Day: August 11, 2023

President Yoweri Museveni has criticised the World Bank’s decision to suspend new funding to Uganda in response to a harsh anti-LGBTQ law and has promised to find alternative sources of credit.

Museveni, who has been in office since 1986, said in a statement on Thursday that Uganda was trying to reduce borrowing and would not give in to pressure from foreign institutions.

“It is, therefore, unfortunate that the World Bank and other actors dare to want to coerce us into abandoning our faith, culture, principles and sovereignty, using money. They really underestimate all Africans,” he said.

Museveni said that if Uganda needs to borrow, it could tap other sources and oil production expected to start by 2025 would provide additional revenues.

He said he hoped the World Bank would reconsider its decision, which could force the country to revise its budget.

Human rights organisations have widely condemned the anti-LGBTQ law approved in May, which imposes capital punishment for “aggravated homosexuality”, an offence that includes transmitting HIV through gay sex, and 20 years in prison for “promoting” homosexuality.

The World Bank said on Tuesday that the law contradicted its values and it would suspend new funding until it could test measures to prevent discrimination in projects it finances.

“We believe our vision to eradicate poverty on a livable planet can only succeed if it includes everyone irrespective of race, gender, or sexuality. This law undermines those efforts. Inclusion and non-discrimination sit at the heart of our work around the world,” it said in a statement.

The World Bank has an existing portfolio of $5.2bn in Uganda, and these projects will not be affected.

The government will ask parliament to vote on a revised budget for July 2023 to June 2024 to reflect the potential financial impact of the lending suspension, junior finance minister Henry Musasizi told parliament on Thursday.

“We shall be coming in one week or so … to ask for your approval,” Musasizi told lawmakers.

In June, the United States imposed visa restrictions on some Ugandan officials in response to the law. President Joe Biden also ordered a review of US aid to Uganda

Source: Nam News Network

Professional media organizations on Friday demanded from the government the immediate and unconditional lifting of the suspension of Omega radio, as well as respect for the powers of the Superior Council of Communication (CSC).

Burkina Information Agency

« OPM statement on the suspension of Radio Oméga

The Professional Media Organizations (OPM) learned with amazement of the decision to suspend “until further notice” of Radio Oméga FM.

It is through a press release signed by its spokesperson Mr. Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, that the Burkinabè government took this serious and unprecedented decision on August 10, 2023.

The government sanctions Omega for having given the floor to Mr. Ousmane Abdoul Moumouni, claiming to be spokesperson for the Council of the Resistance for the Republic (CRR) in Niger.

The government cites, among other grievances against the radio, the violation of rules of ethics and deontology and the denial of its responsibility as media.

The government finally says to suspend the programs of the Omega radio "in the name of the higher interest of the Nation".

We, Professional Media Organizations, meeting on August 11, 2023 in Ouagadougou, strongly condemn this umpteenth intrusion by the Transitional Government into media regulation.

The government has thus replaced the regulator, the High Council for Communication (CSC).

This suspension of Radio Oméga is illegal from all points of view. Far from any professional considerations, this suspension is political.

The government has no jurisdiction to know whether or not the rules of ethics and professional conduct are respected in a media.

This falls within the remit of the CSC, in accordance with Organic Law No. 004-2018/AN of March 22, 2018 amending Organic Law No. 015-2013/AN of May 14, 2013, on the attribution, composition, organization and functioning of the Superior Communication Council (CSC).

Moreover, the CSC had already taken up the question on interpellation of the government elsewhere and was preparing to examine it when the same government ignored it to take this totally irregular decision.

In any case, if the government has a problem with a media, let it seize the Burkinabe Media Observatory (OBM), the CSC or the judge. If so, it would just be arbitrary.

This de facto suspension of Radio Oméga is not a first. RFI and France 24 were equally victims of political regulation by the MPSR 2 government.

By these acts, the government contributes to jeopardize the public's right to information and undermines the credibility of an institution like the CSC.

By this fact, it violates the Constitution of Burkina Faso that the Transitional President, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has nevertheless sworn to defend.

Indeed, the right to information (Article 8 of the Constitution) and the CSC (Article 160.3 of the Constitution) are an integral part of our fundamental law and no authority should allow itself to be undermined, or else we are in front of a perjurer.

The recent history of Burkina Faso shows that rights such as the right to information, freedom of expression and of the press have been wrested with great struggle.

Likewise, the level of credibility of an institution such as the CSC was obtained at the cost of enormous sacrifices by all of our people.

History also teaches that the people of Burkina Faso have always mobilized to defend their achievements and it will always be so.

In the name of the public's right to information in times of peace as in times of crisis, we Professional Media Organizations (OPM), signatories of this declaration, noting that this suspension is irregular and illegal:

- condemn the suspension of Radio Oméga;

demand that the government immediately and unconditionally lift this suspension;

bring our support to the Oméga Médias group;

- invite the government to henceforth make its actions legal;

-encourage journalists and the media to calmly continue their work with professionalism and selflessness despite pressure and intimidation;

-call on the men and women of the media as well as the press organs to remain united, mobilized and attentive to any watchwords that the evolution of the situation may require;

- invite defenders of human rights, freedom of expression and the press, as well as democrats, to oppose this abuse in order to preserve the democratic gains won at the cost of enormous sacrifices;

call on the CSC to play its sovereign regulatory role by fully assuming its authority.

Done in Ouagadougou, August 11, 2023

For CNP-NZ,

President

Siriki Drame

For the AJB,

President

Guezouma Sanogo

For MS,

President

Inoussa Ouedraogo

For SYNATIC,

The Deputy Secretary General

Aboubakar Sanfo

For Reporters of Faso,

President

Moumouni Simpore

For the AEPJLN,

The Coordinator

Evariste Zongo

For the AEPML,

The President and PD / The Secretary General

Amidou Kabre

For APAC,

The Transitional President

Benedicte Sawadogo

For the CMA

Andre Eugene Ilboudo

For UBESTV,

President

Ismael Ouedraogo

For UNALFA,

President

Lamoussa Jean-Baptiste Sawadogo

For the OBM,

President

Hamado Ouangraoua”.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

The General Directorate of Economy and Planning organized on Wednesday, in Ouagadougou, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund in Burkina Faso, an appropriation workshop by the journalists, of the national roadmap for capturing the demographic dividend in Burkina Faso and the popularization of tools on the population .

“We will take ownership of the national roadmap for capturing the demographic dividend and its action plan, as well as the commitments made at the Nairobi summit in 2019 by Burkina Faso, with a view to accelerating efforts for the implementation integral part of the program of action of the International Conference on Population and Development", indicated the Director General of Economics and Planning Dr. Larba Issa Kobyagda Mr. Kobyagda was speaking on Wednesday August 9, 2023 in Ouagadougou, at the opening of the workshop for the appropriation by journalists and communicators of the national roadmap for capturing the demographic dividend in Burkina Faso and the popularization of tools on the population.

He indicated that Burkina Faso's national roadmap "aims to capitalize on our population, especially healthy and well-educated young people, to make them the engine of economic growth and sustainable human development".

To do this, he continued, "the roadmap therefore bases massive investments in key sectors such as education, health, youth employment, women's empowerment".

The Director General for the Economy and Planning hoped that at the end of the exchanges (…) the journalists and communicators would be “the actors in the implementation of these various instruments and above all ambassadors of the three transformative results, namely zero preventable maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning and zero gender-based violence”.

“I make a strong appeal to all the actors, in particular the communicators that you are, to mobilize more around the government in order to carry out information, awareness-raising and social mobilization actions, with a view to a change in the behavior of populations, especially those living in rural and peri-urban areas,” he called.

The representative of the Resident Representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Burkina Faso Ali Koné, told the participants that this is a sharing workshop that will give them knowledge on Population and Development issues and on what Burkina has committed to in terms of capturing the demographic dividend.

He hoped that at the end of this workshop, journalists and communicators would have enough material to inform those around them and "above all to set up monitoring bodies in order to alert whenever necessary on the gaps recorded or observed in the sense of the achievement of the objectives assigned by these two agendas".

The workshop was held as part of the commemoration of World Population Day 2023, which this year is held under the theme “Unleashing the power of gender equality, making the voices of women and girls heard to open infinite possibilities of our world”.

The workshop was marked by two communications. The first focused on “the national roadmap for capturing the demographic dividend and its action plan”. The second focused on “the commitments made by Burkina Faso at the Nairobi summit in 2019.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Prime Minister Me Apollinaire Kyèlèm de Tambela evaluated this Friday, the last three months of management of three of his ministers. The ministers assessed have more than 50% fulfilled their performance contract.

The assessment of Prime Minister Me Apollinaire Kyèlèm de Tambela noted that the Minister of State, Minister of Public Service, Labor and Social Protection, Bassolma Bazié has fulfilled his objective contract at 50%.

