The decision was taken on 15th June, at a further meeting held at the Head of State’s Office with the former directors and the current board of directors of this part State-owned company.

According to the report of the Audit Commission and the Gendarmerie, it was revealed that, between 2016 and 2022, transactions and payments amounting to more than FCFA 5.43 billion were made that could not be accounted for.

As a result of the financial data, the former directors Lucas Abaga Nchama, Alfonso Osa Nguema, Bienvenido Esono Engonga and Luciano Esono Bitegue absolved themselves of all responsibility for these operations and expenses, claiming that the adjustments of accounts and procurement expenses that were carried out in the company were the responsibility of the financial director.

These accusations were denied by Bienvenido Ateba Mangue, head of finance, who asserted that a Ceiba finance director does not have the power to make a payment without the consent of the director general. Mangue also alleged that in the event that a director general detects a fraudulent operation, he has the power of dismissal. Therefore, according to the submission, directors cannot exempt themselves from liability regarding these transactions.

Along the same lines, Ateba Mangue also revealed the causes that, in his opinion, led to the bankruptcy of Ceiba Intercontinental, highlighting the management incapacity of the directors, the irrational use of aircraft, the abusive recruitment of personnel at the time of Covid-19, and the mismanagement of the company’s accounts abroad, among others.

After listening to the parties, the Vice-President of the Republic congratulated the CFO’s presentation for having provided fresh information, which shed further light on the mismanagement that had ruined the national company. In that sense, he regretted the way in which the entity had been managed, thus transferring the Ceiba case to the Attorney General’s Office so that justice could determine the responsibility and the respective punishment for each of those involved; at the same time, he added that those found guilty would have to replace the money in the State coffers.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Equatorial Guinea: Official Web Page of the Government.

Over 268,000 children in Uganda suffer from malnutrition, specifically wasting. To combat this, the country is enhancing data collection and use in its healthcare facilities and communities through the Nutrition Information System (NIS) project. This is part of the country’s broader efforts to generate community-level data to inform decisions for improving population health.

The European Union funded the 4-year NIS project, implemented since 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) through the Ministry of Health nutrition division and the district local government. This project targets Kyegegwa, Kamwenge, Yumbe, and Koboko districts.

The NIS project has significantly improved the management of malnutrition through the provision of data collection tools, and data interpretation to enhance early detection of malnutrition. For example, Noela Nyirabashage, a mother from Kamwenge District, credits the project for saving her child’s life. “When my child was six months old, a Community Health Worker visited us at home to conduct tests. They measured my son’s arms and discovered severe acute malnutrition,” she recalls. “We were immediately referred to the health facility for treatment.”

Through the NIS project, there has been significant improvement in data for nutrition programming at the national and district levels. Districts can now use data to plan for nutrition supplies, medicines, and equipment based on the trend in the number of malnutrition cases seen. This has contributed to the improvement of nutrition indicators. Between 2016 and 2022, stunting decreased from 29 to 26%, wasting decreased from 4% to 2.9%, and overweight decreased from 4% to 2.8%.

Moreover, the NIS project has catalyzed significant improvements in patient care in the Tooro and West Nile regions. In Kyegegwa District in the Tooro region, improved data usage has led to a 94% cure rate among children under five treated for severe acute malnutrition, according to a recent Nutrition Service Quality Assessment (NSQA) report. In Yumbe District (West Nile Region), despite the challenges of hosting a large refugee population, the district has seen substantial improvements under the NIS project.

 Mr. Ojjo Zubeir, Yumbe District Health Officer, highlights the project’s impact: “The NIS project has given us a clearer picture of our nutrition challenges. We are now better equipped to plan interventions and allocate resources where they are most needed.”

Families, too, have expressed profound gratitude. Noela notes, “Since the doctor started following my son in the health facility, his appetite has improved, he eats better, and he has more energy.”

Dr. Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, WHO Representative to Uganda, emphasizes the importance of the NIS project in enhancing integrated health information systems. “It demonstrates how data-driven approaches lead to better healthcare delivery, ultimately improving patient lives,” he explains. Sustaining these results requires ongoing government investment and continuous support from partners.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization – Uganda.

Habbanayé is an ancestral practice among pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Niger, which consists of lending reproductive adult livestock to family members, friends or acquaintances in vulnerable situations. The family receiving the loaned female assumes responsibility for them until their offspring are weaned. The loaned animals are then returned to their owner, while the recipient family retains the offspring.

