Eni Angola to spend over 21 million Euros on health training

Luanda – At least 21.2 million Euros will be earmarked for the training of physicians, nurses and diagnostic and treatment technicians.

The amount, to be handed over to the Ministry of Health by Italian Eni Angola, will cover the specialised areas at secondary and tertiary healthcare levels. 

The agreement is part of a memorandum of understanding signed Monday in Luanda by the Minister of Health, Silvia Lutucuta and the director general of ENI Angola, Adriano Mongini.

The deal aims to launch, over three years, an international health capacity project at the Cardinal Dom Alexandre do Nascimento Cardio-Vascular Diseases Hospital Complex in Luanda. 

In November 2019, Eni Angola signed a memorandum of understanding with MINSA to improve the capacity to provide specialised medical services through collaboration between the Hospital Complex and other selected Hospitals in Angola with Italian research, care and training institutions. 

On 25 January 2022, MINSA requested Eni Angola to establish a specific training programme in the field of cardio surgery and hospital management, in cooperation with the Hospital Complex. 

The minister of Health Sílvia Lutucuta, recalled that training staff and specialised teams was one of the Angolan government's priorities for improving medical assistance to the population. 

The ceremony was attended by the Secretaries of State for the Hospital area and for Mineral Resources Leonardo Europeu and Jani Correia Victor, as well as Sonangol CEO, Sebastião Martins.

Angola beat Slovenia at handball world championship

Luanda – The Angolan junior women's handball team beat the hosts Slovenia 25-21 on Monday, in the round of 32 stage of the World Handball Championship of the category.

With this victory, Angola take an important step towards qualifying for the round of 16 phase, thus needing only a victory over Germany this Tuesday.

  

The Angolan ladies played a quiet game and managed to make the difference in the first minutes with six goals, while the hosts scored the first points just 11 minutes later.

 

Due to their defensive discipline and effective attack moves, the players coached by José Chuma were winning at half-time by 17-7.

 

In the second half, the Slovenians who were most affected, changed the flow of the game and started to lead the attacking tactics.

 

Despite being under pressure, Angola won the match by a difference of 4 goals (25-21).

 

The Angolan team will play again on Tuesday, with Germany.

 

In case Angola beat the opponent, the African squad will qualify for the round of 16 phase.

 

By being present at this stage of the world event, the continental champions have already improved the 19th place of the edition disputed in Hungary, in 2018, at a time when only 24 countries competed.

 

Angola are participating in this sports event with Domingas Mpangu, Cristina Miguel, Donana Epalanga, Tahany Castro, Liliane Mario and Roberta Lopes, Regina Marques, Lourdes Pedro, Marcia Manuel, Mbongo Masseu, Marcela Tati, Ruth Salgado, Dolores Rosário, Janeth Mutemeca, Stelvia Pascoal, Bernadeth Belo.

Angola’s Oceans Conference attendance positive - secretary of state

Lisbon – The Angolan multisectorial delegation had on Monday a “very positive” interaction in the first day of the discussions at the Oceans Conference, stressed the Angolan secretary of State for Environment, Paula Coelho.

According to the spokesperson of the Angolan delegation, Paula Coelho, Angola participated in the interactive panels, most of them focusing on the need to have specific legislation to fight common varieties of marine pollution.

 

“A general approach was made on issues related to food, microplastics, sustainable development and the possibility of what kind of food we are making”, stressed the official.

 

She went on to say that the interventions of countries and interactive dialogues will continue on Tuesday and are more linked to financing marine conservation projects.

 

The city of Lisbon, hosts until 01 July, the Conference on Oceans in which Angola is attending with a delegation headed by President João Lourenço.

 

The fight against marine pollution, management, protection, conservation and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems, the minimizing of oceans acidification, deoxygenation and warming and promoting sustainable fisheries are among the goals to be pursued by the United Nations.

 

Among the measures, it also included scientific knowledge and development of marine technology research, the effective observation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and promotion of sustainable ocean-based economies.

 

The first United Nations Conference on Oceans took place five years ago in New York, but only in 2021 during the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, it was possible to introduce ocean in the articles of the final declaration, thus representing an advance compared to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. 

 

The conference plenary will be held daily at the Altice Arena (Lisbon) and will feature eight interactive dialogues throughout the week.

 

Alongside the plenary sessions and these dialogues, the Conference programme also has on schedule hundreds of side events.

 

These side events include the high level forums on Local Governance, Youth and Innovation, a Symposium and a sustainable Blue Economy panel.

Tunisia’s top union calls another general strike

Tunisia’s most powerful union has called for a second general strike in protest at government economic policies.

The UGTT has about a million members, and its last nationwide strike earlier this month brought the north African country to a standstill.

The Tunisian government is preparing to negotiate a loan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to save public finances from bankruptcy.

The union, which represents many public sector workers, has said it will refuse to accept IMF demands for a wage freeze and cuts in food and energy subsidies.

No date has yet been set for the strike.

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African fund promises $3bn for vaccine self-sufficiency

Some $3bn (£2.4bn) will be invested over the next 10 years to end vaccine dependency across the continent, the Africa Development Bank (ADB) has pledged.

The plan incudes a new pharmaceutical centre for research, development and manufacturing based in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali.

It has been widely lauded as key towards ending Africa’s dependence on outside donations, as recently witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic

ADB say it will also help patent and license African-made medicines, and support governments to navigate the intellectual property rights to global vaccines and medicines.

It follows a recent World Trade Organisation announcement of a partial waiver on coronavirus vaccine patents, allowing select developing countries to produce the jabs.

ADB says Africa currently imports more than 70% of all its medicines, spending about $14bn every year.

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Human Trafficking: Ghana Police Service Rescue 9 Victims On Lake Volta

The Ghana Police Service in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare have rescued nine trafficked victims from Yeji in the Pru East District of the Bono East Region.

The joint operation rescued four adult men and five boys from exploitation on the portion of the Volta Lake in Yeji.

Two of the four adult victims were trafficked 20 years ago and were said to have been brought to work on the lake at ages three and five respectively and the youngest of the five boys arrived less than a year ago.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema after the rescue mission, Mr Kojo Owiredu Kissi, Coordinator, Media and Communications, International Justice Mission (IJM), an anti-human trafficking not-for-profit organization in Ghana, said an operation by the two institutions led to the rescue of the victims in Yeji.

He indicated that the rescue process was owned and led by government partners from the Ghana Police Service and Department of Social Welfare with technical and logistical support from IJM Ghana.

Mr Kissi expressed heartfelt gratitude to the two institutions for their dedication and unflinching support towards ending human trafficking on the Volta Lake adding that, “they must be commended because this rescue was successful due to their dedication and collaborative efforts and outstanding work.”

Mr Kissi said six of the victims have been reintegrated and are currently at home with their families where they would be supported to go back to school or undertake vocational skills while three of them were in a shelter home.

He noted that the master, now a suspect, recruited the young children to work on the Lake for fishing.

Mr Kissi said the suspect controlled every aspect of the lives of the children adding that they were not allowed to play or associate with anybody outside of the suspect’s family and would be punished violently if they did.

He said anyone outside of the suspect’s family who tried to interact with the children would also be subject to violence, “if the children begin to develop relations with neighbours, they would be sent to more remote islands to ensure their isolation.”

Mr Kissi stated that the only movement the children were allowed to engage in was between the suspect’s house and his boat, noting that they were responsible both for housework and fishing on the lake.

He said the victims were identified to have been trafficked from the Volta and Bono Regions.

Source: GNA

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Why Rwanda-DR Congo spat is disrupting school

Rwandan students studying in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo are facing security threats arising from the ongoing spat between the two neighbouring countries.

DR Congo accuses Rwanda of backing the Congolese M23 rebels and has recently halted all trade and cooperation agreements. Rwanda denies the allegations.

The situation at the border is still tense and this is now causing concerns, with some parents worried for their children studying across the border.

Some students have told the BBC that they risk being targeted for who they are and this has had an impact on their education.

“I live in Rubavu and study medicine just across the border in Goma. When the protests started they chased Rwandese. The director [of my college] said those that have families in Goma can stay in school and those of us who study while crossing back to Rwanda should return home immediately,” a Rwandese student told the BBC.

A parent whose children study in DR Congo told the BBC that there was initially no problem with them studying in Goma and returning to Rwanda “but now we are very concerned”.

The mayor of Rubavu, Ildephonse Kambogo, said Rwanda has cautioned its citizens to observe their safety as a priority and reduce unnecessary travel across the border.

The exact number of Rwandan students studying in Goma is not known but there are thought to be many.

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