Day: July 18, 2023

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Major Shake-Up in World’s Passport Power Ranking

LONDON, July 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Japan has been knocked off the top spot on the Henley Passport Index for the first time in five years and bumped into 3rd place, according to the latest ranking, which is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Singapore is now officially the most powerful passport in the world, with its citizens able to visit 192 destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free. Germany, Italy, and Spain all move up into 2nd place with visa-free access to 190 destinations, and Japanese passport holders join those of six other nations — Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden — in 3rd place with access to 189 destinations without a prior visa.

The UK appears to have finally turned the corner after a six-year decline, jumping up two places on the latest ranking to 4th place — a position it last held in 2017. The US, on the other hand, continues its now decade-long slide down the index, plummeting a further two places to 8th spot with access to just 184 destinations visa-free. Both the UK and the US jointly held 1st place on the index nearly 10 years ago in 2014, but have been on a downward trajectory ever since. Afghanistan remains entrenched at the bottom of the Henley Passport Index, with a visa-free access score of just 27, followed by Iraq (score of 29), and Syria (score of 30) — the three weakest passports in the world.

The general trend over the history of the 18-year-old ranking has been towards greater travel freedom, with the average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2023. However, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than it has ever been, with top-ranked Singapore able to access 165 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan.

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, says only eight countries worldwide have less visa-free access today than they did a decade ago, while others have been more successful in securing greater travel freedom for their citizens. “The UAE has added an impressive 107 destinations to its visa-free score since 2013, resulting in a massive leap of 44 places in the ranking over the past 10 years from 56th to 12th position. Of the countries sitting in the Top 10, the US has seen the smallest increase in its score, securing just 12 additional destinations. Singapore, by comparison, has increased its score by 25, pushing it up five places over the past 10 years to number one.”

Commenting in the Henley Global Mobility Report 2023 Q3, released today alongside the latest index, Greg Lindsay from Cornell Tech’s Jacobs Institute, says that from a purely mechanical perspective, “the story is a simple one — by more or less standing still, the US has fallen behind. While its absolute score has in fact risen over the last decade, the US has been steadily overtaken by rivals such as South Korea, Japan, and Singapore. America’s relentless slide down the rankings is a warning to its neighbor Canada and the rest of the Anglosphere as well.”

The links between visa-free access and openness

Henley & Partners has conducted exclusive new research into the relationship between a country’s openness to foreigners — how many nations it allows to cross its borders visa-free — and its own citizens’ travel freedom. The new Henley Openness Index ranks all 199 countries worldwide according to the number of nationalities they permit entry to without a prior visa.

The Top 20 ‘most open’ countries are all small island nations or African states, except for Cambodia. There are 12 countries that are completely open to all passports and four that don’t allow anyone in visa-free. While the correlation between a high openness score and high visa-free access score is not straightforward, it is notable that Singapore and South Korea — high climbers on the Henley Passport Index Top 10 over last decade, moving up from 6th and 7th respectively in 2013 to 1st and 3rd today — boast relatively high degrees of openness compared to the 5 countries with the biggest disparity between the travel freedom they enjoy, versus the visa-free access they provide to other nationalities. US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan have all either slid down the ranking or remained in the same place as their openness stagnates.

Prof. Peter J. Spiro, who holds the Charles Weiner Chair in international law at Temple University, says America’s extension of visa-free access is low, even by the standard of developed economies. “EU states grant visa-free privileges to more than twice the number of states than does the US. Processing delays, high refusal rates, and a reputation for disagreeable customer service are tarnishing the attractiveness of the US as a destination. Add to that the growing reputation of the US as ridden with gun violence and one can project a long-term trajectory in which US global standing further erodes.”

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Changement majeur dans le classement mondial de la puissance des passeports

LONDRES, 18 juill. 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pour la première fois en cinq ans, le Japon a été détrôné de la première place du Henley Passport Index pour passer à la 3e place, selon le dernier classement réalisé sur la base des données exclusives et officielles de l’Assocation internationale du transport aérien (IATA). Désormais, c’est Singapour qui délivre officiellement le passeport le plus puissant au monde, permettant à ses citoyens de visiter 192 destinations sur 227 dans le monde sans visa. L’Allemagne, l’Italie et l’Espagne se hissent toutes à la 2e place avec un accès sans visa à 190 destinations, et les détenteurs d’un passeport japonais rejoignent la position de six autres pays : l’Autriche, la Finlande, la France, le Luxembourg, la Corée du Sud et la Suède — en 3e place avec accès à 189 destinations sans visa préalable.

Le Royaume-Uni semble avoir finalement inversé la tendance après une baisse de six années consécutives en regagnant deux places dans le dernier classement pour passer à la 4e place, une position que le pays a occupé pour la dernière fois en 2017. Les États-Unis, en revanche, poursuivent depuis maintenant une décennie leur dégringolade dans le classement de l’indice, chutant de deux places supplémentaires à la 8e place avec un accès sans visa à seulement 184 destinations. Il y a près de dix ans, en 2014, le Royaume-Uni et les États-Unis occupaient conjointement la 1ère place de l’indice, mais ont suivi depuis une trajectoire descendante. L’Afghanistan reste bien ancrée au bas du Henley Passport Index, avec un score d’accès sans visa de seulement 27, suivi de l’Irak (29) et de la Syrie (30), ces trois pays délivrant les passeports les plus faibles au monde.

Au cours des 18 années de l’histoire du classement, la tendance générale a été vers une plus grande liberté de voyager, le nombre moyen de destinations auxquelles les voyageurs peuvent accéder sans visa ayant presque doublé, passant ainsi de 58 en 2006 à 109 en 2023. Cependant, l’écart de mobilité mondiale entre ceux qui se trouvent au sommet de l’indice et ceux qui se trouvent en bas de celui-ci est à présent plus large qu’il ne l’a jamais été, avec Singapour en tête du classement, ce pays pouvant accéder sans visa à 165 destinations de plus que l’Afghanistan.

Christian H. Kaelin, président de Henley & Partners, déclare que seuls huit pays dans le monde disposent d’un accès sans visa plus limité aujourd’hui qu’il y a dix ans, tandis que d’autres pays ont mieux réussi à obtenir une plus grande liberté de déplacement pour leurs citoyens. « Les Émirats arabes unis ont ajouté le nombre impressionnant de 107 destinations supplémentaires à leur accès sans visa depuis 2013, ce qui a entraîné un bond massif de 44 places dans le classement au cours des 10 dernières années, passant de la 56e à la 12e position. Parmi les pays figurant dans le Top 10, les États-Unis ont enregistré la plus faible augmentation de leur score, n’obtenant que douze destinations supplémentaires. Singapour, en comparaison, a augmenté son score de 25 destinations supplémentaires, faisant grimper ce pays de cinq places au cours des dix dernières années pour devenir numéro un du classement. »

Greg Lindsay de l’Institut Jacobs de Cornell Tech, commentant le Henley Global Mobility Report 2023 Q3, publié aujourd’hui en même temps que le dernier indice, déclare que d’un point de vue purement mécanique, « l’explication est toute simple : en restant plus ou moins dans l’immobilisme, les États-Unis ont pris du retard. Alors que leur score absolu a en réalité augmenté au cours de la dernière décennie, les États-Unis ont été régulièrement dépassés par des rivaux tels que la Corée du Sud, le Japon et Singapour. La chute incessante de l’Amérique dans le classement est un avertissement pour son voisin, le Canada, ainsi que pour le reste de l’anglosphère. »

Les liens entre accès sans visa et ouverture

Henley & Partners a mené de nouvelles recherches exclusives sur la relation qui existe entre l’ouverture d’un pays aux étrangers – à combien de nations il permet de traverser ses frontières sans visa – et la liberté de voyager de ses propres citoyens. Le nouveau Henley Openness Index classe les 199 pays du monde en fonction du nombre de nationalités auxquelles ils autorisent l’entrée sans visa préalable sur leur territoire.

