South Africa Vision

Ouagadougou: The head of Malian diplomacy, Abdoulaye Diop, retorted to Sweden on Friday that the lives of Malian soldiers have inestimable value, well beyond the development aid that Stockholm has just provided. suspend, in support of Ukraine, which has become a pariah for Bamako.

‘The government wishes to recall that the lives of its valiant soldiers and the security of the nation have inestimable value, well beyond any development aid,’ Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop wrote in a statement on Friday. press release announcing the dismissal of the Swedish ambassador, Kristina Khnel, from Bamako within 72 hours.

On Thursday, Swedish Foreign Minister Johan Forssell announced the suspension of development aid, believing that the severance of diplomatic relations with Ukraine, decided by Bamako, is support for Russia in the war against kyiv .

But for Mali, it is about distancing itself from a country which openly supported terrorists during deadly attacks at the end of July against its army on its territ
ory.

For the head of Malian diplomacy, Minister Forssell, who “is desperately trying to exonerate the Ukrainian authorities, supporters of international terrorism, is incapable of having the slightest compassion for Mali and the victims of this Ukrainian aggression.”

He considers Mr. Forssell’s statement as ‘another provocation’, after ‘Sweden’s brutal decisions to end its bilateral cooperation and close its embassy in Bamako, respectively on December 21, 2023 and June 20, 2024’ .

‘The government reiterates its determination to defend the sovereignty and interests of Mali, despite external pressure and diplomatic maneuvers, like those of the Swedish minister,’ added Abdoulaye Diop.

Mr. Diop rejected the condescending attitude of certain Western countries towards Mali’s sovereign decisions aimed at fighting terrorism, in particular the choice to strengthen the partnership with the Russian Federation

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Ouagadougou: The Union of Traders and Assimilated People of Tenkodogo (UCAT) donated, on Saturday, the sum of 1 million 500 thousand FCFA as a contribution to the purchase of a surveillance drone for the province of Koulpélogo.

This sum was collected during their reforestation and reforestation day, marked by the planting of 100 utility plants.

The day was chaired by the president of the special delegation of Tenkodogo, Bérenger Poda, representing the governor of the region, and sponsored by Ibrahim Saba, Director General of La Poste Burkina, as well as by El Hadj Ousseni Sorgho, CEO of Excel Burkina.

According to the president of UCAT, El Hadj Kabiro Sana, more than four to five varieties of plants were planted, all capable of withstanding the climatic conditions of the locality.

The president of the special delegation of Tenkodogo and the activity welcomed the initiative.

The local authorities made the space available for the operation, said Bérenger Poda, while expressing his gratitude to the Union fo
r their commitment to taking care of the plants.

He added that environmental issues are at the heart of the government’s concerns and that the President of Faso has made them a personal priority.

According to Bérenger Poda, it is the duty of citizens to support those primarily responsible to ensure a healthy and sustainable environment in Burkina Faso.

The sponsor, Ibrahim Saba, Director General of La Poste Burkina, stressed that it is a highly symbolic and patriotic act to respond to the call of the President of Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who asks every Burkinabè to plant trees to restore the plant cover.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Ouagadougou: After four months of stocking in the Samandeni dam (West), 100 tonnes of tilapia fish will be harvested in the coming days from the 180 floating cages, the AIB has learned.

On Saturday, the first day of harvest, 15 tonnes of fish were collected in the presence of several ministers.

This ‘satisfactory’ result sufficiently shows that the agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries offensive, which is a presidential initiative for food sovereignty, is underway,’ said government spokesperson Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo.

Nearly 100,000 tonnes of fish are expected by the end of 2025, according to forecasts.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Ouagadougou: Young Africans gathered in Ouagadougou for Youth Day, recommended Saturday to leaders to reform the education system to adapt it to the realities of different countries, while taking into account the needs of the labor market.

‘The panels are grouped around the central theme, which is integration, peace, security and the role of African youth,’ indicated the president of the National Youth Council of Burkina (CNJ-BF), Moumouni Dialla. .

According to him, the discussion is also intended to be an opportunity to share good practices, but also to formulate recommendations to those in power in terms of education, in order to adapt it to African realities and employment needs.

Mr. Dialla also noted that it will also be a question of finding solutions to position young people in the fight against insecurity and in the search for peace.

The president of the CNJ-BF spoke on Saturday in Ouagadougou during a public conference under the theme ‘Integration, security, peace and development: Role of African
youth’, as part of the celebration of the 2024 edition of the International Youth Day.

Listening to him, the first panel relates to peace and security, as well as the role of African youth, while the second theme focuses on education.

Moumouni Dialla noted that Africa needs practical education adapted to the African context to relieve the populations.

Mr. Dialla also called on all development partners to support the educational systems ‘chosen’ by Africans themselves for the well-being of young people.

The spokesperson for the panelists and expert in violent extremism and terrorism, Issa Démé, welcomed the initiative of the CNJ-BF which allows us to dwell on the role of young people in the fight for peace.

For Mr. Démé, Africans have traditional training systems, but it is now necessary to adapt them to the current context, to include in particular students and young people who are not in school.

‘If we only focus on those who are in school, we are really leaving out a lot of out-of-school young people
who are in the countryside,’ he added.

According to a participant from the Center-West region, Camille Rouamba, young people can make their contribution in the fight against terrorism.

Mr. Rouamba specified that youth constitute a spearhead and that, therefore, those in power must review educational systems to adapt them to African values.

‘We can really show good examples of resilience and the promotion of peace and solidarity for the reconquest of our territory,’ he confided.

International Youth Day was organized by the National Youth Council, in collaboration with the Pan-African Youth Union and the Ministry of Youth.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Ouagadougou: -62 professional and amateur photographers will highlight tourist sites and internal tourism, during their hike scheduled for August 17 to 19, 2024, the AIB learned on Saturday from the organizers.

The promoter of the photographic hike, Dieudonné Woba, announced on Saturday the launch of the event, from August 17 to 19, 2024, aimed at highlighting photography as well as the cultural and tourist heritage of Burkina Faso.

‘To promote tourism, image is essential,’ Mr. Woba said on Saturday during a press conference.

According to him, the photographic hike aims to create a synergy between image and tourism, by capturing the riches of Burkina Faso and by having an image bank to promote cultural heritage.

Dieudonné Woba specified that participants must be in good health and able to explore the different tourist sites to visit.

‘This year, the event attracted 62 registrants, including 45 professional photographers and 17 amateurs,’ he said.

Dieudonné Woba added that during the event, several activ
ities will be on the program.

These include, among other things, an introduction to photography for young people, a masterclass for professionals, a panel on the theme and a photo exhibition.

Promoter Woba stressed that tourist sites such as the Ouagadougou museum, that of Loumbila, the Women’s Museum in Ziniaré, and the site of the sculpture symposium in Laongo will be visited.

‘This photographic hike promises to be a unique opportunity to discover and promote Burkina Faso under a new image, while strengthening the community of photographers in the country,’ he concluded.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, says pandemics transform the world and that of COVID-19 is already underway.

Pate said this on Thursday in Abuja at the launch of a book titled ‘An Imperfect Storm’.

The book was written by Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, former Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), and his wife, Mrs Vivianne Ihekweazu.

According to Pate, traditionally, pandemics have almost always resulted in transformation of societies.

‘Right from the ancient Greek periods, pandemics resulted in major transformations.

‘The Greeks suffered from it, the Romans suffered from it. The plague, thousands of years ago, resulted in transformations, HIV resulted in some transformation.

‘Now we have experienced COVID, and it is transforming the world. It’s a one in a hundred year pandemic, and the transformation is already underway.

‘We are emerging into a world of greater facility, economic upheavals, but also acceleration in encounters wi
th new pathogens,’ he added.

While citing cases of different pandemics that the world experienced from the 1990s to the present time, the minister said that pandemics are here to stay.

‘What it tells us is that we are marching our way into a world where new pathogens are crossing over, and they encounter the next crisis. It could be anywhere for us to see, so it’s not if but when.’

He, however, commended Ihekweazu for his work in building NCDC and championing the containment of COVID-19 in Nigeria, adding ‘it is going to be one of the significant hallmarks in our effort to respond when the next storm shows up’.

One of the authors, Mr Ihekweazu, said that it was very important to strengthen health response in order to be able to handle pandemics when they come.

Citing an example with Nigeria’s handling of the Ebola virus in 2014, he said that the country, using various approaches was much sensitised to the emergence of the disease and had a good response to it.

He, however, said the experience caused the
nation a lot of harm.

‘The harm it has caused us is that we spent the next five years celebrating our heroic Ebola response and so by the time I started at NCDC in 2016, there was nothing left because we believed we had done a great job.

‘We had no national reference plan, so everything we had put together for the response was gone.

‘In reflecting on how we emerged from this, I think the challenge for us, whether we have a good response or a bad response, it’s not to think we have nothing to worry about, it’s to continue.

‘We have started and documented progress, but our collective challenge is to make sure that when the next one comes, and it will come, that the NCDC is not where it is today.’

The co-author, Mrs Ihekweazu said that the book was not just about sharing the story so others could learn about what they did at the time, but to also tell the story.

‘Sharing that story is very important because it’s not just about how we responded or how others can learn what we do, but we have to learn to tel
l our stories,’ she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the book, which is the authors personal narrative of Nigeria’s COVID-19 response, is aimed at supporting public sector leadership and all those participating in building institutions and organisations.

In attendance at the launch were the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, former Minister of State for Health, Sen. Olorunnimbe Mamora, and Dr Sani Aliyu, former National Coordinator, Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19.

Others are former governor of Ekiti State, Mr Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Delta, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and the D-G of NCDC, Dr Jide Idris.

Source : News Agency of Nigeria