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A working session on «following up the supply of energy materials in the coming period» was chaired by Prime Minister Najla Bouden on Tuesday in Kasbah.The session discussed the «work programme of agencies active in the sector and…
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
Prime Minister Najla Bouden received the annual report of the National Access to Information Authority (INAI) for 2020 and 2021, as she met its INAI president Adnan Lassoued at the Government Palace in Kasbah Tuesday.
The meeting provided a “great opportunity to talk about the gains made in the field, since the establishment of the INAI in late 2017,» the Prime Ministry said in a statement.
The number of cases filed before the INAI during the reporting period (2020 and 2021) reached 1094 cases, of which 714 were resolved, according to the 203-page report published by the Authority online.
During the same period, 841 public structures concerned with the Organic Law on the Right of Access to Information were monitored. The percentage of state agencies that appointed access to information officials as required by law was 84 per cent.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
Prime Minister Najla Bouden met Tuesday evening at the Government Palace in the Kasbah with the Governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia, Marouane El Abbassi.The governor handed over to the Prime Minister the financial statements of the…
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
With the aim of creating a comprehensive database on the work and status of artists in Seychelles, that will be accessible to all locally and internationally, the Creative Seychelles Agency (CSA) is launching a national census soon.
Through the State of Artists Census, the agency will collect details such as the form of art the person is involved in, the number of years the person has been practicing the art form, and if the individual is practicing the art full-time or part-time amongst other details. It is expected to take a year to complete the census.
The executive director of the agency, Emmanuel D’Offay, said in a press conference on Tuesday that “the census is very important for us, as it will provide us with all the information that we need so as to know the state of arts and of artists in the country.”
“We often find ourselves in situations, where, especially on an international level, we get a lot of demands for specific artists, and we do not know all artists in that specific field. So if we are aware of only one person who does jazz, for example, we are always sending that one person overseas, and other artists complain,” explained D’Offay.
He said that the database to be compiled after the census will tackle this problem.
“Each artist, regardless of the art form they practice, must make it their responsibility to participate in this census,” added D’Offay.
Once the census is launched, artists can access the form online on the Creative Seychelles Agency Facebook page, the National Arts and Craft Council of Seychelles website as well as that of the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts.
During the census, a team of people, led by Jany Letourdie, a well-known Seychellois singer, will be responsible for the collection of information. She will go to districts and do the necessary to ensure that we get the maximum of artists to partake in the census.
“As an artist myself, I already know quite a number of artists. We can go through associations as well, put out adverts, and word of mouth. We will make announcements when we are going to different districts,” said Letourdie.
Once the information is collected, it will be handed to Sybil Labrosse, who will compile the information in the database, which will later be placed online on the upcoming CSA website.
CSA will then be able to establish the number of artists at each level of professionalism. Post-census, the agency will meet up with artists to provide training and talks, to provide information on diverse areas in the creative field, such as making it to the international scene, the need to have managers, and having a retirement plan.
“Anyone with a sense of creativity can become an artist, but not everyone can be placed in the same category or level. So this census will allow us to be able to establish if an artist is a professional, an amateur, or debutant amongst other categories,” said D’Offay.
The census will also provide statistics to hold talks with banks and insurance companies among others to find ways to better serve artists in the country.
Source: Seychelles News Agency
Prime Minister Najla Bouden met on Tuesday at the Government Palace in the Kasbah with former President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, a winner of the Fatima al-Fihri award.
Najla Bouden congratulated the former President of Malta on receiving Monday the Fatima al-Fihri award presented by the Ministry of Family, Women, Children and Seniors to leading figures in support of women’s rights from the Mediterranean countries.
The meeting focused on “the importance of taking care of children and youth and the need to give priority to strengthening the educational system through the development of education and training programmes,” according to a statement from the Prime Ministry.
It also emphasised the need to work to take into account the human dimension by combating the phenomena of poverty, early dropout from school and migration.
Najla Bouden and Marie-Louise Coleiro stressed that “combating irregular migration requires a comprehensive approach to reduce it,” in addition to considering programmes aimed at economic empowerment and taking care of children and youth.
the Fatima al-Fihri award was presented Monday to eight women who distinguished themselves for their contribution and in recognition of their work in various fields, including the late Maya Jribi and Ahlam Belhaj, from the political and rights spheres.
This year’s recipients from outside Tunisia included former President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca for launching several initiatives and associations in support of human rights as well as for supporting efforts to combat cancer.
Algerian novelist Rabia Djelti, who served as a professor at the University of Oran, also won the award for her novels and poetry.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
Seychelles’ men’s national football team will face a tough test in the 2023 Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup in Durban after having been drawn in the group with the title-holder Zambia.
The Seychelles’ side is in group B with Zambia, Malawi, and Comoros. While Comoros is a known opponent from the Indian Ocean neighbour, the team’s biggest test will be against defending and record champions of the tournament, Zambia.
Zambia were the inaugural winner of the competition in 1997, and along with Zimbabwe, have won it a record six times each. Malawi, a two-time finalist, will also be a tough test for the Seychellois side.
For Seychelles, this competition has always been a tough one, with the team only ever winning once, and that was on penalties against Namibia in 2006.
At the time, in the group stages, four teams competed in a straight knockout and Seychelles’ win put them in the group C final, where they lost 2-0 to eventual champions, Zambia.
Group A comprises South Africa, Namibia, Eswatini, and Botswana, and group C is made up of Mozambique, Angola, Mauritius and Lesotho.
Two top teams from each group will advance to the last-four stage, along with the best-placed runner-up.
The competition’s format has changed for this year and there will be 12 teams from the region divided into three pools of four teams each. The previous format had two groups of four teams while six other teams joined at the quarterfinal stage.
According to the oganisers, the new format will ensure that a team plays a minimum of three games and allows for an extra day’s rest between most pool games.
The pool games in Durban will take place from July 5-12, while the semi-finals will be on July 14. The final and third-place play-offs are scheduled for two days later.
Seychellois Suketu Patel named Cosafa honorary president
At the ceremony, Seychellois Suketu Patel, a former president of the Seychelles Football Federation (SFF) was named honorary president of Cosafa.
Patel said this is definitely a sign that his contributions have been appreciated. (Mervyn Marie, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY
Patel, who also served as vice president of the African Football Confederation (CAF), received the award at the Cosafa annual general meeting in South Africa, where the draw for the Cosafa Cup also took place.
The vice president of the SFF, Dolor Ernesta, received the award on behalf of Patel from the hands of Zambian Breda Kunda, chairperson of the Cosafa women’s committee.
Patel told SNA that “when I was in the position I did my best and this is definitely a sign that our contributions have been appreciated.”
“I do feel good to be given this title, but when I was doing that job it was not to be given any honours, but to ensure the development of football in the region,” he added.
Salemane Phafane from Lesotho and Adam Mthethwa from Eswatini were awarded honorary vice-president status, while Ashford Mamelodi of Botswana was named as an honorary secretary general.
The Cosafa is an annual tournament for teams from Southern Africa organised by the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA). It started after the ban against South Africa was lifted and the country was able to host the African Cup of Nations in 1996.
Source: Seychelles News Agency
Tounesna” is the new national programme to promote the socio-economic reintegration of Tunisian migrants returning home, whether voluntarily or by force, CEO of the Office of Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Mansouri has announced.
In a statement to TAP, he said that the scheme, set up by OTE with the support of the France Expertise agency and funding from the French Office for Migration and Integration, offers Tunisian returnees a range of services tailored to their needs, as well as financial support.
Mansouri pointed out that returnees wishing to set up a small project receive a grant of around 16,000 dinars and two years’ support once their application has been assessed and accepted by the committee.
The OTE CEO pointed out that 59 from the 253 Tunisian migrants who returned to Tunisia voluntarily or by force between January 1 and October 31, 2022 have benefited from the “Tounesna” programme, 42 of whom had launched projects, while 15 migrants have received social assistance and two migrants found employment, according to OTE statistics.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse