Day: July 7, 2023

National Assembly (AN) decided Friday to postpone “sine die” the debate held in specialty around the duties of the police authorities, as part of the Draft Assembly and Demonstration Law.

The adjournment was confirmed by MP and chairperson of 1st Commission, dedicated to Institutional and Legal matters, Joaquim Reis Júnior, who alleged lack of consensus on the duties of the authorities responsible for guaranteeing the protection of demonstrators.

On Thursday, the MPs failed to overcome the impasse related to voting on the chapter.

The Friday’s session started with the contribution by MP Milonga Bernardo, who spoke of the role the authorities, essentially the police, in demonstrations.

The proposal indicates that the police officer who is responsible for maintaining public order and tranquility must act with proportionality, balance, weighting, moderation, precaution and control in the use of the resources made available to him.

He also suggests that the police officer act exclusively on behalf of the public service and in respect for legally protected rights.

While Olívio Calumbo defended the introduction of the ban on detention of demonstrators and the accompanying means and articles.

The position was contradicted by the Antonieta Baptista, who said that there are already instruments that regulate the actions of the police.

In turn, the MP Yolanda Sousa said that the basic police law establishes procedures for their staff.

Deputy Jorge Vitorino, on the other hand, insisted on the need to regulate police action in law to avoid excesses by the authorities and their agents.

Due to the lack of consensus, Joaquim Reis Júnior decided to postpone the discussions “sine die”, because it was found that the MPs were moving backward in their discussion

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

An Angolan delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was recently in Zambia for a technical visit and to share experiences related to the agricultural sector.

The delegation, led by the general director of the Institute of Agrarian Development, Anita Esperança, met with the permanent secretary of Agriculture of Zambia, Green Mbozi, as well as with the heads of the National Seed Certification and Accreditation Services.

According to a press note, the Angolan delegation also visited the private sector responsible for supplying agricultural inputs to small producers throughout the value chain.

The Angolans also came into contact with the operation of the electronic financial platform system for accessing imputes.

The opportunity also served to visit the manual motor pump production unit (Money Maker), as well as the equipment supply market with new technologies adapted to the production conditions of family farmers and a wheat test field, with more than 30 varieties .

Bilateral relations between Angola and Zambia date back over 40 years, with the signing of the first economic, scientific and technical cooperation agreement in 1979.

Angola and Zambia signed six legal instruments in January 2023, as part of the strengthening of bilateral cooperation.

The countries signed legal agreements in the fields of the construction of sections of border connections Jimbe (Angola)/Mwinulunga/Mapelenga/Sikongo (Zambia)”, routes that aim to facilitate the movement of people and goods from both countries

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Dutchman Hans Hoogeveen was reappointed for a second consecutive term as head of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), during its 43rd plenary session held Thursday in Rome, Italy.

For a mandate that runs until 2025, the independent chairman was elected unanimously, as well as the 49 member States of the FAO council for another two-year term, including Angola.

The FAO Council is the executive body of the organisation, composed of 169 states, which focuses on different sectors, especially the implementation of the work programme and budget of one of the main UN agencies.

As for the 49 member states of the Council, the conference delegates chose the proposed candidates by the regional groups by consensus, but to fill Europe’s vacancies, countries had to run for election.

The European group did not agree as has been usual, as four candidates ran for three seats and this resulted in a single election, thus removing the rotating election adopted unanimously in 2014.

With these votes, Croatia, the Netherlands and Iceland received the votes of a majority of delegates who ruled out Russia’s intention to take one of the seats on the European Council.

Before the election, delegates approved by consensus the draft resolution on FAO budget allocations for the next two years.

Angola and the FAO have established close cooperative relations since the country joined the organization in 1977.

In 1982, the UN agency set up its office in Angola and has so far supported the government in emergency assistance, resettling vulnerable rural families and providing agricultural inputs for food production.

Meanwhile, the organization was established in 1945 in Quebec City, Canada, and is one of the UN agencies dedicated to fighting hunger and poverty around the world

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Mr Muhammed Sanusi II, the Khalifa of Tijaniya and Former Emir of Kanu State in Nigeria, has urged the Fulani Community in Ghana to start taking legal actions against persons and groups that unjustly label and attack them.

He said the Community needed to start taking that step to deter others from discriminating against them, stressing that that was how they could deal with the discriminative ethnic profiling and attacks they faced.

The Khalifa Mohammed Sanusi II, the head of all Fulanis under the Tabital Pulaaku International, a grouping of Fulanis, said this when he met the leadership of the Fulani Community in Ghana and some Civil Society Organisations in Accra.

The meeting discussed recent happenings pertinent to the Fulanis in Ghana and how they could be addressed.

He said the time had come for the Community to start taking legal action and not just complain against discrimination.

He added that they should also deepen their engagement with leadership of governments and state securities on issues relating to their welfare and safety.

The Khalifa admonished the Community not to resort to violence in any endeavour, but always engage peacefully with all.

‘Ethnic profiling leads to ethnic hatred, which has the tendency to breed violence. However, let’s not close our days to dialogue. Let’s continue to engage and perceive justice,’ he stressed.

The Khalifa also advised the Community to identify those among them that were engaged in wrongful behaviours and call them out.

He said that would show that not all Fulanis were ‘bad’ people as perceived by many and admonished the media against headlines and news reports that put the entire group in wrong description, when one person committed a crime or wrongdoing.

Mr Yakubu Musah Barry, General Secretary, Tabital Pulaaku International – Ghana Chapter, commended the Khalifa for the engagement.

He urged the Community to continue to support the local leadership to address their challenges.

The Khalifa Mohammed Sanusi II was a former Emir of Kanu State in Nigeria and served as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria from 2009 to 2014.

Source: Ghana News Agency