Day: February 15, 2024

The active forces of the commune of Boulsa consulted on Wednesday February 14, 2024 in Boulsa, on the establishment of an accountability committee of twelve people, as part of the technical alliance project Development Assistance Fund (ATAD) called the West and Central Africa Humanitarian Fund (FHAROC). The session was chaired by the Secretary General (SG) of the Namentenga province Bassouleymane Ouattara. To this end, the technical team of the project presented the project of the Technical Alliance for Development Assistance (ATAD) called the West and Central Africa Humanitarian Fund (FHAROC), before revealing the profit of the member of the accountability committee. The date for the effective establishment of the committee is set for February 22, 2024. This committee of twelve members will be composed of four representatives of customary and religious communities, two representatives of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), three representatives of host families, one representative of each of the women's s tructures, young people, people living with disabilities. Activities related to agriculture, livestock breeding, hygiene and sanitation, health and public lighting will be carried out, as part of the project under the supervision of the provincial directorate in charge of Social Action. . It also intends to make investments to contribute to improving the resilience of communities affected by the security and humanitarian crisis in the Namentenga province. The head of the project, Aisseta Simporé née Ouédraogo, indicated that the committee which will be the interface between the base and the project and will also have the mission of denouncing the various abuses that it observes on the ground. These are, among others, gender-based violence and bad governance. Ms. Simporé specified that at the end of the implementation of the project, the committee will benefit from training relating to its mission, the reporting of cases and the use of a toll-free number. The SG of Namentenga province, Bassouleymane Ouat tara thanked the Technical Alliance for Development Assistance (ATAD) project for its invaluable contribution to the resilience of populations. Source: Burkina Information Agency

Museum Curator-Restorer, Sabari Christian Dao, was appointed Wednesday Director General of the national museum, in the Council of Ministers. Source: Burkina Information Agency

The Emirates News Agency (WAM) organized, on the sidelines of the 2024 World Government Summit, a round table on the theme 'The Central Role of News Agencies and Shaping Economic Stories for the World future" This roundtable aims to focus on the role of news agencies in supporting future economies, the dissemination of innovative economic concepts, as well as the willingness of news agencies to cope with emerging economic sectors, strengthening the role media skills in future business journalism, as well as the important role of media partnerships between news agencies to exchange experiences and training to improve the expertise and capabilities of young media skills. On this occasion, Mohammed Jalal Al Raisi, Director General of the Emirates News Agency (WAM), highlighted the key role of news agencies in promoting the concepts of future economies and their effective dissemination to the public, stressing that the media sector is experiencing remarkable development in line with the technological developmen t that the world is witnessing with the presence of new technologies in media work such as artificial intelligence and the data and information revolution that are shaping the future of economic media. Al Raisi said the roundtable highlighted 4 key issues, including the importance of communicating with new economic sectors, the challenges and opportunities offered by these sectors, as well as ways to promote economic journalism, and the he importance of strengthening strategic partnerships between news agencies and the different media. He explained that the round table resulted in several recommendations, represented by the need to train and qualify workers of news agencies and media institutions through the conclusion of partnerships with government and private institutions concerned with economic affairs in order to to train media professionals on how to handle data and information related to new economies. Including the green economy, digital currencies and artificial intelligence. For his part, Mohamm ed Al-Yami, Director General of the Union of News Agencies of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (UNA), highlighted the leading role of news agencies in managing new economies despite the surrounding challenges, highlighting the need to keep pace with the transformations and changes taking place in the media field at present and to adapt to new technological developments. As for Mr. Farid Ayyar, Secretary General of the Union of Arab News Agencies, he stressed that news agencies play a leading role in the formation of public opinion capable of understanding economic trends, stressing that The majority of international agencies have specialized economic departments which disseminate economic news, information and reports of interest to public opinion. Grégoire Nagaka, director general of the African Radio-Television Union (UAR), for his part insisted on the need to verify the current capacities of press agencies and their willingness to cover and interact with emerging economic sectors such as green en ergy, cryptocurrencies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven industries. Speaking at the roundtable, Adrian Wells, CEO of the European information network INEX, noted the growing interest in new and future economies, Sana Ali, Managing Director of Pakistan International Press (PPI), said, She also stressed the importance of collaborative efforts between news agencies, government institutions and economic entities and their potential impact on supporting and promoting future economies, and finally, Elena Savova, deputy director of the Office of economic information at the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), insisted, for her part, on the need to prepare media skills to work in economic journalism with an emphasis on future trends and innovations. The meeting took place in the presence of a group of officials and directors of news agencies from the Arab region, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, reports Union of OIC News Agencies (UNA). Source: Burkina Information Agency

Civil administrator Ram Joseph Kafando was appointed governor of the Eastern region on Wednesday in the council of ministers. Previously, he served as regional secretary general of the Central region. Source: Burkina Information Agency

Nigerian authorities can no longer subsidize electricity for the population, Energy Minister Adebayo Adelabu has said. 'What we have planned in the 2024 budget for subsidies is 450 billion naira [279 million euros] and we will need 2.9 trillion naira [1.8 billion euros] for subsidies. So can we afford it? We must be realistic. Can we afford it? ', he declared according to the daily Premium Times. Nigeria cannot continue to subsidize electricity, the country must start moving towards an economically efficient tariff model, he argues. However, the minister did not specify when and to what extent the government intended to reduce electricity subsidies for the population. Last year, fuel subsidies were removed in Nigeria, leading to a doubling of gasoline and diesel prices. As a result, inflation worsened and food prices rose sharply in the country. Source: Burkina Information Agency

Health Minister Ali Mrabet is taking part on Thursday, in the meeting of the Supreme Council of the Arab Board of Health Specialisations (ABHS), held in Amman (Jordan), in the presence of several Arab Health Ministers and representatives of Arab health organisations. Mrabet had several talks with officials in the fields of medicines and digitisation which focused on the prospects for cooperation between the Tunisian and Jordanian Health Ministries and a number of issues of mutual intererst in the health field, according to a health department press release. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Steering Committee of the Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Youth and Employment in Tunisia, at its first meeting on Wednesday evening, approved the launch of the project to support investment in the agro-food sector and the development of agro-food systems in six governorates. The project aims to stimulate entrepreneurship, create 1,575 direct and indirect jobs and stabilise 600 jobs, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training on Thursday. The three-year project will be launched this year in partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and in cooperation with various local stakeholders. The meeting was attended by Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Lotfi Dhiab, Minister of the Economy and Planning, Feriel Ouerghi Sebai, the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, Samia Charfi, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Tunisia, Joséphine Barbara Frantzen, and Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Tunisia, Arnaud Peral. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Seed cotton production forecasts for the 2023/2024 campaign are estimated at 407,500 tonnes, an increase of 1% compared to the previous campaign, announced the government, welcoming the support of producers despite the difficult security context and the rising prices of certain agricultural inputs. 'Forecasts for seed cotton production for the 2023/2024 campaign would stand at 407,500 tonnes, an increase of 1% compared to the previous campaign,' we read in the report of the Council of Ministers this Wednesday. According to the same document, the forecast national average yield could stand at 882 kg/ha compared to 654 kg/ha for the 2022/2023 campaign, an improvement of 35%. The government, which took stock on Wednesday at the halfway point of the 2023/2024 cotton campaign, welcomed the support of producers which made it possible to achieve this result despite the difficult context marked by the security crisis and the rise in cotton prices. certain agricultural inputs such as fertilizers. According to him, the transfer prices of inputs on credit for conventional cotton were set at 28,000 CFA francs per 50 kg bag of NPKSB fertilizer, at 32,000 CFA francs per 50 kg bag of Urea fertilizer and at 6,000 F CFA per hectare treatment for insecticides . Source: Burkina Information Agency Boosting Cooperation in the field of manufacturing medicines between Tunisia and Jordan, digitizing the health sector, promoting training and ensuring thermal water care» were the focus of a working session, held Thursday, in Amman, between Health Minister Ali Mrabet and his Jordanian counterpart Firas Haouari. The working session was held on the sidelines of the Health Minister's participation in the meetings of the executive office and the high authority of the Arab Council of Medical Specializations (from February 15 to 17 in Amman), reads a statement of by the Health Ministry on Thursday. The two ministers discussed several topics related on the updating of the draft executive programme of the memorandum of health cooperation between the two countries by sharing experiences in the manufacturing of medicines, specific treatments of pediatric cardiovascular surgery and treatment of cancer diseases. They exchanged views regarding the development of cooperation opportunities in the field of health and agre ed to complete the procedures for opening in Tunis the coordination office of the Arab Council for Medical Specializations as well as support Tunisia's candidacy to the presidency of the high authority of this council. Furthermore, Mrabet made field visits to the medicine manufacturing company «Hikma» and the health management company «Hakim» to learn about the health digitization sector in Jordan. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Burkinabe government announced on Wednesday the organization of a national vaccination campaign against measles and rubella from March 15 to 21 in 170 health districts, aiming to strengthen the immunity of 3,489,383 children aged 9 at 59 months. 'The Minister of Health and Public Hygiene made a communication to the Council relating to the organization of a national vaccination campaign against measles and rubella in 2024 in Burkina Faso. The campaign which will take place from March 15 to 21, 2024 in 170 health districts, aims to strengthen the immunity of children aged 9 to 59 months against measles and rubella in our country,' we can read in the council report. of ministers this Wednesday. According to the same source, this vaccination campaign will allow 3,489,383 children in the relevant age group to receive either the first dose or an additional dose of the vaccine against measles and rubella. This vaccination campaign, scheduled in the National Vaccination Strategy (SNV) 2022-2026, will also make it possible to improve vaccination coverage, reduce the number of epidemic outbreaks and infant mortality, adds the document. 'Its total cost of USD 6,761,460 is financed by the Burkinabè State and technical and financial partners including the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI),' concluded the said document. Source: Burkina Information Agency

Seed cotton production forecasts for the 2023/2024 campaign are estimated at 407,500 tonnes, an increase of 1% compared to the previous campaign, announced the government, welcoming the support of producers despite the difficult security context and the rising prices of certain agricultural inputs. 'Forecasts for seed cotton production for the 2023/2024 campaign would stand at 407,500 tonnes, an increase of 1% compared to the previous campaign,' we read in the report of the Council of Ministers this Wednesday. According to the same document, the forecast national average yield could stand at 882 kg/ha compared to 654 kg/ha for the 2022/2023 campaign, an improvement of 35%. The government, which took stock on Wednesday at the halfway point of the 2023/2024 cotton campaign, welcomed the support of producers which made it possible to achieve this result despite the difficult context marked by the security crisis and the rise in cotton prices. certain agricultural inputs such as fertilizers. According to him, the transfer prices of inputs on credit for conventional cotton were set at 28,000 CFA francs per 50 kg bag of NPKSB fertilizer, at 32,000 CFA francs per 50 kg bag of Urea fertilizer and at 6,000 F CFA per hectare treatment for insecticides . Source: Burkina Information Agency