Day: December 14, 2023

The University of Tunis El Manar and the University of Sousse, Thursday, officially announced the launch of the “We4lead” project, which seeks to provide equal gender opportunities and increase women’s access to leadership positions in higher education institutions in the Mediterranean region.

At a press conference held in Tunis, Project Coordinator Boutheina Ben Hsine underlined that this initiative aims to encourage female academics to access decision-making positions and run for elections of university rectorships and presidencies.

This project is part of the “Erasmus+” programme funded by the European Union, with the universities of Aix Marseille and the Lebanese University overseeing its implementation in collaboration with the University of Madrid, the universities of Constantine and Mostaghanem (Algeria), and the universities of Tunis-El Manar and Sousse.

She highlighted that this initiative represents the first project within the framework of good university governance. It includes training courses
and awareness campaigns to encourage women academics and researchers to progress in the scientific path as well as raise awareness on the need to combat gender-based violence; she added.

Director-General of International Cooperation at the Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry, Malek Khochlef, underscored that women represent 66% of the total students in Tunisian universities, 56% of researchers, and approximately 50% of the university staff. Yet, their participation in university decision-making positions remains low.

Khochlef emphasised the importance of the “We4lead” project in promoting the status of women and their access to leadership positions in the academic space. It also seeks to achieve the fifth Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda related to gender equality.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Houyem Jendoubi, a candidate for the local elections in the town of Tebourba, has launched her campaign by meeting citizens face to face and distributing leaflets.

She promised to promote cultural activities, fight illegal trafficking, improve municipal services and launch small projects in her area.

For his part, Moez Mouelhi, candidate in Denden South, intends to reduce unemployment by creating communitarian enterprises, protecting the environment and developing projects in the region.

Manouba City candidate Amira Ayachi also presented her programme, which focuses on the key role of local councillors, who should concentrate on meeting citizens’ demands, making their voices heard and communicating their concerns to the authorities.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The government has embarked on the process of digitising its core systems to improve efficiency and combat corruption in the mining sector.

Mining Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi has noted that his department was aware that corruption had adverse effects on their work, hence the risk of rolling back the main gains achieved in reforming the sector.

Speaking in Murang’a, Mwangi noted that among the major milestones achieved is the adoption of Online Mining Cadastre, a revolutionary online platform that grants miners’ rights for acquiring and allocating mining zones.

The PS stated that the system had made it easier for miners to access the platform and select an allocation area.

The system has reduced conflict and fights over mining zones by allowing prospective miners to know which areas are allocated and which are left untouched.

The department is prioritising the digitization of critical systems and operations to combat graft in the sector.

The department is also prioritising the digitization of expl
osives inventories, critical systems, and operations to combat graft in the sector.

Other digitised systems include royalty’s management systems, library resource management systems, artisanal mining digital registers, and geo-data information management systems.

Mwangi highlighted that the adoption of digital systems is enhancing the mining sector’s contribution to national development goals under the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

The initiatives involve formalising artisanal miners into strong marketing cooperatives, empowering them, and providing support through training, partnerships, and linkages between miners and other bodies.

Over 60 marketing cooperatives have been registered and have started undergoing training to equip the officials with critical skills ranging from digital marketing capabilities to value addition and legal compliance.

Meanwhile, the government has been pushing for the formation of artisanal mining cooperatives as part of an overarching objective to formalise opera
tions and enhance regulations.

Mwangi announced that cooperatives of artisanal miners will be linked to supply materials for affordable housing construction through an agreement between the relevant ministries.
Source: Kenya News Agency

The Tunisian agro-ecological transition network, bringing together 8 associations active in the sustainable and environmental agriculture fields, was create so as to federate a movement for agro-ecology, the network’s founding members said at a conference held Thursday at the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (French: INAT).

This network’s founding members include the Tunisian Association of Permaculture (French: ATPE), the Association for Chenini Oasis Safeguard (French: ASOC), the Children of the Earth network (French: RET) and the Tunisian Association for Environmental Agriculture (French: ATAE).

The network aims to integrate agroecology into public policies and to reduce chemical inputs by 50% by 2035.

“It also aims to include agro-ecology in the learning and education process, improve the organic matter content of the soil and develope agro-forestry in the cereal system,” said Yosra Chaibi, President of the National Union of Operators of the Organic Sector (UNObio), another founding association
of this network.

The new network, which also includes the Association for Sustainable Agriculture, the Association les Amis de CAPTE and the Lella Kmar El Baya Agricultural Cooperative, also seeks to transform the monoculture of olive trees into tiered polyculture and to contribute to the restoration of ecosystems so as to improve biodiversity.

The programme of this network, which remains open to other associations and non-profit organisations including agricultural development groups, researchers and private enterprise, includes online training workshops and the drafting of agro-ecology specifications, said Rim Mathlouthi, ATP President.

The announcement of the creation of this network was made during the agro-ecology day organised by the 8 associations.

This event included presentations on agroforestry for agroecology, Moringa oleifera, organic farming labels, the 4 agronomic pillars of agroecology and stories from young people involved in agroecology.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The two candidates for the next local elections (December 24), Fethi Maher and Bassem Ben Dhiab, in the Jammal Jawfiya constituency (Monastir Governorate) are continuing their electoral campaign and meeting citizens.

Candidate Fethi Al Maher promised his voters to help with the creation of an irrigated area and an artificial lake for rainwater collection, make the region an agricultural hub, find solutions to environmental problems caused mainly and boost local investments.

Candidate Bassem Ben Dhiab pledged to provide all necessary conditions conducive to investment, promote intelligent industry, exploit the industrial zone optimally and strengthen professional training centers so as to meet the labor market’s needs.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Candidates for Beni Mtir (Fernena delegation) and Essouani (North Jendouba delegation) Zouheira Skhiri and Imène Bouslimi launched their campaign for the December 24 local elections.

The two candidates call for upgrading infrastructure, creating projects and jobs, and modernising public services for the benefit of the local population.

Zouheira Skhiri’s programme focuses on upgrading the N65 regional road and the N17 national road in Béni Mtir, Jendouba and Tabarka, relaunching blocked projects, promoting tourism and protecting the Béni Mtir dam from sewage.

Candidate Imène Bouslimi underlined that she would work to ensure that streets would be paved to break the isolation of villages and facilitate access to farms and production sites and promoting female entrepreneurship.

The Essouani imada in north Jendouba is home to a population of 3,465 and covers an area of 4,370 hectares, while the Béni Mtir imada in Fernena is home to 896 inhabitants spread over 180 hectares.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse