The 13^th PATTEC coordinators meeting reviews progress made in the implementation of tsetse control programs in 2014.

 2014 Harare, Zimbabwe – With a view to reviewing the progresses made in the implementation of national tsetse control programs, key players in the fight against T&T have gathered in Harare, Zimbabwe for the 13^th PATTEC coordinators meeting happening from 24-27 November 2014.

“The conference will provide a unique opportunity to the 120 delegates involved in tsetse and trypanosomiasis research and control in Africa to meet and share experiences, share best practices to boost implementation, identify global problems and find lasting solutions to these problems,” said Zimbabwe’s Minister of Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development Dr. Joseph M Made (MP) while officiating the 13^th PATTEC Coordinators/Focal Points Meeting underway at HICC, Harare. 

“Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis problem remains one of Africa’s greatest constraints to socio-economic development, severely affecting human and livestock health, limiting land use, causing food insecurity and poverty, and perpetuating underdevelopment on the continent.”

In his opening statement at the annual event, Dr. Hassane Mahamat Hassane, AU-PATTEC Coordinator mentioned the reason behind selecting this year’s host country, saying “The choice of Zimbabwe to host the meetings was not done arbitrarily.  Zimbabwe is one the few countries which have registered significant successes in the fight against the scourge of tsetse and trypanosomosis (T&T) on the African continent.” 

In the last 30 – 40 years, Zimbabwe using mainly its own resources and that of relevant partners, which supported the country, managed to eradicate Tsetse from more than 170 000 km², the coordinator said, adding “Only 28 000 km² tsetse infested areas mainly in the national parks remained to be cleared.  Those areas remain the source of the new re-emergence of Rhodesiense HAT and need to be freed of Tsetse.” 

The PATTEC National Coordinators/Focal Points’ meeting is an annual event that brings together key players in the fight against T&T to review progress, share lessons learned and formulate strategies that are designed to address identified challenges. 

This year’s National Coordinators/Focal Points meeting is unique in that it coincides with the Year of Agriculture and Food Security.

Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 November 2014–In an exciting twist, the Big Brother Africa Hotshots Housemates yesterday, received three surprise guests to talk about the growing agriculture opportunities for young people on the continent.

The AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, former 1999 Miss Universe Ms. Mpule Kwelagobe, who in 1999 became the first African Ms Universe, and Dr Sipho Moyo, ONE Africa’s Executive Director joined the BBA hotshots to talk about agriculture and its potential to lift millions out of poverty. 

The AUC and ONE took the agriculture conversations to an engaged audience in the house and on screen. 

Commissioner Tumusiime encouraged the housemates to view agriculture as a promising and vibrant career path, as it has huge economic potential while ensuring the food and nutrition security of the African continent and its citizens..

“If you look at the countries in the world that developed, you will notice that agriculture was the springboard to that development,” she said. “Agriculture holds the key to employment and many other opportunities.”  

Commissioner Tumusiime informed housemates of the agricultural commitments the AU Heads of State and Government had committed themselves to in the Malabo Declaration for Accelerated African Agriculture Growth and Transformation sustaining the   implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), and urged them to follow up on the promises made by their respective leaders to unlock agriculture opportunities in their countries

Dr. Moyo reiterated the message that there would be no economic transformation on the continent without agricultural transformation. She further talked about ONE Award applicants which, are African organisations making great strides to transform their communities and countries. 

She informed them that each year, the ONE Campaign awards the prize of $100,000 which is underwritten by an endowment from The Howard G. Buffet Foundation to recognize and reward the exceptional work of an African organization working toward the achievement of one or more of the Millennium Development Goals. 

ONE has now shortlisted the top three finalists, who were able to demonstrate innovation and proactivity in using advocacy as a means to transform lives in their communities. The winner of this award will be unveiled during the Big Brother Africa eviction show on Sunday, November 30.

