The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Leonardo Santos Simão, concluded yesterday a five-day visit to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

As part of the good office activities of the Special Representative, the objective of this visit was to pursue exchanges with the Mauritanian authorities and other key players to further strengthen the partnership with the United Nations, particularly in the run-up to the presidential election scheduled for June 29. The visit was also an opportunity to exchange views on regional peace and security issues, particularly in the context of Mauritania’s presidency of the African Union.

During his visit, the Special Representative was received in audience by H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. He also had a series of meetings with members of the government, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Mauritanians Abroad, H.E. Mr. Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug; the Minister of the Interior and Decentralization, H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ahmed Ould Mohamed Lemine; and the Minister of Social Action, Childhood and the Family, H.E. Mr. Savia Mint N’Tahah.

The Special Representative also met with Mr. Diallo Mamadou Bathia, President of the Constitutional Council; Mr. Dah Ould Abdel Jelil, President of the Independent National Electoral Commission; Ms. Diyé Ba, President of the National Election Monitoring Observatory; Mr. Bouna El Hassen, President of the Bar Association; presidential candidates and political players, civil society representatives, including youth and women’s organizations, as well as representatives of the political parties ; Bouna El Hassen, President of the Bar Association; presidential candidates and political actors; representatives of civil society, notably youth and women’s organizations; as well as the diplomatic corps and the United Nations country team.

In his various meetings, the Special Representative praised the leading role played by Mauritania for peace and stability in the Sahel and the sub-region. He called on the Mauritanian authorities and stakeholders to pursue their efforts to engage in dialogue and collaboration in order to consolidate democratic gains and strengthen Mauritania’s sustainable development and prosperity. In this regard, the Special Representative stressed the importance of peaceful and inclusive presidential elections, which will contribute to strengthening good governance and peace.

Before leaving the capital Nouakchott, the Special Representative visited a refugee center, run with the support of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), where he held discussions with groups of women and young refugees.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel reaffirmed the support of the United Nations and the international community for Mauritania’s efforts to consolidate peace and democracy.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).

President William Ruto on Saturday led the country in marking this year’s Madaraka Day celebrations, with a strong call for unity and patriotism among Kenyans.

Speaking in Bungoma County which hosted the 61st Madaraka Day, the President said Kenya will never go back to politics of ethnicity, personalities and exclusion.

He said his agenda is focused on the development of the country irrespective of how people voted during the last General Election.

“I want to assure Kenyans that we will never go back to politics of ethnicity, personalities and people not being in centre of power,” said President Ruto.

He also sent a stern warning to Government officials on the misuse of public resources.

“All government officials, beginning with me, shall be held accountable for resources under their supervision,” said President Ruto.

He asked those who have grabbed public land in Bungoma to surrender it to pave the way for the expansion of the Masinde Muliro Stadium, airport and other development projects.

President Ruto used the occasion to enumerate his administration’s achievements in the agricultural sector, and promised more development projects across the country.

This year’s Madaraka Day theme is Agriculture and Food Security.

The President noted that investments in agriculture remain key to expansion of the most important value chain in our economy and in ensuring that there is enough food to feed citizens.

“Agriculture’s direct contributions to our GDP is 25 per cent, while its indirect support to other economic pillars, such as manufacturing, boosts the GDP by a further 27 per cent,” President Ruto said.

The President pointed out that under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, the country will reduce hunger, fight poverty and improve the health of Kenyans.

“I am particularly delighted that agriculture and food security are the chosen theme of this year’s celebrations,” President Ruto said.

He appreciated the determination of small-scale farmers, who are the strongest in the agricultural sector in Kenya, in their effort to produce more food.

To enhance social inclusion and a robust thriving economy, the President said the government has deployed an agriculture-led Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

“Under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, we will reduce hunger, fight poverty and improve Kenya’s health outcomes,” President Ruto said.

He said local farmers have defied systemic and structural limitations to make a contribution to household and national food security requirements, and to propel the economy.

“Consequently, we have worked effectively with farmers and other food system value chains to transform their productivity beyond subsistence and enhance the country’s food security,” said President Ruto.

As part of the efforts to reform the sugar sector, President Ruto said the government has written off KSh110 billion worth of sugar factory debts accumulated over 40 years.

The President said reforms have been carried out in coffee and tea, among other sectors, to ensure that farmers get good returns on their investment and improve the country’s economy.

“Measures are underway to boost coffee productivity from 2kg to 10kg a tree, and from 50,000 metric tonnes to 102,000 metric tonnes a year by 2027,” he said.

President Ruto announced that the government is writing off KSh6 billion debt owed by coffee cooperatives.

He said the government will continue to champion afforestation and the restoration of degraded landscapes and mobilise Kenyans to plant trees to restore the environment.

“We have made progress towards fulfilling our commitment to build 100 dams and 1,000 small dams in different parts of the country, to facilitate sustainable water use and increase irrigated land by 500,000 acres by 2026,” said the President.

To control livestock diseases and pests, President Ruto said the Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute (KEVEVAPI) produced 35 million doses of various livestock vaccines in 2023.

To enhance access to credit by farmers, the President announced that KSh1 billion has been allocated to the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) in the next financial year.

“Additionally, we are collaborating with Afriexim Bank to provide KSh15 billion to AFC to support increased lending to farmers,” he said.

He said the government has secured quota-free and duty-free access to the 27-member European Union market for exports of Kenyan farmers under the Economic Partnership Agreement signed between Kenya and the EU.

” I also wish to report that during my recent visit to the US, we negotiated the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, an instrument which has enhanced access to the US market for African exports, and catalysed the rapid growth of Kenyan exports, especially in the textile and apparels industry,” said Dr Ruto.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of President of the Republic of Kenya.

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Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GITEX Africa.

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Elm (https://apo-opa.co/4bFOQJs), a pioneer in digital solutions, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Numeryx Technologies, a French company with expertise in implementing and developing business solutions, to foster cooperation, explore and promote business prospects, as well as enable digital transformation by implementing joint initiatives and exchanging technical expertise and knowledge.

The MoU was signed by Mr. Alameen Shawqi Al-Hazmi, Chief Executive Officer of the Integrated Solutions Group at Elm, and Mr. Mozer Al Ayadi, Chief Executive Officer of Numeryx Technologies, in the presence of various officials from both sides. The MoU outlines enhancing business opportunities, leveraging both the companies’ expertise in the European and African markets, along with the local market in Saudi Arabia, in the development of information technology activities, as well as exploring potential investment and cooperation prospects.

Majid bin Saad Al Arifi, the Official Spokesman and CEO VP of the Marketing Sector at Elm underscored the significance of the MoU with Numeryx Technologies. He went on to explain how this cooperation will contribute to building digital infrastructure in order to improve service quality and performance efficiency in Europe and Africa. Al-Arifi further stated that this MoU mirrors the dedication of both parties in developing cutting-edge technical solutions that support sustainable development, adding that this cooperation positively impacts the efforts to empower entrepreneurship and the digital economy in the region.

Additionally, Al-Arifi further indicated that the MoU echoes Elm’s interest in contributing its pioneering expertise and knowledge of digitalisation and the development of  technology infrastructure, which would facilitate the advancement of digital transformation in a variety of industries. He asserted that both parties will work together to introduce cutting-edge digital platforms in the public and private sectors, as well as provide advisory services, project management services, solutions, and business processes.

Both parties will collaborate on plans under the terms of this MoU, exploring potential long-term and short-term prospects in the global targeted markets and evaluating the investment requirements and opportunities in the digital economy sector regionally. Elm will also offer business accelerators and investments for start-ups, in addition to providing its leading expertise in delivering digital services with the greatest security and reliability standards.

The partnership involves the exchange of expertise and knowledge in the realm of digital transformation across the public and private sectors. Its primary objective is to share expertise among the respective teams from both sides about the different aspects of digital transformation and keep them informed about the latest advancements and innovations in this field.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Elm.