A multidisciplinary team of experts appointed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), World Health Organization (WHO) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) conducted a comprehensive imPACT Review in Comoros at the end of 2023 to advise the Ministry of Health on cancer control needs and priorities. All aspects of the cancer control continuum were reviewed, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care. Findings from the mission are intended to inform the development of a National Cancer Control Plan and pave the way for introducing radiation medicine to the country in a safe and secure manner. 

“The Comorian government is committed to the fight against cancer. Following the recommendations of WHO, IAEA and IARC experts, a roadmap has been drawn up to strengthen cancer control capacity in Comoros for the benefit of the Comorian population,” shared Minister of Health Loub-Yakouti Attoumane in the weeks following the mission. This commitment was also evident during the mission, as a multidisciplinary team of national experts worked alongside the international team to provide guidance, counsel and context.

Comoros extends across over several islands, and the cancer situation is difficult to ascertain because the country does not have a population-based national cancer registry (a point that experts from IARC were keen to see addressed as it ensures that cancer patients are only counted once and then tracked throughout the care they receive in different institutions). In 2022, it was estimated that there were 619 new cases of cancer in Comoros’ population of 836 000 people, and 418 cancer related deaths (Globocan 2022). Cervical, prostate and breast cancers are the most prevalent forms of cancer and mortality rates are high (42 per cent of all cancer related deaths in the country are caused by these three cancer types).

WHO attributes 45 per cent of all deaths in the country to non communicable diseases, including cancer.  Radiation medicine can help in approximately 50 per cent of all cancer cases, but there are currently no radiotherapy services available in Comoros. However, preparations for such services are well underway.  

“Comoros is actively engaged in setting up the foundations for strengthening cancer control in the country, particularly in ensuring the safety of patients and healthcare workers interacting with radiation medicine and the security of radioactive sources,” said Ali Mohamed Ali, Director General of Higher Education and Research, Ministry of National Education and IAEA National Liaison Officer. “To that effect, a law is currently under consideration to create the national radiation protection regulatory body to advance on these priorities,” he added.  

One key recommendation from the mission experts was that a multidisciplinary committee responsible for planning, implementing, monitoring, mobilizing resources and coordinating all aspects of cancer control in the country should be created. Discussions also took place with a view to increasing the prevention and early detection of breast and cervical cancer in women – two cancers that together are responsible for more than one in two woman and girl’s deaths from cancer in the country (Globocan 2022). 

Civil society organizations such as the Comorian Association for the Fight against Woman and Girl’s Cancers (Association Comorienne de Lutte contre le cancer chez la Femme or ACCF), in partnership with the WHO Comoros country office, are actively involved in screening and detecting cervical cancer at the local level. Experts from the imPACT Review mission applauded these efforts and provided advice to see these services integrated more fully into the primary healthcare package on offer for women, alongside vaccination against the HPV virus (as the HPV virus is responsible for 99.7 per cent of all cervical cancer cases worldwide), and the treatment of pre-cancerous lesions.  

Comoros has requested support through Rays of Hope – an IAEA initiative to expand access to radiation medicine worldwide. “The new legal and regulatory framework currently under discussion is expected to pave the way for this type of therapy to be introduced in the country in a safe and secure manner,” said Michel Warnau, Section Head in the IAEA’s Department of Technical Cooperation (TC), in charge of the TC programme for Comoros. “Once the comprehensive nuclear law has been promulgated, a number of technical cooperation projects are intended to support on the one hand the operationalization of the national radiation protection regulatory body, and on the other, the therapy related recommendations of the mission [in particular through training of the required specialized human resources],” he added.  

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

President Cyril Ramaphosa has assented to the Judicial Matters Amendment Act, 2023. The Judicial Matters Amendment Bills aim to amend numerous Acts which are administered by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and are intended to address mostly practical and technical changes in various pieces of legislation. 

Some of the notable amendments include amongst others:

•    Amendments which provide for the powers, duties and functions of the Chief Master, some of which were not part of the legislation before. These changes will allow the Chief Master to play a greater supervisory role over the Masters of the High Court and will lead to improved service delivery to the public and to legal practitioners.

•    A provision that allows the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, after due consultation, to determine certain categories of offences which, if the accused pays or has paid an admission of guilt fine, would not result in the accused receiving a criminal record.  

Following the Minister’s determination, persons who already have received a criminal record for the identified categories of offences will have their offences expunged.

•    A provision for the expungement of the criminal record of a person who paid an admission of guilt fine for violating the State of Disaster Regulations which were imposed during the COVID pandemic;

•    A new mechanism to fight corruption, by creating an additional offence to be included in the Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act, 2004 (Act No. 12 of 2004) regarding the failure of members of the private sector or state-owned entities to prevent corrupt activities.  This is in line with recommendations made by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector, including Organs of State (Zondo Commission).

•    A provision that  relates to when a person willfully makes a false declaration in support of an application for a protection order in terms of the Domestic Violence Act, 1998 (Act No. 116 of 1998). The new provision penalises the making of such a false declaration and such a person will have committed an offence. The amendment also   enables applications for a protection order to be made without an affidavit.

•    A repeals of common law relating to the crime of defamation. Various international and local stakeholders and interested parties have expressed concerns about the alarming effect of such offences on journalists and have advocated for their abolition. (The crime of crimen injuria and civil remedies for defamation however continue to be applicable.)

Whilst the amendments may appear to be minor and technical in nature, they will significantly improve service delivery and the efficiency and responsiveness of the justice system in the related matters.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

The Constitutional Court of Uganda has today struck down certain sections of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023.

“The Constitutional Court of Uganda made a judgment today to strike down certain sections of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023. Evidence shows that criminalizing populations most at risk of HIV, such as the LGBTQ+ communities, obstructs access to life-saving health and HIV services, which undermines public health and the overall HIV response in the country,” said Anne Githuku-Shongwe, UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa. “To achieve the goal of ending the AIDS pandemic by 2030, it is vital to ensure that everyone has equal access to health services without fear.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

Hermione’s business ACASEN works with ITC’s Alliances for Action to promote ‘made in Senegal’ cashew products. She’s part of a trend that’s moving Africa away from exporting only raw commodities.

A wave of finished products touting the catch phrase ‘made in Africa’ is on the rise, as the world recognizes that the continent has so much more to offer than raw commodities.

From roasted coffee and chocolate to fashion and interior design, African countries are positioning themselves on the global market with a new portfolio and mindset. In Senegal, entrepreneurs are exploring how to add value to cashews, for the local and international markets.

ACASEN is one of these companies, led by co-founder Hermione Awounou, a woman with a vision that goes beyond turning a profit. This Senegalese family business seeks to transform local crops into high-quality and innovative products.

By adding value to cereals, cashew nuts, peanuts and potatoes, Hermione hopes to open local markets for healthy and authentic natural products. ‘Our objective is to promote “made in Africa” by offering healthy and natural products in collaboration with our valuable local suppliers,’ says Hermione.

By doing this, she wants to create wealth and employment for women and youth in the country. She also hopes to promote rural development by sourcing directly from producers in Senegal and surrounding countries.

With 20 years of experience, ACASEN’s clients include big oil companies Total, Elton and Shell, who represent a huge network for product distribution. Other prestigious clients include large hotels like Radisson Blu, and airline companies including Air Senegal.

From commodities to value-added products

In Senegal, under the Netherlands Trust Fund V programme, the Alliances for Action sustainable agribusiness initiative at the International Trade Centre (ITC) is working with cashew businesses to grow their operations sustainably, improve their competitiveness and reach new markets. ACASEN is one of the enterprises in this cohort.

‘Our market must be the first consumer of our own production,’ says Hermione. ‘We want to feed Senegal and Africa our healthy snack products that are locally made and the result of direct relationships with Senegalese producers and intermediaries.’

Hermione explains that Africa’s large population also has great potential. However, challenges remain for African entrepreneurs looking to add value in-country.

‘When we export products according to required standards, premium products take precedence, and the “sorting deviations” remain to be consumed locally,’ says Hermione. ‘It’s tragic. I want to see premium products consumed by Africans who can afford them. The ideas are there, but the resources are lacking.’

She underscores a lack of funding as the biggest obstacle, and the need for Africans to develop their own equipment technologies to develop sustainably.

Woman-led growth

ACASEN is the embodiment of three generations of women. Founded by Hermione’s mother and later taken over by Hermione herself, she is now teaching her daughter the basics of running the business. More importantly, she’s showing her what the bigger picture is, and how they can play a role in the development of Senegal’s value-added sector.

‘I want to bequeath to my children the business and knowledge I received from my own mother. I also want them to have the confidence to move forward and evolve in their own direction,’ she says.

WIC Capital is a local investor that seeks to unleash the growth potential of women-led businesses by providing adequate capital, technical assistance and business networks. They have played an active role in ACASEN’s business development by investing in the company while offering additional technical support from the WIC Academy to ensure efficient use of the investment.

According to Hermione, women will play a crucial role in the development of Africa’s business landscape.

‘The African woman, for me, is the woman who manages everything,’ she says.

‘She has an inner capacity that allows her to take charge and succeed. Like my mother, I want to lead, pilot and succeed in the projects I undertake. For me, female entrepreneurship is the way to develop our economy and our industries. The African woman is visionary but also prudent, which is essential for entrepreneurship.’

Hermione, with the support of ITC and the NTFV programme, is looking at product diversification, packaging and tech solutions to scale up her brand and improve ACASEN’s market presence in-country and abroad. As part of the program support, the company has been supported for the structuring of its fundraising strategy and prepared for the investment application.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.