diplomacy&development

La 8ème conférence ministérielle du Forum sur la coopération Sino-africaine (FOCAC) s'est ouvert ce lundi 29 novembre 2021, au Centre international de conférence Abdou Diouf (CICAD) de Diamniadio, à Dakar (Sénégal), sur le thème: « Approfondir le partenariat sino-africain et promouvoir le développement durable pour bâtir une communauté d’avenir partagé Chine-Afrique dans la nouvelle ère ». La cérémonie d’ouverture des travaux de cette rencontre de deux jours (29 et 30 novembre) a été co-présidée par le président de la République du Sénégal, S.E.M Macky Sall, et S.E.M Xi Jinping, président de la République populaire de Chine (en ligne), avec la participation en ligne des présidents de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), de la République Arabe d’Egypte, de l’Union des Comores, de la République Sud-africaine, de la Commission de l’Union africaine (UA) et du Secrétaire général des Nations-Unies. Le Chef de l’Etat sénégalais a à cette occasion souligné que depuis la création du F

Michelle Bachelet,  UN High Commissioner for Human Rights During her visits to the two countries, Bachelet will engage with human rights defenders, community and religious leaders, victims of human rights violations and abuses. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet today begins a seven-day official mission to Burkina Faso and Niger, at the invitation of the respective governments. Bachelet will be in Burkina Faso until 1 December. During her visit, she is due to meet President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, Prime Minister Christophe Joseph Marie Dabiré and several other high-level officials. She is also scheduled to meet with the President of the National Assembly and the Commission Nationale des Droits Humains. In Niger, from 1-4 December, the UN Human Rights Chief is due to meet President Mohamed Bazoum, Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou and several other high-level officials. She is also scheduled to meet with the President of the National Assembly and the Commissi

La Fondation Merck a également publié un livre d'histoires pour les enfants « Not Who You Are », l'histoire d'un jeune couple – Mukama et Amina qui ont subi la violence sexiste, l'ont surmontée et ont décidé d'avancer ensemble pour avoir une vie heureuse et satisfaite La Fondation Merck poursuit ses efforts pour sensibiliser sur la violence à l'égard des femmes, autonomiser les filles et les femmes par l'éducation et tente d'apporter un changement de culture à travers l'art Monrovia, Libéria, 26 Novembre 2021 : la Fondation Merck, la branche philanthropique de Merck KGaA Allemagne, a publié deux chansons – « Girl Can » en anglais par des chanteurs du Ghana et du Libéria, Cwezi & Irene respectivement, et « Yes, You Can » en portugais de Blaze, une chanteuse mozambicaine, pour soutenir l'éducation des filles et l'autonomisation des femmes, ce qui les aidera à faire des choix éclairés et à connaître ceux qui ont le droit de n'accepter au

Merck Foundation also released a story book for children ‘Not Who You Are’, a story of a young couple – Mukama and Amina that experienced Gender Based Violence, overcame it, and decided to move along together to spend a happy and content life Merck Foundation continues its efforts to raise awareness about violence against females, empowering girls and women through education and tries to bring in a culture shift through art Monrovia, Liberia, 26th November 2021: Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, released two songs - ‘Girl Can’ in English by singers from Ghana and Liberia, Cwezi & Irene respectively, and ‘Yes, You Can’ in Portuguese by Blaze, a singer from Mozambique, to support Girl education and women empowerment which will help them make informed choice and know those right of not accepting any kind of violence whether physical or mental violence.  “This is our way at Merck Foundation to mark the ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence agai

Presidents Macky Sall of Senegal, Nana Akufuo of Ghana, Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, Faure Gnassingbé of Togo, Paul Kagame of Rwanda as well as Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Honorary President of Sierra Leone around President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo in a family photo during the Summit on positive masculinity in Kinshasa, DRC The President of the DRC, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, current President of the African Union, opened yesterday Thursday November 25, 2021, the Summit on positive masculinity in Kinshasa, in the presence of Presidents Macky Sall of Senegal, Nana Akufuo of Ghana , Denis Sassou Nguesso from the Republic of Congo, Faure Gnassingbé from Togo, Paul Kagame from Rwanda as well as Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Honorary President of Sierra Leone. Personalities from the associative world and businessmen also take part.  The Heads of State and Government, as well as the various parties, thus addressed issues related to gender and at the end of these meet

