Category: APO-OPA

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, February 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Following the convening of the African Union Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa, the inaugural promoters’ meeting of the newly established “African Union Foundation” was held. The meeting was led by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Her Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini Zuma, who is also the founder as legal representative of the African Union.

Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission presented, the objectives of the Foundation for voluntary contributions towards financing African priorities at the Headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In attendance were the Deputy Chairperson of the Commission, Mr. Erastus Mwencha, the AU Commissioners, the former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Mr. P.J. Patterson,and first members of the inaugural council and guests.

Established by the AU Assembly in May 2013, the African Union Foundation aims to finance African priorities through voluntary contributions. The mission of the Foundation is to “mobilize resources in support of the African Union’s vision of an integrated, people-centered and prosperous Africa, at peace with itself and taking its rightful place in the world”. To accomplish this mission, the Foundation will focus on five key programme areas in its first five years: 1) skills and human resource development, 2) women’s empowerment and gender equality, 3) regional integration, 4) youth development and entrepreneurship, and 5) advocacy and support for the African Union.

“It is time for Africa to mobilize our own resources in support of our development and take charge of our own destiny,” said Chairperson Zuma. The Foundation will strive to more deeply engage Africa’s private sector, African individuals and communities, and leading African philanthropists to generate resources and provide valuable insight on ways in which their success can accelerate Africa’s development. The issue of domestic and alternative sources of funding has been an intrinsic element of the continent’s commitments of the Pan African values of self-determination, solidarity and self-reliance. The AUC Chairperson called on the participants to act as good will ambassadors to the foundation.

WASHINGTON, February 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Remarks
William J. Burns
Deputy Secretary of State
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
January 30, 2014

Good afternoon. My colleagues from China, the United Kingdom, Norway, the European Union and I…

GENEVA, Switzerland, February 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On Saturday IOM organized its 19th evacuation flight for Third Country Nationals (TCNs) exiting the Central African Republic (CAR). The flight transported 314 Chadians from the CAR to Chad.

“People are desperate to leave CAR. IOM is assisting third country nationals to return home safely, and will continue to do so if funds become available,” said Jan de Wilde, IOM Officer-in-Charge in CAR.

IOM has appealed for USD 17.5 million for CAR, but has only received USD 2.8 million. The Organization still urgently needs contributions to be able to evacuate TCNs in dire need of protection.

IOM Director General William Lacy Swing will visit CAR from February 5-8 to assess needs for further IOM interventions. He will meet with the President, government ministers and UN officials, visit IOM programme sites, and undertake a field trip to the prefectures.

IOM is also assisting displaced people at over 70 sites in Bangui, including the Central Mosque, with a mobile medical clinic.

A Chadian Muslim man who wished to remain anonymous was evacuated on Saturday’s flight with his brother to escape violence in CAR. Their wives and children were previously evacuated to Chad by road. The brothers had remained behind in Bangui to take care of their food distribution business.

“We don’t want to go, but we are in danger here. The violence is widespread. Muslims are being attacked and killed. The homes of Muslims have been ruined. The situation is deteriorating. We lived here for a long time but it is not possible anymore. We will return to Chad,” he said.

Another Chadian man who worked as a clothing merchant in Bangui for 25 years was also evacuated.

“Friends told us that this organization [IOM] takes good care of people with full security. They took good care of us, registered us. We are very happy, we’re ready to board, we are ready to return to our home country,” he said.

Since January 11, 2014 a total of 4,792 TCNs have received assistance from IOM to return to their home countries. These include nationals from Chad, Cameroon, Mali, Sudan, Niger and Senegal.

Evacuation flights will be continued as needs develop. IOM currently has funds for two to three additional flights. Unless funding improves, the flights will be discontinued.

This week IOM will continue detailed registration of TCNs who wish to leave CAR. IOM is working with consular staff from each country, who are responsible for confirming the nationalities of individuals who lack proper identification.

There are more than 400,000 displaced people in CAR’s capital city Bangui, and approximately 825,000 in the entire country. This figure was determined by the Commission on Population Movement, a sub-cluster of the UN Protection Cluster, of which IOM is a member.

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, February 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Africell Holding (http://www.africell.com) announces that Africell Sierra Leone crossed the two million mark with over 2,250,000 active subscribers.

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LUSAKA, Zambia, February 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Grindrod Limited (http://www.grindrod.co.za), the JSE listed freight and logistics service provider, through its wholly owned subsidiary Grindrod Mauritius, today announced the opportunity to work with Northwest Rail Company Limited (“NWR”), to build, operate and maintain a new 590km cape gauge railway from Chingola in the heart of the old Zambian Copperbelt to the Angolan border. These exclusive rights were granted to NWR, a Zambian company, by the Government of Zambia in July 2006. The agreement signed today will enable the parties to conclude the bankable feasibility study which is currently underway.

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

Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/140204.jpg (Northwest Rail route 50kms Lumwana to Kalumbila)

The railway is to be built in two phases – Phase I extending from Chingola to the Kansanshi, Lumwana and Kalumbila mines (290 km of track), and Phase II to connect with the Benguela line on the Zambian-Angola border near Jimbe. Phase I is intended to service existing ore and finished copper traffic, and Phase II is intended to open up a direct corridor to Lobito which would allow landlocked Zambia to import oil directly from Angola, and to stimulate further mining activity in the Western Copperbelt region.

The estimated capital cost of Phase 1 is US$ 489 million while Phase 2 of the NWR project is estimated to cost US$500 million.

KPMG’s Infrastructure and Major Projects team have successfully developed the project with NWR over the last twelve months and have facilitated the closure of the deal.

Subject to the conclusion of the Phase 1 bankability feasibility study, construction is expected to commence during 2014. “I have been developing this project for a number of years and the synergies with Grindrod’s Rail businesses, makes Grindrod an ideal partner in the joint venture and means we will be able to bring this project to being in the shortest possible time”, said Honourable Enoch Kavindele, a former Vice-President of Zambia and founder/owner of NWR.

Grindrod’s Rail division operates railways and builds, refurbishes and maintains locomotives and wagons provides rail signaling systems and constructs and maintains track infrastructure. Said James Holley, Grindrod Rail, Divisional Chief Executive, “We have spent the last few years developing our rail capabilities and growing our capacity to participate in the growth in the Africa rail sector. It has meant we are perfectly placed to take up opportunities like this on the African continent”.

Said Dave Rennie, CEO Grindrod Freight Services –Ports & Rail, “This investment will enable Grindrod to extract synergies from our existing investments in the North South rail corridor and our port operations in Maputo, Richards Bay and Durban. We also see great potential in creating an Atlantic gateway to Central Africa through Lobito and look forward to playing our part in making this a reality with the development of Phase II”.

The Copperbelt straddles the border of Northern Zambia and the Southern DRC and is amongst the richest under developed geological regions in Africa. Current production of copper in this area accounts for around 8% of the world’s production, and BMI International forecasts sustained growth in the Zambian copper industry at 5% per annum over the next decade.

Said Dave Rennie, “We like the economic fundamentals of the copper market. We have previously been highly focused on the coal and iron ore markets so this gives us a good opportunity to diversify our bulk commodity mix”.

Existing copper mines are located in the Eastern Copperbelt and are serviced by smelters located near to Chingola (Zambia) and Lubumbashi (DRC). New mine developments have started, and more are planned, in the Central and Western Copperbelt area of Zambia which need to transport ore up to 300kms for processing. Road infrastructure is poor, and the cost of road transport is becoming prohibitive. An alternative rail transport solution will be both more economic for the North Western province of Zambia and much less damaging to the local environmental.

Said Enoch Kavindele, “Grindrod has proven itself to be a good custodian of state assets elsewhere in Africa and I believe that as Zambians, we can be pleased to have them as our partners in this important project which will create thousands of jobs in the country in accordance with government policy.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Grindrod Limited.

For further comment:

James Holley

Grindrod Rail

Divisional Chief Executive

Phone: +27 11 262 7302

Mobile: +27 (0)84 503 1252

E-mail: Jamesh@grindrod.co.za

GENEVA, Switzerland, February 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Aid agencies in South Sudan urgently require $1.27 billion to assist 3.2 million people suffering the humanitarian consequences of the crisis.

The conflict, which started on 15 December 2013, has led to devastating humanitarian consequences: the lives of millions of citizens have been shattered; almost 900,000 have left their homes; and thousands more have been hurt or wounded as a direct result of hostilities. Livelihoods have been lost, and people’s ability to move livestock to pasture, to fish or to hunt, has been severely compromised.

Key aid agencies have stayed in South Sudan to protect civilians and deliver aid. Humanitarians are scaling up the response to assist 3.2 million people up to June, based on rigorous prioritization. This includes relief for displaced people and host communities, refugees, and other communities whose lives and livelihoods are at immediate risk. Aid organizations plan to provide emergency relief, uphold people’s rights and strengthen livelihoods.

To do this, NGOs and UN agencies now require $1.27 billion to meet the most urgent needs until June, including vital pre-positioning of aid supplies for the whole year before the rainy season arrives.

“The priority is to save lives now, and ensure that we have food, medicine and other lifesaving supplies prepositioned in the field, in easy reach of aid agencies before the rains hit and the roads become impassable,” said the Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Toby Lanzer.

“We have revised the South Sudan Crisis Response Plan to reflect the deterioration of the humanitarian situation, to prioritize frontline relief and pre-positioning, and to take necessary actions now to prevent food security deteriorating later in the year,” continued Mr. Lanzer. “To achieve this, I ask the international donor community to stand with the people of South Sudan and the aid agencies working here to help them before the situation gets even worse.”

LONDON, United-Kingdom, February 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, visits the Democratic Republic of Congo supporting unique opportunity for peace in 2014.

During the visit, Mark Simmonds will meet with His Excellency President Joseph Kabila and Foreign Minister Raymond Tshibanda, setting out the UK’s strong support for measures to forge continued economic growth and opportunities for the region.

Years of fighting have devastated eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but following the successful conclusion in December 2013 of the Kampala Peace Talks, optimism is building for sustainable peace and prosperity for the future. The Minister will reiterate the UK’s ongoing support to ending the cycle of conflict. He will travel outside of the capital to see first-hand the impact of conflict on the people of the DRC.

The Minister will visit Heal Africa in Goma to learn more about the devastating impact of sexual violence in conflict in the DRC, and to see how a UK-funded project will support local communities to end it.

He will also attend events focused on improving transparency in government and meet a group of British businesses in Kinshasa to discuss the challenges and opportunities of investing in the DRC.

On his arrival, Mr Simmonds said:

“2014 provides a unique opportunity for greater stability in the DRC and the Great Lakes. The UK is committed to supporting the DRC in achieving an end to the cycle of conflict from which its people have suffered for so long.

“I look forward to my discussions with President Kabila and I will reiterate the UK’s support in working towards a peaceful and prosperous DRC.”

Notes for Editors:

The visit will take place from 3-7 February.

DAKAR, Sénégal, February 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — At the time of establishment, Sénégal Airlines considered its choice of service provider for information system management, including the financial management of its business. The airline opted for Sage FRP 1000 (http://www.sage.com) due to its flexibility, and its open and interfacing capabilities with other business management solutions which are essential for airlines.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/sage.png

Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/140128.jpg (Abdoul Aziz NDAO, manager of the Sénégal Airlines information system)

As accounting and turnover calculation for airlines are quite specific tasks, Sénégal Airlines chose to outsource management of its turnover to a specialist service provider.

“Our accounting processes are automatically transferred in a fully secure manner to Sage FRP 1000 general accounting. Only an open information system such as Sage FRP 1000 allowed us to build interfaces between applications”, stated Abdoul Aziz NDAO, manager of the Sénégal Airlines information system.

For this project, Sénégal Airlines was looking for a Sage-approved information system partner, able to commit over the long term. “We chose Itech Solutions due to the fact that their working methods are best suited to our project vision as well as for their technical expertise regarding Sage solutions”, continued Abdoul Aziz NDAO.

Itech Solutions produced a model of the information system and its roll-out, user training and change management training. Today, it is responsible for managing maintenance contracts and software updates.

With Sage FRP 1000, Sénégal Airlines is achieving productivity gains and optimising management of its business processes.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Sage.

Sage Press Contact

Carole Basson

Tel: +33 556 181 744

Carole.BASSON@sage.com

Sénégal Airlines Press Contact

Abdoul Aziz NDAO

Tél. : +221 338 658 903

abdoul-aziz.ndao@senegalairlines.aero

About Sage

We offer companies a range of intuitive, reliable and effective software solutions and management services, whether for accounting and payroll, ERP or customer relations management. Our customers receive continuous advice and support through our global network of local experts to help them solve their business problems, giving them the confidence to achieve their business ambitions. With over 6 million customers across the world, Sage (http://www.sage.com) achieves a turnover of 1,500 billion Euros. http://www.sage.fr/fr/mediatheque/accueil-temoignages-clients/senegal-airlines-optimise-sa-gestion-financiere-avec-sage-frp-1000

About Sénégal Airlines

Established in 2011, Sénégal Airlines is a young airline born out of a partnership between the Senegalese State and the private sector. It has 250 employees and achieves a turnover of 30 billion CFA Francs.

PARIS, France, February 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of FIDH and OMCT, outlines the preliminary conclusions of a mission conducted in Cameroon from January 7 to 16, 2014 on the situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people’s rights defenders.

The testimonies and analyses gathered during the mission reflected an environment marked by overall insecurity and intimidation against health rights and LGBTI rights defenders, in a context of criminalisation of homosexuality. The mission delegates were able to meet notably with representatives of human rights organisations, LGBTI people, journalists, lawyers, sexual health workers, church representatives, national authorities and institutions as well as diplomatic missions.

To date, Cameroon is the country with the highest number of persons being prosecuted, sentenced and imprisoned for “consensual sexual relations with a person of the same sex” (Article 347bis of the Penal Code). Despite a moratorium promised by President Biya on arrests carried out in application of Article 347bis of the Penal Code, at least 15 people (men and women) are now being held in Cameroonian prisons because of their real or suspected sexual orientation.

Between 2012 and 2013, many defenders have faced targeted acts of harassment because of their support for LGBTI persons. According to the mission delegates, “the Cameroonian authorities are showing no perceptible signs of willingness to stop these persecutions. According to the information received, none of the persons responsible for blackmail or extortion has ever been arrested or troubled, and the complaints filed by the defenders have all been ignored. This is especially alarming since law enforcement officers may have been involved in several of these cases”.

On the very issue of the investigation into the death of Eric Ohena Lembembe, Executive Director of the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS) and journalist who actively defended LGBTI rights, the mission noted that the only procedural act carried out by the investigating judge up to now was a “summons to witness … to be accused and questioned about charges of aggravated theft”, notified by a bailiff on October 17, 2013 to six persons who were close to the victim. “The inertia of the Cameroonian authorities encourages a climate of impunity for the perpetrators of crimes and persecution against LGBTI people, and contributes to the stigmatisation and discrimination of these people and of the defenders of their rights”, the mission delegates stated.

In addition to the repression described above, institutions responsible for guaranteeing respect for people’s rights suffer from lack of independence and resources. In particular, the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms (Commission nationale des droits de l’Homme et des libertés – CNDHL) does not have the authority nor the independence needed to protect Cameroonian citizens, especially the most vulnerable ones, including LGBTI people. Furthermore, the legal aid system is ineffective. The result is that, in fact, the most vulnerable people do not have access to legal services nor to a fair trial. This situation is all the more serious for people suspected of homosexuality as only three or four lawyers are willing to represent them before the police and judicial authorities, which in turn increases the stigmatisation of those lawyers.

“In this context, LGBTI rights defenders are working in an atmosphere ridden with fear and insecurity due to the lack of sustainable institutional support for identity-based organisations. Insecurity pushes the organisations to “hide” themselves behind activities to combat AIDS in favour of populations most at risk, which are covered in the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan”, the mission deplored.

The Observatory will publish in the coming months a comprehensive mission report on the situation of LGBTI rights defenders in Cameroon with specific recommendations to the national authorities, non-State actors, international organisations, diplomatic representations and to national, regional and international human rights protection mechanisms.

MOGADISHU, Somalia, February 4, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The National Union of Somali Journalists [NUSOJ] condemns today’s decision by the Somaliland Information Minister in which he reportedly suspended the operations of Universal TV…