Ms. Mpule further encouraged housemates to use their celebrity status for positive social change, to create and control agriculture industries ran by young people so as to retain African wealth and ensure that more Africans become financially strong via agriculture

ASEOWA TAKES CHARGE OF THE EBOLA TREATMENT CENTRE IN BOMBALI DISTRICT, SIERRA LEONE

Bombali, Sierra Leone November 2014: The African Union Support to the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa, ASEOWA in Sierra Leone  has received the go-ahead for the management of the newly completed Ebola Treatment Centre in Magbenteh, Bombali District of Sierra Leone.  The coordination of the Treatment Centre will be run in partnership with the Ministry of Health of Sierra Leone. President Ernest Bai Koroma, while commissioning the treatment centre on Sunday 16^th November 2014, commended the efforts of the African Union in providing medical personnel in fighting against the Ebola Virus Disease.

The Magbenteh treatment centre, with a bed space capacity of one hundred is scheduled to receive its first six Ebola patients on Monday 24^th November 2014.  The treatment centre is expected to ease the backlog of sick patients at the Arab, Paramedic, Government and Kamakwe holding centres in Bombali District, where Ebola patients were held pending their transfer to Kailahun, a neighboring District, for treatment.

Simulation exercises at the Treatment Centre took place on 22^nd and 23^rd of November in preparation for admitting Ebola patients to the treatment centre. The activities included linking ambulance with triage, admitting patients, giving treatment, spraying ambulance, decontaminating staff from ETU, taking blood samples, giving out sundries and drugs and collecting medical waste. The exercise also identified gaps that were later addressed.

ASEOWA is tasked with the overall coordination of the Treatment Centre as well as management of principal departments of the Treatment Centre such as Clinical, Infection Prevention Control, Triage, Surveillance, Logistics and Pharmacy.

The African Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa through the Executive Council Decision at its Sixteenth Extraordinary Session held on 8^th September 2014 in Addis Ababa has been deploying medical and human resource capacities in response to the Ebola Virus Outbreak in West Africa.

KDF: How we hit Shabaab fighters

The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Monday claimed it employed both ground and air operations to kill over 100 Al-Shabaab militants who executed 28 Kenyans in Mandera on Saturday.

The Department of Defence (DoD) Monday said ground troops and helicopter gunships killed the attackers at three locations — one inside Kenya and two in Somalia.

The number of militants said to have been killed has since been revised to 115 militants in the two attacks on Al-Shabaab camps 20 kilometres inside Somalia. Deputy President William Ruto had announced that 100 had been killed.

DoD spokesman David Obonyo revealed in a statement that ground troops killed the first group of 20 attackers in the Arabia Hills, a few kilometres from the scene of Saturday’s massacre.

Another 50 fighters were killed at their camp in Godondowe, 21km from the Kenya-Somalia border, according to the military. Another 45 gunmen who had escaped with injuries at the Godondowe Camp were killed by KDF fighter jets 10km away, at the camp, on Sunday, he said.

“KDF ground troops and helicopter gunships pursued the terrorists who killed 28 Kenyans in that heinous attack. At least 20 were killed in the Arabia Hills along the Kenya-Somali border while fleeing to their operational camp,” said Col Obonyo.

He went on: “Subsequently, aerial surveillance identified the Al-Shabaab operational base camp near the Somalia-Kenya border. KDF fighter jets destroyed the camp, killing 50 militants. Night surveillance on the area showed that some of the injured had been moved on donkey carts to a makeshift camp 10km from Godondowe, he said.

Col Obonyo said the new camp, which he did not name, was destroyed by KDF fighter jets on Sunday at noon.

A graphic said to depict the attacks and released as proof of mission success contained images similar to some released by Amisom last year.

Deputy President William Ruto's full statement on the retaliatory attacks by KDF

Home » World News » President’s son stole to fund playboy lifestyle

President’s son stole to fund playboy lifestyle

The millionaire playboy son of Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo will have to give up $30 million in assets after allegedly stealing money from his own country.

Malibu-based ‘Teodorin’ Nguema Obiang Mangue must sell his California mansion, his Ferrari and most of his Michael Jackson memorabilia under the settlement. However, he will be able to keep the singer’s famous crystal-encrusted ‘Bad Tour’ glove, a jacket used during the ‘Thriller’ tour and a $38.5million Gulfstream jet, as they are currently outside the US.

Instead, the 42-year-old must pay a further $1million to cover the value of the memorabilia elsewhere, Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell of the Department of Justice (DOJ) said. If these items ever re-enter America, they will be subject to seizure by the US. Government, officials told an interviewer.

Mangue, officially co-Vice-President of Equatorial Guinea, reportedly forked out $482,000 for Michael Jackson’s white, crystal-encrusted glove in the late 1980s. The singer, who died in June 2009, wore it during his first ever solo concert tour, which was launched in support of his seventh studio album, ‘Bad’. For Mangue, the glove was a prized addition to his $3.2million collection of Jackson memorabilia, which he owned alongside his $30million mansion and $530,000 Ferrari.

It seems Mangue, who has been dating Real Housewives of Atlanta ‘star’ Porsha Williams as well as Danish beauty queen Christina Mikkelsen, may be a chip off the old block. His father is known as one of Africa’s most brutal and corrupt rulers, having had his predecessor, his own uncle, executed and his opponents tortured, while pillaging his own country’s oil wealth.

Neither is this Mangue’s first offence. In Paris in 2008 he owned one of only 30 examples at the time of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 sports car (then estimated at 1,100,000 euros) and a Maserati MC 12 at 700,000 euros. He subsequently went on to purchase another Bugatti Veyron, and tried to purchase a third but, in late 2011, both Veyrons, as well as 9 other cars he owned were seized by French police investigating corruption. In July 2013, the confiscated goods were sold at auction.

The US settlement, announced by the Department of Justice last Friday, will see Mangue turn over around $20million from the sale of his assets to a charitable organization for the benefit of the people of Equatorial Guinea.

The African Union Commission at the 2^nd PrepCom for the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction

GENEVA, Switzerland, 14 November 2014 -As part of preparation for the 2^nd Session of the Intergovernmental Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the 3^rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, scheduled for 17-18 November 2014, the AU Delegation briefed the African Permanent Missions based in Geneva on Africa’s preparation for the 3^rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction on 14^th November 2014 at Palais des Nations.

The purpose of the briefing session was twofold: Firstly, to update the African Permanent Missions on the status and progress of the process leading up to the development and adoption of a Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Secondly, and more importantly, to discuss further needed actions to ensure broader and active participation of Africa in the 2^nd PrepCom as well as 3^rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to be held in Sendai, Japan from 14-18 March 2015.

Ms Olushola Olyede, Senior Policy Officer at DREA, AUC, made a brief presentation during the session to facilitate the briefing. The African Group applauded the Commission for the leading role it has played so far and called for its continued engagement and leadership in the process leading up to the development and integration of Africa’s Contribution into the forth coming Global Post-2015 Framework for

   The AUC Delegation during the Briefing

Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Delegation also seized the opportunity to call on the African Permanent Missions to actively engage in the negotiation on the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction scheduled to take place during the 2^nd PrepCom and hence do its part to ensure that Africa’s voice is heard and fully reflected in the global framework.  

On 17^th November, H.E. Ambassador Jean Marie Ehouzou, the Permanent Representative of the AUC in Geneva delivered AUC’s Statement on behalf of H.E. Mrs. Rhoda Peace TUMUSIIME, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the plenary of the 2^nd Session of the PrepCom. The 2nd PrepCom concluded on 18^th November 2014 by passing a Decision to proceed with the open-

ended informal intergovernmental negotiations on the 1^st draft of the post 2015 framework for disaster risk reduction in December 2014 and January 2015 with the view to producing the 2^nd draft post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction to be considered at the 3^rd Session of the PrepCom scheduled for 13^th March 2015 in Sendai, Japan, preceding the 3^rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to be held from 14-18 March 2015 at the same venue where the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is expected to be adopted.

100 most influential black people named

The top 100 black Brits have been named in a list compiled by publishing company Powerlist Foundation.

Karen Blackett has been named as Britain’s most influential black person

The list, which consists of famous African Caribbean faces, as well as individuals from various sectors including business, media and sport.

Top of the list is chief executive of MediaCom, Karen Blackett (OBE) who rose to the top of her field despite working in an industry dominated by white men.

“I still think it’s odd that I’m the only senior black woman in the advertising industry,” she told The Telegraph. “I was at a Marketing Society event earlier this year, where Justin King was honoured as a Fellow. In the room there were a handful of women and two people of colour. I was one of them.”