Le Top 20 des pays « les plus ouverts » sont tous des petits États insulaires ou des États africains, à l’exception du Cambodge. On dénombre ainsi douze pays complètement ouverts à tous les passeports, et quatre autres qui n’autorisent personne à entrer sur leur territoire sans visa. Bien que la corrélation entre un score d’ouverture élevé et un score d’accès sans visa élevé ne soit pas toujours simple, il est à noter que Singapour et la Corée du Sud – qui enregistrent les meilleures progressions du Top 10 du Henley Passport Index au cours de la dernière décennie en passant de la 6e et de la 7e place respectivement en 2013 à la 1e et à la 3e place aujourd’hui – affichent des degrés d’ouverture relativement élevés par rapport aux cinq pays présentant la plus grande disparité entre la liberté de voyager dont ils bénéficient et l’accès sans visa qu’ils offrent aux autres nationalités. Les États-Unis, le Canada, l’Australie, la Nouvelle-Zélande et le Japon ont tous reculé dans le classement ou sont restés à la même position parce que leur degré d’ouverture a stagné.

Le professeur Peter J. Spiro, titulaire de la chaire Charles Weiner de droit international à l’université Temple, affirme que l’extension de l’accès sans visa proposée par les États-Unis est faible, même par rapport à la norme des économies développées. « Les États de l’UE accordent des privilèges sans visa à plus de deux fois plus d’États que ne le font les États-Unis. Les retards de traitement, les taux de refus élevés et la réputation d’un service client désagréable ternissent l’attrait des États-Unis en tant que destination. Si l’on ajoute à cela la réputation croissante des États-Unis en tant que pays en proie à la violence armée, on peut envisager une trajectoire à long terme dans laquelle la position mondiale des États-Unis s’érode davantage encore. »

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Grande Mudança na Classificação Mundial de Passaportes

LONDRES, July 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — O Japão foi destituído do primeiro lugar no Henley Passport Index pela primeira vez em cinco anos e esbarrou no 3º lugar, de acordo com a última classificação, que é baseada em dados exclusivos e oficiais da Associação Internacional de Transporte Aéreo (IATA). Agora, Cingapura possui oficialmente o passaporte mais poderoso do mundo, com seus cidadãos podendo visitar 192 destinos de um total de 227 ao redor do mundo, sem a necessidade de visto. Alemanha, Itália e Espanha sobem para o 2º lugar, com acesso sem visto a 190 destinos, e os portadores de passaporte japonês se juntam aos de outras seis nações — Áustria, Finlândia, França, Luxemburgo, Coreia do Sul e Suécia — em 3ºlugar, com acesso a 189 destinos sem visto prévio.

O Reino Unido parece ter finalmente dado a volta por cima depois de um declínio de seis anos, saltando duas posições na última classificação para o 4º lugar — uma posição que ocupou pela última vez em 2017. Os EUA, por outro lado, continuam sua queda de uma década no índice, despencando mais duas posições para o 8º lugar, com acesso a apenas 184 destinos sem visto. Tanto o Reino Unido quanto os EUA ocupavam juntos o 1º lugar no índice há quase 10 anos, em 2014, mas estão em uma trajetória de queda desde então. O Afeganistão continua entrincheirado na parte inferior do Henley Passport Index, com uma pontuação de acesso sem visto de apenas 27, seguido pelo Iraque (pontuação de 29) e Síria (pontuação de 30) — os três passaportes mais fracos do mundo.

A tendência geral ao longo da história da classificação de 18 anos tem sido no sentido de uma maior liberdade de viagens, com o número médio de destinos que os viajantes conseguem acessar sem visto quase duplicando, de 58 em 2006 para 109 em 2023. No entanto, a diferença de mobilidade global entre aqueles que estão no topo e na base do índice é agora maior do que nunca, com Cingapura no primeiro lugar capaz de acessar 165 destinos a mais, sem visto, do que o Afeganistão.

O Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, presidente da Henley & Partners, diz que apenas oito países em todo o mundo têm menos acesso sem visto hoje do que há uma década, enquanto outros foram mais bem-sucedidos em garantir maior liberdade de viagem para seus cidadãos. “Os Emirados Árabes Unidos adicionaram impressionantes 107 destinos à sua pontuação sem visto desde 2013, resultando em um salto maciço de 44 posições na classificação nos últimos 10 anos, da 56ª para a 12ª posição. Dos países que estão no Top 10, os EUA tiveram o menor aumento em sua pontuação, garantindo apenas 12 destinos adicionais. Cingapura, em comparação, aumentou sua pontuação em 25, empurrando-a cinco posições nos últimos 10 anos para o número um.”

Comentando no Henley Global Mobility Report 2023 Q3, divulgado hoje junto com o último índice, Greg Lindsay do Jacobs Institute da Cornell Tech, diz que, de uma perspectiva puramente mecânica, “a história é simples: ao ficarem mais ou menos parados, os EUA ficaram para trás. Embora sua pontuação absoluta tenha de fato aumentado na última década, os EUA têm sido constantemente ultrapassados por rivais como Coreia do Sul, Japão e Cingapura. A queda implacável dos Estados Unidos na classificação é um alerta para seu vizinho Canadá e para o resto da Anglosfera também.”

As ligações entre a isenção de vistos e a abertura

A Henley & Partners realizou uma nova pesquisa exclusiva sobre a relação entre a abertura de um país a estrangeiros — quantas nações ele permite cruzar suas fronteiras sem visto — e a liberdade de viagem de seus próprios cidadãos. O novo Henley Openness Index classifica todos os 199 países em todo o mundo de acordo com o número de nacionalidades que permitem a entrada sem visto prévio.

Os 20 países “mais abertos” são todas as pequenas nações insulares ou estados africanos, exceto o Camboja. Há 12 países que estão completamente abertos a todos os passaportes e quatro que não permitem que ninguém fique sem visto. Embora a correlação entre uma alta pontuação de abertura e alta pontuação de acesso sem visto não seja direta, é notável que Cingapura e Coreia do Sul — os que mais subiram no Henley Passport Index Top 10 na última década, passando de 6º e 7º respectivamente em 2013 para 1º e 3º hoje — ostentam graus relativamente altos de abertura em comparação com os 5 países com a maior disparidade entre a liberdade de viagem de que desfrutam, versus o acesso sem visto que proporcionam a outras nacionalidades. EUA, Canadá, Austrália, Nova Zelândia e Japão caíram na classificação ou permaneceram no mesmo lugar com a estagnação de sua abertura.

O Prof. Peter J. Spiro, que ocupa a Cátedra Charles Weiner de Direito Internacional na Temple University, diz que a extensão do acesso americano à isenção de vistos é baixa, mesmo para o padrão das economias desenvolvidas. “Os países da UE concedem privilégios de isenção de visto a mais do dobro do número de países do que os EUA. Atrasos no processamento, altas taxas de recusa e uma reputação de atendimento ao cliente desagradável estão manchando a atratividade dos EUA como destino. Acrescente-se a isso a crescente reputação dos EUA como dominados pela violência armada e pode-se projetar uma trajetória de longo prazo em que a posição global dos EUA se desgasta ainda mais.”

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Thika Residents Reject Anti-Govt Protests

A section of Thika youth in Kiambu County rejected the anti-government protests called by Azimio leader Raila Odinga over the high cost of living, saying they were not ready to lose lives and businesses in demonstrations.

Led by Zack Mwangi, a local leader, they said they will not allow protestors in the Thika streets and called on the police to help in protecting lives and property.

‘We will not allow protests in Thika. We also urge the police to come out and protect property in case some pockets of demonstrators come out,’ said Mwangi.

Jacinta Waithera, a businesswoman, called on the youth to keep off the streets and engage in meaningful activities that can elevate their lives, other than taking to the streets.

She said Thika has been a peaceful town with robust businesses, adding that demonstrations might hamper the drive for a stable business environment.

‘We are peaceful, and we ask the locals to remain as such. We don’t want to lose businesses which we have strived so much to grow through protests. We also ask the police to be vigilant and protect lives and property,’ Waithera said.

Azimio’s leadership has since announced a three-day protest across the country, starting tomorrow and continuing through Thursday and Friday.

Source: Kenya News Agency

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Murang’a Residents Condemn Anti-Govt Protests

A section of Murang’a residents condemned the ongoing Azimio la Umoja anti-government demonstrations Tuesday, saying they were derailing development in the country.

While airing their views to the media at Mukuyu market in Murang’a town, they said they do not advocate for protests since they are likely to lead to loss of lives and destruction of property.

Earlier on, the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Leader Raila Odinga reiterated plans to hold anti-government protests from Wednesday to Friday, despite stern warnings from the government.

Bernard Wanja, a resident and boda boda rider, said that they will not allow mayhem to destroy people’s property and lead to the loss of lives.

‘I urge my fellow boda boda operators not to participate in the planned protests,’ he said, adding that they should continue with their daily activities to earn a living.

Wanja cautioned the youth not to allow themselves to be used by a few political leaders to propagate their own selfish agenda.

‘I urge the people in the county to co-exist peacefully in a bid to create cohesion in the wake of chaotic anti-government demonstrations in parts of the country,’ he said.

Another resident, Phyllis Waithera, said the demonstrations only serve to hinder normal businesses as well as school activities for fear of violence.

‘During such days, we fear taking our children to school because of sporadic violence,’ she said, adding that as a mother, she feels sad when we lose our children as a result of senseless demonstrations.

Waithera urged the county administration to put in place adequate measures to safeguard people and their properties in case of any eventuality.

Yet another resident, John Ndirangu, said that he doesn’t support the ongoing demonstrations and urged the government not to allow the same to take place across the country.

‘The national and county governments should put a stop to any anti-government demonstrations since they are disrupting the development of the country,’ he said.

Source: Kenya News Agency

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Nyeri Residents Welcome New Maternity Block

Nyeri residents are invited to utilise the state-of-the-art maternity block, being set up at the Nyeri Town Health Centre once it is completed.

Speaking at the facility during a routine visit to check on its progress, Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga said the maternity block is set to be fully operationalized in September after equipping and staffing are done.

He said the maternity centre, funded by the Japanese Organisation for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP) in partnership with the County Government of Nyeri, will provide the necessary technical support in the area of quality care.

Upon completion, the maternity will host a 35-bed capacity antenatal and postnatal wards, a Maternal and Child Health clinic, a laboratory, consultation rooms, specialised clinics, a delivery room, a new-born unit, the Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD), nurse stations, offices, a kitchen, and laundry.

The Governor lauded the team for the commendable job done without hitches, in a span of one year since the groundbreaking ceremony.

He further noted that his Government will prioritise healthcare in the next five years, reiterating the importance of the maternity block that will decongest the Nyeri County Referral Hospital while putting a significant milestone towards achieving the County’s vision of ending maternal and neonatal deaths.

The maternity block is expected to serve a catchment population of over 30,000 people drawn from Majengo slums, Ngangarithi, Nyeri town, and its environs.

He also expressed his gratitude to the key partners for their immense support in the planning, funding, and actualization of the project.

Source: Kenya News Agency

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PSG Boss Advocates For Electoral System Overhaul

The president and CEO of Public Service Governance (PSG), Amb. Esther Waringa, has called for a complete overhaul of the general elections so as to save the country from the highly destructive, divisive, expensive, and tribalistic effects of the exercise.

She has also called for the suspension of the entire elected leadership, the official opposition, and parts of the constitution of Kenya that are election-centred.

Speaking during a press briefing at a Nairobi Hotel Tuesday, Waringa said successive elections that have been held in the country since independence have only done more harm than good to the country’s governance.

‘Our elections are highly destructive, divisive, expensive, and tribalistic. We will do ourselves and our country a lot of good if we decisively do away with General elections as a way of birthing leadership in the Republic of Kenya,’ said the PSG President.

Amb. Waringa said elections brought the country to its knees in 2007 and 2008, adding: ‘We are almost headed to a worse scenario, going by signs of the time.’

Consequently, the Public Service Governance Institution is now proposing a new normal in governance and government dubbed, ‘Kenya Bila Uchaguzi’ by allowing the Public Service to deliver on the development mandate of the government.

‘We will now start to implement the public service system of governance because desperate situations call for desperate measures,’ she said.

Waringa said she will soon be issuing a statement on guidelines on the operationalization of the Public Service towards continuity of service delivery in a more enhanced, accountable, and responsible manner after doing away with the General elections, all elective offices, and the opposition.

Quoting the Constitution, Article 1, she said Kenyans have the right (Sovereignty of the People) to suspend the Constitution or do away with the parts that do not serve us.

Waringa said during the transition period, when all the elected leadership is suspended, the Public Service, the judiciary, and the security of the country will be in place to help.

Source: Kenya News Agency

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Farmers Reap Big From Funded USAID Project

At least 300,000 farmers from twelve Counties in the country now can access markets in Agriculture value chains through the USAID funded Kenya Crops and Dairy Market Systems (KCDMS) project.

Majority of Dairy and Horticulture farmers are reaping big from the five years initiative was able to reach over 150,000 children under two and caregivers with Nutrition interventions component to improve the health of the communities.

The USAID Project was implementing the various programmes that empowered farmers to reduce poverty levels through production and improve agriculture market systems at at the same time address malnutrition cases among children.

Speaking during a media breakfast session, the project , Chief of Party (CoP) Dr. Robert Mwadime said the five years exercise which started in 2017 and lapsed in October last year helped in reduction of poverty for small holder farmers thereby improving their food insecurity.

He said the project which involved the selected counties and the private sector reached out to farmers to address the main challenges afflicting their productivity and developed a marketing strategy for their produce.

‘We have for the last five years been dealing with different value chains , avocado, mango, dairy, banana ,passion fruits and also any other activities in production that would benefit the farmers in the region specifically nine counties from Western area and three others from Eastern Kenya’, he said.

Dr. Mwadime explained that farmers faced hurdles in generating income from their produce because they lacked ready access to marketing outlets for their harvests hence the need to develop reliable and consistent market for the produce to avert losses accassioned during post-harvest periods.

( on the left) – Judith Odongo Deputy CoP KCDMS together with Dr. Robert Mwadime, Chief of Party (CoP) speaking about the project

‘We can help farmer produce more but there must be a market outlet for the surplus which has been a challenge so that they can fully invest in production when they are assured of market that pays and is consistent’, he said

Dr. Mwadime further said that apart from identifying markets for the farmers, the KCDMS has been able to identify markets that require bigger volumes for exports and for their distribution and trade in the country.

He gave an example of avocado fruit whose 90 percent has been produced in central Kenya but through the programme has now been introduced in the Western region and was doing very well

‘With ravages of climate change taking effect, the volumes of avocado production in the central region went down due to land constraints and the persistent use of old trees hence the need to find fresh openings in Western counties which have vast fertile land to scale up production to bridge the gap for export produce’ he said.

He added that the expansion to western offered a production period incentive for any exporter as their avocados can be harvested earlier than those from other regions presents a gap for producing even more avocados of export quality.

Dr. Mwadime however observed that it was critical to ensured farmers accessed quality seeds and seedlings saying the County governments had partnered with the private sector such as the RTI international who created a seedling site to ensure production of over 100,000 seedlings to address such challenges.

‘We offer incentives to farmers by giving them subsidies through funding from USAID to buy seedlings and increase their avocado trees from 10 to even 50 trees so that they can improve their income and attract companies that would buy from their region through organized farmer groups’, Dr. Mwadime said .

Judith Odongo Deputy CoP said KCDMS has gone further in supporting local private investors that work with vulnerable smallholder households to mitigate the effects of the war in Ukraine.

She said KCDMS had received a nine-month relief starting December 2022 to November 2023 for cost extension from Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act (AUSAA) to address the macro-economic effects of the Ukrainian invasion on the vulnerable communities in the 12 Counties.

‘We have been working with agro-dealers to incentivize farmers to procure fertilizer, lime and soil test services kits in order to promote and support their production’, she said.

She explained that the promotion of climate smart technologies around soil and water conservation through dip tillage technology which requires them to open up soil where they will plant and leave the other space untouched has seen farmers reap big.

