Day: May 16, 2023

The Minister of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication Mário Oliveira has urged the International Association of Portuguese-Speaking Communications (AICEP) to continue to act as convening agent in the implementation of the CPLP’s digital agenda.

Mário Oliveira said so on Tuesday in Luanda while speaking at the opening of the XXX AICEP Forum on Lusophone Communications 2023.

The minister said this digital agenda is based on four structural pillars: electronic communications infrastructure, digital services, digital security and training.

According to him, Angola has contributed to the implementation of the said agenda, which is perfectly aligned with the strategy for the country’s digital transformation (the ICT Policy white paper, 2019-2022).

In the field of infrastructure, the official highlighted the entry into operation of international submarine cables MONET and SACS (the first connection from Africa to the Americas, from the South Atlantic) and the expansion of the national terrestrial fiber optic network.

Also Mário Oliveira referred to the completion of the construction, placement into orbit and operational of the ANGOSAT 2 satellite and the kick-off of the National Center for Monitoring the Radio Electric Spectrum.

The minister also highlighted, within the scope of expansion and digital inclusion, the gradual expansion across the national territory of the Angola Media Library Network, as well as the N`gola Digital and Angola Online projects.

As for the training, the minister said that Angola has strengthened training institutions in the field of telecommunications and electronic communications.

As regards training, the minister referred that Angola has strengthened training institutions in the field of telecommunications and electronic communications.

As an example, Mário Oliveira noted that his sector signed, a few days ago, a memorandum of understanding that will result in the creation of the first Cybersecurity Academy center in Angola.

The four panels discussed tTopics such as “communications security”, “the CEO’s cockpit: digital nations”, “the future of networks”, as well as “internationalization: what is changing”, were discussed.

AICEP comprises Angola, Brazil, Portugal, Cabo Verde, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau and Macau.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

May 16 is the international day of living together in peace.

In Cameroon, the celebrtaion of this day comes in a context where the country is getting ready to observe its national unity day celebrated every May 20th although a socio-political crisis has been rocking the two English – speaking regions of the country for 7 years now.

In Babadjou subdivision, a locality in the West region, bordered by the North West and South West regions of Cameroon, many internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were forced to settle there because of the crisis sy they have had no problems adapting to their host communities and are living in harmony.

“I feel comfortable here because Babadjou people are very welcoming. Since I came here, they gave me a farm for me to cultivate and my landlord also gave me this space for my business. That’s how I do to feed my family,” Judith, an IDP in Babadjou tells us while pointing to her business spot. “When I reached here, it’s true I faced some difficulties adapting myself here but with time many people understood we were from the North West and had to take us as we are,” she adds.

” When I reached here I had difficulties in having a house but I came to understand that the people could not give me because they did not know me. It’s with time that I became used to my host community and now I can assure you that I live here like a Babadjou man,” another IDP Paul, confirms.

Indigenes on their part say there is no problem with them receiving their brothers from the neighboring regions.

“I personally have no problem with my English-speaking brothers from the other side. I know what they face and it can be me tomorrow. That is why I receive them whenever they knock at my door. More to that, I’m used to travelling to the English-speaking zones and the way they receive me is wonderful, why not return them the same treatment? ” an indigene wonders.

The UN General-Assembly, in its resolution 72/130, declared May 16 the international day of living together in peace, as a means of regularly mobilizing the efforts of the international community to promote peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding and solidarity.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Some security forces working in the restive North West region have been accusing authorities in the region of delaying their salary advancements and other benefits for years now.

According to a reliable source working in the Police, ever since they graduated from the police training college about 4 years ago, their integration salary, advancement and other salary arrears have not been paid although they continue risking their lives fighting separatist fighters in the region.

While speaking to CNA, the source who preferred to be anonymous revealed that authorities of the Police corps in particular, have refused to listen to their complaints but keep on sending them to fight separatists in exchange for meagre salaries.

“They don’t even think that we have families, how we feed them and pay bills. All they want is that we should keep fighting so that they should be enjoying in their comfortable offices. Since we left school in 2019, we have not received this money. All that we are managing on is the monthly salary, which is too small,” a security officer said.

The source added that some of their colleagues have paid a bribe and have received their integration salaries meanwhile a majority of them are still waiting.

The source further explained that the manager of a bank where they receive salaries told them that only top officials in the security or government can give them the go ahead. He reluctantly said there is nothing they can do at the level of banks.

