Day: July 20, 2023

As of July 20, taxes will be levied on telephone services, on private television renewals and on the sale of land outside housing estates, in order to support the fight against terrorism, the AIB has learned.

The announcement was made Wednesday evening on public television by the Minister in charge of the Economy, Aboubakar Nacanabo.

According to Mr. Nacanabo, purchasers of telephony services will have to pay a tax of 5% per operation carried out.

A 10% tax will be applied for renewals at the level of private televisions, added the minister.

Aboubakar Nacanabo also indicated that for the transfer of land excluding subdivision before the notary or the bailiff, a contribution of 1% will be requested.

These measures derive from the vote on June 24, 2023 by the Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT) and the promulgation on June 30 by President Ibrahim Traoré, of a law establishing special contributions on certain goods and services, for the benefit of the Patriotic Support Fund (FSP).

Aboubakar Nacanabo urged companies to pay back in full the amounts that will be deducted, for the purpose of the fight against terrorism.

The Minister thanked consumers who have mobilized since February, through the Patriotic Support Fund (FSP), nearly 30 billion FCFA thanks, in particular to levies on tobacco, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

He saluted the Defense and Security Forces (FDS) and the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) who are paying with their lives to bring peace and social cohesion to Burkina Faso.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

This Thursday's Burkinabè dailies are interested in news related to the recent mini-summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the situation in Burkina, Guinea and Mali, the government decision to create the Caisse des dépôts, not to mention the fight against fraudulent practices.

"Fight against drug trafficking: A lady arrested in Ouaga", headlines the private newspaper Le Quotidien, which evokes an action by the National Police in the Burkinabè capital.

In this regard, L'Express du Faso, a private daily published in Bobo-Dioulasso, reads on its front page: "Illicit drug trafficking: A manager of a pharmaceutical depot placed under arrest".

The two newspapers report that the police station of district no. 03 has just put an end to the illicit activities of a network which was involved in the illicit sale of drugs in the city of Ouagadougou.

"Thanks to the cooperation of citizens, suspect No. 01, an elderly woman in her forties, was arrested by investigators", specify the daily newspapers.

They add that the respondent, having been a pharmacy assistant since 2016, "took advantage of her position as manager of the pharmaceutical depot of a local health and social promotion center (CSPS), to obtain illicit drugs on the market, successively at low prices generally up to 20,000, 40,000, 50,000 or 60,000 FCFA”.

On another fact of fraud, the national daily Sidwaya informs that within the framework of the fight against unhealthy products, the national police dismantled a site of clandestine slaughter of animals, yesterday Wednesday July 19, in sector 11 of Ouagadougou .

The subject is mentioned in ''Les Révélations'' of Le Pays which displays as title: "Commune of Ouagadougou: Several animal heads seized and handed over to Bangr-weogo Park".

The same newspaper evokes a decision taken in the Council of Ministers, in its meeting yesterday Wednesday, by titling: "Council of Ministers: Towards the creation of a Caisse of deposits and investments in Burkina Faso".

In this regard, the newspaper Sidwaya reports that the Minister in charge of the Economy, Aboubacar Nacanabo explained that "this new version of the Casse presents several innovations, namely, among others, the reconfiguration of the supervisory board for more transparency " .

The dean of private dailies in Burkina Faso, L'Observateur Paalga, for his part, adds that a commission has been set up to identify the actions and priority measures of the new fund.

As for Today in Faso, another private daily, it notes on its front page: "Council of Ministers: Creation of the Caisse des dépôts et d'investissements au Burkina Faso (CDI-BF)".

In international news, the newspaper devotes its editorial to a sub-regional meeting under the title: “ECOWAS mini-summit around Nigerian President Bola Tinubu: Operation lobbying for Talon among 3 putschists”.

According to the editorialist of Aujourd'hui au Faso, the new tenant of Aso Roch, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has decided as the new current president of ECOWAS, to give a boost to the ECOWAS-Transitions relations in Mali -Guinea and Burkina Faso.

For its part, L'Observateur Paalga, the dean of private Burkinabè daily newspapers, highlights: “Mali, Burkina and Guinea: ECOWAS sticks to the +Talon+ of the 3 transitions”.

The colleague recalls that "at the last conference of heads of state of the sub-regional organization, the Nigerian head of state had had some pretty harsh words against the unconstitutional changes, promising to ensure that he there are no more coups in West Africa”.

And to mention that "it is therefore in line with this line of conduct that Patrice Talon must go to Bamako, Ouaga and Conakry", adding that "for the moment, neither the date nor the duration, even less the objectives of his mission are not known".

Moreover, L'Observateur Paalga understands that "Tinubu's special envoy will have a lot to grind, insofar as the three countries are engaged in transitions that are uncertain to say the least".

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Coca Cola levies on behalf of the Patriotic Support Fund (FSP) are estimated at more than 5 billion 300 million CFA francs for the year 2023, according to company officials, the Ministry in charge of the Economy reported on Thursday.

Burkina Information Agency

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(Ouagadougou, July 20, 2023). The Minister of Economy, Finance and Prospective, Dr Aboubakar NACANABO and his colleague in charge of Trade, Serge Gnaniodem PODA, visited, on the evening of Wednesday July 19, 2023, the new factory of the Coca Cola firm, located in Gampèla, a town located about fifteen kilometers from Ouagadougou, on the Ouagadougou-Fada N'Gourma axis.

On the occasion, they congratulated and encouraged the promoters of this project, which is still under construction, but which already went into production a few months ago.

The new Coca Cola factory extends over an area of 6.7 hectares, of which 2.5 hectares are built. It was carried out largely by Burkinabè companies.

The CEO of the company, Caroline Estelle OUEDRAOGO, indicated that the cost of the first phase of the project amounts to 28 billion CFA francs out of a total of approximately 60 billion CFA francs to be invested, at the end of the second phase of the project.

For the first phase, the project generated 105 direct jobs. Eventually, 500 to 600 direct jobs will be created, when all the work has been carried out.

Difficulties related to frequent voltage drops observed on the electricity network and unfair competition from Coca Cola products from another country in the sub-region, were presented to the ministers who promised to support the company , in the search for solutions.

For 2023 and in accordance with the law on the special contribution on the consumption of certain products and services, Coca Cola's levies on behalf of the Patriotic Support Fund are estimated at more than 05 billion 300 million CFA francs, according to company officials .

Source: Burkina Information Agency

The lifeless body of an individual was discovered in a "Tchapalodrome" (place of sale and consumption of traditional local beer also called tchapalo) in the Tchelkan district (sector 2) of Gaoua on Tuesday morning1 July 8, 2023, the AIB learned.

The victim's lifeless body was lying on the ground with an electric wire in his hands.

“It was around 5 a.m. that I discovered the lifeless body when I arrived as usual to start making millet beer,” said Aïcha Kambou, dolotière.

It is at this moment that she will alert the neighborhood of the macabre discovery.

The circumstances surrounding the death of the individual are not yet known at this time.

But everyone has their own commentary. According to some accounts, he was electrocuted by an electric wire while trying to fly. A health worker and the gendarmerie made the usual observations. According to a security source, an investigation will be opened to elucidate the tragedy.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

African fishermen, mostly from Senegal and Ivory Coast who work on dozens of European Union vessels that operate in West Africa and the Indian Ocean, took part in a strike that lasted from June 5-8, alleging wage violations.

Around 40 vessels flying the European Union (EU) flag are allowed to fish in Seychelles waters under the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership agreement and protocol between the island nation and the EU.

SNA spoke to the Minister for Fisheries and Blue Economy, Jean-Francois Ferrari, to discuss whether the situation has any impact on Seychelles.

SNA: Is the latest strike having an impact on Seychelles?

J-F.F: No. What happened is that fishing stopped in the Seychelles waters for two to three weeks. However, this does not mean that we will have less fish at the end of the year because the amount of tuna fished in the Seychelles waters is already determined by the yellowfin quota.

Whether this is fished in six months or in two or maybe even a year you are limited by the quota. Now the vessels stopped for two to three weeks, they are now back at sea fishing.

The reports that I am receiving are that at the moment the fishing is not too good, due to the southeast monsoon - but it will get better. It is a normal pattern in the year.

SNA: What is the current situation following the strike?

J-F.F: The seafarers on tuna vessels across the world's unions are still negotiating. There is a moratorium on no striking, but they give themselves six months to come to an agreement between themselves - the boat owners, and the representatives of the fishers. This applies to seamen in the Indian Ocean, in West Africa and in the Pacific.

Minister for Fisheries and Blue Economy, Jean-Francois Ferrari. (Blue Economy Department) Photo License: CC-BY

SNA: Is Seychelles making efforts to train its own seafarers so that it may also benefit from the tuna fishing in its waters?

J-F.F: The EU is under the obligation to have a Seychellois seafarer on board the vessel, if they do not have one to take the post, the boat owners pay us because they do not have a Seychellois on board. The agreement with the EU is that they will take sailors, it's just that we do not have enough sailors.

SNA: Many Seychellois students are training at the Seychelles Maritime Academy, how is it that we do not have the required personnel?

J-F.F: While we are working on it, it is really a mindset change that is required so that we may have more people join this industry. While it is hard and dangerous work, it really is a lucrative area to work in.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

The population of Seychelles is 119,878, according to the latest estimated figures of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), following a population and housing census completed in 2022.

The figures for the census in 2010 was 89,770 and the latest results show an additional 30,108 inhabitants, an increase of 33 percent.

According to NBS, the information collected from the census alone recorded a population of 102,612.

A statistician from NBS, Burny Payet, told SNA that the 119,878 figure is estimated because "we did not cover the whole population during the census for various reasons and we had to check our data against other sources, such as the national population database and border crossing records, in order to get a more accurate representation of the population of Seychelles."

The NBS explained that they had numerous difficulties in collecting data during the census as they could not get access to every home for various reasons.

"We had issues, where people did not let us into the homes, people not being present during the exercise, while some outright refused to participate in the census," explained Tania Pouponneau, another statistician at the NBS.

One of the main reasons why people did not participate in the census was mainly due to misinformation.

"During the census, there was a lot of false information being spread on social media, mainly about the information being collected, among other things, which caused many people to have doubts about the exercise and so, refused to contribute," said statistician Ryan Madeleine.

NBS pointed out that this census had the highest percentage of non-response from households approached.

Aside from collecting data on the size of Seychelles' population, the census also collected data on various other areas.

The 2022 census recorded a major increase in the number of non-Seychellois currently residing in the country, which is estimated at 19,026, representing 16 percent of the total population.

Among the non-Seychellois population residing in Seychelles - 46.4 percent are Indian, 9.3 percent are Sri Lankan and 5.8 percent are Bangladeshi. They are known to primarily work in the construction and farming sectors.

Additionally, 81.7 percent of non-Seychellois are male, mostly aged between 25 to 54 years old.

In the same report for the NBS, 20 percent of Seychelles' population is below the age of 15, with 9 percent 65 years and above, while 71 percent of the population is aged between 15 to 64 years old.

Source: Seychelles News Agency