Month: October 2023

No fewer than 16,620 adolescent girls will benefit from a viable education support under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, (AGILE) project in Bauchi State.

The Project Coordinator, Dr Jamila Mohammed-Dahiru, said this during a breakfast meeting with heads of media organisations in Bauchi on Saturday.

AGILE is being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education with support from the World Bank, designed to improve basic and post-basic education opportunities for adolescent girls.

Children in Nigeria, especially girls are being faced with challenges preventing them from accessing and completing secondary education due to socio-cultural, financial constraints, and infrastructural deficits.

The project seeks to tackle the challenges and improve education opportunities in 18 participating states, to make education more appealing to adolescent girls, parents, and communities.

The AGILE project consists of three main components which include Creating Safe and Accessible Learning Spaces, Fostering an Enabling Environment for Girls, Project Management and System Strengthening.

Mohammed-Dahiru said that Bauchi government had submitted its proposed Work Plan to the national coordinating unit and contributed N150 million as counterpart fund to facilitate successful implementation of the project in the state.

She said the state’s Project Unit had identified 120 schools and 30 non-formal schools for participation through a community driven approach to ensure sustainability of the project.

The project, she said, would be implemented based on a 60/40 per cent ratio for girls and boys in basic and post-basic schools across 20 local government areas of the state.

The Project Coordinator said the state planned to construct new classrooms to expand 60 schools and rehabilitate dilapidated ones in 60 other schools.

The schools, she said, would be provided with facilities such as furniture, learning materials and information technology facilities to make them functional, safe, inclusive, and more conducive to teaching and learning.

On Fostering an Enabling Environment for Girls, she said, the objective was to promote behavioural change which acts as a barrier to girls’ education through sensitisation and advocacy campaigns to promote girls’ education and empowerment.

“It also aimed at enhancing digital literacy and entrepreneurial skills development, to empower girls to enable them to be useful as they transit to adulthood.

“We have a Conditional Cash Transfer programme to provide financial incentives to the poorest households, to address barriers to girls’ enrollment, retention and completion of school.

“Each of the beneficiaries will receive N5,000 for the junior schools and N10,000 for those in senior schools per term, respectively,” she said.

“While the Management and System Strengthening component of the project seeks to strengthen the institutional capacity of federal and state governments to support girls’ education and empowerment.

“We also have a Teacher Professional Development programme and planned to review curriculum as well as the School Based Management Committees (SBMCs),” she said.

According to her, the state government will recruit additional 3,000 teachers to ensure effective management of the schools.

She added that teachers and members of the School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) would be trained to fast track effective monitoring and supervision for successful implementation of the project.

She, therefore, sought the support of the media in creating awareness in the communities to mobilise participation in the project

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, officially inaugurated the 190km overhead transmission line for Kunene-Omatando substation on Friday, which will serve as a connection point between Namibia and Angola.

Alweendo made the remarks during the inauguration of the Kunene-Omatando substation at Otjekua community in the Omusati Region on Friday.

According to the minister, the new 400 kV Kunene Substation and the 400kV Omatando Substation, along with the 190km inter-connector overhead

transmission line, will be beneficiary for the northern part of Namibia.

“This is a brighter future for Namibia and by extension for Southern Angola. These substations, the Kunene Substation, a mere 30km south of the Angola-Namibia border at the Ruacana Power Station, and the Omatando Substation in Ongwediva, are now seamlessly connected by a 190km overhead transmission line,” he said.

He added that this critical infrastructures provides a blueprint for the energy future.

Speaking at the same occassion, Nampower Managing Director, Kahenge Haulofu, said the Kunene Substation is a 400kV breaker-and-half switching station that will initially be operated at 330kV.

Haulofu added that as part of this project, they also constructed a new 400kV breaker-and-half extension at substation in Ongwediva.

“These 400kV breaker substations were constructed as a part of NamPower’s ambition to strengthen northern Namibia’s Transmission backbone,” he said.

He added that entire project, including the 400kV transmission line between Kunene and Omatando substations, is valued at over N.dollars 1 billion.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) launched the National Symbols Campaign in Opuwo on Friday, as part of the National Pride initiative, aiming to raise awareness about the norms and significance of Namibia’s national symbols.

Dr Peya Mushelenga, the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, officiated the launch and stressed the importance of the campaign. He highlighted that national anthems foster a sense of community involvement, contrasting with individuality through the use of terms like ‘we’ and ‘our.’

Mushelenga remarked, ‘These words catapult members of a community into a single identity. They instill in the minds of citizens the essence of associative existence.’

He further asserted that a country’s national anthem establishes a connection between the Kunene Region and the rest of Namibia.

‘It binds all of us in a bond of brotherliness and sisterhood. Moreover, singing national anthems invokes reverence for the core values of the nation, such as unity, love and loyalty to the nation. The anthem educates Namibians about the history and geography of their country,’ he said.

According to the minister, the national anthem highlights acts of valour, where individuals made sacrifices, enabling citizens to experience freedom and independence.

‘Hence, we stand up when we sing the anthem to give them our unconditional respect and acknowledge their prominence in our history and their center stage in our victory,’ he added.

Mushelenga stressed that national flags are sacred symbols deserving the utmost respect. Disrespecting national flags, he warned, can lead to serious consequences in certain nations. He noted that national flags have served as potent political symbols for ages, legitimating borders by signifying similarity.

‘Flags are used to bestow honor on allies, but their usage also extends to dishonor or condemn enemies,’ he added.

Furthermore, Mushelenga highlighted the importance of flags in determining sovereignty, citing an international law provision requiring a ship sailing on high seas to be conferred nationality of the country under which it is registered and fly that state’s flag. He also pointed out that flags are common sights at international sporting events, where athletes proudly carry their respective national flags.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Members of the Botswana Parliament have praised the cooperation between their country and Namibia, particularly in the realms of trade and commerce.

Chairperson of the Works, Transport, Technology and Information and Communications, Mpho Balopi, indicated during a meeting with Namport on Friday that the two countries are continually enhancing their collaboration through high-level engagements.

The delegation comprised six MPs from three committees, including the Committee on Finance, Trade and Economic Development, as well as the Committee on Labour and Home Affairs, which is chaired by Balopi.

The visit to Namport was part of the group’s oversight visit, allowing them to follow up and engage on various aspects of bilateral relations between the two countries relevant to their portfolio committees in the Botswana Parliament.

Balopi commended Namibia for providing Botswana with a dry port, stating that it plays a crucial role in the country’s import and export sector.

He pointed out that the Trade Facilitation Agreement, to which Namibia and Botswana belong, calls for seamless cross-border trade. As a land-locked country, the dry port at Walvis Bay enables Botswana to have direct market access to the world.

However, Balopi highlighted the need for both countries to find solutions to the current transport challenges concerning the delivery line that connects them.

‘We have engaged our transport ministry back home as well as their counterparts here to discuss the achievements, challenges, and opportunities of the Trans Kalahari. We want to ensure that the movement of goods and trade between the two countries is facilitated going forward,’ Balopi explained.

According to Balopi, there is a necessity to revive the Trans-Kalahari railway line to alleviate the burden and congestion on the roads between the two countries.

Derick Mokgatle, Manager at the Botswana Dry Port, echoed Balopi’s sentiments, adding that there is currently an expression of interest (EOI) running from 06 September to 08 November 2023, for the revival of the 1500-kilometre railway line.

The EOI will be followed by a pre-qualification stage between December 2023 and February 2024, after which construction is expected to commence in 2025.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

A group of 18 female vegetable farmers from Omaheke, Otjozondjupa and Kunene regions gathered in a three-day value addition training course at Otjiwarongo this week, where they were taught to process raw tomatoes into bottled tomato sauce.

Their tutor, Monika Styger, who has been processing raw tomatoes into tomato sauce and bottling for commercial purposes at her farm in the Outjo district for more than 10 years, described the training course in Otjiwarongo a success.

The practical training started Thursday morning until Saturday afternoon at the town, she said.

“Our main objective is that of stopping our nation from importing bottled tomato sauce from elsewhere, while we can produce it here locally,” she said.

Styger said five other women, including the former Otjozondjupa Chief Regional Officer, Jeaneth Kuhanga and Rutonda Katjivikua, a commercial farmer in the Otjinene area, have put up resources to drive this tomato value addition training course for free in all 14 regions.

She stated that their bottled tomato sauce produced at the practical classes here is similar to that sold in supermarkets, and can also last on shelves for a period of three years.

“Our tomato sauce is made out of locally produced raw tomatoes, boiled into ordinary water before crushed into liquid and mixed with vinegar, sugar and spices and then reboiled again before bottling them for use,” she said.

Styger added that their final tomato sauce product has no preservatives.

So far a similar course was offered in Gobabis in January this year, as well as in Rehoboth in August, she said.

Oshakati is next for the course, stated Styger.

Jacky Karunga, one of the participants in the training, told Nampa in an interview that her family will never again buy tomato sauce in a shops as she is a crop farmer herself, who is now skilled on how to prepare tomato sauce for consumption or sale.

Maureen Katua, another participant in the training said it is high time for Namibians, mostly young people, to venture into raw tomato production and value addition for commercial reasons.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency