President João Lourenço (Photo Portugal i News)
Since entering office in 2017, President João Lourenço has focused on cleaning up corruption and implementing aggressive reforms to transform the oil and gas sector and the economy. Angola’s economy is set for recovery in 2019, in large part due to a series of regulatory reforms opening the country to new investment.
The bridge and one-stop-border-post facilities between Zambia and Botswana will enhance regional trade, integration and spur global competitiveness putting an end to traders, travelers, fishermen and women crossing the Zambezi river on floating planks, ferries, rickshaw boats, and canoes.
With nearly 90 percent of global population growth occurring in Asian or African cities, the goal of improving the quality of life for the people of Africa will only be achieved by mainstreaming resilience and effective financing mechanisms into the continent’s urban development agenda.
In a release published December 24, 2018, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) announced that it provided $15 million to Securiport Sénégal SUARL, subsidiary of Securiport group, the world leader in the design and realisation of biometric identification technology, in Senegal. This fund is to help the group elaborate a system for the security of the civil aviation and for immigration management at Juba airport in South Sudan.
Frankfurt-based GreenTec Capital Partners invested in Afrilife, a Tanzanian company that produces honey and organic apiculture products.
Within the last seven days, the market capitalization of Diamond Bank on the Nigerian stock exchange gained the equivalent of 20%, representing about NGN4.4 billion ($12.11 million). This performance is due to the announcement of a principle agreement that could lead to a merger with Access Bank, another large bank in Nigeria.
Where must I go if I feel unwell or have an accident in Switzerland or must pay for it? What should I do in an emergency? What types of insurance do I need? How can I protect myself from illness? Where can I find health information in my own language?
IOM concludes its 109th Council Session in Geneva today, 30 November 2018. Photo: IOM/Muse Mohammed
SWITZERLAND – “Size alone does not determine the strength of an organization,” DG Vitorino explained in his welcoming remarks to the Council. “It is the commitment and skills of its staff that has enabled IOM to respond to complex emergencies, to provide advice to governments on diverse issues, and to thereby help to foster greater space for common ground.”
Nigerians once again dominate this year’s list in terms of entries, followed by Kenyans. For the first time the list is gender balanced. Four covers featuring Mo Salah, Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, Denis Mukwege and Ahmed Abiy
LONDON: For the first time since publishing the list, there is an equal amount of men and women featuring in this year’s one hundred. Although this year’s listing is dominated by entries from Nigeria and Kenya, outstanding personalities from several other African countries are also featured.
The Swiss-African Business Circle has added another feather to its cap with the birth of the maiden edition of its annual publication the Swiss-African Business Relations Status quo 2018.
Group photo: (Source: Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA
PRESS RELEASE
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA) recently held its annual Partner Conference in Mauritius, during it highlighted its commitment to the region and announced that the company recorded over 20 percent solid growth year-on-year for the past three years.
A relative receives money sent by a Filipino working abroad at a remittance centre in Manila. Photo: Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
LONDON – It is found that the charges to send money home by some migrant workers are too high according to a report by UNESCO, the U.N. body for education, suggesting that lowering the fees could result in $1 billion more that could be spent on education in developing countries.
Dame Graça Machel, one of Africa’s foremost advocates for the rights of women and children, has called on African women and policy makers to challenge gender inequality and inadequate female representation in the continent’s business and economic, political and policy space.
President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (photo), of Mauritania has announced that he would not run for 2019 presidential election as the country’s constitution allows two terms. However, he indicated that he would run for the office when his country’s law would authorize him to.
The African Development Bank has approved a €17.96 million loan to the Republic of Cameroon to finance the construction of a Ring-Road Project in the North-West Province of the country, according to a press release from the bank.
It is estimated that about $8.6 million will be needed by the compendium of female expertise in Côte d’Ivoire (Compendium des compétences féminines de Côte d’Ivoire-COCOFCI) to meet the set-goals for the second phase of its action plan.
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The delegates from both countries at the meeting
SOUTH AFRICA – The 2nd edition Black Industrialists Energy Summit (www.BIES-SA.com) will be held in Cape Town from 11-12 December at the Westin Cape Town Hotel as part of the International Gas Cooperation Summit (www.IGCS-SA.com) and the Southern Africa Renewable Energy Summit (www.SARES-SA.com).
SWITZERLAND – Asylum seekers at the Mexican border fleeing violence or persecution are entitled to lodge claims in the United States to obtain sanctuary there, U.N. agencies said in a fresh attempt to shield migrants from tough U.S. immigration policies.
The inaugural Africa Link Annual Symposium was held on 8 September 2018 together with the 5th edition of Africa Link Solidarity Awards. The topics of the symposium were Corruption and Migration blended with a presentation on the importance of Entrepreneurship for the growth of Africa’s economy.
SPEAKERS AND PRESENTATIONS
The recipients of Africa Link Solidarity Awards 2018 from R – L: Next to Ambassador Osman Abufatima Mohammed is Mr. Matthias Meier Director Aiducation International Kenya, Mrs. Chantal Ebana representing Ambassador Léonard Henri Bindzi, Hellen Kahuga-Wakapa representing Ms. Sophia Bekele, VP Fepafrika Mr. Ueli Haller, Ambassador Claudinah Ramosepele, Mr. Augusto Moutinho representing Ambassador Osvaldo dos Santos Varela, next to him Ambassador Baba Madugu, and Johnson Oduwaiye, President / Editor-in-chief Africa Link
By Abdel Rahmane DIOP
Associate Migration Officer, Office of the Director General, Global Compact for Migration, Geneva Team, International Organization for Migration
Keynote address by: Ambassador Osman Abufatima Adam Mohammed
Deputy head of Mission at the Permanent Mission of Sudan-Geneva
At the 2018 Africa Link Symposium and Solidarity Awards Event - 8 September 2018, Bern
Yima Sen*
Discussion notes at the Africa Link Awards and Symposium, Berne, Switzerland, 8 September, 2018
With so many healthy diet theories flying around these days, it can be hard to know what is actually good for our bodies. Here's a completely different view of food, one that's been established for thousands of years.
[New Times] The Ministry of Health yesterday banned advertisement of health services and talk shows by those not sanctioned by recognised medical bodies.
[News24Wire] The Democratic Alliance has denied that Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba is a "loose cannon", instead coming to his defence with regards to his latest controversial statements on sanitary towels and foreign nationals.
[Ghanaian Times] Gains made in the fight against tuberculosis (TB) could be eroded, if they were not sustained, Professor Abraham Kwabena Anang, Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), has said.
[Nyasa Times] Youth and Society (YAS), a civil society organisation (CSO), has taken to task Ministry of Health Principal Secretary Dan Namarika and 11 other officials over the flouting of the law prohibiting employees of a procuring and disposing public entity from bidding for its auctioned assets.
[Times of Zambia] THE modernisation of health facilities and improved capacity to handle complicated ailments in Zambia has led to a reduction in the evacuation of patients to other countries for specialist treatment by about 68 cases within one year.
[Monitor] Nebbi -A senior three student of Parombo Secondary School who has been working as a part-time disc jockey (DJ), in one of the disco halls in Akworo Sub-county in Nebbi District has been killed.
[Nairobi News] Diamond Platnumz's Wasafi label management team has now been drawn into the raging #PlayKeMusic debate, arguing that they have never once complained when Kenyan music is played in Tanzania nor when Kenyan artistes perform in their country.
[Observer] A highly placed source at SOG records has confirmed to LIB Life that Jaredo and his former records labelmate Davero are in a love relationship.
[Cameroon Tribune] A praise and worship evening held in Yaounde on January 13, 2019 to launch activities for this year.
[ANGOP] Saurimo -The musician and songwriter, Santos Católica, pointed out on Tuesday, the need for Angolan creators to bet on creativity and artistic research as the way to meet the international demands.
[Namibian] Full Moon Music Studios at Katima Mulilo is running a three-month recording promotion, predominantly aimed at upcoming artists who want to record their music at affordable rates.
[Ghanaian Times] The Minister of Communications and Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu Ekuful has launched an e-learning extra class programme for senior high students in her constituency.
[News24Wire] More than 600 children are still waiting for a place at Khayelitsha's Enkanini Primary School, which is already bursting at the seams with the sheer number of children who want to attend it.
[News24Wire] The cost of damages to 27 schools in the Western Cape over the December holiday period is estimated to be R400 000, the provincial education department has said.
[Ghanaian Times] The Deputy Minister of Education in-charge of Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET), Mrs Barbara Asher Ayisi, has announced plans by the government to construct about 20 ultra modern TVET institutions in the country.
[The Conversation Africa] Every year about 190 000 South African students make the leap from high school to university. They land in the deep end of a learning and teaching environment that's markedly different from school. And they're expected to swim.
[Ghanaian Times] Petepom -The Prestea/Huni-valley Municipal Assembly has built and commissioned a fully furnished two-unit KG classroom block for the Petepom MA School in the Prestea/Huni-valley municipality of the Western Region.
[Ghanaian Times] The Minister of Aviation, Mr Kofi Adda has urged African governments to sign onto the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) to ensure swift movement of passengers and goods at the ports.
[GroundUp] On Wednesday, Kumba Iron Ore demolished a hostel in the mining town of Dingleton in the Northern Cape where a handful of families have been resisting attempts to move them.
