Day: February 10, 2024

A Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani approved a draft law and three draft social decrees at the Kasbah Palace on Saturday. According to a statement from the Prime Ministry, the meeting approved a draft law amending Law No. 2003-69 of 20 October 2003 on summer holiday and recreation centres for children. The meeting also approved a decree amending and supplementing Decree No. 2001-318 of January 23, 2001 on the childcare allowance and the conditions for its allocation, setting the rates of this allowance for medical and para-medical university hospital staff, hospital and health care staff and doctors working in public hospitals and health care structures under the Ministry of Health, as well as medical, pharmacy and dental medicine residents. The Cabinet approved Decree No. 2005-3088 establishing the conditions for receiving material assistance for needy persons with disabilities and the procedures for their placement in foster families, as well as the procedures for receiving financi al assistance for the foster family of a disabled person without assistance. The Cabinet approved a draft decree establishing a social and educational centre for the reception and integration of people with disabilities in Sfax and regulating its administrative and financial organisation and operating procedures. At the opening of the meeting, the Prime Minister stressed the spirit of initiative and effective collective work within the government team. He recalled that during his recent visit to the Kasbah Palace, the President of the Republic stressed the need to intensify work and redouble efforts in various public structures and institutions for the benefit of Tunisia, particularly in the economic and social fields, according to the statement. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Sunday, February 11, 2024 is the opening day of the month of Shaban, 1445 AH, announced Mufti of the Tunisian Republic Sheikh Hichem Ben Mahmoud. The new crescent moon of the new Hijri month was seen after sunset on Saturday, the Mufti added. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Stakeholders in the East Mamprusi Municipality in the North East Region have brainstormed on strategic measures to help prevent conflicts between crop farmers and herders and promote social cohesion in the area. To this end, they have agreed to form community task force that would comprise chiefs, youth assembly members, opinion leaders and leaders of the Fulani community resident in the communities among others to enforce community governances and operational bylaws and regulations. The stakeholders, with technical support from the Municipal Assembly and the Security Council, are to work together to chart a clear and strict line of integration for new Fulanis and their operations in the communities. This became known at a district level dialogue among the stakeholders, organised by the Meta Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation as part of the implementation of a project dubbed 'Action for Women Empowerment,' with funding support from the STAR Ghana Foundation under its 'Actions for Voice and Inclus ive Development (AVID)' project. The 15-month project among other things aims to promote peaceful coexistence among communities and the Fulani herders, improve women's participation in decision making regarding the management and protection of natural resources and provide economic empowerment to rural communities in the West and East Mamprusi Municipalities. Mr Ibrahim Jalo, Leader of the Fulani group and resident in Tangbini community, clarified that most of the crimes including destructions of crops by animals, rape, defilement and murder among others were not committed by resident Fulanis but by the nomadic ones, 'We have two types of Fulanis, those of us who are resident, and we know ourselves and those who do not have stations but move from place to place to graze their animals and they are the ones who commit the crimes and run away,' he stressed. He therefore called for collective efforts from all stakeholders in the community to demystify misconceptions and work to ensure that new Fulanis enterin g the communities were identified and their operations regulated properly. Mr Kasimu Awumbaase, the Representative of the Tangbini community chief, noted that the formation of the taskforce was in the right direction as it would help to safeguard the community from nomads who caused conflicts between crop farmers and resident Fulani herders. 'We need to also talk to our people to reduce the number of animals given to one Fulani to take care of because it also contributes to the problems we have between farmers, and herdsmen,' he added. Mr Chrisantus Abogro, the Head, Social Welfare and Community Development, East Mamprusi Municipal Assembly, who assured the support of the Assembly to the taskforce, indicated that the issue of the Fulani herders was a national security issue. As a result, he said, interventions to promote social cohesion among communities and Fulani herders had been outlined as part of projects under the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project and noted that it would help to promote peaceful coexistence. Mr David Amozebga, the Programmes Manager, Meta Foundation, indicated that the project which had been implemented in 10 communities along the White Volta within the two Municipalities had contributed to improving livelihoods of rural communities particularly through the strengthening of existing Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA). He said through the interventions, various challenges such as women's inability to access productive farmlands, farmer-herder conflict, lack of potable water, access to education, social protection issues and perennial flooding among others were being addressed. 'We know some of the issues are regional and national in nature, but we have created this platform so that the stakeholders at the local level can dialogue and find home solutions to some of the development challenges,' he added. Source: Ghana News Agency The Tunisian Workers' Union (UTT) has called on the government to open negotiations on pay rises and increases in the guaranteed interprofessional minimum wage (SMIG) and the guaranteed agricultural minimum wage (SMAG). In a press release issued on Saturday after its Executive Committee meeting, the UTT expressed its concern at the deterioration in the purchasing power of workers and vulnerable groups and called on the government to reduce prices, supply the market with basic products and combat speculation. It urged workers to make a greater effort to contribute to the development of the national economy and the creation of wealth, according to the same source. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The 13th Congress of the Tunisian Society of Nuclear Medicine (STMN) is held on February 10 and 11 in Monastir, in partnership with the Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy of Monastir and the Sahloul Hospital in Sousse. The conference, entitled "Nuclear endocrinology and artificial intelligence", will be attended by specialists from Tunisia, France and Switzerland. Kawthar Chatti, head of the nuclear medicine department at Sahloul University Hospital in Sousse and chairman of the conference, told TAP that the congress work will focus on innovations in nuclear medicine, such as Gallium-68, which doctors in Tunisia want to use. This is a breakthrough in the treatment of patients, making it possible to locate tumours and remove only the affected tissue. A round table discussion on the International Atomic Energy Agency's mega-project "Rays of Hope" will be held on Sunday. The programme also includes a practical workshop on the organisation and optimisation of radiotracer technology. Source: Agence Tunis A frique Presse