Day: September 2, 2024

In a critical step to reform the visa system and position the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) as an economic enabler by supercharging job creation in the tourism sector, the department has announced the creation of an innovative new Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS).

The scheme is set to be implemented from January 2025.

‘With an initial focus on the burgeoning tourist markets of China and India, the TTOS will remove some of the key obstacles standing in the way of South Africa becoming a favoured tourism destination for the second and fifth largest economies in the world,’ said the DHA in a statement on Monday.

Chinese tourists made over 100 million outbound trips in 2023, with South Africa receiving a 93,000 of these arrivals.

In comparison said the department, a country like Australia attracted over 1.4 million visitors from China in 2023.

At the moment, Indian tourists account for only 3.9% of all international visitors to South Africa – and China for only 1.8%.

In collaboration with the Departm
ent of Tourism, as well as the Presidency and Operation Vulindlela, the Department of Home Affairs has resolved to play its role in ‘rectifying the unacceptable economic under-performance by urgently clearing obstacles to tourism from these two major source-markets.’

After seeing the positive impact made by the Trusted Employer Scheme (TES), which provides swift and simplified visa processing services to vetted and approved businesses to attract critical skills, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has directed that the same principle be applied to cutting red tape and improving efficiency for tourists from non-visa exempt countries like China and India.

Group applications

Through TTOS, vetted and approved tour operators from these countries will be invited to register with the department.

In exchange for undergoing thorough screening upfront and assuming responsibility for travellers in their groups, the department will for the very first time process group applications from Chinese and Indian tourists t
ravelling with approved operators.

Tourist visa applications processed through TTOS will be handled by a dedicated and skilled team of adjudicators to ensure swift and reliable processing, and will also benefit from the removal of restrictive red tape that currently ‘suffocates South Africa’s tourism potential’.

State Visit to China

‘I am particularly pleased that we are able to make this announcement during the President’s State Visit to China, as it sends a powerful message that the Government of National Unity is serious about unlocking our country’s vast tourism and economic potential,’ said Minister Schreiber.

READ | President Ramaphosa to lead SA delegation to China for State Visit

‘Research indicates that boosting tourism by only 10% per year can boost annual economic growth by 0.6% and create tens of thousands of new jobs for South Africans. Travelling in large groups is the preferred option for many tourists from some countries and it is time for our visa system to adapt in order to reflect and
capitalise on this reality.’

READ | Ministers discuss SA, Chinese relations ahead of State Visit

‘This is only the start of Home Affairs’ embrace of our role as an economic enabler. Exciting as it is, TTOS is itself but an interim measure to boost tourism while we move with speed to digitally transform Home Affairs.

‘Ultimately, our vision is for a fully automated process that delivers secure tourist visa outcomes digitally and within seconds to tourists from around the world,’ the Minister said.

The regulations for the TTOS will be published shortly, as well as information on how tour operators can apply with the Department of Home Affairs ahead of the scheme’s rollout in January 2025.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Stakeholders have called for a unified action to secure scaled-up climate finance for Africa.

The stakeholders spoke at the 12th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-XII) in Abidjan.

The conference served as a crucial platform for African leaders, policymakers, and experts to address the urgent climate challenges ahead of the upcoming COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The theme of the conference is, ‘Financing Climate Adaptation and Resilience in Africa’.

Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Environment, Jacques Konan, said that the theme resonates deeply as Africa continues to grapple with the disproportionate impact of climate change.

Konan said that this was in spite of it contributing less than four per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

‘Combating climate change is the greatest challenge humanity has faced in the last century.

‘There is need for adequate financing to support Africa’s adaptation efforts, which is critical to mitigating the continent’s vulnerability to climate-relate
d impacts,’ Konan said.

Hanan Morsy, Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), highlighted the ongoing shortfall in global climate finance.

‘Despite the 2009 pledge of 100 billion dollars annually, only a fraction of the estimated 1.3 trillion dollars needed to support global climate resilience has been mobilised,’ she said.

Morsy called for innovative financing mechanisms to avoid exacerbating Africa’s debt burden, suggesting that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could be leveraged to channel investments into the efforts.

Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment at the African Union Commission, emphasised the immense financial requirements for Africa’s climate commitments.

According to Sacko, African countries will need approximately three trillion dollars to fully implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2030.

She urged the continent to u
nite and speak with one voice at COP 29, stressing the importance of securing grants over loans or debt, to finance impactful climate projects.

The African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Director of Climate Change and Green Growth, Anthony Nyong, stressed the need for recognition and compensation for Africa’s contributions to global mitigation efforts.

‘Our priority must be fostering climate-resilient development while balancing adaptation with climate-informed investments.

‘Achieving this goal hinges on securing adequate financing, technology transfer, and capacity building,’ Nyong said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CCDA-XII aims to catalyse bold actions and commitments that will address Africa’s immediate climate challenges.

It is also meant to secure a prosperous and sustainable future for generations to come.

The conference, convened by a coalition of partnerships known as ClimDev-Africa, including the African Union Commission, the ECA, and the AfDB was hosted by the Government of Côte d
‘Ivoire.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), says the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system that will effectively monitor, control field devices will be operational in fourth quarter of 2024,

Mr Sule Abdulaziz, the Managing Director of TCN, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

NAN reports that the SCADA systems are used for controlling, monitoring, and analysing industrial devices and processes.

Abdulaziz said that the SCADA implementation had reached about 60 per cent completion and is expected to be completed by the last quarter of 2024,

He said that all the machinery offshore had been shipped into the country, adding that engineering and design works were ongoing, as reviews and modifications were being made continuously as the equipment was being installed.

‘About 70 per cent of the equipment has been delivered to various sites and mounted in the substations’ control rooms across the country.’

He also said that configuration, integration
, and interconnection of these equipment commenced in July.

‘By middle of July, part of the grid was seen on the new SCADA system and this will be continuously expanded to other parts of the network.

‘TCN has done a lot in terms of revamping transmission equipment nationwide; several sub-stations have been expanded, new transformers have been installed, others upgraded, and transmission lines projects have equally been executed.

‘All these have contributed to increasing TCN’s wheeling capacity to 8100 Megawatts (MW) as of today,’ he said.

Abdulaziz said that the diligent implementation of the Nigerian Electricity Grid Maintenance, Expansion, and Rehabilitation Programme (NEGMERP) had fast-tracked transmission infrastructure in the country.

He said that there had been milestone achievements in grid efficiency, maintenance, rehabilitation, equipment procurement, and expansion.

‘We have successfully completed several transmission substations across the country, which has enhanced the capacity and efficienc
y of the power transmission network.

‘`We initiated the re-conducting of aged and de-rated capacity 132 Kilo Volt (KV) lines, and have also built new ones including 330kV transmission lines which have improved the reliability and capacity of the transmission system.

‘Most aged transformers have been replaced with new ones, and the capacities of existing ones have been upgraded, resulting in improved system performance and efficiency.

‘The company places strong emphasis on maintaining equipment and infrastructure through proactive maintenance practices and timely procurement of necessary spare parts.’

Abdulaziz said that the commitment had helped prevent disruptions, enhanced system performance, and reinforced TCN’s reputation as a dependable transmission system provider.

‘In the last one year under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, TCN has witnessed outstanding successes in all aspects of transmission projects, including initiation, scoping, construction, network operations and maintenance.

‘These
, among other achievements, have had a transformative impact on the country’s power transmission infrastructure nationwide.

‘It has consequently improved reliability, efficiency, and capacity, thereby, laying a more solid foundation for the country’s economic development and growth,’ he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), says it has capacity to transmit 6,000 MWS of electricity to distribution load centres nationwide.

Mr Sule Abdulaziz, the Managing Director of TCN said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

Abdulaziz said that in the last three years, TCN had upgraded several sub-stations.

He said that the company had also built new sub-stations funded through its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and donor agencies.

The TCN boss said that the company had installed new transformers to ensure an increase in capacity.

‘TCN has a comprehensive list of proposed projects, which are in batches, taking into cognisance those that require little investment to benefit the grid in the first batch for quick additional capacity.’

He said that the grid capacity was confirmed through an acceptable scientific method of capacity determination.

‘The last grid simulation test carried out revealed that it has a capacity of 8100 MWS. In March 2021, TCN su
ccessfully wheeled 5,801 MWS from generating companies to distribution load centres nationwide.

‘From then to date, we have continued to add more transformers, conduct transmission lines and build new transmission substations among others.

‘All these we know have continued to further strengthen our grid capacity. So, yes, we can comfortably transmit 6,000 MWS and more before the end of this year,’ he said.

He said TCN was a key stakeholder of the Nigerian Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) as undertaken by the Federal Government of Nigeria Power Company (FGNPC).

‘This initiative aims to resolve existing challenges in the nation’s power sector and further expand the capacity of the transmission and distribution networks to achieve an operational capacity of 25,000 megawatts (MW).

‘Through a series of projects spanning three phases, projects under this PPI initiative are currently ongoing and it is also adding to the capacity of the grid,’ he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria