Day: June 16, 2023

The number of men seeking paternity tests in Uganda has recently increased by 70% Uganda’s spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Simon Mundeyi, says.

Three years ago, three tests per month were carried out, now it is close to 100 every month, Uganda's Monitor newspaper quotes him as saying.

The government said it was unsure why these numbers were rising.

“Some men now are now waking up to the fact that they are looking after children that do not actually belong to them,” Mr Mundeyi told NTV Uganda.

He mentioned that out of 12 results that they had got back this week so far, only two confirmed the father was the biological parent.

Speaking to NTV Uganda, Josephine Kasaato, president of the Mothers Union in Buganda region, said there should be counselling to support families that had gone through the testing.

Tests are carried out at the Government Analytical Laboratory in the capital, Kampala, and cost $100 (£78).

Source: BBC

A Tunisian delegation made up of 7 small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the textile and clothing sector took part in the 19th edition of ITMA 2023 -- the world's largest international textile and garment technology exhibition, organised on June 8-14 in Milan (Italy) on the theme: "Transforming the world of textiles."

Three support organisations for this sector in Tunisia, namely: the Industry Ministry's Directorate General for Textiles and Clothing, the Tunisian Textile and Clothing Federation, and the Tunisian Textile Technical Centre, also attended the event.

The International Trade Centre (ITC) supported the participation of 70 small and medium-sized enterprises, business support organisations and academic institutions from the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia at ITMA 2023, which is the place where the industry converges every four years to showcase the latest textile and garment processing technologies, machinery and materials, promote collaborations and forge partnerships.

This support is part of the Global Textiles and Clothing Programme-Middle East and North Africa region (GTEX-MENATEX), which is a five-year programme funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of the Swiss Confederation and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), focusing on six priority countries (Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan and Tunisia).

The programme aims to encourage exports of textiles and clothing from developing countries to promote employment and income generation throughout the value chain.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The promotional campaign of Transavia's new Tozeur-Paris route was launched on June 15, on the French carrier's booking platform.

This route will once again link Tozeur-Nefta international airport with international airports after the interruption of international air services, local governor Mohamed Aymen Bejaoui told TAP.

The carrier will operate flights from October 31, 2023, with the possibility of bringing the date forward to the 27th of the same month, the governor pointed out, adding that this service, with two flights a week ( Mondays and Fridays), will boost tourism in the governorate of Tozeur.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

"We have been working closely with the Tunisian authorities for some time and we have made significant progress in reaching an agreement on a programme", said Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, in Luxembourg on Friday, according to the IMF website.

Asked at a press conference in Luxembourg about "European pressure to release funds for Tunisia" and whether "the EU should go ahead before the IMF releases funds", the Fund's top official replied: "This programme must be taken over by the country. Tunisia is in a better position today because tourism has picked up".

She added: "The situation is not as dramatic as we feared. Europe has a strong tradition of supporting Tunisia. We are very grateful for this and we welcome the fact that European leaders have adopted this proactive approach to supporting Tunisia".

"We fully agree that it would be great for Tunisia to implement reforms that make the economy stronger and the prospects for the Tunisian people brighter", she added.

According to the IMF Director, "there are no differences" between the IMF and Tunisia "on the key elements of the reforms. It is on the details of implementing the reforms that we still have work to do".

"To make things clear for the IMF, our aspiration is to support a dynamic and equitable economy, where the poor do not pay for subsidies to the rich, and I am sure that we will agree on the exact way to achieve this", concluded the official.

Tunisia signed a preliminary agreement with the IMF in October 2022 on a 1.9 billion dollar aid programme in return for a number of sensitive economic reforms. The two parties have not yet reached a final agreement.

The Managing Director of the IMF held a press conference in Luxembourg on Friday on the eurozone's Article IV consultation.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

During the first five months of 2023, Tunisia imported plastic articles worth 2,211.6 million dinars (MD), clothing, accessories and luxury fabrics worth 610.7 MD, and shoes worth 237.7 MD, representing a total budget of around 2.9 billion dinars, according to data published recently by the National Statistics Institute (INS).

Imports of these luxury goods are taking place despite continuing pressure on foreign exchange reserves and public finances and calls for the executive to rein in imports and give priority to importing basic products and revising inadequate trade agreements.

The INS also reported a fall in cereal imports of almost 13%, from 2,240.6 MD at the end of May 2022 to 1,949 MD at present.

Imports of sugar and confectionery amounted to 421.2 MD, while those of tobacco products stood at 131 MD. Imports of perfumes and essential oils came to around 185 MD.

The trade balance deficit fell by 18.4% during the first five months of 2023, to 8.1 billion dinars, compared with almost 10 billion dinars during the same period in 2022.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Rural World Association (AMR) organized a community dialogue on Monday, June 12 in Gourcy, to allow the living forces of the municipality to discuss their contributions to the proper functioning of their local authority, in a context of transition.

Organized by the Association monde rural (AMR), the community dialogue brought together young people, women, community leaders, representatives of people living with disabilities, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and members of the special delegation of the town of Gourcy.

This framework for exchanges, the objective of which is to enable participants to better understand the functioning of the special delegations as well as the role of the various actors in the involvement of the appropriate and rigorous management of public affairs, in strict compliance with the texts in force and depending on the context.

To this end, the facilitator, Hassane Sawadogo, first met with the participants on the composition, functioning and attributions of the special delegations installed, following the coup d'état in January 2022.

Subsequently, he approached the concept of citizen participation by developing its legal bases, the types and mechanisms of participation, as well as the related obstacles.

“The special delegation plays the same role as the municipal council,” Mr. Sawadogo said.

He also specified that in this current context, the accompaniment of all social strata, particularly civil society organizations is more than necessary.

According to him, these organizations have an important role which consists mainly in influencing public policies and contributing to improving access to and the quality of basic social services.

The participants identified the actors of decentralization and their roles in the functioning of the communes. Based on the current situation, they analyzed the strengths, weaknesses and difficulties of their municipality while emphasizing the various challenges to be met.

For them, it is, among other things, the return to constitutional order, the promotion of peace and development, the fight against insecurity and corruption, etc.

Faced with all these requirements, the active forces have made a unanimous commitment to play their part for the success of the mission of the special delegation.

It should be noted that this framework for dialogue is part of the implementation of the project “Strengthening of local governance through awareness-raising for better ownership by citizens of the establishment of special calm delegations.

It is carried out in nine municipalities in the North and Centre-North regions with the technical and financial support of the IGR (Inclusive Governance for Resilience).

Source: Burkina Information Agency

A civilian lost his life and several others injured Thursday in Bobo-Dioulasso, in clashes between civilians and soldiers, said an army statement sent to the AIB.

According to the same source, an internal investigation has been opened and steps have been taken to take the matter to court.

The injured were also taken care of, the statement said.

The clashes took place following the aggression of a soldier, Wednesday night, affirms the text.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Colonel-Major Célestin Simporé strongly condemned these “inadmissible actions which undermine the essential Army-Nation link”.

He said he "deeply regrets these actions, the work of isolated elements, which in no way reflect the values of the military institution".

Source: Burkina Information Agency

The province of Banwa, in the Boucle du Mouhoun region held on Thursday, June 15, 2023, its first Provincial Consultation Framework (CCP) of the year 2023 with its members in Solenzo, to make the assessment of the activities and the difficulties encountered.

Since the reconquest of the city of Solenzo by the Defense and Security Forces (FDS) and the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), all activities have been held in the said city.

Thus, the members of the Provincial Consultation Framework (CCP) met for the first time on Thursday, June 15, 2023 in Solenzo, in order to take stock of the activities and the difficulties encountered.

The High Commissioner invited the Prefect and President of the Special Delegation (PDS) of Solenzo to deliver the first communication which relates to the assessment of the implementation of the activities of the Emergency Project for Territorial Development and Resilience (PUDTR).

According to the prefect, several infrastructures have been carried out in the municipalities of Solenzo and Kouka, but given the security situation, the achievements of the municipality of Sanaba and some villages of Solenzo have been terminated.

To this end, the members of the CCP asked the prefect to make a plea to the project, so that all the municipalities benefit from the actions of the PUDTR.

The provincial director in charge of humanitarian action, national solidarity, gender and the family presented to the members the difficulties encountered by his service and also the situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

“In 2017, IDPs were counted at your fingertips, but nowadays there is an influx of IDPs in Solenzo, so support is rare, but the service does everything possible to help them,” he added.

Structures such as the Association of Wholesalers and Retailers of Agricultural Inputs of Burkina Faso (AGRODIA), the National Council for Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation (CONASUR) and the World Food Program (WFP) support IDPs with food.

Banwa province was unable to start the 2022-2023 school year due to insecurity, according to the provincial director in charge of National Education.

According to him, 276 educational structures are closed but a site has been erected to accommodate students from the municipality of Sanaba and Kouka in Dédougou.

