Day: April 21, 2023

Angolan Government authorised Thursday the construction of 1,500 social homes to rehouse families in a situation of social vulnerability resident in urban district of Zango – Zango 3 and Zango 5, in Luanda.

The Angolan head of State, João Lourenço, authorised a global amount of 75.7 million to build residences for those families in precarious conditions, imminent risk of outbreaks, endemic diseases of all kinds, according to an Order published on the Government Portal.

The Order states that the contract for the preparation of the project and coordination of the contract is equivalent to 2.4 million in Kwanzas .

For the works inspection contract, the Executive will spend a global amount, in kwanzas, equivalent to 1.7 million.

The Minister of Public Works, Urbanism and Housing has been delegated the competence for the approval of the parts of the Emergency Contracting Procedure, based on material criteria, as well as for the verification of the validity and legality of all the acts carried out.

The Minister of Finance must secure the necessary financial resources for the implementation of the contracts, as well as the registration of projects in the Public Investment Programme (PIP).

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

At least 158 judges responsible for setting bail will take up their duties from the 2nd of May next, in the country.

The issue was analysed Friday in Luanda during a meeting that gathered president of the Superior Council for the Judiciary Joel Leonardo, the Minister of the Interior Eugénio Laborinho, the Attorney General Hélder Pitta Groz and the chairman of the Angolan Bar Association (OAA), Luís Monteiro.

According to the spokesperson for the judiciary council, Correia Bartolomeu, of the 158 judges, Luanda province will have 49.

Of this number, 21 will go to the district court of Belas and 28 for Luanda.

The other provinces will have between two and eight judges, depending on the procedural mobility of each one, explained Correia Bartolomeu.

However, he acknowledged the possibility of appointing new guarantees judges in the future to ensure procedural speed and respect for the rights of detainees.

The official pointed out, among the powers of the guarantee judge, that of enacting preventive or house arrest during the investigation phase of the criminal process, a role formerly restricted to a prosecutor

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Mr Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, the Chief Executive, Volta River Authority, says the Authority has leveraged its IT infrastructure to improve operational performance. He said the Authority had worked as a team to prioritise innovation by upgrading its equipment to improve business processes for an optimum outcome. ‘Among the innovations are energy transition with a focus on renewable energy, focusing on green and having a lower carbon footprint using natural gas, and having electric vehicles in Akosombo,’ he said. Mr Antwi-Darkwa said this in Accra at a roundtable on the topic:’ The Culture of Innovation: The Imperatives.’ ‘Government target on renewable energy is to have 10 per cent as part of its generating portfolio by 2030, but VRA wants to take 20 per cent of the share by 2027,’ he said. He said the corporate strategy department of the Authority had leveraged PowerBI software to enhance operational effectiveness and instituted monthly and quarterly seminars on human resource policies for the Authority. The Health and Services Department has digitised its operations, including x-ray machines, stocked the pharmacy with all types of medicines, and has specialists in the facility. The need to innovate, he stated, was imperative in reducing cost and remaining competitive in the global market and ensure sustainable growth. Mr Antwi-Darkwa said effective communication was key to getting the buy-in of staff on the Authority’s business operations. That, he stressed, was hinged on creating the enabling space for staff to bring innovative ideas for the success of the entity. He said even though there were challenges especially with the competition in the sector, it was necessary for the Authority to anticipate threats and distractions and find solutions to them. Mrs Abena Osei Poku, the Managing Director, Absa Bank, said the world of work was changing and it was prudent for organizations to be creative and be abreast of new developments in the market system. She stated that, management of institutions was to lead the processes of innovation by learning from the expertise of staff and other stakeholders. ‘Absa Bank was forced to foster a culture of innovation through a deliberate effort to chart the path of sustained growth,’ she said. She urged the leadership of VRA to foster and forge a relationship with employees to drive the needed organizational change by creating a real team building spirit. Ms Theresa Randolph, the Chief Executive Officer, Ryto-Riker Pharmaceuticals Limited, underscored the importance of a cross functional team to create a space for staff to be creative and benefit the organization. She said an effective value system put in place in a working environment would champion the agenda of innovation and reinforce the vision behind the initiative among the staff. ‘Leadership must operate an open-door policy to create a platform for the employees to interact with superiors and bring innovative ideas for the growth of the company,’ she added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Seychelles’ finance ministry has set up a customer feedback service to allow more interaction with its budget dependent entities such as the Procurement Oversight Unit Seychelles (POU) and the National Tender Board.

The principal information and communications officer, Lindy Vital, explained the new mechanism to the press on Wednesday morning.

Other entities under the ministry affected by the new policy are the Seychelles Revenue Commission (SRC), the Fair Trading Commission (FTC), the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Vital revealed that the online form is part of a feedback policy now in place.

The feedback form is available online at www.finance.gov.sc

She said the form will be available on these entities’ web pages as well as in copies at the Liberty House entrance “as we understand that some people prefer physical copies to just doing things online.”

“Members of the public with any feedback can go directly to the website and fill in the form which is then submitted to a specific email address,” she added.

Vital said that any feedback the Ministry gets through the online form will go to a specific email address which means one person will have access to it.

“It will then be the person’s responsibility according to our policy to follow the progress of the feedback sent and forward to the appropriate officers should there be a need,” she added.

In order to lodge feedback to the ministry, individuals will have to provide their names, addresses, national identification numbers, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses they are using.

“We will not be entertaining any feedback from third parties,” Vital warned.

The ministry is also giving the officer forwarding the feedback two days to acknowledge receipt and start work on the feedback – be it a compliment or a complaint.

Vital also told the press that the ministry will respond to feedback according to the laws governing it and added that “we are hoping that this new policy will encourage people to talk to us and vice versa.”

Source: Seychelles News Agency