Blackett, as well as several other named individuals were hosted by the London Mayor Boris Johnson, at a black tie event at his home where Home Secretary Theresa May also gave a speech.

Blackett came up head of some of Britain’s most famous black faces, including Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, heartthrob actor Idris Elba and Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Ummuna.

The black powerlist, which was first created in 2007 by Powerlist Foundation CEO Michael Eboda, aims to help improve diversity in all sectors, particularly within the FTSE 100.

“In this day and age there is no excuse to not have adequate representation of diversity on FTSE 100 Boards,” Eboda told The Voice Newspaper. “Executive search firms should be doing a much better job, but it is up to the companies themselves to ensure that this happens.”.

Top 10 influential black brits

1. Karen Blackett – CEO, MediaCom UK
2. Ken Olisa – Chairman, Restoration Partners; Non-Executive Chairman, Outsourcery Plc
   3. (Joint)    Chuka Umunna – Shadow Business Secretary; Helen Grant – Minister for Sport and Tourism
   4.    Sandie Okoro – Global General Council, HSBC Global Asset Management
   5.    Steve McQueen – Artist/Director
   6.    Matthew Ryder QC – Barrister
   7.    Sharon White – Second Permanent Secretary of the Treasury
   8. (Joint)    Lenny Henry – Comedian, actor, writer; Idris Elba – actor, producer
   9.    Adrian Joseph – Director, search advertising Northern & Central Europe, Google
   10.    Lewis Hamilton – Formula 1 driver, Mercedes

Drama unfolded at Lee Funeral Home on Friday when a woman claiming to be Late Senator Otieno Kajwang’s wife emerged Faith Otieno said she is Kajwang’s legally married wife of 19 years and was not happy being left out in funeral arrangements for her late husband.

 She claimed that she is the one who took the late Homabay Senator to the hospital before he died. Kajwang' passed on Tuesday night at Mater Hospital in Nairobi due to cardiac arrest.

According to family sources, the former immigration minister developed breathing complications at his Runda home and was rushed to his personal physician at Mater. He was 55 years old.

Ebola is devastating parts of West Africa. And every day that we continue to wait – for funding to reach the ground, for nurses and doctors to be deployed, for the shattered medical services to be rebuilt - more people die.

Leaders from every nation need to stop waiting and deliver.

Watch our new video - and sign our petition urging world leaders to act. 1 click will add your name.

Our petition says:

Dear World Leaders,
We’re counting on you to quickly make and deliver bold commitments and help end the Ebola epidemic now.
Delay is a disaster. For too many months, we waited for money and support to be promised. Don’t get us wrong. Some governments - in particular the UK - have stepped up and pledged funds, healthcare workers and supplies, and we need to encourage them to keep moving quickly and get those into the communities that need them.

But we’re still waiting for some countries to do anything at all or to start spending the money they have promised.

In too many places, sick patients are waiting for treatment. Healthcare workers are waiting for supplies. And healthcare systems are completely shattered.

Sign our petition and tell leaders it’s time to stop the outbreak now AND build health systems that could stop crises like this from happening ever again.
Thanks - as always - for your support.

Saira O'Mallie, ONE.org

Willy Mutenza wins promotion of the positive image of Africa award at the 16th Annual GAB Awards in London.

Mark  my  words -Is this the  next  president  of  Nigeria?
This  is Aminu Waziri Tabuwali the  current  speaker  of  the  Nigeria  house  of  representatives.The National Assembly is Nigeria’s bicameral legislature and the highest elective law-making body of the country. It consists of the 109-member Senate and the 360-member House of Representatives. The term of the National Assembly is 4-years from the date of its first sitting after the general elections.
He  may  run  for  presidency  under  theAll Progressive Congress (APC)  party  ticket
Regarded as a possible game changer, Tambuwal is said to have the backing of some of APC leaders including the former governor of Lagos State Bola Tinubu because of his age and the impression of integrity he has created in the mind of some Nigerians. He is also seen in some quarters as the only candidate the APC can sell to all geo-political zones of Nigeria without the usual moral and religious baggage identifiable with some others.

http://africanenterpriseawards.co.uk/attend-awards/