Pigeon peas are some of the crops that the KSMS has been working with farmers to improve production

‘Using the tiller that goes deeper a little bit, has enabled farmer to actually see better produce and crop from what they would have done if they did conventional ploughing which exposes soil and nutrients leaving very little for crop to grasp’, she said

Odongo further explained that the project was keen on promoting and supporting production, processing and marketing of seeds and crops that were drought tolerant through a collaboration with researchers from KEPHIS and KALRO.

She also cited one of the cooperative in Taita Taveta County which had invested heavily in a seed processing plant and had partnered with multi stakeholders in marketing their products.

Julius Okoth, an Agro-dealer in Siaya County said the KCDMS project had helped him identify and reached farmers for distribution of subsidized fertilizer.

He however said although the government and County authorities offered subsidies on fertilizers, the biggest challenge was distribution but they opted to enlist the support of 20 agro- dealers to establish a franchises to reach over 10,000 farmers.

Okoth said despite the impact of the Ukraine war that pushed the high cost of fertilizer the KCDMS partnership programmed cushioned many farmers as they were able to get the farm inputs at subsidized price including incentives such as two bags of maize for planting free.

The KCDMS has been working through 22 grant partners, 2 local implementing partners and the 12 county governments namely Kitui, Makueni, Taita Taveta, Homabay, Migori, Kisii, Kisumu, Siaya, Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia and Vihiga.

Agriculture sector is the backbone of the Kenyan economy contributing approximately 33 percent of Kenyans Gross Domestic Product, but producers continue to face constraints that limit growth and perpetuate food insecurity.

Source: Kenya News Agency

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Oil production stands at 33.6 million barrels

Angola’s oil production stood at 33.6 million barrels in June this year, compared to the previous period in May there was a decrease of 831, 200 barrels.

ANGOP learnt that the daily average production was 1,120,246 barrels of oil (BOPD), exceeding the forecast of 1,114,439 BOPD, according to the monthly report of the National Agency for Oil, Gas and Biofuels (ANPG).

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data for the first quarter of this year point to a drop in crude oil production of around 8% compared to the last quarter of 2022.

In the first quarter of this year, Angola exported 87.92 million barrels of oil for a total of US $ 6.92 billion.

The reduction in exports impacted the revenue collection component of the state coffers.

Still in June, associated gas production during the same period was 79. 158 million cubic feet, corresponding to a daily average of 2.639 million cubic feet (MMSCFD).

Of this volume, 1.325 MMSCFD is injected, 598 MMSCFD made available to the Angola LNG plant, 338 MMSCFD for power generation at the oil facilities and the remainder used in operations and oil disposal

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

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FILDA kicks off with US debut and Brazilian return

The 38th edition of the Luanda International Fair (FILDA) kicks off Tuesday at Luanda/Bengo Special Economic Zone (ZEE),with the return of businesspeople from Brazil and the debut of the United States of America (USA), through the business area of its diplomatic mission in Angola.

With about 1,000 participants, exhibitions of products and services will be displayed until June 22 of the event running under the motto “Digital economy, the new world frontier”.

The debut of the USA to the event and the return of Brazil, with the participation of the Association of Brazilian Entrepreneurs, are among other novelties of this event.

Portugal, Italy, Indonesia, Turkey, Germany, Japan, among others, are also part of the range of countries to exhibit at FILDA 2023.

The 37th edition of FILDA took place in July 2022, in a 21,000 square metres area of the ZEE, bringing together 629 exhibitors and 15 countries, having received more than 32,000 visitors.

The Luanda International Fair is a stage to showcase and promote national production, which emphasises the diversification of the economy, business and the promotion of employment.

As the largest multi-sectoral fair, FILDA has been the main showcase for the presentation of national companies, brands, products and services.

The fair promotes exchange and diversification, bringing together national and foreign entrepreneurs in all of its editions to establish business contacts, commercial and diplomatic relations with Angola.

Since its first edition in 1983, FILDA has been seen by exhibitors as a showcase of Angola’s capabilities and potential to stimulate the increase of national production and launch of new economic bridges.

Until 2016, FILDA was organised by different management entities, with the Ministry of Economy and Planning as promoter of the event and Eventos Arena as organizer since the 33rd edition.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)