Month: May 2023

Environment and Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta has emphasised the importance of African youth contributing to innovative development programmes that are compatible to the Sustainable Development Goals and regional tourism programmes.

Shifeta at the opening of the African Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit and Challenge at Swakopmund on Wednesday said young people should aim to become transformational industry change-makers and future leaders of the tourism sector.

“The youth of Africa and all industry players should collaborate and form partnerships to place African brands/destinations at the centre of the global dialogue, displaying and expressing the love and warmth of the African people, diverse culture, abundant wildlife and rich history of the continent in your engagements with friends across the globe,” he expressed.

The Namibian Government, he said, is a member state of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), which enables it to subscribe to and support its agenda of Africa that positions tourism at the centre stage for inclusive growth in order to optimise the sector’s contribution to sustainable development of Africa at large.

“This African agenda for inclusive development can only be achieved with the inclusion of the youth and women in the tourism ecosystem. I therefore urge you all to embrace innovation, digital disruptive change and harness your potential to succeed in the tourism sector and your participation at this summit is of utmost crucial and surely indicates your passion and love for the industry,” he said.

The summit is a pan-African youth initiative which was established in 2019 in South Africa.

It serves as a voice for the youth and emerging enterprises in tourism, travel, hospitality, aviation and all related industries with the sole objective to among others; connect, innovate and grow themselves, their businesses and the entire travel & tourism economy of the African countries.

The four-day event aims to harmonise and influence government policies, introduce strategies and adopt new technologies that support the development and growth of the Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises, tourism businesses and create market access for youth entrepreneurship.

It is being attended both in-person and virtually by about 2 000 attendees from 38 African countries.

Source: NAMPA

President Hage Geingob said the high unemployment rate, especially amongst the youth, can disrupt peace and stability, therefore Namibia is open to business by foreign investors in an effort to combat the unemployment crisis.

Geingob during a courtesy visit to State House by a delegation of 11 investors from India today, said although Namibia has political peace, the high unemployment rate especially amongst the youth is not a good thing and can disrupt the peace.

“Politically we are peaceful but unemployment, youth unemployment is not a good thing to have, it can disrupt peace. While we can boast that we are a peaceful country, we have basic problems of unemployment. We have really been suffering since I took over office from the economic downturn, severe drought and COVID-19, but now we are very optimistic and Namibia is open to do business,” he said.

At the same occasion, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said the government has put in place a governance framework that supports investment accompanied by the rule of law.

“We have a youthful population and we prioritise our youth to ensure that we provide a skilled labour force to ensure productivity of labour competitiveness of companies for optimal benefit that we are hoping should be mutually shared between the investors and our country so that we can prosper together,” she noted.

Source: NAMPA

The Green Legacy, which enhances biodiversity side by side with economic activities, is an interesting example for Africans, the Economic Commission for Africa Technology, Climate Change, and Natural Resources Director said.

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Technology, Climate Change, and Natural Resources Director, Jean-Paul Adam told ENA that the Green Legacy program that Ethiopia has been undertaking side by side with other economic activities, such as growing coffee, which provides jobs and improves livelihood not only contributes to the protection of biodiversity but also to the economy.

“There are some interesting examples in Ethiopia, where you have the Green Legacy, which protects the natural environment; and it happens side by side with economic activities,” he said, adding that the “growing of coffee (for example) provides jobs and which improve livelihoods.”

According to him, it’s very important that these types of planting are done in a way that enhances biodiversity; and this means properly choosing the type of plants and also looking at the impact of this planting on the environment.

For instance, the country is considering how the plantation can address the issue of water retention, he noted.

Indigenous saplings friendly to the environment and seedlings that boost agricultural yields have been increased during the Green Legacy plantation campaigns, it was learned.

UNECA has been providing technical support to Ethiopia’s works to protect biodiversity.

Adam pointed out that “Ethiopia is already doing a program that is very vast and which has a very big impact, and we are supporting simply to provide technical expertise to ensure that you are getting the right results.”

The country is also doing a successful program for building back better post-COVID-19 in terms of launching a biodiversity green initiative to promote the sustainable management of catchment areas in critical energy infrastructure zones by deploying nature-based solutions.

The Green Legacy Initiative which protects biodiversity side by side with economic activities that benefit the people through job creation and improving livelihood is an interesting example for Africans.

The director believes that biodiversity is one of the most important elements for African countries to realize economic transformation.

However, it is being exploited, extracted, or made use of without benefiting enough of the population, according to Adam.

“So having the right frameworks on the protection of biodiversity can allow us to develop economic activities that protect the biodiversity, while also delivering improvements in job creation and livelihoods.”

The director advises countries to maximize their income from different sectors, including ecotourism, by developing sustainable value chains in agriculture.

African countries should also have strategies for better coordination in implementing the Convention on Biodiversity and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna in a way that also improves their economic opportunities.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Prosperity Party has carried out major activities that enhance nation-state building following the direction given by the strong and legitimate leadership of the party, Vice President Adem Farah said.

The party will continue strengthening and building the leadership of the party so that the political, social, economic and diplomatic activities started can continue successfully, he added.

In the statement he gave to ENA at the conclusion of the two-day PP Executive Committee meeting, the leadership conducted in-depth discussion on various issues.

Accordingly, the executive committee has set directions in political, social, economic and diplomatic activities.

With regard to the political sector, the vice president said that the efforts exerted to solve fundamental national issues through the National Dialogue Commission in a democratic manner were successful.

He added that the Prosperity Party will play its role as a party for the holding of an inclusive dialogue to reach national consensus.

The party has created a spirit of cooperation to establish a democratic system in Ethiopia by involving competing political parties which differ from it in ideology and policy in the government structure, he noted, adding that the effort would continue unabated.

In order to create a lasting peace in Ethiopia, the vice president stated that commendable results have been gained in terms of building free and independent security, intelligence and democratic institutions for the benefit of the people.

The executive committee has also positively evaluated the efforts to establish lasting peace through combining modern and traditional methods of conflict resolution with those who were engaged in armed struggle.

Extremist bodies, which intend to meet group and individual needs by force in Ethiopia, are threatening our multinational unity, Adem said, adding that respecting the freedom of others is essential to exercise own freedom.

The executive committee has also set a direction stressing the importance ensuring the rule of law and constitutionalism, maintaining complete peace, and strengthening justice and security institutions.

Speaking about the economic sector, the vice president explained that the executive committee reviewed that an inclusive economy is being built in terms of ensuring fair development during the last 10 months.

He mentioned the results registered in the productivity of wheat production with a view to maintaining the multi-sector economic system where impressive results are recorded in wheat productivity.

In “Let’s Ethiopia Produce,” a national campaign that intends to solve the problems of the industrial sector, encouraging results have been achieved through increasing productivity and creating market linkages, he noted.

Adem also indicated the ‘ Dine for the Nation’ and other projects, were able to stimulate the tourism sector and create 2.4 million jobs in nine months; and this achievement will continue to be strengthened.

The Party executive committee has also set direction to take strong measures to reduce the role of non-value-added actors in the producers-consumers chain, preventing contrabandists with a view to stabilizing inflation.

He stated that in realizing inclusive prosperity and developing social system, encouraging results have been achieved in education, health, youth and women empowerment.

Stating that mutual benefits and productive diplomatic activities have registered results, priority has been given to neighboring countries in creating economic integration and boosting people-to-people relations, he noted this will be continued in a strengthening manner.

In preserving our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we were able to overcome the pressure of some elements following the war in the northern part of the country, he said.

As the principle of African solution to African problems has recorded results, it will be strengthened.

In the future, we will pursue balanced and inclusive diplomatic works to maintain our interests, he said adding we will continue to overcome the pressure and expand our allies.

To maintain the successful accomplishments of the ongoing political, social, economic and diplomatic activities, Prosperity Party will continue filtering, strengthening and building the leadership, he said.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Third Meeting of the Expanded Mechanism on the Sudan Crisis discussed today the implementation of the African Union Roadmap for the Resolution of the Conflict in Sudan.

During the opening session, African Union Commission Conflict Management Directorate, Political Affairs, Peace and Security Director Sarjoh Bah said the AU has been working on a number of issues since the last meeting on 2nd May, 2023.

It has convened two meetings on the trilateral mechanism in order to agree on the way forward, and also held a meeting of all humanitarian organizations working in Sudan to discuss how to cooperate, he added.

“This third meeting of the expanded mechanism is the first engagement we are undertaking following the PSC summit level meeting that took place on Saturday, to share the outcome of the meeting and to discuss the way forward,” the director stated.

Bah further stated that AU is embarking on a tour of regional capitals to express concerns about the crisis in Sudan, and the potential impact on the neighboring states and the continent as a whole if the fighting is not arrested immediately and an inclusive political process is allowed to start.

At the last meeting, it was agreed that the AU would consult to put in place a Core Group that would guide the work of the international community in addressing the Sudan crisis.

The director said that the AU is now ready to convene the Core Group in the coming week.

“While doing that, we need to start planning and preparing for the inclusive negotiations on a political process, one which would address both the immediate and long-term causes of the Sudanese crisis.”

While disagreements over the reform of the security sector did provide the immediate trigger for the conflict, Sudan and the Sudanese need to address the systemic grievances that date back decades.

The African Union is working to support such an inclusive political process, which would allow for the full representation of the voices of all sectors of Sudanese civil society and political parties, Bah elaborated.

Deputy Head of Office UNOAU and Director of Political Affairs, Gérald Mitchell said the UN fully endorses the demand that the Sudanese warring parties in this conflict resume a political process that will yield a democratic outcome in line with the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people without delay.

Building on the work we have done in the trilateral mechanism, Mitchell pointed out that “the United Nations remains committed to working closely with the African Union and regard as we pursue a permanent ceasefire, facilitation of humanitarian access, and providing support to the Sudanese actors in preparing the ground to the right moment to return to civilian democratic rule.”

IGAD Permanent Representative to the African Union, Maureen Achieng said the authority is steadfastly committed to fostering peace in Sudan and the broader region.

“We are by now well aware of the ongoing efforts by IGAD Member States, the African Union, and the international community at large to address the situation in Sudan and bring the warring parties to the negotiating table.”

Source: Ethiopian News Agency