Author: Database of Press Releases related to Africa

OTTAWA, Canada, April 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Honourable Larry Smith, Senator (Québec – Saurel), will highlight Canada’s support for sustainable livelihoods and health programming in Ghana, during an address at McGill University’s Macdonald Campus.

During the address, Senator Smith will make an announcement about a programming partnership between the Government of Canada and McGill University, and highlight support for other food-security initiatives in Ghana.

DATE: Thursday, April 17, 2014

TIME: 10:30 am

LOCATION: Macdonald Stewart Building, Room MS2-022

McGill University, Macdonald Campus

21111 Lakeshore Road

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec

TOKYO, Japan, April 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — 1. The Government of Japan deeply regrets the bombing incident in the outskirts of Abuja, Nigeria on April 14, 2014, which caused many casualties. Japan expresses its deep condolences f…

ACCRA, Ghana, April 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The CEO of Garmin Sub-Saharan Africa, invites you to meet with our trade delegation in Accra, Ghana from the 12th to the 16th of May 2014. The purpose of the trade delegation is to engage with prospective businesses partners in West Africa who have strong distribution and/or reselling capabilities and a proven track record of successfully furthering brands into their designated markets.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/garmin-logo.jpg

With global annual revenues of over U$2.5 billion and a presence in 54 territories around the globe, Garmin has sold over 100 million products sold worldwide, and have realised that it is important to have the right mix of channel partners, products and tools available in each territory to provide product support.

The extensive ranges of products serve many industries including Marine, Outdoor, Automotive, Sports and Wellness. Garmin’s products or tools are suited to developing economies where infrastructure requirements are extensive and mapping out of new boundaries, roads, waypoints are key to the countries expansion.

Sustainable farming and the information required to plot out a field, calculate the area for planting seedlings or determining the land gradient of your farm to select the most suitable pump are just some key uses of our products.

Marine Echo range of fishfinders make use of GPS and sonar technology to map and view fish under water which is a great aid in subsistence fishing. Garmin Outdoor watches are great for hiking, where the handheld devices track waypoints. With the expansion of cities and roads in Accra, Lagos, Yamoussoukro, Yaoundé, Libreville and Dakar, the Garmin Automotive products become a valuable tool in navigating the streets, finding petrol stations, hotels, restaurants, and shopping centres.

GPS technology is used in sport and Garmin’s range of Fitness watches track personal data such as time, speed, distance, calories, cadence and when paired with a Heart Rate Monitor, tracks your heart rate. These products are used by coaches worldwide to improve athlete performance and fitness. New to the market is Garmin’s range of rugged Action Cameras to record HD footage, Virb Elite comes with a built in GPS and can pair with a Heart Rate monitor to record Heart Rate, speed, distance and route. Another exciting sector is the health and wellness market where Garmin VivoFit wellness band tracks your steps and sleeping patters encouraging you to stay active.

In conjunction with PDSA Ghana, Garmin will be hosting discussions on West African business opportunities to resell, distribute and service our wide range of GPS products and solutions. To register for a meeting visit http://www.garmin.co.za/westafrica or email us directly on mike.clarke@garmin.com

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Garmin Southern Africa (PTY) Ltd.

Contact: Michelle Hohls

Tel: +27 11 251 9964

Email: michelle.hohls@garmin.com

For review units and additional information on new products, features, pricing and availability regarding Garmin Southern Africa’s (GSA) products and services please contact Michelle or visit www.garmin.co.za. For additional fresh info, what’s happening, fun events and pics to prove it, follow GSA on:

http://twitter.com/#!/GarminSA

http://www.facebook.com/#!/GarminSA

ABOUT GARMIN:

Garmin (http://www.garmin.co.za), the global leader in satellite navigation has been successful in creating navigation and communication devices which embrace lifestyle needs and enrich the lives of customers’ since 1989. The brands innovative products span various areas of interest, including automotive, marine, fitness, outdoor recreation, and aviation and wireless applications. Garmin Southern Africa (GSA) is a member of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq:GRMN). This group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications – most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Contact GSA for unmatched direct services and support on (011) 251 9999 or visit the GSA headquarters in Honeydew, Johannesburg, in the Kimbuilt Industrial Park at number 9 Zeiss Road, Laser Park.

Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:

This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

LONDON, United-Kingdom, April 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Mark Simmonds meets President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia

Foreign Office Minister for Africa visited Somalia on 15 April to demonstrate UK support for Somali peace and development. He held constructive talks with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the Defence Minister and other government ministers on issues including security, human rights and economic development.

During the visit the Minister expressed concern about recent terrorist attacks in Mogadishu and welcomed the advances made by the African Union Mission in Somalia and the Somali National Army in securing more territory from Al Shabaab. He also visited Villa Somalia, where he gave a keynote address on the progress made, the challenges still ahead in Somalia and UK support.

Mr Simmonds said:

“I am delighted to have visited Somalia at a crucial time for the Federal Government in their fight against Al Shabaab. The UK remains at the vanguard of international efforts to support the people of Somalia in their desire to build a stable, democratic and prosperous society. I reiterated UK support in my discussions with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and other ministers. I also encouraged the Federal Government to inject further momentum in its efforts towards a federal settlement and constitution ahead of elections in 2016.

“In Mogadishu I saw first-hand some of the progress made since my last visit the challenges that conflict brings, in particular its impact on women and children. I was glad to visit a PSVI empowerment centre for victims of sexual violence. We will work with the UN and Somalia to ensure that security is provided to all communities in a way that upholds the highest human rights standards.”

NEW YORK, April 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President U. Joy Ogwu ( Nigeria):

The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the attack…

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM has issued a report on psychosocial needs and resources in South Sudan, highlighting serious protection and mental health concerns in a country that has been wracked by conflict as well as major deficiencies in the health care system.

The report is based on an assessment of the psychosocial support needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) seeking protection on the UN peacekeeping compound in Bor. Forty-eight interviews with 192 individuals were conducted during the assessment, together with interviews and focus group discussions with humanitarian actors and community leaders.

The report aims to identify psychosocial needs, resources and gaps in displacement sites, and determine the existing technical resources and coordination mechanisms that could be mobilized in response to those needs. Furthermore, through sharing the report and opening dialogue on psychosocial needs, IOM aims to help build the psychosocial response capacity of humanitarian partners in the country.

The outbreak of conflict in December 2013 has displaced over one million South Sudanese from their homes and taken an enormous physical and emotional toll on the country.

When asked to identify their main feelings, over 80 per cent of the displaced persons interviewed in Bor expressed negative emotions, including fears and concerns, a general feeling of being emotionally unwell, and uncertainty and confusion about the future.

These findings emphasize the overwhelming need for more attention to be given to psychosocial support in the country’s displacement sites.

“Psychosocial support is about helping individuals, families and communities to develop and maintain their existing coping mechanisms,” said Guglielmo Schininá, Head of IOM’s Mental Health, Psychosocial Response and Intercultural Communication Section. “It is an approach that can potentiate humanitarian assistance as a whole and ultimately pave the way for dialogue among and between individuals, groups and communities.”

The report identifies a series of actions promoting well-being at the individual, family and community levels. These actions include support to activities promoting resilience, such as religious services and recreation activities for children, adolescents and adults, as well as training on psychosocial counselling for social workers within the community.

“The underlying emotional impact of conflict on individuals and families is often overlooked,” said IOM Migration Health Officer Haley E. West. “Failing to address these psychosocial needs can have a negative impact on communities and be a driver of future conflict.”

As a next step, IOM is working to fund a proposal based on this assessment to pilot a community-based psychosocial support project in Bor and other field locations throughout South Sudan.

The full report can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/P002Gu

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Armed conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) is causing massive human displacement and neighbouring countries with limited resources are carrying an increasingly heavy fi…

NEW YORK, April 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Authorities in Cameroon should release a newspaper editor who has been imprisoned since March 29 after being convicted of criminal defamation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On Friday, a judge postponed indefinitely a bail hearing for Amungwa Tanyi Nicodemus, according to news reports.

On March 10, a court in the northwestern city of Bamenda sentenced Nicodemus, publisher and editor of the private weekly The Monitor, to four months in prison and ordered him to pay 10 million CFA francs in damages (US$21,000), his defense lawyer, Yijofmen Kol, told CPJ. The journalist was not at the trial, news reports said. He is being held at a prison in Bamenda.

Kol told CPJ he has appealed the conviction and that a hearing is scheduled for April 28.

The charges were based on a complaint filed by the Cameroon Co-operative Credit Union League (CAMCCUL), an umbrella body of cooperative credit unions, over a series of articles published in The Monitor. The articles alleged, among other things, that the microfinance institution had used and distributed unlicensed software, embezzled funds, and engaged in bribery, according to a copy of the judgment which CPJ obtained. CAMCCUL denied the allegations.

The court also accused Nicodemus of failing to respond to a summons that had allegedly been served to him on December 16, according to the judgment. Kol told CPJ the journalist never received any notice of proceedings against him. The court issued an arrest warrant for Nicodemus after the verdict was announced, and he was picked up by police in the capital, Yaoundé, before being taken to Bamenda, according to Kol.

The African Union’s special rapporteur on freedom of expression and access to information has called for the repeal of criminal defamation laws on the continent.

“Defamation complaints against the press should be settled before civil court. Journalists are too often sent to prison in order to suppress allegations of corruption,” said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita. “We call on authorities in Bamenda to release Amungwa Tanyi Nicodemus pending his appeal.”

MOGADISHU, Somalia, April 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia (SRSG), Nicholas Kay, expressed his concern as tensions mounted between forces from Somaliland and Puntland in the northern region of Sool, and in particular the town of Taleh.

“I call for calm. The situation will not be resolved by military means. All parties must refrain from violent actions, and make immediate efforts to de-escalate the situation and resolve their differences through peaceful dialogue and compromise. The Somali people have suffered enough and know that no good can come from further violence and insecurity. UNSOM is coordinating our response with international partners to urge the utmost restraint. We stand ready to support any mediation efforts with all parties” said SRSG Kay.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, April 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, welcomes the report issued by the United Nations (UN) Secretary General on the situatio…