[Observer] There are three strategic sectors that if our current government can invest heavily in with immediate effect we can become a middle-income country within the next two decades. Those key sectors are Education, Agriculture, and Tourism. For my interest, I am going to focus on the benefits that Liberia stands to reap if the right investments and policies are implemented in the tourism sector. I will leave the Educational & Agricultural sectors with the experts to deal with them.
[Capital FM] Nairobi -The management of the dusitD2 hotel has said that four of employees lost their lives while three others are admitted to hospital out of the 100 who where on duty that day.
[Monitor] Kampala -Government, will through four campaigns including Twende Uganda, Destination Uganda, Pearl of Africa Tourism and an enhanced Tulambule Drive, seek to add at least a million tourists to what was achieved in the year ending 2018.
[Nation] "DusitD2 Nairobi is a vibrant city hotel retreat where style, entertainment and art converge. Cocooned away from the city's hustle and bustle and in a secure and peaceful haven off the leafy suburb of 14 Riverside Drive, it is just minutes from the central business district and merely a stone's throwaway from the heart of Nairobi's pulsing social scene," the hotel's website says.
[ENA] Addis Ababa -A two-day workshop aimed at understanding the challenges faced across the African continent to access digital information opened at Ethiopian National Archives and Library Agency (ENALA) hall today.
[Vanguard] Talking about books, there are certain qualities that come to play. It is not just about the cover, the contents and messages therein that distinguish real books from ordinary books.
[Nation] Margaret Muthee is a journalist by profession and a creative writer. She is the author of A Season for Mending, a short story collection e-book published by Bahati Books.
[Nairobi News] The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has assured parents that all the textbooks for the new system of education meet the requirements.
Culture Minister Monika Grütters has handed over the painting, by artist Thomas Couture, back to Jewish heirs at a ceremony in Berlin. The canvas was stolen from French politician Georges Mandel during World War II.
While the integration of Arab migrants sparks ongoing debates, one thing is for sure: language-wise, Arabic is well rooted in Germany. Both English and German have many common words that stem from the language.
[Monitor] Kampala -Ten women in business flew to Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday ahead of a training trip two months after they were awarded in the Rising Woman business proposal writing competition.
[UNEP] Heba Al-Farrah has a goal: to spread environmental awareness and climate action among women across the Middle East and North Africa.
[Deutsche Welle] Victims of domestic violence are often unaware of resources available to them and are too afraid to ask. In Morocco, a new initiative aims to change that by helping women take legal action against their violent husbands.
[The Patriot] The nation is up in ups over the worsening rape culture that has left most women living in constant fear and victims nursing endless trauma.
[Thomson Reuters Foundation] Nairobi -Almost one in four girls in Kenya are married before they reach the legal age of 18, says the United Nations.
[News24Wire] The ANC in Johannesburg has expressed shock and concern over recent statements by Mayor Herman Mashaba, after a minister gave children sanitary pads when schools opened.
The Austria midfielder has moved down a division. Elsewhere, Stuttgart have broken their club record by signing teenager Ozan Kabak from Galatasaray and Dortmund have also brought in a defender.
In a bid to speed up deportations, the lower house of Germany's parliament has voted to change the status of Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Georgia. But the new rules could still be blocked by the opposition Greens.
Passports that bestow special privileges — immunity from prosecution and diplomatic pouches — are increasingly being bought by dubious business people. African, Asian and small island nations have been caught in the act.
Using herself as model, American photographer Cindy Sherman critiques our contemporary views of identity and the role of women in society. A look at the work of the 2019 Max Beckmann Prize winner as she turns 65.
Mohamed J. was a longtime resident of Germany who was active in social projects both in Hamburg and his native Syria. Police are searching for a suspect and a motive for the slaying of the 48-year-old pharmacist.
The coming week begins with a total lunar eclipse. We explain where the rare phenomenon can be seen, when, and why the Earth satellite becomes a blood moon.
[News24Wire] The secretary of the state capture commission of inquiry, Dr Khotso de Wee, is implicated in testimony before the selfsame commission by former Bosasa top boss, Angelo Agrizzi.
[Malawi News Agency] Mulanje -The Minister of Homeland Security, Nicolas Dausi on Wednesday attended a funeral ceremony in Mulanje of the four people who died in a road accident on Tuesday while on their way to John Chilembwe's Day memorial function in Chiradzulu.
[Malawi News Agency] Blantyre -In a bid to create a well informed and effective nation, government through the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology is set to introduce a government newspaper.
[Zimbabwe Independent] Deadly street protests which brought Zimbabwe to a standstill this week have added impetus to calls by opposition parties and civil society organisations for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to agree to dialogue, leading to a negotiated political settlement which could save the country from total collapse, the Zimbabwe Independent can report.
