AFRICA NEWS BULLETIN @ 20h00 -- 27 January, 2016

AFRICA NEWS BULLETIN @ 20h00

27 January, 2016

Radio XYZ93.1FM

Assistant Producer: E.K.Bensah  Jr

FOCUS: Commission of the African Union Appoints Donald Kaberuka, as the AU High Representative for the Peace Fund

WEST AFRICA

Ø  Nigerian Government promises to tackle corruption head on

Ø  Sierra Leone: ACC Reacts to Civil Society Traffic Police Corruption Report

 NORTHERN AFRICA: Tourism ministers converge in Morocco

 SOUTHERN AFRICA:Angola Cabinet adopts strategy to handle oil price fall

FOCUS

      The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr.NkosazanaDlamini-Zuma, has appointed Dr. Donald Kaberuka, as the AU High Representative for the Peace Fund. It is to be recalled that, at its meeting held on 26 September 2015, in New York, the Peace and Security Council, meeting at the level of Heads of State and Government, expressed its support to the initiative of the Chairperson of the Commission to appoint a High Representative for the Peace Fund, whose mandate shall include mobilizing additional resources for AU peace and security-related activities, and requested her to expedite this appointment.

      The Chairperson of the Commission, through the appointment of Dr.Kaberuka, is sending a strong signal to the international community on the AU’s commitment to work towards finding sustained, predictable and flexible funding mechanisms to support AU-led peace operations, as expressed in the Common African Position on the Report of UN High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) and subsequent Report of the United nations Secretary General entitled the future of UN Peace Operations: implementation of the recommendations of the High Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations.

    Donald Kaberuka, a Rwandan economist and former Minister of Finance, is also the outgoing President of the African Development Bank Group, and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Dr.Kaberuka is currently serving on the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum, the Mandela Institute (Minds) and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. He has also joined the Center for Public Leadership Community as a Hauser Leader-in-Residence. Dr.Kaberuka will bring to the AU his globally appreciated knowledge on Development financing, as well as his well-known dedication to Africa.

WEST AFRICA

Ø  Nigerian Government promises to tackle corruption head on

Nigeria’s Federal Government says it will dissipate corruption like it has done to Boko-Haram insurgents. It noted that corruption had begun fighting back deriding its policies and tagging President MuhammaduBuhari a "budding dictator."

Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made the remarks yesterday during a meeting with Abuja

media Bureau Chiefs.

 He however lamented that sponsored articles had started appearing in both social and traditional media to condemn the administration of the fight against corruption.

 The minister reassured that no amount of attacks will stop the fight on corruption adding that the federal government would not be intimidated into abandoning the fight.

He also called on Nigerians not to be swayed by the antics of the sponsored denunciation of the anti-graft war adding that even the United States acknowledges the administration's fight against corruption when the US secretary of state mentioned the campaign in his speech at this year's World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

ACC Reacts to Civil Society Traffic Police Corruption Report

The Anti-Corruption Commission of Sierra Leone is concerned about the findings of the Report launched by the coalition of civil society titled "Corruption Stops with Us: Ending bribery for traffic offences in Sierra Leone"; as it showcases the involvement of Sierra Leone traffic police officers in bribery and petty corruption.

The Commission wishes to inform the general public that it had taken steps to address this situation; with the engagement of security agencies in October, 2015 which led to the setting up of a sub-committee which developed an Action Plan, aimed at reducing the incidences of bribery in the security sector.

Moreover, the ACC is implementing a three-year Pay No Bribe (PNB) program, funded by the Department for International Development (DfID), which seeks to eliminate bribery in public sector institutions, the police included, for effective and efficient public service delivery.

However, the Commission is also calling on citizens not to only report acts of bribery and petty corruption, but to also refrain from giving bribes to public officers.

The Commission wishes to reassure the general public of its relentless resolve to curbing bribery in Sierra Leone.

Tourism ministers converge in Morocco

 Ministers coming from Cote D'Ivoire, Seychelles, Kenya, Madagascar, and Senegal are in Rabat this week to share a podium with their counterparts from Morocco for a Ministerial Panel on “Sustainability at the Heart of Public Policies.” This Ministerial Panel discussion in front of some five hundred experts and interested organizations as well as a large contingent of press was part of the 1st Morocco Day to mark Sustainable and Responsible Tourism.

 Tourism Ministers Roger Kacou from Cote D’Ivoire, Alain St.Ange from the Seychelles, NajibBalala from Kenya, MaimounaNdoyeSeck from Senegal , and Ulrich Jacques Andriantiana from Madagascar joined Lahcen Haddad of Morocco at the podium for an hour-long panel discussion in an open hall that was full to capacity. The moderator for the session was ArapHoballah, the Chief at the United Nations Environment Program for Sustainable Cities, Lifestyles and Industry, who kept seeking more clarification or examples of the good practices cited by the Ministers of Tourism present.

Angola Cabinet adopts strategy to handle oil price fall

The Cabinet Council Wednesday in Luanda, Angola, adopted a strategy to soften the impact of the crisis that followed the fall in the oil price in the international market. 

This was during a session chaired by the head of State José Eduardo dos Santos.

According to a note released at the end of the session, the strategy comprises a number of measures that will be implemented by the Government in the tax, monetary, external trade and the real economy sectors, seeking to reduce the shortage of foreign exchanges in the local market.

The source stresses that  the Government will seek to ensure the controlled expansion of the debt deficit to relaunch the economy, increase attraction and improve efficiency and efficacy of private investments and adopt measures and incentives of various nature to promote exports within short term.

Mauritius Revenue Authority launches New Taxpayers’ Portal

The Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) launched a National Single Window (Mauritius Trade link) and a Taxpayers' Portal yesterday at the Custom House, Mer Rouge in the context of the celebrations of the International Customs Day 2016 under the theme: Digital Customs: Progressive Engagement.

The launching ceremony was performed by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, MrSeetanahLutchmeenaraidoo, and the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection, MrAshitGungah.

The Mauritius Trade link will act as a single web-based online portal for the submission and processing of import/export permits and respective clearance from Government agencies. Various benefits will be derived from the National Single Window project by the business communities in general such as reduction in dwell time for import/export permits processing and clearance; reduced cost of doing business; 24/7 access to the portal via internet; and facilities for traders to track the progress of their applications/declarations in real time among others.