diplomacy&development

Accompanying President Ramkalawan was the Seychelles Ambassador to the African Union, Conrad Mederic, the Director Regional Affairs, Mr Christian Faure and and Third Secretary SADC Desk, Mr Jean-Philippe Bannane. President Wavel Ramkalawan was among the Heads of State and Government who convened in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo this morning for the official opening ceremony of the 42nd Ordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).  This year’s summit is taking place under the theme: “Promoting industrialisation through, agro-processing, mineral beneficiation, and regional value chains for inclusive and resilient economic growth”. Highlights of the ceremony included the introduction of panel of Heads of State and designated Government representatives in attendance, followed by the Presentation of medals of honour for the Founding Fathers of SADC.  In ushering a new era of SADC Leadership, the opening ceremony also witnessed the official handing over

The major objective of the event was to develop action plans on promotion and implementation of regional and national industrialization policies. Experts from the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-SA) and the Government of Zambia held a two-day National Action Planning workshop from 10th to 11th August 2022 on the alignment and harmonization of regional and national frameworks on industrialization. The major objective of the event was to develop action plans on promotion and implementation of regional and national industrialization policies for inclusive and sustainable development in Southern Africa. This workshop was organized based on the recommendations from the study findings of ECA report which focused on the adoption of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) industrialization policy frameworks and strategies as new industrialization trajectory for regional m

In the midst of a global oil-and-gas crisis, Africa must take charge of its own energy destiny, and use its rich resource assets for the benefit of its own people. This is the call from former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo. His comments come as the world scrambles to find  new sources of oil and gas to meet its energy needs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In this context, Obasanjo says African countries cannot be beholden to the unrealistic ideals of the Global North for an exclusively renewables-driven economy. He says this is particularly true when the developed world is itself accepting the need for hydrocarbons. “Like the rest of the world, Africa must follow energy policies that promote socio-economic development and sustainable hydrocarbon use,” he says.  “Africa is the lowest producer of greenhouse-gas emissions and needs to lift nearly half-a-billion citizens out of poverty,” says Obasanjo. “Responsible management of our hydrocarbons and investment in our econom

Corporate and civic leaders assembled in Dakar for the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power Conference 2022 will have the opportunity to compete in a golf tournament on the event’s third day, promoting energy sector discourse in the formation of the Dakar Energy Club. Energy Capital & Power (ECP) ( www.EnergyCapitalPower.com ), in partnership with the African Energy Chamber, is proud to announce a nine-hole golf tournament challenge to follow two days of packed programming on September 1-2 in the world-renowned CICAD venue in Dakar for MSGBC 2022. Celebrating the formation of the Dakar Energy Club - an NGO collective for civic and corporate leaders in the energy sector promoting informal, intersectional dialogues around energy futures - the scramble format contest on September 3 will bring together 16 three-player teams at the King Fahd Hotel’s Golf Club Pointe des Almadies on Dakar’s picturesque coastline. In addition to participating in the sport itself, delegates will have a unique opport

Melinda French Gates, Philanthrope, Fenme d'affaires,  Défenseuse mondiale des femmes et des filles. Co-Présidente de la  Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates. En juin, lors d’un voyage au Sénégal et au Rwanda, mon premier voyage en Afrique depuis le début de la pandémie, j’ai pu constater d’innombrables exemples africains d’innovations. Parmi celles-ci figurent notamment une université rurale formant la prochaine génération de professionnels de la santé mondiale ; une entreprise qui transforme des pneus usagés, lieux de reproduction des moustiques, en gazon synthétique et en combustible pour les cimenteries ; et une équipe de scientifiques développant des vaccins et des traitements de pointe pour lutter contre toutes sortes de maladies infectieuses. Après avoir passé 20 ans à me rendre sur le continent et à travailler avec ses dirigeants, je n’ai nullement été surprise de voir que des solutions africaines qui permettaient de répondre aux défis de l’Afrique. Je n’ai pas plus été surp

UNMISS commends the Government of South Sudan for securing the consent and agreement of all the signatories to the R-ARCSS. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan, (UNMISS) welcomes the announcement on 4th August 2022 of an agreement by the parties to the Revitalized Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS) on a Roadmap which extends the current transitional period by 24 months. This extension is to enable the implementation of key outstanding tasks in the R-ARCSS. UNMISS commends the Government of South Sudan for securing the consent and agreement of all the signatories to the R-ARCSS and urges the authorities to embark on extra efforts to bring on board any other stakeholders, guarantors and witnesses. The UN Mission urges all the parties and signatories to the Agreement to work together, in an expeditious manner towards the full implementation of the remaining key benchmarks, to ensure that a conducive atmosphere is created for the conduct of free, fair, and credible elections at the end of the

New U.S. envoy reaffirms support to reduce malnutrition, boost resiliency. During the first week of August, U.S. Ambassador Claire A. Pierangelo visited Madagascar’s drought-stricken South where she met with regional officials, health care providers, and food security specialists and beneficiaries, and saw first-hand the positive impacts of U.S. government-supported economic development and innovative agricultural approaches and humanitarian assistance infrastructure. Throughout the five-day visit, Ambassador Pierangelo witnessed both the extent of climate-related effects on the region’s residents and the scope of the response by the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to safeguard food security in partnership with United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the Government of Madagascar. Through these partnerships, USAID-supported programs feed those who are most vulnerable, improve delivery of health services, expand livelihoo