Month: May 2023

The parliamentary committee on National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) has commended the initiative by the leadership in Uriri Constituency for adopting a digital system in the distribution of education bursary.

The committee which on Monday toured Uriri Constituency to inspect the progress of the development projects done by the area Member of Parliament Mark Nyamita in the previous term was impressed by the technological input to the disbursement of the funds.

Led by Eldama Ravine Member of Parliament Mr Moses Sirma, the body noted that the decision to disburse the bursary funds online will not only provide faster accessibility of bursary services by the befitting students but also offer transparency and accountability in the use of government resources.

Speaking during the assessment tour, Mr Sirma explained: “the digital route will eradicate corruption in the distribution of the CDF funds and also allow easy reach of the bursary services to the students many of who live in rural set ups away from the the Constituency offices.

The team inspected four fully completed projects in the constituency which included the Uriri Technical Training Institute (TTI), Rapogi mix primary complex, a laboratory at Nyamasaria Secondary School and the Kajulu Sub-Chief offices in West Kanyamkago ward.

Mr Sirma said the role of the oversight board is to ensure the proper utilization of the funds allocated to the Constituency for Development, and praised legislators who have so far adhered to the required financial disciple.

MP Nyamita is one example of the legislators who have shown that the funds can be used well on projects his exceptional leadership, citing that the complete project, he said.

Mr George Olemeshuko, Director of the NG-CDF board said that the constructing and equipping of the Uriri Technical Training Institute (TTI) where over 1200 students have been admitted was a good indicator that the development funds under the constituency had been spent well with a view to impart students with relevant skills.

“It is the agenda of the National Government to ensure our children are equipped well with relevant skills in Technical areas and we are happy now that Mr Nyamita has shaped this agenda by constructing a technical school,” said Mr Olemeshuko.

Dagoretti North Member of Parliament Ms Beatrice Elachi pleaded with the National Government to offer scholarships to students in TTIs as a way to augment the insufficient constituency bursary funds in order to educate more students.

“We want to request the National Government that when a huge population of students in TTI like what is in Uriri, it is only good to just give offer students scholarship to augment thistle funds from the constituency kitty,” said Ms Elachi.

Area MP, Nyamita vowed to sponsor a bill in parliament seeking to increase the allocation of the NG – CDF fund from 2.5 per cent to 5 per cent.

He also revealed that the NG-CDF board has allocated an additional four million shillings to the constituency kitty, an amount that will make a big difference in the new number of the beneficiaries

Nyamita at the same time criticized the Migori county government for its discriminatory practices in allocating the County bursary.

He claimed that students from the Technical Training Institutes (TTIs) he helped establish were not receiving the necessary support from the county government.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Angolan Government said it will increase television coverage, from the currently 40% to 100%, aimed to ensure the citizens access to accurate information.

The initiative is part of a preliminary strategic plan until 2050, which has been put out for public consultation.

The measure is also intended to expand the radio signal, from the current 31% to 95% by 2050, and by 2030 it plans to reach 49%.

As for the television signal, whose current coverage stands at 40%, the Government plans to have 57% coverage by 2030, and full coverage by 2050.

Still, the Government plans to improve radio and television transmission capacity by rehabilitating the infrastructure and expansion of coverage throughout the country.

The strategy also involves improving public information services, promoting content in the local language and programmes for rural and vulnerable populations.

The government is also committed until 2050 to guarantee a more modern, independent and inclusive media sector.

According to the document in consultation, the immediate priorities for 2027 are to ensure the sustainability of the State’s involvement in the media sector, clearly defining the public media service to be provided, as well as implementing a programme to restructure and modernise the different bodies.

Angola 2050 strategic plan is aimed to improve the quality of programmes, news and opinion articles, strengthening training and emphasising journalistic integrity.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Angolan ecologist, João Serôdio, explained Monday in Luanda that Angola is geographically in an intermediate position, with little possibility of being affected by climate change, comparing to other countries.

The university professor also made this statement to the press at the seminar on Education for Climate Action, with the aim of transforming individuals and communities.

According to him, climate changes have always existed, millions of years ago, and are always conditioned by several factors, so living beings have to adapt against these changes.

To João Serôdio, the Angola’s climatic reality is different from that of Europe, where there is flooding of cities and terrible droughts, as in South Africa.

According to the ecologist, probably between 2040 and 2060 there will be a very severe drought in Southern Africa, and in Benguela in particular, which will force the populations of the south to emigrate to the north or to the Congo.

“I am very concerned about the productivity capacity of Cuando Cubango, with the large foreign investments, knowing that probably in 10 or 15 years there will be a great drought in that region”, he expressed.

João Serôdio slammed the way in which wood is exploited in the country, as it could cause a severe drought.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Angolan government approved Tuesday the construction-oriented project during the 4th Ordinary Session of the Economic Commission of the Cabinet Council chaired by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço.

In its press note, released at the end of the Session, the Commission states that this is a five-year project – 2023-2027 – designed for the national citizens.

The documents adds that the project represents a mechanism for the execution of public policies in the field of land management and housing construction, aimed to ensure people’s decent living standards.

The Executive intends to promote the distribution of four (4) million of plot of lands by 2050, with the view to reducing the housing deficit.

The measure will help create conditions for construction of a housing model of a social nature, with easy, quick and low-cost implementation and application.

The intention is also to appeal to commercial banks to consider the use of legal land tenure titles to obtain financing and stop the proliferation of informal settlements.

The 4th Session also approved the Employment Fund of Angola (FUNEA), aimed to guarantee the financial resources necessary for the promotion of public and private initiatives that will allow the insertion of newly trained and

unemployed people into the labour market.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

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