Day: June 26, 2023

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Kanyetu demands evidence for allegations levelled against him

Suspended All People’s Party (APP) secretary general Vincent Kanyetu in a letter on Sunday said he wants evidence of all allegations levelled against him which led to his suspension from the party.

Last Thursday the leadership of the APP announced the suspension of its secretary general.

Kanyetu’s suspension is effective from 19 June 2023 and will last for a period of 30 working days.

The party said the reason for Kanyetu’s suspension along with all due processes that need to be followed, were explained in the letter of suspension they gave him.

Responding in the letter seen by this agency, Kanyetu said the suspension letter he received from the party contains serious allegations, some of which carry criminal implications.

“It is critically important that the party substantiates all allegations with validly obtained evidence. Where such allegations emanate from an individual, please provide sworn statements from the source of such allegations,” he stated.

Kanyetu said the information was critical in his preparation for the planned disciplinary hearing he is expected to appear at.

Recent reports in the media had it that Kanyetu’s suspension follows his alleged links to a Rundu-based pressure group called United Namibians Party.

Claims of sexual harassment are also levelled against Kanyetu.

It is alleged that the office administrator he works with wrote a letter to the party to report this.

Meanwhile, Kanyetu is restricted from all functions, activities and events of the APP and is not allowed to access the party’s members, resources or perform work for the party.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

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HIV prevalence among pregnant women in Namibia declines

There has been a significant decline in HIV prevalence among pregnant women in Namibia, the Executive Director in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ben Nangombe has said.

The prevalence, which was as high as 22 per cent in 2002, decreased to less than 14 per cent by 2022, Nangombe said last week when he briefed the United States Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador John Nkengasong on the significant and positive impact of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

“The coverage of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-positive pregnant and breastfeeding women has consistently remained above 98 per cent. Moreover, the efforts have led to a remarkable achievement in viral load suppression, with approximately 90 per cent of individuals achieving suppression,” Nangombe added.

As a direct result of these advancements, the rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV has substantially decreased.

In 2010, the transmission rate stood at 13.72 per cent, but by 2022, it had dropped to 4.14 per cent.

This reduction, Nangombe said, signifies an impressive 70 per cent decline in the number of new infections resulting from mother-to-child transmission.

Dr Nkengasong emphasised that innovation is a key strategy of PEPFAR.

“The Pelebox innovation is a notable example of problem identification and solution-oriented thinking,” he added, referring to the self-service medication system.

Last week, Nkengasong hosted an event attended by Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Minister of Health and Social Services, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the founding of PEPFAR, coinciding with 18 years of PEPFAR’s presence in Namibia.

Shangula commended Namibia for the progress towards the eradication of HIV and AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 and for achieving 92-99-94 on the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

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Bono Region produces 521.6 tons of fish in first quarter 2023

The Bono Region produced 521.6 tons of fish in the first quarter of 2023, Nana Addo Owusu, the Deputy Regional Director of the Fisheries Commission has stated. He said the production tons for tilapia for the quarter was 28, catfish 93.6 and 'capture fish' 400 from the four zones of Dormaa, Berekum, Sunyani and Wenchi. Nana Owusu, who doubles as the Manager of the Dormaa Fish Hatchery and Training Centre disclosed at a staff meeting organised by the regional office of the Commission in Sunyani. It was to ascertain the progress of staff activities to increase fish and aquaculture production in the region. Giving the zonal breakdown, Nana Owusu said the Dormaa zone produced 10.3 tons of tilapia and catfish, Berekum 20.8 tons, Sunyani 25.5 tons and Wenchi 465 tons of tilapia, catfish and 'capture fish'. Later in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Hanson Kodzo Dzamefe Jnr, the Regional Director of the Commission expressed satisfaction about the contribution of staff towards the progress of fish production in the region despite logistic challenges. He explained, irrespective of the progress made, there was more to be done by the staff in extension work, visits and data collection to obtain the right data from the field, saying this would help do away with under-reporting of figures. Mr Dzamefe Jnr urged the staff to establish good relations with the farmers, saying that would always motivate the farmers to inform them about their challenges for the prescription of appropriate solutions to help boost production in the region. He, therefore, encouraged them to communicate by using digital platforms as the Commission had introduced them to E-service to enable them to take data by any means, adding that the right figures captured would ensure 'our food security will be guaranteed.'

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Water resources: Filling rate of dams reaches 36.7% by June 15, 2023

The general filling rate of dams reached 36.7% on June 15, 2023, with rates of around 42.6% in the north, 16.6% in the centre and 9.2% in Cap Bon, the National Observatory for Agriculture (ONAGRI) reported on Monday in its bulletin on the figures for June 2023. The Sidi Salem and Sidi Barrak dams recorded rates of 36.6% and 51.5% respectively. The Barbara and Moula dams recorded rates of 101% and 100% respectively. According to the same publication, overall dam reserves reached 850.4 million m3 on June 15, 2023, compared with 1077.2 million m3 during the same period in 2022. Overall dam reserves on June 15, 2023 were thus 25.7% lower than the average for the same day over the last three years, which stood at 1144.1 million m3. These reserves are distributed as follows: 90.5% in the north, 8.8% in the centre and 0.7% in Cap Bon. ONAGRI also reported that overall supplies for the period from September 1, 2022 to June 15, 2023 were around 630.3 million m3, significantly lower than the average for the period (1815.9 million m3) and supplies for the same period in 2022 (1081.2 million m3). These inflows are distributed as follows: 91.9% in the north, 7.7% in the centre and 0.4% in Cap Bon. Over the period from September 1, 2022 to June 15, 2023, rainfall in the country totalled 154.1 mm, with the highest amounts recorded in the north. Rainfall of 56.3 mm in May and 12.3 mm in the first half of June helped to reduce the rainfall deficit compared with the average for the period. This deficit varied between 22% in the northern region and 45% in the south-western region. By mid-May 2023, Tunisia was facing its fourth year of drought. According to ONAGRI, the filling rate of dams nationwide was 30.3% during the period from September 1, 2022 to May 18, 2023. Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries decided last March to temporarily ban certain uses of water and to introduce a system of short-term rationing, in order to deal with the current water shortage in the country. It is therefore forbidden, until September, to use the drinking water distributed by the Société Nationale d'Exploitation et de distribution des Eaux (Sonede) networks for agricultural purposes, irrigation, cleaning public spaces and washing cars.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

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Tunisia’s volume of fruit exports down 31%

Tunisia's fruit exports from early January to last June 23 totalled 14,300 tonnes against 20,700 tonnes during the same period last year, posting a fall of nearly 31%. Total revenues in foreign currency dropped 11% to TND 60.5 million compared to TND 68.1 million in 2022, Deputy Director of Export Development at the Interprofessional Fruit Grouping (French : GIfruits) Tarek Tira told TAP. The Libyan market has the lion's share of Tunisian fruit exports, followed by Italy, Gulf countries, and remaining European countries. Exported fruits include mainly watermelons and peaches which account for around 62% of total quantities. Tunisia eyes this year an export quantity of around 50,000 tonnes with an expected rise in the value of sales, especially amid higher demand for top-quality varieties of fruits such as the flat peaches sought after by Libyan consumers. This fall in exports is due to climatic conditions that impacted national production and delayed the start of production of some varieties, the official added. Logistical challenges, mainly the high cost of air transport, impede the pace of sales of Tunisian fruits in several Gulf countries in spite of their great potential to absorb large quantities of Tunisian products. This in addition to abusive conditions of airlines and the absence of a scheduled air service by national carrier Tunisair. This year's summer fruit production saw a delay of more than 15 days in the ripening phase compared with the previous season. During this season, the quantities of stone fruits totalled nearly 223,000 tonnes, falling 24.3% compared to the previous season. This fall in production at variable rates affected all types of fruits, including mainly dried almonds which saw a 33.5% drop in production (46,200 tonnes). Production of peaches and nectarines followed suit, dropping 24%. In a bid to reinforce the positioning of Tunisian fruits on foreign markets, especially on the Libyan market which absorbs almost 90% of Tunisian fruit exports, the official said, the group had implemented a specific promotional programme in collaboration with all stakeholders. This covers inter-regional and international events during which working meetings are scheduled between Tunisian exporters and Libyan importers. To this end, Tunisia will take part in Fruit Attraction 2023 (October 3-5 in Madrid ) and the WorldFood Moscow (September 19-22 ).

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse