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Coach Pedro Gonçalves ends contract with FAF

Luanda – The national team’s head-coach, Pedro Gonçalves, ends this Tuesday his contractual tie with the Angolan Football Federation (FAF), two years after being hired to replace the Serbian Srdjan Vasilevic.

Since 2019 at the helm of the Angolan National Team “Palancas Negras” (Sable Antelopes), the Portuguese coach guided the squad in 14 games, with five wins seven defeats and two draws.

However, the national team conceded 15 goals and scored 15 goals as well, two of which in the recent 2-2 draw with Egypt, in a group F game, played at 11 de Novembro Stadium, in Luanda, qualifier for the 2022 World Cup, in Qatar.

Head Coach Pedro Manuel will manage the Angolan team for the last time this afternoon (2 pm) in the game with Libya, in Bengazhi, to close the group stage of the World Cup race, in a match whose result, even a win, no longer helps Angola to qualify for the next stage.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

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Salary increase in 2022 to boost purchasing power

Luanda – Finance minister Vera Daves said on Monday, in Luanda, that the expected salary increase for the civil service, in 2022, aims to restore the purchasing power of Angolan families.

“The concern with the salary increase is not only with public employees, but with all Angolans who need to recover purchasing power for the well-being of families,” she said.

The minister said so during an informal meeting with journalists and opinion makers, within the scope of the approval of the 2022 General State Budget (OGE/2022).

Without specifying the percentage of increase, the minister stated that technical work is in progress, in order to make the necessary adjustments.

Although it has not yet been validated by the Ministries of Finance (MINFIN) and Public Administration, Labor and Social Security (MAPTSS), she stressed that the eventual increase will be made within the limits of the government’s available financial capacity.

Regarding the possible rise in the inflation rate as a result of the increase in the salary of the civil service, Vera Daves explained that it will depend on the flexibility study on future budgets.

She also said that such a study, is being carried out by the finance technical committee, and the outcome will be known shortly.

In addition to the salary increase, the minister for Finance pointed out, on the other hand, the strengthening of the business environment in Angola as another challenge for the government, in the sense of creating more jobs for Angolans.

On the occasion, Vera Daves also clarified that the Ministry of Finance does not interfere in the expenses or contracting of services by the different ministerial departments, as it only establishes and provides a financial ceiling, and intervenes when it notices defects in expenses or encounters incorrect actions.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

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Afreximbank has USD 40 billion available for intra-African trade

Durban – The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has committed USD 40 billion to support intra-African trade over the next five years.

With this amount, Afreximbank doubles the US$20 billion of the last five years, its chairman, Benedict Oramah, said at the Intra-African Trade Fair, which began Monday in Durban (South Africa).

Addressing six African presidents and a large audience of businessmen on the opening day of the second edition of the event, which runs until 21 November, he said that Africa is beginning to build its own institutions, such as the case of this bank.

“Trade agreements have worked in more mature markets because they have institutional mechanisms that support their implementation,” he stressed.

In addition to the $40 billion, Afreximbank is providing confirmation letter of credit lines to African commercial banks to support international trade.

In the specific case of Angola, Banco de Fomento de Angola (BFA) became the first Trade Finance Intermediate (TFI), i.e. the first commercial and financial agent/intermediary of Afreximbank.

Afreximbank aims to integrate 500 banks with aggregate lines of over USD 8 billion. To date, it has integrated almost 480 peer institutions and has the largest messaging links with African banks.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

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BNA to release commemorative coin

Luanda – The National Bank of Angola (BNA) is to put into circulation a commemorative coin with a face value of 200 kwanzas, in honour of the 20th (twentieth) anniversary of Peace in Angola, which will be celebrated on April 4, 2022.

The draft law that authorises the BNA to issue and put into circulation the said commemorative coin was unanimously approved on Tuesday by the National Assembly’s Economy and Finance and Constitutional and Legal Affairs committees.

The final overall vote on the draft law is scheduled for Wednesday (17), during the first Plenary Meeting of the 5th Legislative Session of the IV Legislature of the National Assembly.

The legislative initiative of the proposal, with three chapters and 8 articles, is from the President of the Republic, as Head of the Executive Power.

According to the grounding report, the draft law is expected to contribute to national unity and cohesion, promoting peace and Angolanity, as well as providing collectors with another valuable piece for their collections.

In order to select the features of the commemorative metallic coin, the BNA promoted a public design competition, in which more than two hundred competitors participated, and the five best proposals were submitted to popular vote and the three finalists were awarded prizes.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

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Heavy Rains Force Evacuations, Trap Motorists in Canada

Relentless rain battered Canada’s Pacific coast on Monday, forcing a town’s evacuation and trapping motorists as mudslides, rocks and debris were washed across major highways.

Some 275 people, according to local media, were stuck overnight in their cars between two mudslides on Highway 7 near the town of Agassiz in British Columbia.

Meanwhile, Merritt – about 300 kilometers (185 miles) from the coast – ordered the evacuation of all 7,000 of its townsfolk after flooding compromised the local wastewater treatment plant and washed out two bridges. Barricades also went up restricting access to the town.

The province’s public safety minister, Mike Farnworth, said search and rescue crews were dispatched to free people trapped for hours without food or water in 80 to 100 cars.

“We are looking at the possibility of air rescues, if needed,” he told a news conference, adding that “high winds may challenge these efforts.”

Farnworth said there had been “multiple rain-induced incidents” in the southwest and central regions of the province, describing the situation as “dynamic.”

Video footage showed a military helicopter landing on the highway covered in mud and debris, to pick up stranded motorists.

British Columbia emergency health services said it transported nine patients to hospital with minor injuries overnight from the Agassiz landslide.

And it assembled ambulances in nearby Chilliwack “for any patients requiring care from areas affected by flooding and landslides,” it added.

Emergency centers were also set up for displaced residents.

In a Twitter message to British Columbians, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “Please stay safe.”

“We’re ready to provide whatever assistance is needed as you deal with and recover from the flooding and this extreme weather,” he said.

British Columbia’s transportation ministry said several highways were closed Monday. “Heavy rains and subsequent mudslides/flooding have impacted various highways in the BC interior,” it said.

The local utility issued flood alerts due to high water flows into its reservoirs, and said it was working to restore power to thousands hit by outages.

Construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline connecting the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific coast was also paused “due to widespread flooding and debris flows,” a company spokesperson told AFP.

In the city of Abbotsford, outside Vancouver, authorities ordered more than 100 homes evacuated in several neighborhoods threatened by flooding and mudslides, while television images showed farms in the Fraser Valley under several feet of water.

Meteorologist Tyler Hamilton commented on social media that Abbotsford in the past 140 days had experienced both its warmest and wettest days ever.

Environment Canada said up to 250 millimeters (almost 10 inches) of rain — what the region normally gets in a month — was expected by the day’s end in and around Vancouver, which was also hit last week by a rare tornado.

“A significant atmospheric river event continues to bring copious amounts of rain to the B.C. south coast,” it said.

“Heavy rain will ease and strong westerly winds will develop this afternoon as the system moves inland.”

The extreme weather comes after British Columbia suffered record-high temperatures over the summer that killed more than 500 people, as well as wildfires that destroyed a town.

Source: Voice of America

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Pakistan Begins Immunizing Millions against Measles and Rubella

Pakistan rolled out a massive two-week drive Monday to immunize more than 90 million children in what officials hailed as one of the world’s biggest vaccination campaigns against measles and rubella.

An official announcement said children aged between 9 months and 15 years across the country will be inoculated against the contagious viral infections.

The Pakistani government has mobilized more than 600,000 health professionals, vaccinators and social mobilizers for the campaign with the support of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization.

“Measles and rubella are contagious diseases and can have severe complications for children even death,” said Dr. Faisal Sultan, special assistant to the Pakistani prime minister on health.

“I urge both the front-line workers to work with dedication and the caregivers to express their support by vaccinating their children against the diseases,” Sultan added.

Officials said Pakistan has experienced an alarming rise in measles cases in recent years, affecting thousands of children and claiming many young lives.

“The measles and rubella campaign will move us not only one step closer to maintaining measles elimination and accelerating rubella control, but also one step closer to reducing the overall child mortality across Pakistan,” said WHO Country Representative Palitha Mahipala.

UNICEF said children under the age of five will also receive polio drops during the campaign to support Pakistan’s eradication efforts against the crippling disease.

“Today’s world is still grappling with the very contagious measles and rubella viruses, none of which have gone away despite being entirely preventable with a simple vaccine,” said UNICEF Country Representative Aida Girma in remarks during the launch of the vaccination campaign in Pakistan.

The WHO says more than 140,000 people died from measles in 2018 worldwide – mostly children under the age of 5 years, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine.

Measles is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family and it is normally passed through direct contact and through the air.

WHO experts say there is no specific treatment for rubella but the disease is preventable by vaccination.

The rubella virus is transmitted by airborne droplets when infected people sneeze or cough. Humans are the only known host.

Source: Voice of America

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On the frontlines of diabetes fight in Senegal

Dakar – Senegal, like many African countries, is bearing an increasing heavy diabetes burden. While efforts are being made to improve prevention, care and treatment, Professor Maïmouna Ndour Mbaye, head of the Internal Medicine unit, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar and director of the country’s national Diabetes Centre, notes that stepping up diabetes control in Senegal starts with a strong national programme. The response must involve all the sectors of the society up to individuals who have a crucial prevention role by adopting healthy practices.

Being on the frontlines of the diabetes fight, what are the trends and challenges?

The progression of diabetes in Senegal is much like elsewhere in the world. Although data collection is not done routinely, the first nationwide survey conducted in 2015 showed a prevalence of 3.4% in people aged 18-69 years and 7.9% in those over 45 years.

Hospital statistics, notably those from the National Diabetes Centre, also give a good idea of this progression: in the 1980s, an average of 200 new cases were recorded annually. Since 2005, this has increased to nearly 2500 new cases yearly. Currently, nearly 60 000 diabetes patients are being monitored from all cities in Senegal and even from neighbouring countries.

The number of consultations increased by more than 20% between 2018 and 2019. In 2020, the number dropped significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This rapid progression of diabetes is one of the main challenges of the national diabetes centre, whose capacity has been largely exceeded. This has an impact on the quality of patient care: instead of doing check-ups every two to three months as recommended, we can only provide two or even one consultation a year.

At the national level, despite major efforts to decentralize care and train health professionals, human resources are still insufficient and there is still a lack of infrastructure and equipment for appropriate care of diabetes and its complications.

Senegal does not yet have a national diabetes programme, but rather a noncommunicable diseases division within the Ministry of Health. Standards and protocols have been developed to improve the management of this disease and its risk factors. Several activities are carried out, but the projects are financed by donors and face recurrent challenges of sustainability since there is no domestic financing for the implementation of strategies.

How is COVID-19 further challenging people living with diabetes?

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the picture. Statistics show that diabetes and hypertension are the comorbidities most frequently associated with death in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. The emotional and psychosocial impact is huge among diabetes patients.

The pandemic has cause significant disruptions in diabetes and noncommunicable disease services in general. Infrastructures and care personnel were assigned to the COVID-19 response. For example, in our diabetes department, out of 40 beds, 20 have been allocated to COVID-19 cases. Activities considered non-urgent like systematic screening for chronic complications of diabetes have been postponed, including follow-up appointments.

How has Senegal innovated in its response to the disease?

To address these challenges, innovative approaches were being implemented even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Senegal is the first country in French-speaking Africa to implement the global BeHealthy BeMobile programme to improve diabetes management. This is the mDiabetes project, which consists of using cell phones to deliver simple diabetes prevention messages to the population. In 2014 the mDiabetes platform was used to send millions of prevention messages against the Ebola outbreak and it was also used during the COVID-19 pandemic. This programme has been evaluated and shown to improve beneficiaries’ glycaemic control.

Other telehealth projects are underway: remote consultation for certain patients since the beginning of the pandemic, tele-screening for diabetic retinopathy, e-learning for health professionals.

What more does the country need to do to bring diabetes under control?

There is still room to do more. There is need to set up a national diabetes programme with strategies, objectives and financing. We must also reinforce prevention and epidemiological surveillance of diabetes and noncommunicable diseases. Other keyways to improve diabetes control include stronger coordination of interventions and adopting a multidisciplinary and multisectoral approach including government, health care providers, diabetes patients, civil society, pharmaceutical and food industry, communication professionals. We also need to strengthen our system for chronic diseases management so that we can ensure continuity of care while dealing with emergencies such as COVID-19.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

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Review of Health Emergencies Programme in Nigeria’s Northeast opens, government and partners solicit WHO’s continued support.

– The Biannual Joint Operations Review (JOR) opens in Maiduguri, Borno State today, 15 November 2021 with participation by representative of Borno Stat Governor, Commissioners for Health, partners and Civil Society Organizations.

The 4-Day event is expected to review WHO’s health emergency programme in Northeast region, revise strategies to inform the development of the WHO plan for 2022.

To open the JOR in Maiduguri, Representative of the Governor and Commissioner, Intergovernmental Affair, Mr Mohammed Kabir acknowledged huge contributions of WHO to BAY (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe) States and of WHO on public health interventions such as polio eradication, malaria elimination, efforts against gender-based violence. He looks forward to being continued robust support from WHO and pledged collaboration and commitment of the State in delivering health services. He urged participants to identify strategies on how best to address communicable diseases and provide requisite services to populations in need.

Earlier in her welcome address, Borno State Commissioner for Health says, “WHO has continued to play a vital role as the technical lead partner in efforts to strengthen a robust health system for ???? and indeed, Borno State and calls on WHO to continue its support in the establishment of a linkage between the humanitarian response and health system development for universal health coverage as well support the revitalization of primary healthcare among others”.

In Nigeria, the Northeast humanitarian health emergency was first graded in 2016 as grade 3, the highest level, owing to its severity and impact on public health which significantly reduced access to basic health services and rendered the population vulnerable to disease outbreaks, malnutrition, injuries, and mental health. Following four cycles of grading reviews with the emergency remaining active, the emergency was graded as a protracted emergency.

In WHO’s rating, protracted emergency is an environment in which a significant proportion of the population is acutely vulnerable to death, disease, and disruption of livelihoods over a prolonged period. Governance in these settings is often weak, with limited state capacity to respond to, and mitigate, the threats to the population, or provide adequate levels of protection.

Also speaking during the opening ceremony, the WHO Representative (WR) to Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo appreciated the BAY States for significant progress in the Northeast, especially the planned resettlement of >1.7million IDPs.

He reiterated WHO’s commitment towards ensuring that health services are provided to those settled.

Responding to request by Borno State to WHO, Dr Mulombo says, “resources will be deployed for revitalization of primary healthcare for achieving universal health coverage.

The WR indicated the need to give attention to the humanitarian development nexus, in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies

Representatives from partner agencies also underscored the progress made to improve security and access to displaced populations.

Partners expect that the JOR will critically identify the challenges & lessons learnt in the preceding year and come up with practicable recommendations for the humanitarian response going forward.

On expectations, the Commissioners for Health from states emphasized the need to support Human Resources for Health, revamp primary health care, support research which are in line with WHO strategic direction.

The review will be concluded on 19 November, 2021.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

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Germany donates 924 000 surgical face masks to WHO for the support to Ministry of Health COVID-19 response work in Zambia

– On 10 November 2021, H.E. Anne Wagner-Mitchell, the German Ambassador to Zambia and Dr Nathan Bakyaita, WHO Representative to Zambia came together with Hon Sylvia Masebo, Minister of Health at the Ministry of Health for a handover ceremony of 924 000 surgical face masks.

Over the past months, the Ministry of Health of the Federal Republic of Germany has made in-kind donations of surgical and medical masks to the World Health Organization (WHO) and more than 120 million face masks have been distributed to 100 countries all over the world. As part of this donation, the WHO country office in Zambia received 924 000 surgical and medical face masks for its work in Zambia to support the Ministry of Health’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The kind support from the Government of Germany comes at a time when Zambia is anticipating the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections. Since the outbreak began in March 2020, Zambia has reported 209 939 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 3664 deaths (2742 COVID-19 deaths and 922 COVID-19 associated) as of 10 November 2021. Vaccination has taken up since the re-launch by HE HH but coverage remains low with only 7% of the target population (all adults aged 18 years and above) fully vaccinated.

“Face masks are a key measure to suppress the transmission of COVID-19 and hence do contribute to saving lives” said Dr Bakyaita in a statement made at the handover event, adding “masks are a crucial part of the fight against the pandemic, together with other rules such as physical distancing, avoiding crowded, closed and close-contact settings, good ventilation, regularly washing hands and covering sneezes and coughs.” The WHO Representative expressed his sincere gratitude to the Government of Germany and the German Embassy for partnering with WHO and the Government of the Republic of Zambia to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Germany is currently the number one top contributor to WHO’s global COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan and Germany’s support to WHO Zambia – in addition to the masks the country office has received USD 1.26m from the Government of Germany that helped purchase other needed equipment such as oxygen concentrators and cylinders – has enabled the Organization to provide crucial support to the response to COVID-19 in Zambia when it was needed the most.

“This global crisis requires global cooperation. This is why – as longstanding partner and friend of Zambia – the German Government remains committed to support the Zambian people to control the outbreak of the pandemic and to mitigate the economic and social consequences of the crisis”, said German Ambassador Anne Wagner-Mitchell during the handover. “The most efficient way to protect lives and the health sector in this pandemic is to vaccinate against COVID-19. To this end, Germany supported the Coordinating Mechanism “Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator” with EUR 2.2 billion as the second largest donor. This global collaboration aims at accelerating development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. Moreover, Germany will share 175 million vaccine doses, mainly via COVAX, of which more than 18 million doses have already been delivered.”

Using the occasion of the meeting that was also live streamed on MoH social media, Hon Minister of Health, Sylvia Masebo said “Today, I am urging all Zambians 18 years and above to get vaccinated when they can. This is our only way out of the pandemic.”

During the ceremony, the 924 000 surgical face masks were officially handed over to the Ministry of Health as part of COVID-19 response activities, to be used by the general population, as well as frontline workers involved in managing public services amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

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Covid-19: Angola announces 14 new infections and 658 recoveries

Luanda – The country announced this Monday, 14 new infections and the recovery of 658 patients from Covid-19.

According to the daily bulletin, of the new infections – which refer to 9 males and 5 females, with ages ranging from 10 to 68 years – seven were diagnosed in Luanda, 2 in Cabinda, Cuando Cubando and Huambo and a single case in Benguela.

Among the recoveries, 278 were registered in Cabinda, 208 in Benguela, 157 in Zaire, 9 in Huambo, 2 in Cuando Cubango, Cunene and Huíla, respectively.

In the last 24 hours, 1,310 samples through RT-PCR were processed, with a positivity rate of 1.1 per cent.

The country sums an overall of 64,927 confirmed cases, in which resulted in 1,727 deaths. There are also 62,345 recoveries and 855 current diseased.

Regarding the current diseased cases, there are 7 patients in critical conditions, 4 severe, 13 moderates, 20 mild and 811 asymptomatic.

Source: Angola Press News Agency