Central African bloc suspends Gabon over coup

 The Central African regional bloc, known as Eccas, says it has suspended Gabon’s membership in response to last week’s coup.

Earlier on Monday the coup leader, Gen Brice Oligui Nguema, was sworn in as transitional president.

He seized power just after Ali Bongo was declared to have won a third term as president. He has not given a time frame for returning the country to civilian rule.

As leaders from central Africa sat around the table and decided to suspend Gabon because of the coup, there may have been a few moments of self-reflection.

Hosting the meeting was Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo who said neighbouring Gabon was a threat to peace, security and stability in the region.

The president of Equatorial Guinea is now 81 and has been in power since 1979.

His family – like that of Ali Bongo in Gabon – has been accused of large-scale looting of state resources and severe oppression of the opposition.

He is possibly not the only African leader who has stayed in power for ages and is a little jumpy at the word “coup”.

Source: BBC

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Heads of state and government attend Climate Summit

 Nairobi – Various presidents and heads of government from African countries, including Angola, are attending the first African Climate Summit today in Kenya’s capital.

The President of Angola, João Lourenço, is being represented by the Vice-President, Esperança da Costa, who is already at the event venue, to participate in the high-level segment of this Summit, organized by the government of Kenya and the African Union.

At the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC), the arrivals of the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, the President of the European Union, Ursula Von, representatives of the African Union and other bodies of the United Nations system were also confirmed.

African countries, in this high-level session, will outline a new climate finance architecture, following defaults by industrialized countries.

In the high-level segment of the African Climate Summit, which brings together heads of State and Government, the African Union, among other partners, countries will create the conditions for the "Global Climate Agenda".

In this session, in which some heads of State and Government will speak, including Angola, the Nairobi Declaration and high-level statements from member states and guests will be adopted.

Running under the theme “Driving green growth and climate finance solutions for Africa and the world”, the summit focuses on showcasing innovative green growth and climate financing solutions in Africa and the world.

NE/VM/CF/jmc

Angola calls for a balanced global partnership

 Nairobi - Angola’s Vice President Esperança da Costa defended Tuesday in Nairobi, Kenya, the promotion of a fairer and more balanced global partnership, as part of the challenges of climate change.

Speaking at the African Climate Summit, on behalf of the Angolan Head of State João Lourenço, the Vice President stated that investments in climate projects in Africa benefit Member States and contribute to global climate stability.

Addressing a forum, which brings together several Heads of State and Government from African countries, the Angolan leader recalled that climate change has caused considerable damage and losses in several States on the continent.

"Africa has been strongly affected by multiple global shocks", said Esperança da Costa, adding that such occurrences have a negative impact on the implementation of different national programmes and the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Angola gives priority to climate

Under the international commitments assumed by Angola, the Vice President noted that issues regarding climate change are among the priorities of the Angolan Executive and pointed to the National Development Plan (PDN) 2022/2027 as an example.

The aforementioned programme defines as priorities family farming, local development, adaptation to climate change, education, health and the greater development of human capital.

The strategy also includes the creation of jobs, modernisation and expansion of road, port and industrial hub infrastructures, within the framework of economic diversification and sustainable growth.

In her speech, Esperança da Costa noted that Angola is “fully committed” to the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

She stated that in line with the aforementioned Convention, the country has developed policies and action programmes, such as the National Strategy for Climate Change 2022-2035.

This is an issue that aims to respond to the challenges proposed by the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal.

Angola shares initiatives at the Summit

The Vice President shared several initiatives linked to the energy transition and clean renewable energy programme underway in the country.

Esperança da Costa spoke about solar panel projects being implemented in the country and which are contributing to reducing the impact of carbon dioxide emissions by around 935, 000 tons per year.

The Angolan Government's commitment is to reach the target of 70 percent renewable sources by 2025.

"The path that is being followed is long", stated the Vice-President of the Republic, for whom environmental challenges and sustainable production place Angola in the African alignment.

Another initiative shared by the Vice President was the construction of the Cafu Canal, in the southern region of the country, an infrastructure estimated at 130 million dollars.

The infrastructure is bringing water to populations and livestock affected by the drought, as well as allowing the resumption of agriculture in the region.

The African Climate Summit aims to identify durable solutions that respond to global climate-related challenges on the continent.  NE/AL/ADR/NIC

African Climate Summit 2023 Livestream Day 2: Aberdares

 

The African Climate Summit 2023 kicks off with a grand opening ceremony for Ministerial Day, themed "The Power of the Potential." This ceremony serves as a captivating introduction to the summit's objectives. It aims to spotlight Africa's immense potential in confronting climate-related issues, with a particular emphasis on advocating for a more equitable financial system. Additionally, the event underscores the path leading to COP28, a significant global climate conference.

Putin Breaks Silence Over Wagner Boss Prigozhin’s Reported Death

Vladimir Putin has broken his silence over Yevgeny Prigozhin’s reported death – some 24 hours after the Wagner chief’s private jet crashed.

Russia’s president said the head of the mercenary group was a “talented person” who “made serious mistakes in life”.

Mr Putin also sent condolences to the families of all 10 people said to be on board the plane that went down north-west of Moscow on Wednesday evening.
However, he stopped short of explicitly confirming Prigozhin’s death.
From the moment the plane came down, there has been frenzied speculation about what caused the deadly crash and whether Prigozhin was indeed on board, as stated on the passenger list.
At a briefing on Thursday, a Pentagon spokesperson said the US believed the Wagner chief was likely killed in the crash.

Villagers near the crash site in the Tver region say they heard a loud bang before seeing a plane falling out of the sky.
One of the theories being investigated is whether a bomb was smuggled on board, reports in Russian media suggest.
A US official told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that the most likely cause appeared to be an explosion aboard the aircraft.
What caused the explosion was not known, although a bomb was one possibility, the official added.

Another theory, raised by a Prigozhin-linked Telegram channel, suggested that the jet had been shot down by Russian anti-aircraft forces. This has not been confirmed, and on Thursday the Pentagon said there was no information to indicate this.

Ground staff in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport – where the plane took off heading for St Petersburg – are being questioned, and CCTV footage is being checked.

Source: BBC

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EU Injects €120m Into West Africa Exports

 

The European Union (EU) has invested €120 million to boost the competitiveness of exports on the international market from Ghana and the other West African countries.
In Ghana, over GH¢100 million has been injected into three main value chains, namely cassava, mango and pineapple, and cosmetics and personal care products.

The investment in Ghana was to improve the competitiveness of Ghanaian exports on the global market.
The investment, made in the last three and half years, was the EU’s contribution towards the West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP), a partnership initiative between ECOWAS and the EU.

The programme seeks to strengthen the competitiveness of West African products and to enhance the integration of ECOWAS countries into the regional and international trading system, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The programme, which was launched in 2019 for a duration of four years, will end in January 2024.

The Team Lead in charge of Trade and Microeconomics of the EU Delegation in Ghana, Timothy Dolan, who made this known at the WACOMP Ghana International Cluster Conference in Accra, stated that the programme was adopted under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) through its regional integration programme for an amount of €120 million, covering 16 countries.

“The project is being implemented under UNIDO’s (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation) five Cs of competitiveness, namely compete, connect, conform, coordinate and credit, through the West Africa Competitiveness Programme,” Mr Dolan said.

The Officer in charge of Ghana and Liberia at UNIDO, Stavros Papastavrou, praised the joint implementation effort of the government, EU and UNIDO.
“What WACOMP-Ghana has done is to prove that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) do not need much to contribute to the economic growth of West Africa.

“SMEs need fair markets, fair trade and access to finance on fair conditions to grow and become competitive. I am particularly happy for the Ghanaian government and the EU for successfully implementing the UNIDO Cluster Development Methodology in the cassava, cosmetics and tropical fruits value chains,” he said.

The Chief Director of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Yaw Nimo, representing the sector minister, said the government had prioritised key sectors reflecting the country’s commitment to restoring the economy on an irreversible growth path through transformative agriculture, trade and industry.

He commended UNIDO and the EU for the quality delivery and coordination they had demonstrated over the years working with the government to promote cluster development, industrial competitiveness and economic integration.
He underlined the cooperation with the ministry and the support to the government’s “10-Point Industrial Transformational Agenda”.

Source: graphic.com.gh

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Chandrayaan-3 rover takes ‘walk on moon’ as India celebrates historic feat

Rover exits spacecraft day after first ever landing near moon’s south pole to begin exploration of the lunar surface, India’s space agency says.

The moon rover of India’s Chandrayaan-3 has exited the spacecraft to begin its exploration of the lunar surface, the country’s space agency said on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The spacecraft landed on the unexplored south pole of the moon on Wednesday evening, days after Russia’s Luna-25 failed, making India the first country to achieve that feat.

“The Ch-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander and India took a walk on the moon!” the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in its message on Thursday morning.

The six-wheeled, solar-powered rover, named Pragyan (or wisdom” in Sanskrit) will amble around the relatively unmapped region and transmit images and scientific data over its two-week lifespan.

Accomplished with a budget of about 6.15bn Indian rupees ($74.58m), this was India’s second attempt to touch down on the moon. A previous mission in 2019, Chandrayaan-2, successfully deployed an orbiter but its lander crashed.

Chandrayaan means “moon vehicle” in Hindi and Sanskrit.

The moon’s rugged south pole is coveted because of its water ice, which is believed to be capable of providing fuel, oxygen and drinking water for future missions, but its rough terrain makes landing challenging.

People across the country tuned in to watch the landing on Wednesday, with more than seven million people viewing the YouTube livestream alone.

Prayers were also held at places of worship, and schools organised live screenings of the spectacle for students.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Wednesday that the successful lunar landing – previously achieved only by the United States, Russia and China – was a triumph for “all of humanity”.

Elon Musk, whose firm SpaceX is a leader in commercial space launches, hailed the landing as “super cool”.

India has a comparatively low-budget space programme, but one that has grown considerably in size and momentum since it first sent a probe to orbit the moon in 2008.

Chandrayaan-3’s cost was far lower than many missions from other countries and a testament to India’s frugal space engineering.

In 2014, India became the first Asian nation to put a craft into orbit around Mars and plans to send a probe towards the sun in September.

ISRO is slated to launch a three-day crewed mission into Earth’s orbit by next year.

It also plans a joint mission with Japan to send another probe to the Moon by 2025 and an orbital mission to Venus within the next two years.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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