Girls back to school after lockdown -Angola. Campaign with Sofonie Dala. Don't miss it! Webisode 7

 Students are really excited to see their friends and get back to normal at school.

Covid-19 school closures around the world have hit girls the hardest, affecting their education, their rights and their future.

In this campaign, we are shining the spotlight on the unique challenges facing girls during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Our today's guest is Celma, she will share with us her school observations.

Hello! My name is Celma Martinho, I'm 17 years old and I'm studying in the 11th grade.

Covid-19 has affected me in terms of social distance. Now, with the reopening of schools, we have been studying.

For our protection the school has been asking us to wash hands constantly with water, soap and alcohol gel, keep social distancing in the classroom 2 meters away.

I am very happy to return to classes, our leaders are thinking about our safety.

YALI RLC West Africa Emerging Leaders Program 2020/2021- Online Cohort 37

 Application Deadline: November 29th 2020 

The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) was launched by the United States Government, to train the next generation of African Leaders who will shape the future of African business and entrepreneurship, civil society leadership, and public sector management.

The YALI Regional Leadership Centre (RLC) West Africa, Accra, offers you an innovative and game changing Online Emerging Leaders training program in the following courses:

Business and Entrepreneurship
Civil Society Leadership
Public Sector Management

Requirements

Are 18 to 35 years of age at the time of application submission,
Are citizens and residents of one of the following countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Burkina Faso.
Are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.
Are eligible to receive any necessary visa to Ghana, and
Are proficient in reading, writing, listening and speaking English.

Benefits

Business and Entrepreneurship
This track caters to the range of emerging or aspiring entrepreneurs who expect to take on leadership roles within the private sector or build their own business ventures on the continent.

Civil Society Management
This track is oriented to those who are or aspire to be civically engaged and serve the public through non-governmental organizations, community based organizations, or volunteerism.

Public Policy and Management
This track is tailored to those who work or aspire to work in any level of government (including elected positions), regional organizations such as the African Union or the West Africa Community, international organizations such as the United Nations, or other publicly minded organizations or think tanks

Click here to apply: https://bit.ly/31z2w79

DNT boss calls for youth placement on state boards

 The CEO of Diaspora Network Television (DNT), Jermaine Nkrumah, has called for youths to be placed on state boards, and involved in leadership so that, if not for anything, they can acquire experience as they grow. This he said would reap immense benefits towards the future.

According to Mr. Nkrumah, if the youth are place on  of our state boards across this country/continent, the ‘perspective that they will bring, will influence decision making.’

Jermaine Nkrumah, made this call in an interview on the “Step Out With Oscar Benpong‘ show on T2iTV UK, on the topic, ‘The African mindset and transitioning from Diaspora to Africa’.

https://www.facebook.com/t2itvuk/videos/648247089188696/?vh=e&extid=0&d=n

He stated it is important that African leaders find a way to involve the youth into leadership instead of leaving them out.

“We should find a way to bring young people into leadership” he said. “I am making this proposal, every single state agency board, must have a young person there.” he added.

Mr. Nkrumah also urged Africans to invest their money in things that will benefit the continent in the future.

He expressed his worry over the fact that, Africans like to travel outside to other countries to have parties and weddings, putting money in that country instead of finding an equally plush place in the country to have it, and rather putting the money back into their economy.

He said, Africans always want the “food to be cooked for us, instead of cooking it ourselves“. He made specific reference to the race for COVID-19 vaccines and cures whereby most of the discussions in Africa have centered on not allowing others to test their vaccines on us.

“Why don’t we develop our own so that there would be no suspicion as to others intending to do harm to us through vaccines,” he asked.

“We need to recourse ourselves to engage in constructive competition with the world,” Nkrumah continued. He went on to decry the opulence lifestyle by some amid poverty and underdevelopment.

Nkrumah touted the power of the African brain and what it can achieve if given the opportunity. But instead, he believes we indulge too much in consumption instead of investing in production.

Christie Arthur, DNT News, Accra

SARS protests: Tense calm in Nigeria after days of unrest

 Relative calm has returned to Nigerian cities after more than two weeks of deadly protests against police brutality and widespread anger over the shooting of peaceful demonstrators.

In Lagos, the country’s commercial hub and the epicentre of the protests, authorities on Saturday eased a 24-hour curfew, while the streets of the capital, Abuja, gradually returned to normal.

With Lagos’s residents allowed to leave their homes between 8am and 6pm local time, some decided to go out and help government workers clean up the streets and buildings damaged by arsonists.

“The level of destruction is shocking. We can’t leave everything to the government,” said Lagos resident Chinwendu Madubuike.

“Lagos belongs to all of us. We are not happy with the destruction of buildings and burning of shops. The bit we can do is to clean up the mess and begin to rebuild what has been destroyed,” added Madubuike.

But others decided to boycott the clean-up exercise despite online appeals by some volunteers.

“We the youths have been on the streets protesting peacefully for over a week and cleaning up our mess day and night,” said entrepreneur Chelsea Balls.

“As much I would love to clean up my state and have my state back to its normal form, we the youths didn’t make that mess – the hoodlums hired by the government did that,” added the 36-year-old.

Demonstrators against police violence have long expressed fears that agitators might be used to disrupt the peaceful character of their movement and create the conditions that would justify a security crackdown against them.

On Tuesday, hours after Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had announced the round-the-clock curfew, citing what he described as the degeneration of demonstrations “into a monster”, peaceful protesters who had gathered at a toll gate in Lagos’s Lekki district in defiance of the measures were shot at.

Witnesses and rights group said soldiers opened fire on the protesters. The military maintains its men were not involved. Amnesty International said at least 12 protesters were killed by the army and police in Lekki and Alausa, another area of Lagos, on Tuesday.

As tensions rose, gangs on Wednesday vandalised public buildings, burned private businesses, police stations, media houses and courthouses.

“Our beautiful city has seen a level of destruction almost akin to a war zone,” Sanwo-Olu tweeted after visiting some of the sites that came under attack.

“It was a shocking and very sad spectacle. Our land took a beating and this hurts. Historical buildings, cultural centres, private malls, government holdings and private businesses were pillaged and burnt,” added Sanwo-Olu, whose government has pledged to support business owners targeted by gangs.

“Lagos will not burn. Not on my watch. Enough is enough. We want peace and we will get peace.”

US FDA approves first COVID-19 drug

 The US Food and Drug Administration has given the go-ahead to remdesivire making it the first drug specifically approved to treat Covid-19.

The F.D.A. said the drug had been approved for adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older and weighing at least 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds) who require hospitalization for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, which has killed more than 220,000 people in the United States.

The formal approval by the F.D.A. indicated that the drug had cleared more rigorous regulatory hurdles involving a more thorough review of clinical data and manufacturing quality since it was given emergency authorization in May.

Trials of the antiviral drug have shown it may not have significant benefits for some coronavirus patients, but it’s what we have now.

Elsewhere on the medical front, a new report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy reveals the pandemic is causing “unacceptable” shortages of US drug supplies.

The report says shortages have limited 29 of 40 drugs critical for treating Covid-19 patients, including hydroxychloroquine and fentanyl, as well as 67 out of 156 other critical acute drugs.

Covid-19: Angola reports record 355 new infections

 Angola has recorded 355 new positive cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, the Health authorities announced, saying one patient died and 47 recovered in the same period.

The information was released Sunday evening in Luanda by the secretary of State for Public Health, Franco Mufinda.

Delivering the daily Covid-19 report, the official said 261 infections were recorded in Luanda, 52 in southern Huíla province, 19 in southern Cunene, 15 in northern Cuanza Norte, seven in northern Cabinda and one in central Huambo.

The ages of the newly infected patients range from two months to 88 years, 224 are males and 131 females, the official added.

The death was recorded in the capital, Luanda, involving a 65 years old Angolan woman.

Those recovered involve Luanda patients with ages from two to 62 years.

Angola’s Covid-19 statistics currently stands at 9,381 positive cases, 268 deaths, 3,508 recoveries and 5,605 active patients.