Month: May 2023

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Oil production grows to 278,052 barrels in March

Angola’s crude oil production reached 30.059 million barrels in March this year, an increase of 278.52 thousand barrels compared to February.

Despite the rise, the country did not achieved the rate of the production expected of 1.067 thousand barrels of oil per day (BOPD).

It obtained a daily average of 969.64 thousand (BOPD), below the February results.

Data released by the National Concessionaire, the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG), put at 29.78 million the oil production in February, a daily average of 1.063 million barrels of oil (BOPD) against 1.142 million expected.

In the first three months of 2023, Angola exported 86.92 million barrels of crude oil at an average price of USD 78, 711 for a total value of USD 6.92 billion.

OPEC basket price

The basket price of thirteen crude oil of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), was at USD 78,40 per barrel last Thursday compared to USD 81,12 of Wednesday.

According to the calculations of the OPEC Secretariat published Friday that ANGOP had access to, the price dropped to 2.72 USD.

The OPEC Reference Crude Basket (ORB) is made up of Saharan Blend (Algeria), Sunflower (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), as well as, Ax Basrah Medium (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE), and Merey (Venezuela).

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

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Ministry of Education draws attention to teachers

Angolan minister of Education Luísa Grilo Tuesday said that valuing of human capital, with stress to the teachers, represents the Executive’s main challenge.

Luísa Grilo acknowledged this while speaking at the opening ceremony of the sector’s First Consultative Council held in municipality of Luau, eastern Moxico province.

The minister pledged the Executive commitment to continue working toward achieving and overcoming “the great challenges of the sector”, including that of appreciation of human capital, mainly the teachers.

In addition to this challenge, Luísa Grilo also spoke of tackling the problem of educational infrastructures to cater for the children outside the education system.

In her speech, she also spoke of the need to reduce the teacher-student ratio, “urgently” eliminate precarious classrooms and overcome the quality of learning.

She also said that the quality of teaching will be implemented in the review of the curriculum policy and other components, as well as due attention to the management model of the national assessment system and other domains.

As for the meeting, the minister said that she will analyse, among others, the causes and consequences of violence in public and private schools in the country, prevention and mitigation strategies, so that students find a peaceful, familiar and supportive environment at school, where the values of good and healthy coexistence are promoted.

Luísa Grilo said the event serves to promote a reflection on the paths of human resource management, in addition to reinforcing the Executive’s idea of continuing to train staff, so that the duties of primary education teaching staff are guaranteed by qualified teachers.

In turn, the governor of Moxico, Ernesto Muangala, asked the MED for more investment in the region, especially in the construction of technical schools in the interior unicipalities.

The two-day meeting will enable the more than 200 participants to address various issues, such as the national school calendar, expansion of the programme for pre-school and early childhood education, among other matters.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

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Over 77,000 former combatants renew registration process

More than 77,000 former combatants, including the war disabled, widows and family members, have been re-registered since the launch of the first phase of the process in 2019.

This was confirmed by the Secretary of State for Former Combatants and Veterans of the Motherland, Domingos André Tchicanha, who was speaking to the press after the opening ceremony on Tuesday in Luanda.

In the first phase held between 2019 and 2021, the sector planned to re-register 162,300 pensioners, he said.

Domingos André Tchicanha said due to the constraints caused by Covid-19 pandemic, only 77,519 members were re-registered, lacking only 84,781 former combatants.

Tchicanha said 5,000 pensioners in the province of Luanda will be re-registered in the coming 15 days booked for the third phase of the campaign.

He assured that payment was being made to the pensioners, regardless the condition of the updating of data, but warned that the adoption of data will be carried out after the conclusion of the process.

The Secretary of State added that the third phase is an opportunity given to those who had not been re-registered in the two previous phases for various reasons.

The process is for the individual data of pensioners to confirm their existence, to ensure better control and supervision of public spending.

In Luanda, nearly 25.000 pensioners are being assisted.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

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Angolan head of State appeals to citizens for reflection on self-sacrifice work

Angolan president João Lourenço has urged all citizens for a greater reflection on the challenges that lie ahead in order to keep the spirit of selfless work.

The appeal is expressed in a message ahead of the International Workers’ Day celebrated on May 1, published on his official website.

The Head of State also appeals for the need to work towards generating more jobs in the country.

“The only way to guarantee the well-being of families and ensure a better quality of life and a developed country to posterity is decent work”, he expressed.

On May 1, 1886, labour activists in Chicago city, United States, began a strike demanding an eight-hour workday.

