Tag: Business

Tunis: President Kais Saied stressed the need for economic decisions to be purely national, based on new visions that break with what prevailed in the past and 'to which, unfortunately, some are still working to return.' This came during a meeting with the Minister of the Economy and Planning, Feryel Ouerghi Sebai, at the Carthage Palace on Wednesday. The President of the Republic stressed that the rentier economy never creates wealth and cannot be a pillar of the economy and growth. Moreover, those who benefit from it are a few families and growth rates are calculated not on the basis of national wealth but on the wealth they have accumulated. "What is more, the self-appointed rating and ranking bodies used to place Tunisia in advanced ranks and give it marks of approval because these families were associated with foreign circles," he was quoted as saying in a presidency statement. The President added that if these figures were objective and scientific, the situation in a number of public enterprises wou ld not be as it is today. The President of the Republic also stressed the need to speed up the drawing up of fair development plans in which the social role of the State cannot be neglected. "There can be no real growth without social justice and no economic and social growth without the State assuming its social role in health, education, transport and other facilities," he stressed. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has received the Business Leader of the Year (Customer Service) award at the Ghana Business League Awards 2024 held in Accra. The award, per the organizers, is a testament of the relentless efforts and remarkable contributions made by the customer service team and led by management showcasing committment to maintaining a consistent brand identity, goodwill and elevating standards within the avistion industry. A statement issued in Accra by the Company said it would be recalled that Kotoka International Airport emerged 'Winner' of the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) for Best Airport by Size and Region in Africa on three consecutive ocassions; 2019, 2020 and 2021. It said the awards were in recognition of GACL's commitment to prioritising customer experience to make the passenger journey a pleasant one. The ASQ awards represent the highest possible recognition for Airport Operators around the world and recognizes excellence in customer service. The statement said GAC L remained committed to maintaining its high standards in customer care towards its passengers as they accept the award. The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has received the Business Leader of the Year (Customer Service) award at the Ghana Business League Awards 2024 held in Accra. The award, per the organizers, is a testament of the relentless efforts and remarkable contributions made by the customer service team and led by management showcasing committment to maintaining a consistent brand identity, goodwill and elevating standards within the avistion industry. A statement issued in Accra by the Company said it would be recalled that Kotoka International Airport emerged 'Winner' of the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) for Best Airport by Size and Region in Africa on three consecutive ocassions; 2019, 2020 and 2021. It said the awards were in recognition of GACL's commitment to prioritising customer experience to make the passenger journey a pleasant one. The ASQ awards represent the highest possible recognition for Airport Operators around the world and recognizes excellence in customer service. The statement said GACL remained committed to maintaining its high standards in customer care towards its passengers as they accept the award. Source: Ghana News Agency

Opportunity International Savings and Loans Ltd. (OISL), a leading provider of financial services in the country, has held financial literacy forums for its SME and microloan clients. The forums formed part of activities to mark the 20th anniversary celebrations of the financial company. Mr. Kwame Owusu-Boateng, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Institution, said the forums were to facilitate an open dialogue to share insights and gather feedback from the clients to improve services and products for customers. The CEO said the forums were also to shed more light on OISL's digital platforms and how clients could use them to access services in a more efficient way. He expressed gratitude to the clients for their valuable feedback and assured them of OISL's continual commitment to the provision of excellent services. Dr. Francis Takyi, the Chief Risk Officer of the Company, spoke about OISL's SME Collateral Requirements, detailing the various types of collaterals needed for the various categories of loans. He elaborated on the 'Five Cs' of credit (character, capital, capability, condition, and collateral) considered during loan assessments. Mr. Francis Owusu Ansah, the Chief Business Officer of OISL, guided the SME and microloan clients through the basic loan requirements, application processes, turnaround time, and post-disbursement protocols. Some clients shared their success stories and congratulated OISL on its 20th anniversary. They also commended OISL for its support during the COVID-19 pandemic. The engagements took place on the 2nd and 5th of April in Accra and Kumasi, respectively. Source: Ghana News Agency

Officials of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) in the Otjozondjupa Region on Tuesday held an information sharing meeting with a group of different political party representatives at Otjiwarongo.

Political party members that attended the meeting are from Swapo, the United Democratic Front (UDF) and Landless People's Movement (LPM).

Various church organisations, the regional directorate of education, arts and culture, government garage, regional council officials and members of the Namibian Police Force also attended.

ECN Otjozondjupa Regional Electoral Officer, Victoria Amutenya introduced to the meeting the seven constituency supervisors of voter card registrations for Otjiwarongo, Otavi, Grootfontein, Tsumkwe, Okahandja, Omatako and Okakarara.

Amutenya further shared the voter education calendar dates for each constituency, saying the voter education officials are now busy disseminating information in the Otjiwarongo Constituency until 27 April 2024.

Okahandja is next, followed by Omatako, Okakarara, Otavi and Tsumkwe last on 20 June this year, said Amutenya.

'We therefore urge everyone present to this meeting to go out and share the information about the voter card registrations which will start on 03 June to 01 August 2024. Since there will be no supplementary registrations, all Namibians above 18 years should acquire their voter cards within 03 June and 01 August this year, besides that they will not be allowed to participate in the elections,' she said.

Amutenya further called on the political parties themselves to also mobilise their members to go and register for the voter cards.

She concluded by telling the meeting that all eligible Namibians on 27 November 2024 will be expected to cast their votes using ballot papers in the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Tunis: The Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG) will mobilise an investment of around pound 266 million to complete the Tunisian-Italian Elmed Interconnector Project, according to Belhassan Chiboub, director general of electricity and renewable energy at the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy. This investment, which concerns the Tunisian part, includes the laying of a 100 km submarine power cable at a cost of 125 million euros and the construction of a power station in the Mlaabi region in Menzel Temime (Nabeul governorate), at a cost of pound 141 million. Speaking at a study day organised by the Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP) on Wednesday to present the project, Chiboub added that STEG will mobilise additional investments worth $120 million to reinforce the national electricity network, which will be linked to the ElMED project. Specifically, this will involve reinforcing the central transmission line between the north and the south, with a view to exporting electricity generated fr om renewable sources in the south and transmitting it to the north-east of Tunisia. To this end, high-voltage overhead lines will be constructed from Skhira to Kondar (197 km) and from Bouficha to Sousse (6.5 km), as well as conventional stations and electrical substations in these regions. Chiboub said the total cost of the ElMED project is estimated at almost pound 840 million, of which pound 307 million will be provided by the European Union (EU) in the form of grants and almost pound 533 million will be shared equally by STEG and the Italian electricity grid company Terna. he project consists of a direct current (DC) submarine power cable interconnection between the Partanna station in Sicily and the Mlaabi station, with a total length of about 220 kilometres (including about 200 km of submarine cable) and a capacity of 600 megawatts (MW). The cable will be owned by STEG and Terna, the companies that manage the two countries' electricity grids. Preliminary studies for the project have been carried ou t during 2021-2023, financed partly by a World Bank (WB) grant/loan and partly by self-financing. Two financing agreements have been signed with the WB (for the Menzel Temime station) and with the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The project will also be financed by loans from European lenders, namely the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the German Bank for Reconstruction and Development (KFW). Mohamed Naceur Braham, Director General for Economic Sectors at the Ministry of Economy and Planning, stressed that the ELMED project is of strategic importance for Tunisia and STEG. This project will contribute to Tunisia's energy security by diversifying its sources of electricity supply, especially as the electricity generated from renewable sources will be exported to Italy, he added. He said the project is capable of reinforcing the energy transition and Tunisia's energy independence (the average is estimated at 42% at the end of February 2023). He adde d that the interconnection will strengthen the diversification of electricity generation sources based on renewable energy and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 13.4 million tonnes of CO2. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse