JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, June 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Accelerate Performance and the Results Leadership Group today launched the maiden Results Based Accountability™ (RBA) Africa Summit 2014 (http://www.rba-africa.com) at an exclusive executive breakfast briefing. Aimed at leaders in governments and non-profit organisations (NPOs), the summit will be held at the Hyatt in Rosebank, Johannesburg from 8-10 October, boasting an impressive line-up of speakers including Mark Friedman, developer of RBA and author of Trying Hard is Not Good Enough. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/ap_logo_2000.pngPhoto 1: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1165Photo 2: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1166Photo 3: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1164Photo 4: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1163For this three-day summit, delegates from government, NPOs and academia, will meet to…
Author: apofeed
OTTAWA, Canada, June 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — “Canada condemns in the strongest terms today’s terrorist attack in northeastern Nigeria, which has killed and injured scores of defenceless civilians, including women and children.“This was a cowardly attack carried out by the terrorist group Boko Haram, which has been unleashing unspeakable forms of violence and terror on the citizens of Nigeria. This causes us great concern, and we call for this violence to cease immediately.“On behalf of all Canadians, I offer our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those killed and wish a speedy recovery to those who…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, June 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Nigerian Foreign Minister to attend meeting with neighbouring countries in London on 12 June to discuss tackling Boko Haram. The Foreign Secretary William Hague will host the London Ministerial on Security in Northern Nigeria on 12 June in the margins of the World Summit on Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict. This will bring together Nigeria, represented by its Foreign Minister, its neighbours Benin, Chad, Cameroon and Niger with the UK, US, France, Canada and the EU to continue the coordination necessary to defeat Boko Haram. It follows the Paris summit on…
BERLIN, Germany, June 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued the following statement in light of the recent brutal attacks in Nigeria:We condemn the acts of terror committed by Boko Haram in Nigeria in the strongest possible terms.I have conveyed my deepest sympathy to my Nigerian colleague and those who have lost loved ones, as well as to the families of the abducted girls.We want to work together to combat the Islamist terrorism which is taking such a terrible toll on Nigeria. I have expressly reassured Nigeria’s Foreign Minister that Germany will support his country in…
ABUJA, Nigeria, June 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The propensity for Boko Haram’s violence to be motivated by revenge, combined with the probable latent strike capability of the group in other parts of Nigeria and the wider region, could mean that an ‘all-out’ war against Boko Haram would result in terrorist (and other) violence in previously untouched states of Nigeria and countries of the sub-region. This could potentially further destabilize neighbouring countries with existing precarious internal balances, which could potentially worsen security in Nigeria. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/think-security-africa.png Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1152“Boko Haram has failed to present a workable alternative to the current…
NEW YORK, June 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Antonio Vigilante of Italy as his Deputy Special Representative for Recovery and Governance in the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). Mr. Vigilante will also serve as United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative.The new Deputy Special Representative will succeed Aeneas Chuma of Zimbabwe, who has recently taken up a new assignment with the International Labour Organization, and to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his outstanding performance in Liberia.Mr. Vigilante brings a wealth of development…
GENEVA, Switzerland, June 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has welcomed a new Egyptian decree punishing sexual harassment as a first but crucial step to tackle the growing problem of violence against women and urged other countries to do more on the issue. The decree, issued by the outgoing interim President Adly Mansour, makes sexual harassment a crime punishable by up to five years of imprisonment. Until now, there has been no specific law defining sexual harassment in Egypt.Since the beginning of the street protests that forced Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down in 2011,…
MASERU, Lesotho, June 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On June 4, 2014, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with the Kingdom of Lesotho. 1Since 2010, the economy has been performing well with growth of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) averaging over 5 percent a year and inflation held to single-digit levels. International reserves have recovered to close to 5 months of import coverage after dipping to 3½ months of imports in 2012 in the wake of the balance of payments and fiscal crisis caused by the sharp drop in revenues from…
TOKYO, Japan, June 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — 1. The Government of Japan regards the election of H.E. Mr. Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to the new President of Egypt by the result of the presidential election conducted from May 26 to 28, 2014, as an important step towards political normalization in Egypt based on the Road Map and congratulates on this.2. The Government of Japan expects that under the leadership of the new president, H.E. Mr. El-Sisi, a democratic society will be developed through proper implementation of the Road Map with wide range of Egyptian people’s participation in parliamentary election and…
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, June 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The holding of the presidential elections marks an important step in the implementation of the constitutional roadmap towards the transition to democracy in Egypt. The European Union expresses its willingness to work closely with the new authorities in Egypt in a constructive partnership with a view to strengthening our bilateral relations. The EU congratulates Abdel Fattah El-Sissi, as the new President of Egypt, and trusts that he will tackle the serious challenges faced by the country and the new government, among them the dire economic situation, the deep divisions…