[Kubatana.net] Zimbabwean authorities on Thursday 17 January 2019 charged His Generation Church leader and pro-democracy campaigner Pastor Evan Mawarire with subverting a constitutional government following anti-government protests staged to show dissatisfaction with President Emmerson Mnangagwa's mismanagement of the economy.
[Zimbabwe Independent] The taxpayer continues to foot former president Robert Mugabe's medical bills, as it emerged President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government gave the deposed strongman US$4 million to cover his hospital expenses, as well as the costs of his two-month stay in Singapore late last year.
[The Conversation Africa] After rapid economic growth averaging 10% every year between 2004 and 2014, Ethiopia has emerged as an engine of development in Africa.
[The Conversation Africa] Private-public partnerships have become a common strategy for countries all over the world to meet their development goals. In the global north, these partnerships - which bring capital and expertise together - tend to focus on developing infrastructure. That includes energy, ports, rail and fibre networks.
[The Exchange] A battle for African skies is brewing as competition becomes tougher for darling and established airlines.
[News24Wire] A Gauteng Shoprite manager was suspended, pending an investigation, after a heated altercation he had with an external service provider was caught on camera and ended up on social media.
[East African] The Tanzanian government Tuesday said it will spend less than Tsh6 billion ($2.6 million) on maintenance of its two Bombardier Q400-8 aircraft in Canada.
[ENA] Addis Ababa -International bid for the construction of six mega solar projects costing about 800 million USD is going to be issued soon, according to Ministry of Finance.
[News24Wire] Cape Town -The 2019 Super Rugby tournament kicks-off in four weeks' time (Friday, February 15) in Hamilton, New Zealand with a Kiwi derby between two of last year's quarter-finalists as the Chiefs host the Highlanders.
[News24Wire] Bloemfontein -Cheetahs coach Franco Smith has named his team for Friday night's PRO14 encounter against the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth.
[News24Wire] Cape Town -The experienced Chris Dry will return to the Springbok Sevens squad for the first time in more than a year after being named in the tour group for the World Rugby Sevens Series tournaments in New Zealand and Australia.
[News24Wire] Johannesburg -The countdown has begun for South Africa's self-styled "CrazyBikeGuy" , Grant Cameron-Smith , as he prepares to embark on the journey of a lifetime - an arduous three month, 8 800km trek on a specially configured mountain bike from London to Istanbul .
[News24Wire] Cape Town -Rain and bad light ultimately proved to be the main winner as the 4-Day Domestic Series encounter between the Dolphins and Knights ended in a draw at the City Oval in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday.
[News24Wire] Two golf clubs, one of them dismantled, were returned to the Stellenbosch Golf Club on Thursday by a man who claimed the items were "lost and found".
[ENA] Addis Ababa -Ethiopia has made progress in improving children well beings though the rate of change has been rather slow, a report disclosed.
[ENA] Addis Ababa -Three UN entities continue implementing a capacity development project to support Ethiopia's coherence policy formulation for sustainable development goals in four areas.
[Nation] Transport on Lake Victoria is set for a boost after the government started dredging the water body to ease vessel navigation.
[The Point] National executive coordinator of Young People in the Media (YPM) has appealed to authorities to establish national policies and programs that would adequately address strategic needs of children, particularly those on streets, disabled, in prisons and female children who are forced into marriages.
[ISS] Senegal's Casamance region was once the breadbasket of this West African nation, known for its rich vegetation, biodiversity and expansive forests. But these woodlands are rapidly disappearing, forming a silent crisis that has now reached a critical level. In a region where climate change poses a serious threat, this loss spells long-term disaster.
[Nation] More than 100,000 households in Kitui County will benefit from a genetically engineered livestock improvement and multiplication programme through mass breeding.
[UNEP] In the Northern Malian region of Gao, Adoum looks at his phone. It's time to go find greener pastures for his herd. He has a few spots in mind but needs to gather more information before embarking on the weeks-long journey.
[Daily Trust] Elizabeth Kperrun, mobile and web applications developer, has been shortlisted for the 2019 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, making her the first Nigerian female to be selected for the prestigious prize.
[Premium Times] Four Nigerians have been shortlisted for the 2019 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.
[Nation] Watching a four-minute YouTube video about the Konza Techno City master plan feels exhilarating. But driving on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway past the Machakos junction paints an insipid, stodgy picture of a project chained by government unwillingness to concoct Africa's "Silicon Savannah".
[This is Africa] Creating a connection with his deaf niece motivated 25-year-old Kenyan innovator Roy Allela to invent a set of smart gloves, named Sign-IO, which converts sign language movements into audio speech in real time.
[Nairobi News] Kenyan youth inspired to his invention by the need to communicate with a 6-year-old niece with hearing impairment.