April 7, 2023 – L' Observateur Burundi

April 7, 2023

Minister calls for commitment to population health

Angolan minister of Health Silvia Lutucuta urged Friday in Luanda the health professionals to actively participate in the identification and resolution of problems that negatively impact the health of the population.

In her message, ahead of World Health Day and the 75th anniversary of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on April 7, the minister said that this involvement entails the implementation of health promotion actions.

She said that the aim is to protecting this good from an individual and collective point of view, taking into account the Sustainable Development Goals.

The minister took the opportunity to pay homage to health agents from all over the world, in particular Angolans, who work daily to promote the health and well-being of the population in favour of equity, prosperity and sustainability, for all without leaving anyone behind.

According to the official, Angola joins the world movement to congratulate the WHO on the results achieved in international health security, health promotion and disease prevention, so that everyone reaches the highest level of health and well-being.

To the minister, the 75th anniversary of the WHO is also an occasion to remember the public health successes in Angola and the world, aimed at improving people’s quality of life in the last seven decades.

Lutucuta also considered it opportune to demonstrate the promotion of multisectoral actions and community participation in order not to leave anyone behind and mitigate the inequality of social asymmetries

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

April 7, 2023

Angola focused on boosting ICGLR

Angolan minister of Foreign Affairs Teté Antonio said on Thursday that the country has contributed to the leverage and strengthening of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) to face the challenges of peace, security, stability and development.

The diplomat was speaking during a lecture on “Angola’s foreign policy and its role in promoting peace in the Great Lakes Region”, held on Thursday at the Itamaraty Institute, Brasília, Republic of Brazil.

Addressing diplomats, university professors, men linked to culture and researchers in African affairs, Téte António said that the country has the support of the most varied bilateral and multilateral partners in this task.

He pointed to Political-Diplomatic, Defence and Security, Intelligence, Economic and Regional Development vectors, as well as the functioning of the Executive Secretariat of the ICGLR, as the axes that guide the strategy of the Angolan Presidency.

He recalled that since assuming the presidency of the ICGLR, the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, has carried out a series of initiatives aimed at ensuring the stability of the political and security situation in the Central African Republic, marked by the acceptance of leaders of the armed groups to abandon the rebellion.

The minister also said the 16th Extraordinary Session of the AU Conference of Heads of State and Government on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Regime Changes in Africa, held in Malabo, on 27 and 28 May 2022, at the proposal of Angola, elected the Angolan Head of State Champion of the African Union for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa.

The Session also gave him the mandate to embark on diplomatic “path”, within the scope of mediating the growing tension that was registered in the common border between the “DRC and the Rwanda”.

During his address, the Angolan diplomat made a brief historical incursion of the Republic of Angola, with emphasis on trends in the evolution of foreign policy.

He spoke of the national liberation struggle, the explicit political-ideological preferences in Angola’s independence process and the signing of the Bicesse Agreement, which brought the country a new phase of political-social intervention and international relations.

The minister clarified the moment of 2002, when Angola began to experience a period marked, above all, by the more concrete political transition process, the promotion and reinforcement of national mechanisms for the consolidation of the democratic process, the broadening and deepening of multilateral, regional relations and bilateral, within the ambit of ties of friendship and cooperation.

As for foreign policy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs explained that the Executive chose economic diplomacy as one of its main instruments for defending the interests of the State, aiming, among others, at promoting trade, attracting productive investment, creating better conditions for the operation of foreign investors and attracting the tourist flow. ART

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

April 7, 2023

Seychelles to host 7 more sports fishing tournaments in 2023, next up is Marlin Slam

Nine sports fishing tournaments have been scheduled this year with the Marlin Slam coming up on April 15, while two have already taken place.

The Marlin Slam will be a release tournament in which the crew will have to film and measure their catch, before releasing them to sea. The team with the biggest marlin caught and released will be declared the winner.

After the Marlin Slam, the Trevally Slam will take place in May, followed by the South East Monsoon Sailfish Tournament, the Yellowfin Tuna Cup, the La Digue Tournament, the Junior Tournament and finally, the Big Game Classic to end the year.

The first tournament for the year was the Heineken Fun Fish Slam won by Team Tsunami on January 28.

In March, the National Championship took place, where Team Paola was the grand winner, claiming a slew of individual titles as well, after fishing for over 30 hours.

“It was tough and we did not expect to win first place, but we did our best and we are very happy with that,” said Team Paola captain, Charles Marzzochi.

They were followed by Team Rasta Shark, the smallest boat in the tournament, with just four crew members, with Rig Runners in third.

The National Championships featured seven boats, but only five managed to complete the tournament.

A member of the Seychelles Sports Fishing Club (SSFC), Farouk Baptiste, explained that the low turnout could have been due to the length of time the boats had to stay at sea.

“This year, the competing boats were smaller than usual and so it was quite difficult for them to stay overnight, while other boats encountered mechanical issues that caused them to abandon their outing,” added Baptiste.

Meanwhile, the team and skippers’ leagues are also on this year, with teams looking to dethrone last year’s winners, Team Soolyman and Francis Marie, respectively.

The Seychelles Sports Fishing Club is a relatively young club, founded in April of 2009. It is a non-profit association committed to promoting sport fishing in Seychelles, aiming to balance conservation and education with traditional angling practices.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

April 7, 2023

More males than females of Seychelles’ Aldabra giant tortoise on Curieuse Island

The final phase of the Aldabra giant tortoise census on Curieuse Island, organised by the Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority (SPGA), is expected to take place in two weeks with the aim of getting a better view of the species’ population on the island.

The census began in February with the help of local volunteers, the SPGA and staff of the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB), Absa Bank and Harry Savy Insurance (HIS).

“At SPGA, we do not have enough manpower to undertake this census on our own, so we had help from volunteers, who did a really good job,” said the head of the Terrestrial Research Unit, Nathalie Dusfrene.

As part of an effort to introduce the species to other islands, about 250 Aldabra giant tortoises were released on Curieuse in 1978 and they have spread across the island over the years.

Curieuse, a small granitic island of 2.9 square kilometres, is located near to the north coast of Praslin, Seychelles’ second most populated island.

The island is distinguished by its bare red soil mixed with the distinctive coco de mer palms, one of the Seychelles’ cultural icons and an endemic species, which are only found on the two adjacent islands.

The census was previously done on a yearly basis by Global Vision International (GVI), and the last time it was done was in 2019 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dufresne explained that the census needed to be completed so that it can help the SPGA to comprehend the island’s tortoise population growth, their movement, and distribution.

“In the last census, there was a total of 134 tortoises recorded on the island, and so far in this current census, we have recorded 110, which is why we want to have a third phase, to ensure we manage to count all of them,” added Dufresne.

With this census, tortoises are being measured and weight, while a gender-check is also being done, with most of the tortoises recorded were found to be male.

According to Dufresne, a larger male population will mean that more females will need to be sent to the island.

She added that to ensure tortoises are not being counted more than once, they are being marked with paint, so that they can easily be identified.

One of the world’s biggest tortoises, the Aldabra giant tortoise is endemic to Seychelles and native to the Aldabra Atoll.

Aldabra tortoises can reach the weight of up to 250 kilogrammes and age of up to 150 years old.

Source: Seychelles News Agency