Day: July 4, 2023

Seychelles has launched its Fisheries Information Management System (FIMS), aimed at improving access to fisheries information, in terms of accessibility, availability and timeliness.

At the launching ceremony on Monday at the Savoy Seychelles Resort and Spa, the Minister for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Jean-Francois Ferrari, said in his address that data is a vital component of any modern public administration system.

"This is especially true in the fisheries sector. Accurate and timely information is essential for effective decision-making and management of our fisheries resources. This is where systems such as the FIMS come to our aid," he added.

Ferrari spoke about the numerous benefits of this information and management system.

"It will help to ensure that our fisheries resources are managed in a sustainable and responsible manner and that the interests of all stakeholders are taken into account. It will also help to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our fisheries management practices, reducing waste, increasing productivity and promoting the long-term viability of our fisheries sector," said Ferrari.

He added that such a system will provide an integrated platform for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of fisheries data, covering everything from fish stock assessments to the monitoring of fishing activities and the management of fishing quotas.

Radley Weber, the chairman of the board of the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), said that system will also facilitate the exchange of fisheries data and information within the Authority, with its partners and the public.

Financed by the SWIOFISH3 programme, a long-term regional programme of the World Bank for sustainable marine fisheries, FIMS was developed by TraSeable Solutions, a Fiji-based company.

The founder of TraSeable Solutions, Kenneth Katafono, said that "the FIMS collates and integrates SFA fisheries data in a single digital platform for us to extract and for all stakeholders to access."

He added that the system is hosted internally at SFA with a standby server in the Amazon Web Services cloud.

The entities that will have data access externally include the Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), and the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA). They will have restricted access to FIMS data based on official requests.

The need to make available information in Seychelles' fisheries industry more accessible and transfer it to the public in layman's terms was outlined in the Seychelles 2021 Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) report.

FiTI said that will allow the information to be used in managing fisheries efficiently and sustainably.

Fisheries is the second top economic contributor for Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

Germany is looking at strengthening the cooperation with the Seychelles police authorities by providing material support, said the newly accredited Ambassador of Germany to Seychelles.

Sebastian Groth presented his credentials to Seychelles' President Wavel Ramkalawan at State House on Monday.

Groth told reporters that the discussions with the President touched on various areas of continued partnership between the two nations, in areas such as environment protection and tourism.

"The other subject that is very important both for Seychelles and Germany is environment protection, with Seychelles being unique and with great biodiversity," he added.

The ambassador said that the two countries are already collaborating on a big regional project that stretches all the way from Kenya to Mozambique.

Groth added that Germany also wants to invest in cultural projects with Seychelles' artists, specifically in the field of film and music.

The ambassador said that they also discussed the global geopolitical situation.

Groth, who succeeds Ambassador Annett Günther, who served Seychelles since 2018, will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.

EU ambassador bids farewell to Seychelles

Also on Tuesday morning, the Ambassador of the European Union to the Seychelles, Vincent Degert, made a farewell visit to President Ramkalawan, as this month he leaves the post he has occupied since 2019.

Degert made a farewell visit to President Ramkalawan. (Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC-BY

"It has been a great four years, where we have worked together also through some trying times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, but today Seychelles and the EU have a very good relationship," Degert said, after meeting the President.

He added that Seychelles and the EU will continue to work together, especially in areas such as the fight against drug trafficking.

Degert also commended Seychelles for the peaceful transition of power after the 2020 election, stating that Seychelles should be an example that many countries should follow.

"We also spoke of the future, as there is still a lot to be done, where we have already worked a lot with the diversification of the Seychelles' economy, an issue which came to light during the pandemic," added Degert.

Degert, who has worked for 36 years with the EU, has stated that he will be retiring now, although he will still be kept busy with his obligations with universities and as an election observer.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

(TAP)- President of the Republic Kaïs Saïed met on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior with Minister Kamel Feki and several security officials. The meeting focused on the security situation in Sfax following the "criminal acts" that occurred the previous day in the city. In this regard, Kaïs Saïed reaffirmed that Tunisia only accepts people to stay on its territory in accordance with its own laws and refuses to be a transit or settlement country for sub-Saharan nationals. He added that Tunisia is determined to monitor only its own borders. Quoted in a press release issued by the Presidency of the Republic, the Head of State once again referred to the existence of "criminal networks which it is the responsibility of the State to dismantle", stressing that there was ample evidence to confirm that this situation was "abnormal". President Saïed also wondered how these migrants, who come to Tunisia after having travelled thousands of kilometres, find their way to a particular town or district. Do they already know these towns and districts when they are still in their respective countries? Are they migrants or displaced persons manipulated by criminal groups who exploit their misery and seek to undermine civil peace in Tunisia? The President of the Republic called for the need to impose respect for the law on those who exploit these vulnerable people in Tunisia. He emphasised that "renting accommodation to foreigners requires notification of the relevant police authorities" and that "the employment of foreigners is also subject to Tunisian legislation". Finally, President Saïed reiterated that there is no place in the institutions of the State for those who seek to dismantle them and undermine national security. Nor should we be indulgent towards those who foment tensions and act in the shadows. Lobbies have no place in the institutions of the State, and neither do those who serve them.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

(TAP) - Senegal President Macky Sall will not run for reelection next year, he said in a speech on Monday, ending widespread speculation that he would seek a third term his critics said would have been illegal. Rumours that Sall would try to extend his stay in power have fuelled bouts of unrest since 2021 in which dozens have been killed, shaking Senegal's reputation for calm in a restive region. "There has been much speculation and commentary on my eventual candidature on this election," Sall said in a televised speech. "The 2019 term was my second and last term." "My decision, carefully considered... is not to run as a candidate in the upcoming election on Feb. 25, 2024. And this, even though the constitution grants me the right," he said. Unrest last month was sparked by the sentencing of popular opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to two years in jail on charges stemming from an alleged rape - accusations he denies and says were politically motivated to stop him from running in the elections. Rioters, angered in part by what they saw as Sall's serial sidelining of opponents, torched buildings and vehicles and threw stones at police, who responded with tear gas. At least 16 people were killed in the clashes, some whose relatives said that security forces opened fire with live rounds.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

(TAP) - Russia said on Tuesday that Ukraine had attacked Moscow with at least five drones that were all either shot down or jammed, though one of the capital's main airports had to reroute flights for several hours. Four Ukrainian drones were shot down by Moscow air defences while a fifth was jammed and crashed into the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region, the Russian defence ministry said. No one was injured. Russian news agencies reported that two drones were intercepted near a village 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the Kremlin. One drone was detected in the neighbouring Kaluga region. Landings and takeoffs at Moscow's Vnukovo were restricted for several hours early on Tuesday before normal operations resumed after 0500 GMT. A number of flights from Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt were diverted. One drone was shot down in the area of the town of Kubinka, some 63 km (40 miles) west of Moscow, RIA reported. A Russian air base is near Kubinka. Russia's foreign and defence ministries denounced the attack as terrorism. "The Kyiv regime's attempt to attack an area where civilian infrastructure is located, including the airport, which incidentally also receives foreign flights, is yet another act of terrorism," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. "The international community should realise that the United States, Britain, France - permanent members of the UN Security Council - are financing a terrorist regime," she said. High-profile drone attacks deep inside Russia, the world's largest country, have increased over recent months with attacks on the Kremlin in May and on Russian oil infrastructure last month. After May's drone attack on the capital, President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine was trying to scare and provoke Russia, adding that the capital's air defences would be strengthened. "At this moment, the attacks have been repelled by air defence forces," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram messaging channel. "All detected drones have been eliminated."

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

(TAP) - Israel is close to completing its Jenin operation, a senior aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday after the fiercest fighting in the flashpoint West Bank town in more than two decades killed 10 Palestinians and forced thousands to flee. Launched early on Monday, the raid involving hundreds of commandos backed by drones prompted the internationally backed Palestinian administration to suspend contacts with Israel and stirred U.S. and U.N. concern for humanitarian conditions. Israel says the operation in Jenin's tenement-like refugee camp, codenamed "Home and Garden", aims to uproot Iranian-backed Palestinian armed factions behind a recent surge in gun and bomb attacks as well as preliminary efforts to manufacture rockets. A Palestinian wounded during the clashes died overnight and another body was found in the morning, bringing the death toll to 10, with around 100 wounded, 20 of them critically, the Palestinian health ministry said. The Islamic Jihad faction claimed four of the dead as its fighters. Hamas, another Islamist faction, claimed a fifth. Offices and businesses across the occupied West Bank were expected to close on Tuesday in response to calls for a general strike to protest the operation, which the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas has described as a "war crime". The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had evacuated 500 families, or around 3,000 people, from the camp, where some 14,000 people live in less than half a square kilometre and which has been one of the focal points of a wave of violence that has swept the occupied West Bank for more than a year. Aid groups called on Israel to guarantee humanitarian access. The United States said on Monday it respected Israel's right to defend itself but said civilian casualties should be avoided. The United Nations said all military operations should respect international law. Hundreds of fighters from Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Fatah live in the camp which has been fortified with a range of obstacles and watching posts to counter regular army raids. On Monday, Israeli bulldozers ploughed through streets in the camp to destroy improvised explosive devices, cutting water and electricity supplies, though Israeli officials said they would work to restore services. On Tuesday, the military said border police had found an underground shaft used to store explosives in the refugee camp and had dismantled two observation posts.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Koundougou Solenzo section which was undergoing rehabilitation and asphalting has become a lowland.

The observation was made this Tuesday, July 4 morning and the road is in a pitiful state.

Thus since 2019, the TSR / GTI company has obtained the contract for the construction and asphalting of the Koundougou Solenzo road, 75 km long and for a period of 15 months.

To date, the road has become an ordeal and a fierce struggle for users.

Several parts of the road have become ravines and it is difficult to make a passage.

“If the road is like that now, I wonder if in August we can pass. Watching this yourself is like a river”: replies a driver who says he remains anonymous.

A road user exclaims at the level of the village of Kroumani: “You see the work of politicians. the Transition must help us otherwise the politicians are not worth it. In the province, since 2019, they have done nothing and they blame insecurity to flee”.

"Here now we have no road to travel, sell our products and even take our patients to Bobo", regrets the user.

The poor state of the road risks cutting Solenzo to Bobo Dioulasso in the coming days with these torrential rains.

Source: Burkina Information Agency