The Minister of Human Rights in charge of relations with the institutions, Rodrigue Bayala, fulfilled his target contract at 55% and that of Industry, Trade and Crafts Serge Poda at 60%.

Minister Bassolma Bazié affirmed that at mid-term of the year, on June 30, 2023, his department is at 50% of the positive achievement rate of the objectives assigned to him.

He explained that his department's role is "to oversee the management of the State's human resources, the reform of the State, good governance, the management of social dialogue, but also to ensure that all the problems and the concerns that come from other institutions and ministries find solutions” at his level. "Each actor has not slept, people have worked seriously," he said.

Minister Bayala said he took over from his predecessor and his department worked on six objectives, including access to justice, human rights and promotion of citizenship, prison administration.

He hoped that in the coming semester, he and his collaborators could improve the rate of execution of their activities even though they have 3 months out of the 6 which are affected by the holidays.

For his part, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Crafts, Serge Poda informed that his contract of objective was declined according to the 03 pillars of the Transition, namely the restoration and the integrity of the State. , the fight against insecurity and the humanitarian crisis that Burkina is going through.

“Based on these pillars, we had set a certain number of specific objectives declined through the action plan for the stabilization and development of Burkina Faso and we had 11 strategic objectives within our ministerial department together with 36 extras,” he pointed out.

The Minister added that out of these 11 strategic objectives, 8 have been fully implemented and for the extras, they have 23 which have been achieved.

Mr. Poda reported that the Prime Minister congratulated them and instructed them to stay the course so that by the end of 2023, the objectives to be assigned to them can be 100% implemented.

Every three months, all the ministers are subjected to this exercise where they go before the head of government to take stock of the activities of their department.

The evaluation started this Friday by continuing tomorrow Saturday August 12 and Monday August 14, 2023 with the other ministers.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

The Burkinabè Broadcasting Company (SBT) organized on Tuesday August 08, 2023, a meeting with TV service editors.

Taking the floor, the Director General of the Burkinabè Broadcasting Company (SBT) Touho Maba David Ganou, thanked the assembly for its presence and subsequently announced the agenda, which is the draft revision of the amounts broadcast fee.

After about 3 years of negotiations, it is for the SBT to finally announce good news to its hosts, namely, the reduction of 52% in the cost of TV broadcasting royalties.

This reduction, which should relieve service providers in these times of crisis, will come into effect from September 1, 2023.

The service editors have all congratulated SBT for the efforts that have made it possible to obtain this substantial reduction. However, taking into account the economic situation of the country which negatively impacts the financial health of their companies, they had the hope that the SBT could agree to a greater reduction.

As for the recovery of previous debts, another meeting is planned with the publishers concerned, in order to find a fair and sustainable solution.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

The Ministry of Communication Technologies announced Friday the launch of a digital wallet service that helps purchase prepaid phone cards and process payments through a mobile phone.

Minister Nizar Ben Neji Friday told a press conference in Tunis this service is tailored to the needs of individuals who started their digital wallets using their digital identities and do not have bank or postal accounts.

An agreement was inked by the Ministry and the three telecommunications operators. Consequently, this service will be accessible in nearly 650 post offices by the end of August, CEO of the Tunisian Post Sami Mekki said. It will be subsequently rolled out to all post offices.

The number of people who created their digital identity exceeded 50,000. A national communication strategy which provides for awareness-raising campaigns in inland regions was devised to promote digital literacy.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Calls for tenders to award by municipalities public contracts to design offices to conduct architectural, technical studies, monitoring and supervision of works in the framework of the Programme for the Regeneration of Old Centres (PRCA), were launched, the Ministry of Public Works and Housing said on Friday.

The programme provides for new interventions in ten selected municipalities: Sousse, Nefta, Kairouan, Nabeul, Monastir, Rades, Médenine, Kelibia, Ras Jebel and Oussja.

The goal is to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of these municipalities, promote the country's rich urban heritage and preserve its historical and architectural value by the regeneration of the old centers, the ministry added

The cost of this programme, which is part of the Economic and Social Development Plan 2016-2020, is estimated at 50 million dinars. It is co-funded by the Tunisian State, the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

These interventions will be entrusted to the ten municipalities selected. They will be in charge of ensuring, within the framework of decentralization, their monitoring and proper execution by adopting a principle of partnership and strengthening the role of citizens and the civil society.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse