ROME, Italy, August 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In a major effort to revitalize agriculture here, the government, the European Union and FAO have helped over 20,000 smallholder farmers produce more, higher-quality food and connect with new markets. Agriculture is on its way to become a key driver of Swaziland’s development.The vast majority of Swaziland’s 1.2 million people depend on subsistence farming. But years of economic slowdown, a devastating AIDS pandemic and recent droughts linked to climate change have made it increasingly hard for the rural population to live off the land. According to FAO’s most recent hunger figures,…
Author: apofeed
GENEVA, Switzerland, August 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families (CMW) is meeting from 1 to 5 September to review Belize and Ghana. They are among the 47 States Parties to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. States Parties are required to submit regular reports to the Committee of 14 international independent human rights experts on how they are implementing the Convention. Venue: Palais Wilson, Geneva Time: Country sessions start 15:00 to 18:00 Geneva…
TOKYO, Japan, August 26, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — 1. On August 25, the Government of Japan decided to provide emergency relief goods worth 30 million yen (tents, blankets, etc.) to the Republic of Liberia, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).2. The Ebola virus disease which was initially reported in the Republic of Guinea this March spread to the neighboring countries such as the Republic of Liberia. As of August 20, 1,082 cases including suspected ones and 624 deaths were confirmed according to the World Health Organization (WHO).3. In response to the request from the Government of the Republic…
KINSHASA, Dem. Rep. of Congo (DRC) August 26, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has launched a response to the confirmed Ebola viral hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Equateur Province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The medical organization, present in DRC for more than thirty years, is sending doctors, nurses, logistics experts and hygiene specialists to the epicenter of this outbreak. “We received confirmation on Sunday that four of the samples our team took last week have tested positive for Ebola virus,” says Jeroen Beijnberger, MSF Medical Coordinator in DRC. “We are responding fast to try to isolate…
PARIS, France, August 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A vaccine against cholera is being used on a large scale for the first time in Ethiopia by teams from the international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The mass immunisation campaign will protect South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia’s Gambella region, as well as the host community, against the risk of cholera spreading across the border from neighbouring South Sudan, where an epidemic had been declared in June. Cholera is endemic in the Gambella region, while overcrowding and poor sanitation in the area’s refugee camps could provide a perfect…
MAPUTO, Mozambique, August 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Arriving in Mozambique when the telecom infrastructure was very limited and only 35% of the population was accessible to the telecommunication services, Viettel – the Vietnamese leading telecommunications – has endorsed an initiative to popularize telecom services in rural and under-served areas in Mozambique. This initiative regards telecom provision as a commodity, which should be accessible regardless of geographical location or financial capacity. The company has invested in a network, service support and introduction of social programs to enable telecom services accessible to rural Mozambicans, as part of improving their overall…
GENEVA, Switzerland, August 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is meeting in Geneva from 1-19 September to review children’s rights in the following countries: Venezuela (1-2 Sep); Morocco (3-4 Sep); Fiji (4-5 Sep); Hungary (9-10 Sep); Croatia (15 Sep) The above are among the 194 States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and are required to undergo regular examinations of their record before the Committee of 18 independent experts. The Committee will also review Venezuela, Morocco, Hungary and Singapore (9 Sep) under the Optional Protocol on the…
LAGOS, Nigeria, August 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — MoboFree.com (http://www.mobofree.com), the leading African social marketplace, today announced that the total volume of items currently for sale in its marketplace is worth USD 526 million and is expected to reach USD 1.5 billion by 2015.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/mobofree.pngScreenshot: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1309Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1308 (MoboFree CEO and co-founder Neringa Kudarauskiene)With 3.3 million registered users, including 2 million in Nigeria and a strong footprint in Zimbabwe, Uganda and Ghana, MoboFree.com is among the largest and most successful mobile social and trusted classifieds platforms in Africa.MoboFree members upload thousands of new classifieds every day, generating an average of…
MAPUTO, Mozambique, August 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Movitel, a joint venture between Vietnam’s telecommunication Viettel Group and Mozambique’s SPI, has won the Mobile Innovations Awards for enterprises in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. This is the third consecutive year in a row that Movitel has been selected for the coveted award for its achievements and innovation in mobile technology.This category presented to Movitel is not open for individual entries but considered by the Judges based on all the shortlisted entries in the awards. Movitel has outpaced many other strong telecom and electronic commerce companies to…
YAOUNDE, Cameroon, August 14, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Louis Berger (http://www.louisberger.com), a $1 billion global professional services corporation, has recently signed a five-year project management contract financed by local funds for the construction of the first segment of the Yaoundé-Douala highway in Cameroon. The total construction value of the project is almost €7million.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/louisberger.pngPhoto: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1305 (Jean-Pierre Dupacq, head of Louis Berger’s operations in Africa)The road segment will connect Cameroon’s government and diplomatic hub in Yaoundé to the country’s economic center and deep water port in Douala. The current road between these cities is extremely congested and is one of…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, August 14, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The latest report from Think Security Africa (TSA) (http://www.thinksecurityafrica.org): National Security Profile on the Republic of Kenya, raises concerns about the pace of reform in Kenya, and the need to ensure that existing security challenges do not negatively interact with changes in Kenya’s new political and budgetary arrangements – intended to improve long-term security in Kenya. Download the report at: http://thinksecurityafrica.org/research/national-security-in-kenya The importance of security in Kenya for regional development makes security in Kenya a regional concern. Kenya plays a key role for sub-regional trade and logistics, and this…
MAPUTO, Mozambique, August 12, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A few days ago the Central Hospital in Beira, Mozambique, saw the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Invicta Eye Clinic, which will serve as eye-care hub for two million people. “Healthcare is a key factor in socio-economic development. Today’s ceremony brings us a step closer to our goal: nobody, neither here in Mozambique nor anywhere else, should lose their eye-sight to preventable blindness. At Invicta Eye Clinic, we will be able to perform 1,200 surgeries and treat a total of 25,000 patients per year”, announced Prof. Gerhard Schuhmann, ophthalmologist from Austria…
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, August 12, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Swala Oil & Gas (Tanzania) Plc (“Swala” or “the Company”) (http://www.swala-energy.co.tz) today listed on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (“DSE”) becoming the first public owned Oil and Gas Company in East Africa. The company is the 20th to list on the DSE and the 2nd to list under the Enterprise Growth Market (“EGM”), an equity market specifically intended for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/sawa.jpg Photo 2: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1288 (His Excellency the former president of the United Republic of Tanzania, Alhaji Ali Hassan Mwinyi, rings the bell…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Following the Resolution on the situation of children in South sudan and Central African Republic adopted during its 23rd Ordinary Session (16 April, 2014), the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) expressed its concerns on the humanitarian challenges hindering the protection and well-being of children in the two countries;Recalling the Statement issued by the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU-PSC) on its 434th Session, the ACERWC decided to assess the situation of children in South sudan with a view of strengthening its…
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — African Union-United Nations Joint Special Representative (JSR) for Darfur and Chief Mediator, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, briefed on 7 August the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Darfur, as well as measures taken by UNAMID to implement the strategic priorities requested by the Council in its resolution 2148 (2014). Mr. Chambas explained that the fighting between Government forces and armed movements was reduced considerably in the past months and that the Government of sudan withdrew the Rapid Support Force from active operations in Darfur. The Head of UNAMID…
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The leadership of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur welcomed the new steps taken by the sudan Liberation Army/Minni Minawi (SLA/MM) to prohibit the recruitment and use of child soldiers in its ranks. The movement previously issued a command decree to adhere to international norms and standards protecting children and the sudan Child Act of 2010, and on 6 August 2014 outlined a formal operational mechanism that establishes an implementation committee not only to raise awareness about the movement’s prohibition of child soldiers but also to work with…
BERLIN, Germany, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Christoph Strässer, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at the Federal Foreign Office, issued the following statement today (7 August) in response to the murder of six local people working for humanitarian agencies in Maban County, South Sudan:The German Government condemns this brutal act, the murder of six local humanitarian aid workers, in the strongest possible terms. In the precarious situation in South Sudan, there needs to be an unconditional guarantee that civilians will be protected and humanitarian assistance made possible. The German Government calls on the…
OTTAWA, Canada, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Peter Goldring, Member of Parliament for Edmonton East, will participate in a public event with the Somali community in Edmonton to discuss current humanitarian and development issues in Somalia.During the event, MP Goldring will deliver remarks and announce funding for a project in Somalia on behalf of the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie.Date: Monday, August 11, 2014Time: 11 a.m.Place: Somali Canadian Education and Rural Development Organization (SCERDO), 12052 Fort Road, Edmonton, Alberta
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — INVITATION TO MEDIA REPRESENTATIVESWhen: 12th to 14th August 2014 Meetings start at 09:30Where: Moevenpick Ambassador Hotel, Accra, GhanaWho: Department of Political AffairsPurpose: The purpose of the Accra meeting, among others, is to promote the signing and ratification of the Kampala Convention among Member States of the African Union that are yet to do so, and to identify challenges encountered by Member States in ratifying the Convention, as well as provide possible solutions to these challenges.Expected Results: Enhanced awareness among members of government, officials from ministries and state institutions dealing on…
GENEVA, Switzerland, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Somalia faces major human resource gaps as it attempts to move forward and achieve the reconstruction and peace-building objectives set out in its Vision 2016 initiative.The Somali diaspora present a unique reserve of experts with skills and professional experience combined with local knowledge of their country of origin. But mobilizing Somali diaspora resources to strengthen the institutional capacities of government agencies represents a challenge.The IOM’s Migration for Development (MIDA) Somalia programme, implemented in collaboration with the Somali authorities, allows for skills transfers to take place through short-term assignments of diaspora professionals…