BERLIN, Germany, June 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued the following statement this evening (4 June), after meeting with the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Ali Karti:We also spoke about the case of Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, a young woman who has been condemned to death in the sudan for abandoning the Muslim faith, and who recently gave birth in prison. I told the Sudanese Foreign Minister that the general public in Germany was outraged by the case and that it casts a shadow on how his country is viewed by people in Germany.We expect this inhuman death…
JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, June 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Government authorities in Central African Republic and international peacekeepers should allow Muslim residents to seek protection in neighboring countries, Human Rights Watch said today. Many Muslim residents living in a few heavily guarded areas endure unsustainable, life-threatening conditions and say they want to leave.The majority of the Muslims remaining in the western part of the country are ethnic Peuhl nomads living in small enclaves – such as in Boda, Carnot, and Yaloké – that are heavily guarded by African Union (MISCA) peacekeepers and French (Sangaris) troops. Because of persistent threats against…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, June 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The leadership of the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) are currently meeting today 4th June 2014 at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to update on issues of crucial importance with regard to the development agenda of the continent. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Donald Kaberuka, president of the African Development Bank and Mr. Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the RECs representatives will for…
ROME, Italy, June 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — FAO is scaling up its emergency response operations in South sudan despite problems of access and insecurity in parts of the country. The Organization has extended its emergency response for an additional three months to reach conflict-affected farmers, fishers and herders with vital emergency livelihood kits that will enable them to plant crops, fish waterways and protect livestock from fatal diseases. Since the crisis began, more than 110 000 emergency livelihood kits have been distributed, including crop seeds, fishing kits, vegetable seeds and livestock health kits. With $42 million of funding…
GENEVA, Switzerland, June 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) condemns in the strongest possible terms the murder of its staff member Michael Greub. The 42-year-old Swiss national, head of the organization’s Misrata sub-delegation, was killed by armed men around midday today in the city of Sirte. “The ICRC vigorously condemns this heinous attack,” said Director-General Yves Daccord. “Michael was just leaving a meeting with two colleagues when their vehicle was targeted by a group of armed men. Michael was fatally wounded.” “We are devastated and outraged,” he added. “Michael was a devoted…
DAKAR, Senegal, June 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — As part of his regular consultations with regional leaders, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa, Mr. Said Djinnit, held today in Banjul, capital of The Gambia, an extensive meeting with His Excellency Yahya Jammeh, President of The Gambia.During their meeting, they discussed the overall situation in West Africa, in particular the growing threat of insecurity in the region. The discussions included the issue of transnational organized crime and drug trafficking as a scourge that deeply undermines the efforts at sustaining democratic institutions.Special Representative Djinnit and President Yahya Jammeh…
OTTAWA, Canada, June 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement on the release of the official results of Egypt’s presidential election, which confirmed Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as president-elect:“We congratulate President-elect el-Sisi on the results of the election. As we all know, difficult challenges face the president-elect in leading Egypt toward a more democratic, inclusive, secure and prosperous future, but such a future is in the interests of all Egyptian citizens. We continue to stand with Egypt in its efforts to confront terrorism, including in the Sinai Peninsula, where Egyptian security personnel…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, June 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has learnt with concern of the reports by Human Rights Watch that soldiers of the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA) have been involved in the forced disappearance of eleven people in the locality of Boali, about 80 km north of Bangui.The Chairperson of the Commission stresses that an investigation has been jointly initiated by the MISCA Human Rights component and judicial police officers of the Mission to shed light on these allegations.…
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, June 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Tigo (http://www.tigo.co.tz), Airtel and Zantel announced today a pioneering agreement to allow customers of Tigo, Airtel and Zantel in Tanzania to send money to each other whether using Tigo Pesa, Airtel Money or EzyPesa on their mobile handsets. It is expected that the service will start by end of June.Logo Tigo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/tigo-1.jpgPhoto: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1065 (Tigo Tanzania General Manager, Diego Gutierrez)This is the first agreement in Africa to adopt such “interoperability” whereby mobile network operators allows their customer to send and receive money across the network and the e-money goes direct…
GABORONE, Botswana, June 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The SADC Consultative meeting on CFTA/BIAT kicked off today. The meeting is organized by the AUC in collaboration with SADC Secretariat and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The objectives of the two days meeting is to facilitate consultations and dialogue between SADC Member states on the CFTA. In her opening remark H.E Mrs. Fatima Haram Acyl, Commissioner for Trade and Industry, highlighted that “there is a consensus on functional regional FTAs which provides a strong basis for the implementation of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), it is for…