During the demonstration, the police clashed with the activists, resulting in the arrests and deaths of workers.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

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World Tuna Day: Seychellois students take a peek at one of largest tuna canneries

Students from secondary and post-secondary schools in Seychelles were able to learn more about all the work done up until tuna cans are put on the market during visits to the Indian Ocean Tuna (IOT) factory on Tuesday.

The visits, which coincided with World Tuna Day, to one of the world”s largest tuna canneries, which is managed by Thai Union, gave students the chance to know what job opportunities are on offer at the company.

The activity was organised in collaboration with the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA). The authority told reporters that the visit will help students to know what goes on at the factory, in case they wish to look for a career at IOT in the future.

“We wanted the students to have the opportunity to know what goes on at every stage of the factory and to also show them the importance of the factory here in Seychelles,” said Darrel Antat, the assistant manager for public relations at SFA.

Antat explained that while this activity was done on World Tuna Day, he hopes that IOT will be open to more visits in the future from students.

IOT is located in New Port in Seychelles’ capital, Victoria, and has over 2,000 workers producing 300 tonnes of the company’s famous canned tuna per day. This kind of visit requires careful planning and it was done in small groups, to ensure the students’ safety as well as ensuring limited disruption of the company’s work.

The company processes tuna caught in the Indian Ocean that is used by some of the most famous seafood brands including John West, Petit Navire and Mareblu.

Thai Union owns 60 percent of IOT and the remaining 40 percent belongs to the government of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.

Two of the students who took part in the visit said that they were very pleased to have been given the opportunity to visit IOT and learned a lot.

“I enjoy everything about the ocean, including fish, so it was great to have seen how the whole process from cleaning the fish to putting them in cans goes,” said Anushka Payet, one of the students.

Gibson Rosine said he was impressed with the level of importance that is put towards hygiene for the staff and also for the fish that is being processed.

“I got the chance to see the work done in the labs here and that was very interesting for me as I want to work in a lab one day,” he said.

World Tuna Day is observed on May 2 every year to raise awareness about the importance of tuna fish and promote sustainable fishing practices.

This date represents the accomplishment of fishing communities, scientists, and environmentalists who collaborated to safeguard tuna schools around the globe and develop a model for sustainable fishing.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

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UNEP-GEF offer Seychelles technical expertise for introducing electric mobility

Four international experts are evaluating and will advise the transport ministry on the best ways to implement electric mobility in Seychelles, the ministry said on Sunday.

The implementation of a two-year electric mobility project in Seychelles was launched in November 2022 and is expected to take four years to complete. It is being implemented with the help of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

UNEP-GEF are key partners in the project, offering technical expertise and a grant of $400,000.

In the first part of the project, the Seychelles Public Transport Corporation (SPTC) will introduce full electric buses to their fleet. Currently, SPTC has 200 buses which complete over 1,400 journey per day and use approximately 220,000 litres of fuel per month

The role of the experts is to provide the best way forward to implement a sustainable electric transport system in the Seychelles during a two-year period.

The experts have knowledge in international policy, business and strategy, international e-mobility technology, international battery technology and charging and renewable energy integration.

In a meeting with the Minister for Transport, Antony Derjacques, the UNEP delegation expressed their satisfaction for the progress that Seychelles has made despite the delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The head of the UNEP delegation, Annika Berlin, said that “strategy and capacity building is the core of the project. We hope to see 50 percent of buses and cars electrified by 2030 and for that we welcome other partners.”

The experts met with key ministries and stakeholders to understand better the procurement of buses and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, and environmental policies such as the disposal of batteries.

The project is also receiving the support of other partners such as IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) and the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) for its transport plan. A potential partner is Calstart, a clean transport expert based in America, which intends to help with the transition to electric mobility and its education.

UNEP-GEF have vast experience working with Small Island Developing States such as Mauritius, Madagascar, the Caribbean, Fiji and the Solomon Islands.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

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Maasai Mara University Student Murdered In Unclear Circumstances

Police in Narok County are investigating the murder of a first year Maasai Mara University female student whose body was found lying in a bush a few meters from the university.

The deceased identified as Adah Nyambura Ameru, aged 20 years, had been reported missing on Sunday by her 23-year-old boyfriend identified as Brian Kimutai.

According to Narok County Police Commander John Kizito, the deceased had gone missing on Saturday night while at a nightclub, as reported by the boyfriend.

The body was later discovered in the Macedonia area by members of the public who reported the incident to the police.

The police boss said the body was half naked with minor bruises on the face adding that it is suspected that the deceased was raped before being murdered.

According to a video that has gone viral on social media, the student was seen in good mood, dancing at the night club, a few hours before she went missing.

Her body was taken to the Narok County Referral Hospital morgue for preservation awaiting postmortem.

Incidents of University students being killed in unclear circumstances have been on the rise in the country.

Last month, a 36-year-old Kenyatta University student June Jerop, was allegedly killed by her boyfriend in unclear circumstances.

In the same month, the body of Ann Wangari, a 22-year-old Bomet University student was recovered from River Nyanogres a week after she had gone missing.

In January the body of Phyllis Jepleting, then a first-year student at Karatina University was found inside her boyfriend’s house in Nakuru.

Kizito called on university students to focus on their studies saying their input is much needed in developing the nation.

‘The whole nation is eagerly waiting for your services. Please concentrate in doing research and anything that will boost your academics while in school,’ advised the police commander.

Source: Kenya News Agency

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Four Suspected Bandits Arrested In Garissa And Firearms Recovered

Four suspected bandits were yesterday arrested by security officers within Nunow area, Garissa County and four AK47 firearms and 543 rounds of ammunition recovered from them.

The combined operation carried out by police and border patrol unit officers following a tip off from the public also saw nineteen rifle magazines and several mobile phones recovered from the suspects who were using a Toyota Probox.

Also recovered were a balaclava, ballistic helmet, a knife and a machete.

Addressing the press after the incident, Garissa County police commander Thomas Ngeiywa said that the suspects were dressed in police uniforms.

‘We suspect these are bandits who have been terrorizing residents of that area for quite some time. We want to commend the members of the public for sharing the information with police that has led to a successful arrest of the suspects,’ Ngeiwya said.

The county commander said that the suspects will be arraigned in court after conclusion of investigations.

Source: Kenya News Agency

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Villagers Dream To Have A Dispensary, Comes True

Residents of Karurumo village and its environs within Kanyenyaini Ward, Murang’a County have expressed joy following the completion and commissioning of a dispensary in the area.

The dream to have a health facility in the area which borders Aberdare forests started many years back when construction of a dispensary was launched but the project stalled soon after.

The former Kangema MP, the late Tirus Ngahu allocated some money from the local CDF to construct the dispensary but the facility was not completed after the legislator failed to defend his seat in 2017.

Residents have been travelling long distances to seek medical services and the dispensary is thus a big relief for them.

The abandoned project was revived by the current Murang’a county administration which allocated funds for its completion.

Area MCA, Grace Nduta on Saturday observed that the newly commissioned facility will greatly assist residents who have been travelling all the way to Kangema and Murang’a hospitals for treatment.

The dispensary, Nduta said will be developed to offer maternity services to assist expectant mothers who have likewise been traveling long distances to deliver.

The MCA said the locals have battled with myriad challenges surrounding health, water and roads which she pledged will be addressed.

‘We thank the county government for listening to the cries of the residents of Karurumo. The dispensary will bring medical services closer to them,’ she stated.

One of the residents, Nancy Wanjiru Wanyoike argued that residents of Karurumo and Kianjuru villages have been subjected to many challenges as they seek treatment.

‘The roads from our villages to Kangema level 3 hospital are not good. It has been a big challenge especially for expectant mothers. The dispensary is a big relief for the sick,’ she noted.

On the other hand, Mzee Peter Gwandaru said it has been a journey to get the facility as the resources got replenished thus stalling of the project.

While launching the dispensary, Governor Irungu Kanga’ata said Karurumo health project is one of the old projects that have remained uncompleted for many years.

He noted that the facility has equipment and people will immediately start accessing healthcare.

‘The MCAs have a kitty to implement community projects and Karurumo dispensary is one of them. The county government has posted health workers in the facility to start treating the sick from this area,’ remarked Kang’ata.

Source: Kenya News Agency

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CGTT S-G calls for respecting trade union freedom

Secretary-General of the Tunisian General Confederation of Trade Unions (CGTT), Habib Guiza, on Monday stressed the importance of respecting the freedom of trade union activity and trade union pluralism, which are considered a pillar of the renewal process of the trade union movement, in accordance with national and international labour law.

In a statement to TAP on the sidelines of a union rally organised by the CGTT in Sousse to celebrate Labour Day, Guiza called for an end to the trade union monopoly and for the right of the working class to freely join a trade union without restriction or instruction to be guaranteed.

The CGTT is proposing a national initiative for a “better Tunisia”, which would provide an opportunity for joint work with the various trade union organisations, Guiza added.

This initiative is committed to respecting general and individual freedoms and to building a sustainable and fair development process, while respecting national sovereignty, he said.

Guiza recalled that this citizens’ initiative is an independent proposition force, open to all those who embrace its objectives and challenges, among national personalities and civil society organisations without exception. He called on the political authorities to respond positively to this national initiative in order to achieve its objectives.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

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