BRICS Achieve 70% Compliance with Fortaleza Summit Commitments

The performance of the 2014 Fortaleza Summit is on a par with the BRICS four-year average of 70%, according to the report prepared by the BRICS Research Group.

The report presents the results of the monitoring study focused on BRICS countries’ compliance with eight priority commitments selected from the total 68 commitments made at the Fortaleza Summit in July 2014. It covers actions taken by the BRICS members from 15 July 2014 to 28 June 2015 to fulfil those promises. At 100%, the highest level of compliance was registered for the commitment to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity. All five members took concrete actions to protect endangered species and addressed economic and social aspects of the environmental agenda.

In second place, at 90%, were the commitments on attaining the education-related Millennium Development Goals, moving towards universal primary education and gender equality, and strengthening international anti-corruption cooperation, including law enforcement cooperation, in accordance with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.

Most BRICS countries took steps to implement the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in all four of its priority areas, achieving a score of 80%.

The same score of 80% was achieved on complying with the commitment to ensure sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights for all. Brazil, Russia and South Africa fully complied, which was manifested, inter alia, in maintaining no restrictions on the number of children in a family.

The commitment to enhance cooperation on addressing tax base erosion and information exchange for tax purposesachieved a score of 60%. BRICS members actively collaborated with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and have begun incorporating the norms in the Action Plan on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting into their national legislation. Most members have announced the launch of the automatic exchange of tax information in accordance with the OECD standards.

The average compliance score for the commitment to support Afghanistan’s stabilization also amounted to 60%. Russia, India and China provided assistance to ensure security, socioeconomic development and effective governance.

The only commitment on which BRICS countries failed to make any progress was the one on the reforming the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Despite long-standing support of multilateral trade and the WTO’s primacy, BRICS members were unable to advance negotiations on DSU reform during the monitoring period.

The results of the compliance assessment carried out by the BRICS Research Group confirm the importance of enhancing “the efficiency of BRICS by improving the reporting process for previous commitments assumed by member countries,” as emphasized in the Concept of the Russian Federation’s Presidency in BRICS in 2015-2016.

The full 58-page report in English is available for download at http://www.brics.utoronto.ca/compliance/2014-fortaleza.html.

PRESS RELEASE

Ghana’s President Mahama urges strengthened support from Afreximbank

Afreximbank President Designate Dr. Benedict Oramah (right) with Ghanaian President John Mahama.

Accra, 03 July 2015 – Ghanaian President John Mahama today in Accra urged the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to further strengthen its trade finance support to the Ghanaian business sector, particularly in the areas of agro-processing and pharmaceuticals.

                Speaking when Dr. Benedict Oramah, President Designate of the Bank, paid him courtesy call, President Mahama highlighted the increasingly important roles of those sectors in the country’s economy and also called on the Bank to increase its involvement in Ghana’s manufacturing, construction, renewable energy and other key sectors.

He commended Dr. Oramah on his appointment as the next President of the Bank and pledged Ghana’s continued commitment to working with Afreximbank to achieve its objective of promoting intra and extra-African trade.

                Earlier, Dr. Oramah announced that Afreximbank had approved financing totaling about $2 billion for the Ghanaian government, corporates and financial institutions since 1993, with annual approvals increasing from $6.5 million in 1994 to $280 million in 2014.

                “As at October 2014, Ghana was the sixth largest beneficiary of the Bank’s funding programmes,” said Dr. Oramah, who noted that the support had been mainly directed toward the energy sector, the financial sector, the agro-processing and industrial development sectors and to the promotion of higher local value-added in Ghana’s extractive industries.

                The credit facilities provided by the Bank included a $150 million loan facility to the Volta River Authority to support capacity expansion and refurbishment activities and a further $300 million facility under negotiation; $70 million to a Ghanaian company to enable it offer mining and engineering services to international mining companies; $100 million to the Bank of Ghana to address short-term liquidity challenges; and $70 million to two Ghanaian-owned cocoa processing companies, he said.

                Dr. Oramah announced that Afreximbank was considering a framework to scale up its intervention in the Ghanaian economy in recognition of the opportunities offered by the relatively stable socio-political and economic environment.

“The package shall include foreign exchange liquidity support to facilitate essential imports and deal with the transitory challenges as well as term funding to strategic sectors towards the realization of the country’s long-term development agenda,” he explained.

                Dr. Oramah was accompanied on the visit by Kofi Adomakoh, Director of Afreximbank’s Project and Export Development Finance Department, and Joy Albright of the Legal Department.

               

President John Mahama of Ghana (centre) joined by (L-R) Mona Quartey, Deputy Finance Minister, Kofi Adomakoh, Director, Project and Export Development, Afreximbank, Dr. Benedict Oramah, Afreximbank President Designate, and Joy Albright of Afreximbank Legal Department

TIBA: Zijue Njia Rahisi za Kiasili za Kutibu Mafua

Mafua ni ugonjwa unaosumbua watu kila mwaka, hasa yanapoanza kutokea mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa, kutoka msimu wa joto kuingia baridi au kutoka msimu wa kiangazi kuingiza masika. Ili kujikinga na ugonjwa wa mafua, ni lazima mwili uwe na kinga ya kutosha.

Orodha ya vyakula vifuatavyo vimeelezwa kuwa na uwezo mkubwa wa kuimarisha kinga ya mwili na kupambana na maambukizi mengine kwa kuwa na kiasi kikubwa cha protini na virutubisho vingine.

SUPU YA KUKU

Supu ya kuku wa kienyeji inaelezwa kuwa na virutubisho vinavyosaidia kupunguza utokaji wa makamasi. Utapata virutubisho vingi zaidi ukitengeneza supu ya kuku kwa kuchanganya na mboga za majani. Weka chumvi kiasi kidogo katika supu hiyo.

VITUNGUU SAUMU

Vitunguu saumu vina kirutubisho aina ya ‘allicin’ ambacho kina uwezo wa kutoa kinga dhidi ya magonjwa mbalimbali ya kuambukiza. Kitunguu saumu kinatoa kinga halikadhalika kinapunguza muda wa mtu kuumwa na mafua. Tumia kitunguu hicho kwa kupika kwenye chakula au kwa kutafuna punje zake.

CHAI

Chai, hasa ya kijani, (green tea) ina virutubisho vya kuimarisha kinga ya mwili. Utafiti wa hivi karibuni uliofanywa na jarida moja la masuala ya virutubisho nchini Marekani (Journal of the American College of Nutrition) umeonesha kuwa watu wanaotumia chai kwa mpangilio maalum hawasumbuliwi mara kwa mara na mafua pamoja na magonjwa mengine ya kuambukiza, huwa salama na mafua au siku za kuumwa mafua hupungua kwa asilimia 36 ukilinganisha na wale wasiokuwa na kinga imara.

Hata hivyo, tahadhari inatolewa kwa watoto wa shule kutokupewa kiasi kingi cha chai kwa siku. Unywaji wa kikombe kimoja kwa siku kwa mtoto wa shule siyo mbaya. Kwa mtu mzima, asizidishe vikombe vitatu kwa siku. Ikumbukwe kuwa chai inapotumika kwa wingi kupita kiasi, huweza kusababisha pia tatizo la kukosa choo kwa muda mrefu. Kunywa kiasi kwa afya yako.

MACHUNGWA, PILIPILI KALI

Utafiti unaonesha kwamba ulaji wa vyakula vyenye Vitamin C kwa wingi kila siku husaidia kuondoa au kuzuia ugonjwa wa mafua. Miongoni mwa vyakula vyenye kiwango kikubwa cha Vitamin C ni pamoja na machungwa, mboga za majani aina ya Brokoli na pilipili kali.
Ili kupata kiasi kingi cha Vitamin C, inashauriwa machungwa yaliwe pamoja na nyama zake za ndani au kunywa juisi yake.

ASALI

Kama inavyojulikana, asali ni tiba ya matatizo mengi ya kiafya, miongoni mwa hayo ni pamoja na mafua. Asali inasaida kuondoa kikohozi na muwasho kwenye koo. Halikadhalika, asali inaweza kutumiwa na watoto wadogo kama dawa.

Watoto wanaoruhusiwa kutumia asali kama tiba ni wa umri kati ya miaka 2 hadi 5. Hawa dozi yao ni nusu kijiko kidogo cha asali, wenye umri wa miaka 6-11 wapewe kijiko kimoja kidogo na wenye umri kuanzia miaka 12 hadi 18, wapewe vijiko vidogo viwili vya asali wakati wa kulala.

MTINDI

Kutokana na kiwango kikubwa cha protini ilichonacho, Mtindi ni chakula kingine kinachofaa kuliwa na mtu mwenye mafua ili kupunduza siku za kusumbuliwa na ugonjwa kukohoa.

CHOKOLETI NYEUSI

Wataalamu wanakubaliana kuwa ulaji wa ‘chocolate’ nyeusi (dark chocolate) huimarisha kinga ya mwili, hivyo inapoliwa na mgonjwa wa mafua huweza kumpa ahueni mgonjwa kwa namna moja ama nyingine. Halikadhalika huwa kinga kwa maambukizi mengine.

PWEZA

Samaki aina ya pweza wana virutubisho vingi vya kuongeza kinga ya mwili yenye uwezo wa kupambana na bakteria pamoja na virusi vya mafua. Kiasi kidogo cha pweza, awe wa kukaangwa au kuchemshwa kama supu, anafaa kuliwa mara kwa mara kuimarisha kinga ya mwili.
VIAZI VITAMU

Kirutubisho aina ya ‘Beta-carotene’ huimarisha kinga ya mwili. Kirutubisho hicho huwa ni muhimu kwa ustawi na uimarishaji wa kinga mwilini na kinapatikana kwa wingi kwenye viazi vitamu na vyakula vingine kama vile karoti, maboga na mayai, (kiini).

Kwa ujumla, suala la kuimarisha kinga ya mwili ni muhimu kwa afya zetu. Ulaji wa vyakula vilivyotajwa hapo juu na vingine, unatakiwa kuwa ni wa mara kwa mara kama siyo wa kudumu, kwa sababu mwili unapokosa kinga imara, ni rahisi kushambuliwa na maradhi ya kuambukiza

Credit JF

PICHA: Gari iliyohama njia na kuingia katika paa ya nyumba

 Mapema leo gari liligonga na kuingia ndani ya nyumba moja nchini Afrika Kusini kupitia paa la nyumba hiyo kulingana na huduma ya dharura ya ER24 nchini humo.

 Dereva wa gari hilo amesema kuwa alipokuwa akiliendesha gari hilo alikutana na tuta moja barabarani lililosababisha gari hilo kuruka na kuanguka katika paa la nyumba hiyo.

 

PICHA: Gari iliyohama njia na kuingia katika paa ya nyumba

 Mapema leo gari liligonga na kuingia ndani ya nyumba moja nchini Afrika Kusini kupitia paa la nyumba hiyo kulingana na huduma ya dharura ya ER24 nchini humo.

 Dereva wa gari hilo amesema kuwa alipokuwa akiliendesha gari hilo alikutana na tuta moja barabarani lililosababisha gari hilo kuruka na kuanguka katika paa la nyumba hiyo.

AMUUA MWENZIE KWA KISU WAKIGOMBEA MWANAMKE

Mtu mmoja aliyetambulika kwa jina la Chacha Mwita (24) amekufa baada ya kuchomwa kisu na mwenzake wakigombea mwanamke.