On April 27, 2024 a meeting was held between the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Sergei Terentiev, and the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of Egypt, Mohamed El-Quseir. 

The parties discussed the activity of the Belarus-Egypt Joint Group on cooperation in the agricultural sector. The Egyptian side also expressed interest in collaboration with Belarus in the production of animal feed, particularly by attracting Belarusian technologies in Egypt, as well as in the fields of seed breeding, agricultural machinery manufacturing, and grain storage.

An agreement was reached to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Academy of  Sciences of Belarus and the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of Egypt. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.

On April 25, 2024, Ambassador Zhao Weiping paid a courtesy call on H.E. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Vice President of the Republic of Namibia, and both sides had an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations.

Vice President Nandi-Ndaitwah spoke highly of Namibia-China relations and expressed thanks to President Xi Jinping for sending his Special Envoy to attend the late President Hage Geingob’s State Funeral in February this year. She hoped to further deepen Namibia-China friendship and promote constant progress in the friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

Amb. Zhao congratulated H.E. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on assuming office as the Vice President of Namibia and said, China and Namibia enjoy profound traditional friendship. China is ready to continue to provide assistance to Namibia’s economic and social development wherever it can, deepen bilateral practical cooperation in extensive fields including agriculture and education, and join hands with Namibia in pushing forward greater development of China-Namibia relations.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Namibia.

On April 24, 2024, Ambassador Zhao Weiping paid a courtesy call on Hon. Dr. Peya Mushelenga, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of Namibia. The two sides exchanged views on China-Namibia relations.

Amb. Zhao said that China and Namibia are good friends and partners, and the relations between the two countries have enormous potential and broad prospects. The Chinese side is willing to work with the Namibian side to continuously deepen practical cooperation in various fields and take bilateral relations to new heights.

Hon. Dr. Mushelenga said that Namibia attaches great importance to maintaining close communication with China and achieving more positive outcomes in practical cooperation across various fields.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Namibia.

The 3rd East African Community (EAC) Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Conference, held from 6 to 8 March, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya, marked a significant milestone for the region with the launch of the East African Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2023-2033 and the East African Regional Intellectual Property (IP) Policy 2023-2033.

Setting this achievement apart, is the inclusion of Open Science principles and guidelines in the new policy framework. This marks a first for the region and Africa and is set to unlock the full potential of scientific research and drive sustainable development across East Africa.

This historic achievement was the culmination of concerted efforts by a strategic partnership between the Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa), Public Library of Science (PLOS), and the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO). The collaboration began in 2022, with the shared vision of promoting Open Science principles and practices and empowering researchers across the EAC Partner States.

“We are enthusiastic about participating in this process and we take pride in the fact that East Africa, particularly the East African Community, is establishing a precedent in Africa by incorporating Open Science into its regional STI Policy,” states Ms. Joy Owango, Executive Director of the Training Centre in Communication. “This will serve as a basis for understanding and applying this regional policy to meet the specific needs of the East African countries and we are eager to collaborate with them in order to help them achieve their national goals in Open Science,” she says.

The journey kicked-off with a series of national dialogues, with the inaugural national Open Science dialogue that took place in Tanzania in February 2023, followed by another session in Kenya in September 2023. With the policy groundwork in place, the partnership is now focused on expanding its reach to the remaining EAC nations. Plans are underway to hold similar national dialogues in in the Partner States, in an effort to identify each nation’s specific needs and barriers to adopting Open Science practices. 

“I am truly thrilled to see the inclusion of Open Science in regional STI Policy. Open Science has the potential to make the scientific process more transparent, inclusive and equitable,” remarked Roheena Anand, Executive Director of Global Publishing Development at PLOS. “Our collaboration with TCC Africa and EASTECO has focused on facilitating and supporting both regional and national high-level Open Science policy dialogues with key higher-education stakeholders. These discussions have added to our understanding of the barriers to participation and will enable us to work towards solutions that address them. We look forward to evolving our learning with the remaining EAC countries,” she added.

‘’It is a dream come true for the East African region, considering the efforts being made to increase the capacity of the region to disseminate research findings and to access scientific production from other parts of the world. Through this initiative, we look forward to enhanced visibility and to leverage on the numerous benefits of open science to support widening and deepening of the integration agenda’’, said Dr. Sylvance Okoth, Executive Secretary of EASTECO.

Open Science principles promote the free and open dissemination of research outputs, data, and scientific information, facilitating collaboration, reproducibility, and societal engagement in the research process. Its inclusion in the policy unleashes new opportunities for innovation, economic growth, and sustainable development by breaking down barriers to accessing and building upon scientific knowledge. As the EAC embarks on this journey, the partnership between TCC Africa, PLOS, and EASTECO stands ready to support and empower stakeholders in realizing the full benefits of open and equitable research practices.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of East African Community.