“We were able to accommodate 276 students in Dédougou. The resumption of Solenzo made it possible to open all classes with 2,537 students, which also allowed us to take part in the end-of-year exams, even if we resumed at the end of February”, he confided.

The members also asked the provincial director of Education and the prefect to plead with the PUDTR, so that suitable solutions are found in Solenzo, to allow all the pupils of the province to follow the courses.

The representative of the District Chief Medical Officer (MCD) of the city of Solenzo noted in his communication that the services operate at a minimum in the province. He also reported that 5 medical ambulances were taken away by unidentified armed men (HANI).

It should be noted that 48 caesarean sections have been performed at the Solenzo Medical Center with Surgical Antenna (CMA) since its opening on March 26, 2023.

Insecurity has also forced the Social Centers for Social Advancement (CSPS) in the municipality of Sanaba and some villages of Solenzo to close their doors.

“If nothing is done, especially the return of security, we will have home births, maternal and infant mortality, because even with security in Solenzo, it is very difficult for us to do our job. We need electricity and fuel to enable evacuations,” the MCD continued.

The provincial director in charge of Agriculture delivered the last communication.

For him, the 2022-2023 winter season has settled in well and the rains have been well distributed in time and space.

According to him, several projects including the PUDTR support farmers with agricultural inputs.

CCP members were concerned about the winter season of this year 2023/2024, because according to them, until the date of June 16, 2023, there are not always rains to allow farmers to reach the fields.

The provincial director in charge of Agriculture reassured the members of the CCP that the soils of the Banwa province are fertile and whatever the beginning of the winter season, the harvests will be good.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

This Friday's Burkinabè dailies talk about the transformation into traditional cotton of the costumes of judicial actors, the recruitment of 2,400 young people for the National Service for Development (SND), without forgetting the exchange between the Head of State and the staff of the National Gendarmerie.

The public daily Sidwaya sports on its headline an extract from the declaration of the Head of State, Ibrahim Traoré to the staff of the gendarmerie, yesterday Thursday when he said: "Let's work to recover our territory".

The newspaper reports that the president of the Transition congratulated and encouraged the national gendarmerie for the work done and for the fight that is currently taking place on the ground.

According to Sidwaya, President Traoré welcomed the initiatives developed by the National Gendarmerie to take care of the widows and orphans of fallen soldiers.

In the same vein, the dean of private dailies, L'Observateur Paalga, informs that, according to the Chief of Staff of the Gendarmerie, Lieutenant-Colonel Evrard Somda, this meeting with the Head of State was an opportunity for the personnel of the gendarmerie to collect orientations and to translate their engagement in the fight against terrorism.

For its part, the private daily Le Pays indicates that for the Head of State, "we must leave corporatist ideas and move forward in the war for the recovery of our territory".

Referring to the lifting of the 79th promotion of conscripts from the National Service for Development (SND), Today in Faso, a private daily, mentions: “SND: 2,400 conscripts volunteers for the 2023 vintage”.

In this regard, Sidwaya displays: 79th promotion of SND conscripts: The Prime Minister is launching the recruitment of 2,400 young people”.

The colleague notes that the Prime Minister, Appolinaire Joachimson Kyèlem de Tambela launched, yesterday Thursday June 15 in Tenkodogo, the raising of the 79th promotion of the National Service for Development (SND) conscripts.

Sidwaya explains that the 2,400 called volunteers will be divided between 1,700 to support public administration, 600 to train in trades and 100 young people to support firefighters in protection.

He adds that by addressing the candidates of this 79th promotion of the SND, the head of government indicated that the youth is the nursery of the country.

Under another chapter, the national daily informs that the actors of the Burkinabè justice world reflect on the implementation of the government decision relating to the making of togas in Faso Dafani.

On this subject, the dean of the private dailies, L'Observateur Paalga lets read: "Port Faso Dan Fani by the judicial actors: The hearing is open".

According to the newspaper, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights organized, on June 15, 2023, in Ouagadougou, a workshop to reflect on the use of Faso dan fani for the making of courtroom costumes for judicial actors.

He indicates that the objective of the meeting is to define and agree on the qualitative characteristics of the toga of the various judicial actors in Faso dan fani and to collect the observations and relevant amendments of the participants on the project.

The same source recalls that the vision of the government of the Transition is to engage the populations in an active participation in the promotion of Burkinabè culture through endogenous production.

Source: Burkina Information Agency