In Niger, UN Capital Development Fund is unlocking the potential of Habbanayé to build community level resilience, empower women and reinforce community ties in a region that has seen a recent uptick in conflict.

The commune of Damagaram Takaya is one of 15 communes receiving UNCDF funds through the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) in Niger. Local governments receive Performance-Based Climate Resilience Grants (PBCRG) for investment in climate change adaptation actions, identified and guided by the local community and their needs.

Residents chose to use their grant to purchase a breeding stock of goats, that are loaned out to vulnerable community members – usually women – through the traditional Habbanyé practice.

In Damagaram Takaya, part of the grant was used to strengthen the economic empowerment of 40 vulnerable women in the commune. These women each received a goat kit consisting of three females and a male, provided according to the Habbanayé model. Before distribution to the beneficiaries, the goats, aged between nine and 15 months, were dewormed and vaccinated against the main epizootics prevalent in the region, which include plague, pasteurellosis and smallpox. They were also given a multivitamin supplementary treatment to ensure their good health and fitted with numbered ear tags for identification purposes.

After a year’s breeding, the beneficiaries each returned a female and a billy-goat to the community management committee, which in turn made them available to other vulnerable families.

Through Habbanayé, funded through UNCDF’s LoCAL mechanism, the women of Damagaram Takaya have boosted their food security with milk and meat from their livestock while earning additional income for their families. The women have strengthened their economic autonomy, diversified their sources of revenue and improved family living conditions. At the same time, the community are preserving a traditional practice that fosters solidarity and community cohesion, thus reducing the risk of conflict at local level.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).

The East African Community (EAC) in partnership with the Internet Society – Uganda Chapter, are set to host the 11th edition of the East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF) in September this year.

The Forum will take place from 11th to 12th September, 2024 in Kampala, Uganda, under the theme “Building our Multistakeholder Digital Future for East Africa.”

The primary objective of the EAIGF is to create an inclusive, multilateral, multi-stakeholder and multilingual discussion platform. The platform addresses crucial issues that enhance Internet development and governance in East Africa.

Speaking about the upcoming Forum, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Hon. Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, called on the region’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry players and other stakeholders to use the forum as a platform for shaping the digital integration agenda for the region.

“In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, effective Internet governance is crucial for fostering innovation, ensuring security, and promoting inclusivity. As EAC, we are committed to building a multi-stakeholder digital future where governments, private sector, civil society, and academia collaborate harmoniously,” said Hon. Ariik.

Hon. Ariik said that it was only through such collaborations that the region would be able to create an interconnected East Africa that thrives on shared knowledge, robust infrastructure and equitable access to digital opportunities.

“Our collective efforts will empower our citizens, enhance economic growth, and strengthen regional integration, driving us toward a prosperous digital future,” he added.

Since its inception in 2008, the EAIGF has served as a pivotal platform for dialogue on Internet Governance issues in East Africa. The forum fosters a multi-stakeholder approach, bringing together representatives from government, media, private sector, civil society and academia to shape the future of the Internet in the region. The EAIGF aims to increase awareness, build policy capacity, and enable meaningful participation in global Internet policy and governance.

Discussion from regional forums such as the EAIGF go on to feed into the Continental Internet Governance Forum, which assembles contributions from across Africa with the goal of realising the multi-stakeholder model at both the continental and global scales. The EAIGF follows a bottom-up multi-stakeholder approach, which begins at the National IGFs that form the building blocks for the regional EAIGF.

The forum is hosted on the premise of enabling the meaningful participation of developing nation partners in global Internet policy development has long been identified as an important priority in achieving an equitable and accessible Information Society. It is in this spirit that the EAIGF brings together multi-stakeholder representatives in shaping discussions on how the Internet is run.           

The EAIGF is part of the global UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) that provides an environment to continue dialogue on public policy issues around with the goal of ensuring the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the Internet.

The 11th edition of the EAIGF will address the following issues:

Harnessing innovation and balancing risks in the digital space;
Enhancing the digital contribution to peace, development and sustainability;
Advancing human rights and inclusion in the digital age; and
Improving digital governance for the Internet We Want.

Last hosted by Uganda in 2016, the EAIGF will also provide an opportunity to showcase Uganda’s vibrant digital ecosystem while learning and sharing experiences from other countries on how to make the Internet work for all in the region. Uganda’s Internet landscape has seen significant developments in the last 10 years with dynamic and growing digital innovation driven by supportive policies, increasing infrastructure investments and a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of East African Community.