to customers mobile telecommunication services approved by Communications Authority of Kenya.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/taisys.jpgPhoto: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1414Financial institutions issuing banking SIMTraditionally, banks providing mobile banking services rely on the telecommunications provider…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, October 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia (SRSG), Nicholas Kay, welcomed the recovery earlier today of the port city of Barawe from Al-Shabaab by the Somali National Army and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces. “The recovery of Barawe by the Somali National Army and AMISOM forces is a critical milestone in Somalia’s path to peace and stability. I welcome this important achievement. I encourage any remaining Al-Shabaab to lay down their arms. Now is the time for peace and political progress for all Somali people.” SRSG Kay…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, October 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The much-awaited liberation of Baraawe town, Al-Shabaab’s last stronghold happened today, October 5, 2014, after a joint force made up of the Somalia Army and AMISOM troops, rolled into the coastal town without much resistance from the terrorist group.The coastal city of Baraawe is located 220 kilometers southwest of the capital Mogadishu. This is the first time in 23 years that its residents will experience a government’s presence since the collapse of central rule in 1993. The picturesque city – which is surrounded by orchards and farms – has been…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, October 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma announced today that the Commonwealth will observe the National and Provincial Elections in Mozambique on 15 October. This follows an invitation from the National Electoral Commission of Mozambique.Rt. Hon. Hubert Ingraham, former Prime Minister of Bahamas, will lead the Commonwealth Observer Group.The Secretary-General said: “These elections are being held at an important juncture in the history of Mozambique, particularly following the signing of a peace agreement one month ago. Conducting credible elections is a collective strength of Commonwealth member states, and our Charter recognises ‘the inalienable right…
NAIROBI, Kenya, October 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Royal Philips (AEX: PHIA, NYSE: PHG) (http://www.philips.com) has opened its first Community Life Center in Kenya, an integrated solution for primary health care and service facilities that provides community development from a health care, lighting and healthy living perspective. Developed by the Philips Africa Innovation Hub (http://goo.gl/2bnujk) and introduced in collaboration with the County Government of Kiambu in Kenya, the Community Life Center (located at the Githurai Lang’ata Health Center in Kiambu County) is a proof of concept that provides access to health care and at the same time enables social,…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, October 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) calls on Kenyan authorities to release a journalist working for an online news network who was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya. Journalist Ibrahim Said Salah, editor of www.allcarmo.com, is detained since 27 September 2014 after he came from Bossasso, Puntland, where he has been actively working on stories on formation of political parties and Puntland’s democratisation process. Kenyan police are reportedly carrying out investigations to the website and are frequently asking the journalist questions. A Nairobi court granted Salah’s detention and on-going interrogations. The motive…
NEW YORK, October 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Tuvako Nathaniel Manongi, Permanent Representative of the United Republic of Tanzania to the United Nations, was elected Chair of the Sixth Committee (Legal) on 18 June 2014. (See Press Release GA/11525.)Prior to his appointment as Permanent Representative in June 2012, he had served the United Nations as a Principal Officer in the Office of the Deputy Secretary-General, within the Executive Office of the Secretary-General since 2007.From 2005 to 2006, he was the United Republic of Tanzania Deputy Permanent Representative in New York and had been Personal Assistant to President Benjamin Mkapa…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, October 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia (SRSG), Nicholas Kay, extended his heartfelt greetings to all Somali people as they celebrate Eid-ul-Adha.“As Somalia celebrates Eid-ul-Adha I wish all Somalis and their families Eid Mubarak. Today is an opportunity to reflect on the universal values of peace, harmony and unity. I hope this spirit of reconciliation and co-operation can contribute to peace across Somalia. Ciid Wanaagsan!” SRSG Kay said.
NEW YORK, October 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Simon Munzu of Cameroon as his Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI). He will succeed Arnauld Akodjènou of Benin, who now serves as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The Secretary-General is grateful to Mr. Akodjènou for his outstanding performance in Côte d’Ivoire. Mr. Munzu brings to this position a wealth of political, human rights, legal, academic, and management experience from a career spanning…
GENEVA, Switzerland, October 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Killings and acts of physical violence committed against civilians, the destruction of homes and businesses, attacks against rescue workers: the list of violations of international humanitarian law taking place on an almost daily basis is long. Just as it is imperative that emergency action be taken to save lives, it is essential that weapon bearers be convinced that they must obey the rules that protect civilians. “Spreading knowledge of the basic rules of international humanitarian law, such as those that prohibit attacks on people who have been injured or on medical…
WASHINGTON, October 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Media NoteOffice of the SpokespersonWashington, DCOctober 2, 2014Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL John Allen and Deputy Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk arrived in Iraq on October 2 to meet with Government of Iraq officials and regional leaders on U.S. support for and cooperation with Iraq in the fight against ISIL.From Iraq, Special Presidential Envoy Allen and Deputy Special Presidential Envoy McGurk will travel to Belgium, Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey to meet with a wide range of government officials, regional partners, and multilateral institutions in support of international…
GENEVA, Switzerland, October 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Every year, South Africa marks National Human Trafficking Awareness Week in an effort to increase awareness of trafficking in persons across the country. This year the week will run from today through next Friday (3-10 October). The crime of human trafficking is being committed in South Africa, but due to its hidden nature, is very difficult to quantify. The number of victims assisted by IOM since 2004 shows that South Africans are being trafficked to other countries; that traffickers use the country as a transit destination; and that people are trafficked…
NEW YORK, October 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Secretary-General is shocked and outraged by today’s attack in mali that killed nine Nigerien peacekeepers on 3 October. In the deadliest attack committed against the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in mali (MINUSMA) to date, a MINUSMA convoy travelling from Ménaka to Ansongo (Gao region) was ambushed this morning. This attack brings the total number of casualties from hostile acts since the beginning of the mission on 1 July 2013 to 30 peacekeepers killed and 90 peacekeepers wounded. The Secretary-General underscores that attacks on UN peacekeepers constitute a serious…