Les Présidents Macky Sall du Sénégal, Nana Akufuo du Ghana, Denis Sassou Nguesso de la République du Congo, Faure Gnassingbé du Togo, Paul Kagame du Rwanda ainsi qu'Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Présidente honoraire de Sierra Leone autour du Président Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo en photo de famille lors du Sommet sur la masculinité positive à Kinshasa, RDC Le Président de la RDC, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, Président en exercice de l'Union africaine a ouvert hier Jeudi 25 Novembre 2021, le Sommet sur la masculinité positive à Kinshasa, en présence des présidents Macky Sall du Sénégal, Nana Akufuo du Ghana, Denis Sassou Nguesso de la République du Congo, Faure Gnassingbé du Togo, Paul Kagame du Rwanda ainsi qu'Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Présidente honoraire de Sierra Leone. Des personnalités du monde associatif et des hommes d'affaires y prennent également part. Les Chefs d’Etats et de gouvernements, ainsi que les différentes parties ont ainsi abordé les questions li

Jon-Åge Øyslebø, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway in the DRC, and Fabien Sambussy, IOM Chief of Mission in the DRC The Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) concluded, on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, a Partnership agreement to fight modern slavery in mining sites from the province of North Kivu and South Kivu. This project, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, will run for 30 months.  This initiative aims to improve the stability and access to human rights of people in mining sites, including vulnerable women and children in mining areas in eastern DRC, through actions aimed at reducing the prevalence of modern slavery.  Project interventions include building the capacity of local authorities, civil society and artisanal mining operators, as well as improving coordination mechanisms to effectively address human rights violations in mining supply chains.  Jon-Åg

Jon-Åge Øyslebø,  Ambassadeur du  Royaume de Norvège en RDC, et Fabien Sambussy, C hef de Mission de l’OIM en RDC L’Ambassade du Royaume de Norvège en République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) et l’Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM) ont conclu, le mercredi 24 novembre 2021, un accord de Partenariat pour lutter contre l’esclavage moderne dans les sites miniers de la province du Nord Kivu et du Sud Kivu. Ce projet, financé par le Ministère des Affaires étrangères du Royaume de Norvège, s’étendra sur une durée de 30 mois.  Cette initiative vise à améliorer la stabilité et l'accès aux droits humains des personnes qui se retrouvent dans les sites miniers y compris des femmes et des enfants vulnérables dans les zones minières de l'Est de la RDC, grâce à des actions visant à réduire la prévalence de l'esclavage moderne. Les interventions du projet incluent le renforcement des capacités des autorités locales, de la société civile et des opérateurs miniers artisanaux

Rémy RIOUX, Managing Director of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group and President of the International Development Finance Club (IDFC)  While the Democratic Republic of Congo holds the Presidency of the African Union, the Director General of the AFD Group will visit Kinshasa from December 6 to 8, 2021. The purpose of this visit is to strengthen ties between France and the authorities of the Congolese governmental and non-governmental in a shared partnership approach to support the sustainable and inclusive growth of the country.  A few months after the Summit on the Financing of African Economies held in Paris last May, this trip will also be an opportunity for the CEO of AFD Group to meet the local entrepreneurial and financial fabric. Accompanied by representatives of Proparco, an AFD subsidiary dedicated to the private sector, Rémy Rioux will participate in the Makutano Forum, which brings together economic players from the DRC and Africa each year. He will also meet

Rémy RIOUX, Directeur Général du Groupe Agence Française de Développement (AFD) et Président de l’International Développement Finance Club (IDFC) Alors que la République Démocratique du Congo exerce la Présidence de l’Union africaine, le Directeur Général du groupe l’AFD se rendra à Kinshasa du 6 au 8 décembre 2021. Cette visite a pour objectif le renforcement des liens entre la France et les autorités gouvernementales et non gouvernementales congolaises dans une approche partenariale partagée d’appui à la croissance durable et inclusive du pays. Quelques mois après le Sommet sur le Financement des Economies Africaines qui s’est tenu à Paris en mai dernier, ce déplacement sera aussi l’occasion pour le Directeur Général du Groupe AFD de rencontrer le tissu entrepreneurial et financier local. Accompagné de représentants de Proparco, filiale de l’AFD dédiée au secteur privé, Rémy Rioux participera au Forum Makutano, qui rassemble chaque année les acteurs économiques de la RDC et d’Afrique

New instant customer care and self-service options added to the Smart Shopper loyalty programme to access Pick n Pay easily in Chat. Clickatell ( https://bit.ly/3xnA5aF ), a leader in mobile communications and chat commerce, has been selected by leading African retailer Pick n Pay to manage their WhatsApp customer communication channel. Customers can easily access Pick n Pay services by sending “Hi” to +27 60 070 3037. The easy to navigate menu then allows shoppers to choose which action they want to perform. The Pick n Pay WhatsApp channel currently hosts catalogues, COVID-19 FAQs, store locator, Smart Shopper card services and other customer services options. This partnership between Pick n Pay and Clickatell enables customers to manage their Smart Shopper status and details via WhatsApp. This includes the ability for its nine million active Smart Shoppers to view their loyalty points balance, block their lost or stolen cards, as well as order card replacements. Also, customers can q

Deon Geyser, Chief Executive Officer Liquid Intelligent Technologies South Africa Liquid Intelligent Technologies has been working to achieve this status since the company expanded operations in South Africa through the acquisition of Neotel in 2017. Liquid Intelligent Technologies ( www.Liquid.Tech/ ) South Africa, a business of Cassava Technologies, is proud to announce that it has achieved B-BBEE Level 1 status. Liquid Intelligent Technologies has been working to achieve this status since the company expanded operations in South Africa through the acquisition of Neotel in 2017. Liquid is a prominent investor in the country’s critical telecommunications and technology sectors and embraces the true spirit of transformation through improved participation in the economy for previously disadvantaged groups. According to Deon Geyser, CEO Liquid Intelligent Technologies SA, “This is an excellent achievement for us, which we don’t take lightly. We will continue providing all our stakeholder

The partnership will further drive financial inclusion by allowing ImaliPay users to access financial services quicker through Cellulant’s payment rails. ImaliPay, the one-stop financial platform for Africa’s gig workers, has partnered with pan-African payments company Cellulant ( www.Cellulant.com ), for its payments infrastructure and solutions in Kenya and Nigeria. The ease of making and receiving payments for freelancers will be greatly improved through this partnership and will change the way gig workers experience making payments. The partnership will further drive financial inclusion by allowing ImaliPay users to access financial services quicker through Cellulant’s payment rails. Sanmi Akinmusire, co-founder and COO of ImaliPay says “Most of the financial services provided today are not designed with the gig workers in mind and our aim at ImaliPay is to build an ecosystem where gig workers can create a safety net around their work through savings, credit,  and insurance that dr

A volunteer from the Association for the Protection of Women and Girls (PROMURA) hands over a dignity kit to an adolescent as part of the support from Direct Relief. Photo: UN Women/Boaventura Veja The kits are composed of personal hygiene items necessary for women and girls as they continue in resettlement centers after being forced to flee their places of origin in search of safety. An estimated 1.3 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection in Mozambique's three northern provinces - Cabo Delgado, Niassa and Nampula - due to the conflict in Cabo Delgado. About 670,000 people were internally displaced in northern Mozambique by the end of 2020, including at least 580,000 people displaced from their homes in 2020 alone. Women and girls were the majority of the displaced and were in urgent need of dignity kits to help minimize their transition process until a final destination is identified or their places of origin are safe to return to. In response,

A woman in Satkhira, Bangladesh holds her baby as she receives COVID-19 assistance from the Bangladesh Red Crescent in September 2021. Credit: IFRC The new research provides a global overview, with a special focus on ten countries: Afghanistan, Colombia, El Salvador, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Philippines, Spain, South Africa and Turkey. Women, people in urban areas and those on the move have been disproportionately and uniquely affected by the devastating socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These are some of the findings of new research published yesterday by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The COVID-19 pandemic has had major economic impacts on every nation in the world. The IFRC’s new research also shows the extent of the pandemic’s secondary consequences on communities and individuals. This crisis has caused: increased unemployment and poverty; increased food insecurity; a higher vulnerability to violence; and a loss of education