By Ismail Abdulaziz
The Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development (EAPD) has commenced the training of 100 African women from 35 African countries on leadership initiatives on the continent.

Ambassador Mohamed Khalil, Secretary General for EAPD, said that the programme was part of Egypt’s support to Africa in accessing its possibilities in serving the South-South Cooperation.
In a statement by Ambassador Hesham El-Mekwad, the secretary general said that programme was being organised in collaboration with the Governance and Sustainable Development and the Jimenai Africa Foundation.
“The Egyptian agency aims to employ the distinct Egyptian possibilities in serving South-South cooperation, especially in the African continent, in support of the continent’s development renaissance,” he said.
Khalil said that the training, which was the second edition of the African Women Leadership Training Programme, would support the areas of empowerment of women and gender equality.
He said this has started with the launch of a number of strategies to ensure the achievement of these goals, primarily the National Women’s Empowerment Strategy 2030 adopted by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
Khalil also said that they included the national strategy against violence against women, female circumcision, early marriage as well as the national reproductive health strategy.
Khalil added that the EAPD, as the development arm of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is committed to prioritising African women in capacity-building programmes and training sessions organized by local or international partners.
“Egypt will continue to offer scholarships at its universities and research centres, as well as in relation to the aid given to different African countries, believing in the important role African women play in preserving the gains of the present and shaping the continent’s future.”

Namibia is eyeing raising red meat exports to China and the Middle East with a view to broadening its market access and hiking agriculture export earnings.

The state-owned Meat Board of Namibia (MBN) disclosed this on Thursday.

MBN Chief Marketing Officer Desmond Cloete said Namibia engaged the services of North-West University in South Africa to conduct a desktop market survey targeting China and the Middle East with the view of increasing red meat with a special focus on beef, mutton, and lamb exports to those destinations.

The survey, which focused on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and China, showed that those markets are lucrative and will go a long way in allowing Namibia to withstand market competition from other African producers, according to Cloete.

“The next step would be to select a clear market entry approach and the study proposed the following strategies including exporting under a private label/brand.

“This can either be under a local brand name of an importer or supermarket in the importing country or under a brand established in the exporting country and building the product in the targeted market,” he said.

Cloete said Namibia should organise trade missions that can visit China and the Middle East working together with the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development, the MBN, or foreign missions in the region to create the needed synergies for more red meat product exports in those markets.

He also called for Namibia to target participating trade shows such as Gulfood in Dubai, Sial in Abu Dhabi, Foodex Saudi in Jeddah, Kuwait International Agro Food Expo, and Sial China in Shanghai to position their meat brands as the first option in those markets. (Xinhua/NAN)

By Harrison Arubu

President of the United Nations General Assembly, Amb. Volkan Bozkir, has “warmly welcomed” the approval of Libya’s interim unity government.

The country’s House of Representatives approved the cabinet of interim Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah on Wednesday after two days of intense debate.

According to a UN-brokered agreement, the transitional government is to lead the country through elections, scheduled for Dec. 24.

In a tweet, Bozkir said he hoped the lawmakers’ decision would help “heal divisions and put Libya on a steady path” to the December polls.

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has also congratulated the interim government and Libyan people over the vote.

Briefing newsmen in New York, UN spokesman, said UNSMIL applauded the House of Representatives for uniting to uphold the interests of their country and their people.

“The Mission says Libya now has a genuine opportunity to move forward towards unity, stability, prosperity, reconciliation and the full restoration of its sovereignty”, Dujarric said.

The interim government was appointed by stakeholders at a UN-led peace talks in Geneva on Feb. 5 following last year’s ceasefire.

It replaces rival administrations that plunged the country into a costly civil war after the ouster of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi by NATO-backed forces in 2011. (NAN)

The UNICEF on Wednesday urged countries to contribute more money to help poor countries to access Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, saying around $1 billion was needed.

UNICEF, the world’s single largest vaccine buyer, is part of the World Health Organisation-backed COVAX programme to supply COVID-19 shots to emerging economies.

“We have been asking the world for more funding for UNICEF and our distribution to countries we still need about 1 billion dollars ,” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said at Dubai’s World Government Summit.

That funding could be used to strengthen health systems in poorer nations and support the distribution of vaccines there, she said.

The COVAX initiative aims to deliver at least 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses this year, including 1.3 billion doses to lower-income countries.

Fore urged vaccine makers to sign licensing agreements so vaccines could be made locally, singling out Africa as one market that needed it.

She also said it was unlikely that the COVAX scheme would be able to cover the world in 2021.

“There is still more to do and we could do with more help and assistance,” Fore said. (Reuters/NAN)

By Halima Sheji
The African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM) on Monday underscored the need to address brutality and conflict-related violence against the continent’s women and girls.

Dr Mairo Al-Makura, Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on African First Ladies Peace Mission, emphasised the need to do so at a news conference in Abuja to mark International Women’s Day.

Al-Makura said that though women had always been instrumental to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the continent, they had always been victim of violence in the society.

“The African First Ladies Peace Mission celebrates African women and will continuously play a crucial role in furthering peace on the continent.

“We must not lose sight that gender equality and women’s rights are fundamental to the continent’s progress on peace, security, and rights.

“We recommit ourselves to advocate for the right to peace and protection for all women and girls across Africa,” she said.

She said the mission had celebrated many achievements of women in Africa and across the globe.

According to her, the African First Ladies Peace Mission is inspired by the effective leadership that women have demonstrated during the current Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).

“Women have brilliantly stepped-up to this challenging period with strength and courage while adjusting to rapidly unfolding circumstances.

“In doing so, they have reminded the world of the importance of women’s presence in leadership positions.

“Although we have seen tremendous progress on women’s rights and leadership over the past few years, the pandemic is threatening to reverse the gains that have been made,” she said.

She added that the pandemic had disproportionally impacted women in many areas, particularly gender-based violence.

“While the world implemented lockdown measures introduced to curb the pandemic, there has been a spike in reported domestic violence and conflict-related violence again women and girls.

“To ensure that COVID-19 response and recovery acknowledge their realities, women need to have a seat at the decision-making table,” she said.

The African First Ladies Peace Mission was inspired by the UN World’s Women Conference 1995, popularly known as the Beijing Conference.

It was set up to be an umbrella body of wives of African Heads of State/Presidents and Government to play a supportive role to the African Union (AU), regional organisations, and national governments in fostering peace and reducing conflicts and their effects on the African continent.