Day: May 23, 2023

Angolan President João Lourenço stressed Tuesday the importance of the construction and regional planning sector in building infrastructures to benefit the population.

The statements were made at the inauguration of the new Secretary of State for Urbanism and Housing, Manuel André da Costa Canguezeze, appointed Monday by presidential decree.

The Angolan Head of State highlighted the importance of the sector, since it is linked to the construction of infrastructures, such as roads, bridges and housing, which defines housing policies, “an essential asset for low-income populations.

“We hope that with this appointment and swearing in can help the holder of the portfolio to succeed in the mission he has been carrying out for some time,” the president said.

The Ministry of Public Works, Urbanism and Housing (MINOPUH) is the auxiliary body of the Holder of Executive Power, which is responsible for proposing the formulation of policies, executing and controlling the programmes and projects of the Executive in the areas of its activity.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The Ambazonia Governing Council, has confirmed that their armed wing, the Ambazonia Defence Forces, are keeping Councillor Stephen Ujambeng and others.

The group did not specify the number of captives but said they were picked up in Ngie, Momo division in the North West region, for taking part in National Day parade.

Councillor Stephen Ujambeng is a member of the North West Regional Council and the CPDM Section President for Momo IV.

“Stephen Ujambeng Ando have been arrested after taking part in the banned 20 May celebrations in Ngie along several others.

We all know the punishment for high treason.

I don’t wanna hear of any mafia again,” another confirmation was made by Activist, Ngong Emmanuel also known as Capo Daniel.

CNA learned that the YCPDM section President for Momo IV, Asumba Agharih, was also kidnapped.

Since 2016, the Cameroon government carried out a crackdown on peaceful protests in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. By 2017, some youths picked up arms to fight the central government and subsequently heralded the call for a Separate state , called Ambazonia.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The use of hate speech in Cameroon has become rampant recently, with state officials urged by the population to serve as examples.

This comes after the release of a communique by Minister of Territorial Administration Atanga Nji Paul, raising awareness on the issue.

The release rather reminded many of the various circumstances in which government officials have addressed the people of some ethnicities in the country with disregard.

“No one can forget statements made by authorities like Governor Okalia Bilai who called anglophone protesters ‘dogs’, Jacques Fame Ndongo who compared the two English regions to ‘two cubes of sugar’, and the list is long,” Robert in Yaounde said. “I don’t think those authorities were held accountable for their actions” he added.

Some have said the ineffectiveness of the practice of bilingualism is “the cause of everything”.

“More importance is still given to French, which is why those from that part of the country feel superior and have the tendency of minimizing the anglophone minority,” a student in Yaounde said.

In his May 22 communique, Paul Atanga Nji said “The laws punishing contempt of tribe or ethnicity, shall hence be applied strictly”.

Quoting section 241-1 of law No. 2019/020 of 24 December 2019, he noted that “Whoever, by any means, makes hate speech against people or incites them to violence due to their tribal or ethnic origin shall be punished with imprisonment, one or two years, and with a fine of 300,000 to 3 million francs”.

This comes on the heels of the arrest of a man in Yaounde who said internally displaced persons from Cameroon’s English-speaking regions were infesting the capital city with unbearable stench from their bodies.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Seychelles’ participation at the Seafood Expo Global 2023 provided more exposure to the island nation’s tuna products and gave a good example of a public-private partnership, said the interim chief executive of the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) on Monday.

Philippe Michaud told SNA that participating in the event was a success as it permitted Seychelles to expose and advertise its products.

Held in Barcelona, Spain, during the last week of April, the Seafood Expo Global 2023 attracted over 33,000 seafood professionals, setting a record in the level of attendance. The Expo saw the participation of 2,078 companies.

“Attendees got the chance to taste our products. Our stand focused on raw tuna. Fresh tuna was prepared by a sushi chef, and presented to the visitors to our stand,” said Michaud.

He added that “Seychelles exports a lot of its tuna to Europe and present were a lot of large European companies that buy tuna to distribute to restaurants, supermarkets among others.”

The Seafood Expo Global is seen as the world’s leading and largest seafood trade event and it brings together buyers, suppliers, and other players in the seafood industry from more than 160 countries.

Participating alongside SFA, was the Association of Fish Processors and Exporters Seychelles (AFPES). AFPES’ presence at the Expo was made possible by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the SFA.

Under the MoU, both parties agreed to co-participate in the Seafood Expo Global where the SFA allocated a budget of €33,000 directly towards Seychelles and AFPES exhibiting at this event. The contribution came from the EU Sectoral Support Fund, which is devoted to the development of the Seychelles fishing industry.

“The only drawback was that there was a problem with supply. There were a lot of clients who came for the tuna, but there were not enough. There is a lot of demand but the supply is limited,” said Michaud.

In a previous article, the chairman of AFPES, Louis Bossy, shared that being sustainable can also be economically unsustainable because of the volume being caught.

“It is high time that we, as the local processors, make the most out of the small volume that we have,” said Bossy.

“The theme of sustainability was one that resonated across all the stands. Evidently, this is a challenge in itself. We need to give more value to the product and focus on quality,” said Michaud.

The next Seafood Expo Global will take place from April 23-25 next year.

Michaud outlined that depending on the country’s means, Seychelles will continue to participate in the Seafood Expo Global.

Source: Seychelles News Agency