May 5, 2023

PM Abiy Says Freedom Won’t Take Further Unless Ethiopians Create Nat’l Wealth, Get Rid of Poverty

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stressed in his statement on the 82nd Patriots Victory Day, the need for creating national wealth and getting rid of poverty in Ethiopia.

Patriots Victory Day is a national public holiday that marks the end of the Italian occupation and commemorates those who died during the occupation by honoring veterans of the resistance movement.

Ethiopians have celebrated the 82nd Patriots Victory Day today around the Victory Monument at Arat Kilo vicinity, in the capital in the presence of President Sahle-Work, patriots and various segments of the community.

Accordingly, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in his statement in connection with 82nd Patriots Victory Day underscored that Ethiopians should work hard to create national wealth and end poverty.

Abiy believed the freedom that has been secured by the forefathers must be supported by enhanced national wealth, unity and hardworking.

“In the economic sector, if we do not create national wealth and get rid of subsidies, freedom alone will not take us farther. … Unless we are able to defeat division and disintegration by creating wealth, freedom alone cannot serve us as strength.”

Noting that Ethiopia is a country that has its own victory day but not Independence Day, the prime minister said that it is because of our mothers and fathers who refused to compromise their freedom for anything and paid the ultimate price for it.

However, the premier argued that if Ethiopians don’t decide to serve their country and the people with sincerity and hard work, freedom alone will not bring progress.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

May 5, 2023

Disability is not reason for illiteracy

The govenment of Cameroon, together with the Cameroon Baptist Convention health services say they are determined to make education available for all children living with disabilities.

“We are trying to teach teachers to have inclusive skills so they can attend to both children with disabilities and those without. We have equally donated equipments to the GCE board and to other schools,” Prof Tih Pius Mofe, Director of the CBC health service says.

“We have to think about putting in place strategies that will really transform our educational system. We have about 70 schools for inclusive education and we are working together with the Cameroon Baptist health service to give these children living with disabilities a chance at education just like other children,” Pauline Irene Nguene, Minister of social affairs adds.

“I have noticed that most of these children with disabilities are extremely smart and brilliant. We are calling on parents with children having disabilities to send their kids to school. We are trying our best to ensure that they become something in the society and are not forced to stay back at home while others get trained. It is not their making they were born the way they are. We love them too and want the best for them. I have a child with disability and I love him even three times more than the others. I make him feel extremely special. They need it. They get easily traumatized when they see other children doing what they cannot do,” Sophie Njie a CBC worker and a parent explains.

A campaign has been launched by the Ministry of Social Affairs together with the Cameroon Baptist Convention health services to step up the education of children with these disabilities. This campaign was launched in Yaounde this May 05, 2023. The Minister of social affairs, Pauline Irene Nguene says it is time to move from policy to action. She also urged every parent to send their disabled child to school or let them acquire skills.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

May 5, 2023

MTC wins Speedtest Award

Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) has been named the mobile operator with the fastest internet speed in Namibia for the third and fourth quarters of 2022, according to user-initiated tests done on Speedtest by Ookla.

Ookla, a global leader in mobile and broadband network intelligence, testing tools, and solutions, compared 93,908 user-initiated tests performed on various Speedtest iOS and Android mobile applications connected to a mobile or fixed network, including tests performed on mobile phones via Wi-Fi.

MTC Chief Technical and Information Officer Monica Nehemia in a press release on Thursday said MTC received a Speed Score of 22.13, indicating that it provides quicker internet speeds to its subscribers than other major mobile providers.

During the review period, the digital enabler also reached the greatest download speeds of 73.96mbps and upload speeds of 53.67mbps in Windhoek, she said.

This new award serves as validation that the digital enabler’s efforts to provide superior internet services to the customers have been acknowledged and are on the right track.

“It amplifies the ethos of MTC and speaks to our route to creating sustainable value for all our stakeholders through innovative digital solutions and a high-performance culture. If anything, it only says that we are on the right path and our work here continues to be recognized,” she said.

MTC Managing Director Licky Erastus stated that the mobile operator aspires to ensure that every person in Namibia has access to and enjoys the benefits of a modern connected world, and thus it continues to invest in its network with the latest technologies to ensure that these services are delivered to its customers in a quality manner.

“MTC Namibia has invested N.dollars 1. 2 billion (approximately US$ 66 million) since 2017 with the hope of expanding its geographical network coverage to at least 90 per cent countrywide,” he stated.

Ookla CEO Doug Suttles was quoted saying in the statement that the awards are an elite designation reserved for the fastest and top-performing fixed broadband and mobile operators around the world.

“This recognition is a testament to their exceptional performance in Q3-Q4 2022 based on Ookla’s rigorous analysis of consumer-initiated tests taken with Speedtest,” he said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

May 5, 2023

‘The Council of Ministers praised the achievements of the army in liberating the country,

Somali authorities said yesterday that sustained military operations by government forces against al-Shabab have succeeded in reducing terrorist attacks across the country by 70 per cent.

Somalia’s cabinet, which held its weekly meeting in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, said such operations launched in central and southern parts of the country, including Mogadishu, also succeeded in stabilizing the national capital.

The Council of Ministers said the relative stability witnessed in the restive city of Mogadishu ensured the safety of the residents observing the holy month of Ramadan.

‘The Council of Ministers praised the achievements of the army in liberating the country, which made it possible to reduce 70 per cent of the terrorist attacks in the country,’ said the cabinet, which is chaired by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, in a statement.

The al-Shabab militant group was routed from Mogadishu in 2011 by the allied forces and has had to abandon most of its strongholds, but it still controls vast rural areas and remains the key threat to peace in Somalia.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

May 5, 2023

Foetus found in drain at Osona village outside Okahandja

OTJIWARONGO, A four-month-old boy foetus was on Thursday morning found dumped in a sewage drain at Osona village outside Okahandja in the Otjozondupa Region.

Namibian Police Force Unit Commander for Community Affairs in the region, Inspector Maureen Mbeha on Friday said the foetus was discovered on Thursday at 09h30 by workers dealing with the water recycling and sewage systems of the village.

“The lifeless foetus weighing 450 grams, was found wrapped in a plastic bag and dumped in the sewage drain of the Osona village,” Mbeha said.

No arrest has been made in connection with the matter so far, and Mbeha is now calling on the general public who might be aware of a woman who was pregnant and now does not show signs, to share that information with the nearest police station in the country.

A concealment of birth docket was on Thursday opened at the Okahandja Police Station and investigations continue.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

May 5, 2023

10th Africa teaching and learning conference to take place in Windhoek

Africa teaching and learning conference to take place in Windhoek

WINDHOEK, The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, in collaboration with the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA) and the Namibia National Teachers Union, will conduct the 10th AFTRA teaching and learning conference in Windhoek from 09 to 12 May.

The theme for this year’s event is ‘Transforming education in Africa: Teachers, teaching, and the teaching profession’.

The Education Ministry in a media statement issued on Friday said that the main objective of the event is to break down the roles of the education ministries, teaching regulatory authorities, and other critical stakeholders in relation to SDG4 and CESA 2016-2025 and to renew their commitment to the revitalisation of the teaching profession.

AFTRA is an intergovernmental organisation comprised of ministries of education and national agencies that regulate education in all African Union member countries, it said.

According to the statement, the national laws that established the national agencies that regulate teaching, empower them to register and license teachers, set standards for pre-service and ongoing teacher professional development, develop and implement a code of ethics and professional standards for teachers and school leaders, and work to promote teachers’ professional status in general.

“AFTRA has grown into a continental federation that leads policy development and implementation for the professionalization of teaching in Africa. It is therefore working to translate these mandates into continental frameworks, facilitate the exchange of best practices, SDG4, Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2016-2025 and the African Union Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want,” it said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency