Day: June 27, 2023

The governor of the Eastern region, Colonel Hubert Yaméogo proceeded to lay the first stone of the social complex of the sixth military region. It was Thursday, June 22, 2023 in Fada N'Gourma.

It is in a context marked by the terrorist hydra which has caused victims both at the civilian and military levels that the launch of the construction of a social complex for the 6th military region in Fada N'Gourma takes place.

The construction of this infrastructure is part of the spirit of solidarity of the association "GO PAGA" which means Woman, get up and fight.

As such, the president of this association, Mrs. Fadima Kambou, indicated that the construction of this infrastructure is part of the dynamics of strengthening the social services of the army, the creation of conditions for better psycho-social assistance for men engaged in operations and accompanying the wounded as well as caring for their families.

Also, she added, that this complex of the 6th military region which will be operational from October 2023 if the weather factor favors it, will participate in facilitating the support of the widows and orphans of the brave men fallen in operations. as well as the injured in their reintegration process.

The commander of the 6th military region, Lieutenant-Colonel Éric Dabiré welcomed the launch of the construction of this complex.

He expressed his gratitude to the hierarchy who made the care of widows and orphans as well as those wounded in combat a priority.

Continuing, the lieutenant-colonel noted that it is at this price that we will have soldiers more motivated and committed to the defense of the fatherland.

Because according to him, it is neither plenitude or death that worries them, but the treatment of their loved ones after their departure that intrigues them.

The governor of the Eastern region, on behalf of the beneficiaries, reiterated his gratitude to the "GO PAGA" association. He maintained that if this association did not exist, it had to be created because its social role is so important in this context.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

The visually handicapped applicant, Issoufou Ouédraogo, is interested in the socio-professional integration of visually handicapped people for obtaining the diploma of assistant in sciences and techniques of information and communication at the Institute of Information and Communication Sciences and Techniques (ISTIC).

Isssoufou Ouédraogo supported on Monday, June 26, 2023 at ISTIC, by presenting an audiovisual work on the theme: "Socio-professional integration of visually impaired people: State of play and perspectives".

According to the applicant, several causes including the environment, the inadequacy of work equipment and prejudices explain the virtual absence of visually impaired people in many sectors of socio-professional life.

But for Issoufou Ouédraogo, nowadays, many visually impaired people have been trained and have skills to spare.

Mr. Ouédraogo then invited people of goodwill to open the doors of their businesses to them to see what they are capable of.

Issoufou Ouédraogo claimed to have encountered difficulties in the realization of his production such as the insufficiency of financial means, the unavailability and the refusal of certain actors to lend themselves to his questions.

he also pointed out the difficulties linked to the handling of editing, recording and filming devices which are not adapted to the reality of visually handicapped people.

“Nothing is easy in training but it was patience, determination that pushed us to complete this training,” he added.

Issouf Ouédraogo received a score of 16/20 and is now Assistant in Information and Communication Sciences and Techniques.

He is the second visually impaired student to support as a journalism assistant at ISTIC.

The applicant's production manager, Elie Zan, thinks that beyond this political will to take into account these visually impaired people, tools must be made available to them and to the supervisors.

Mr. Zan underlined that they encountered many difficulties in carrying out the production, but given the will and the intrinsic quality of the applicant, this facilitated their work.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

To better manage the expectation of visitors and achieve a greater degree of standardisation and professionalism within Seychelles' tourism industry, the Department of Tourism aims to adopt a standardised grading system for establishments.

The tourism principal secretary, Sherin Francis, told reporters that it is important for tourists to be able to learn about each establishment's standard before making a purchase, allowing them to know what to expect thanks to an established grading system.

She pointed out that it is critical to recognise that the grade of facilities and services available influences a visitor's choice of destination.

"The national grading system establishes standard levels across the board. To be issued a license, the authorities look at the minimum physical standards - the amenities, the size of the establishment and so forth. However, the aesthetic, and services provided are not necessarily looked at under licenses. If you want to increase the standard of services in a destination these parts are important to be looked at," said Francis.

The grading system will consist of two programmes - the Star Rating System and the Seychelles Secrets programme - and will better showcase the product diversity, and allow establishments to better market and sell their products.

Establishments with 51 rooms or more will automatically fall under the Star Rating System and will be provided with a star rating between three to five stars. There are 21 hotels that fall under this category and their participation in this grading programme is compulsory. It is optional for establishments with 50 rooms or less to partake in this grading programme.

The Seychelles Secret programme is geared towards smaller establishments like self-catering establishments, guesthouses and small hotels. Here establishments will receive one of three grades - Bronze, Silver, and Gold, following the assessment.

A set of criteria against for evaluation has been developed by the Department of Tourism and comprises physical, comfort, service, universal accessibility and sustainability assessment areas.

Currently, there are over 730 tourism establishments in the country, 75 percent of which are self-catering.

The Department of Tourism will commence this process with a sensitisation programme with the establishment owners, where the purpose and benefits of the grading system will be detailed.

In September, the department will start assessing establishments. The full roll-out of the programme is anticipated to take place about a year from this month.

"It is important that we can assess all mandatory and voluntary establishments before we publish their ratings. We want the ratings to be published at the same time to ensure no participating establishment is placed at a disadvantage," said Francis.

In May this year, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the Tourism Development Standards Regulations. Once the regulations come into force and the tourism department launches the grading programme officially, the establishment will no longer be able to publish any other rating system currently being used unless it is one provided by the department.

Once graded, establishments will be issued a plaque, with the grading, which they will be able to showcase in a visible area of the establishment.

The director for product development, Sinha Levkovic, outlined that "once an establishment is graded, the grading will be valid for 2 years."

She added that "normal routine visits will continue and we will look to see if the standard is being maintained, but the formal reassessment will take place close to the end of the two years."

Source: Seychelles News Agency