This is however not the first time that security officers working in the armed conflict regions are accusing their authorities for mismanagement, malpractices and corruption. Earlier this year, some of them released a voice message on social media decrying how they were abandoned in a war area and authorities were demanding bribe before they could be relieved.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

About a year ago on May 11 2022, the Governor of the North West region, Adolphe Lele L’Afrique handed over a total of 80 new motorcycles to Senior Divisional Officers of the region to distribute to vigilante groups in their divisions.

This was during a security meeting where the Governor presented the bikes and said they were instruments to help fight insecurity in the communities.

One year after, many are of the opinion that these motorbikes did not even reach the vigilante groups who have risked their lives collaborating with forces of law and order for peace to return in the socio-politically challenged region. Others have affirmed that these bikes must have ended up in the hands of administrative officials who either sold them or repurposed them.

A member of one of such groups working with government soldiers in Bui division told CNA that they did not receive anything from the SDO.

“To be sincere, I am surprised to hear about that we were given motorbikes. We use our personal bikes to investigate and deliver information. At times they give us money for fuel or we go together,” he said.

The informant who has been into the service for close to two years say he does it to feed his family and also for peace to reign in the North West region.

Since the socio-political crisis started, the government of Cameroon has made it clear they need the support from vigilante groups to locate and capture separatist fighters in the local communities.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) Fishing poses severe threat to the sustainability of fishery resources and the livelihoods of millions of people, Major General Richard Addo Gyane, Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has said.

He said the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), with its abundance of fish and marine resources, had become a significant target for IUU fishing activities – a situation that had become hazardous.

Maj. Gen. Gyane, speaking at the opening of a three-day symposium on IUU Fishing Trends and Impact in the Gulf of Guinea, acknowledged the need to address the growing concern of IUU fishing in the Gulf of Guinea.

He said the amount being lost annually could be used to invest in education, healthcare, and infrastructure to improve the livelihoods of the people in the region.

The symposium, ongoing in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, forms part of a partnership between the Government of Denmark and the KAIPTC under the ‘Integrated Responses to Threats to Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Domain in West and Central Africa (2022-2026)’ project.

It brought together stakeholders, including government, academia, civil society, and the private sector, to discuss the nature, scope, and impact of IUU fishing in the region to share experiences, best practices, and strategies towards sustainable fishing in the GoG.

Among others, the symposium would increase awareness of the trends and magnitude of IUU fishing; highlight the economic, environmental, and social impacts of IUU fishing and discuss measures such as recommended policies and approaches in addressing IUU fishing in the GoG.

Recent alarming statistics indicate that the Gulf of Guinea is losing billions of dollars annually to illicit fishing activities.

According to a report by the Environmental Justice Foundation, the region is losing up to $2.3 billion annually due to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

Maj. Gen. Gyane said the impact of IUU fishing in the Gulf of Guinea was critical to the marine ecosystem as such unregulated and clandestine fishing activities resulted in overfishing, which in turn led to the depletion of fish stocks, and the devastation of marine habitats.

‘This can also have far-reaching consequences, including the loss of biodiversity, the decline in fisheries productivity, and the loss of income for small-scale fishers,’ the Commandant said.

Therefore, he said, it required the collective responsibility of all stakeholders to work towards a sustainable and responsible fishing industry that guaranteed the preservation of the marine environment and the livelihoods of millions of people.

Maj. Gen. Gyane said, ‘…we must prioritise cooperation, collaboration, and the sharing of best practices among stakeholders.

Mr Assoumany Gouromenan, Ivorian Director of Cabinet, Ministry of Animals and Fisheries Resources, reiterated the devastating threats IUU fishing posed to the sustainable management of fisheries resources, conservation of biodiversity and environmental preservation in the Gulf of Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire.

He said IUU fishing had increased over the last two decades and was likely to destroy the livelihoods of fishing communities, undermine food security, and create hazardous and indecent working conditions in the sub-region.

Mr Gouromenan said all Gulf of Guinea countries were affected by IUU fishing which required the pollng of logistics and operational means at the national level as part of a state action at sea and all other sub-regional levels.

Commandant Kouassi Yao Jean Pierre, the Technical Secretary in Charge of Maritime and Ports Affairs, SEPCIM-AEM, said the maritime spaces were home for resources, including fisheries and oil created income-generating activities through port operations, transportation, and other industries.

However, he said, the potential remained vulnerable to the risk of threats posed by safety and security issues, especially through maritime crime activities, including IUU fishing.

Mr Jean Pierre called for, ‘A collaborative approach is needed to deal with the issues that confront us collectively as a sub-region.’

Source: Ghana News Agency