His Excellency Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, has praised the leadership of Sierra Leone’s President Dr. Julius Maada Bio and reaffirmed his commitment to enhancing cooperation between China and Sierra Leone.

In a bilateral meeting, held on the eve of the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), President Xi Jinping expressed his appreciation for President Bio’s contributions to global peace and security, particularly highlighting his recent successful presidency of the United Nations Security Council.

President Xi commended President Bio for his steadfast leadership of the African Union’s C-10 and reiterated China’s support for Africa’s call for reform of the UN Security Council.

On a bilateral level, President Xi Jinping pledged to bolster cooperation between China and Sierra Leone across various sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, mining, infrastructure development, resource lending initiatives, and security.

Additionally, President Xi announced an increase in Chinese development assistance to Sierra Leone.

In response, President Bio expressed his gratitude to President Xi Jinping for the ongoing support and assistance provided to Sierra Leone, noting significant improvements in the China-Sierra Leone relationship.

He also acknowledged the International Fish Export Certification received by Sierra Leone, emphasising that it would enhance trade relations between the two nations.

President Bio further underscored the urgent need to address the persistent security challenges in the Sahel region.

“I want to assure you that Sierra Leone will continue to be a reliable partner and a dependable friend to China,” President Bio stated.

Later, President Xi Jinping hosted President Bio and his wife, Fatima Bio, along with other Heads of State, at a banquet reception to welcome them ahead of the official opening ceremony of FOCAC.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Sierra Leone.

Sonia Umurungi, Managing Director, Green Dreams Ltd believes there is a real need to simplify the process for exporting coffee, avocado, and horticulture products in Rwanda:

“Simplifying export procedures is crucial for farmers, as the current complexities negatively impact our competitiveness in the global market. This workshop is essential for reviewing and identifying key simplification reforms to implement necessary changes”.

Jean Pierre Mwizerwa, Rwanda Trade Information Portal Coordinator and Customs Business Analyst at the Rwanda Revenue Authority, shares Sonia’s views:

“Rwanda sets a benchmark in the East African Community for reducing export procedures for coffee, avocado, and other horticulture products. At the workshop, we examined critical aspects such as integrating e-payment systems, digitalizing trade-related certificates, accepting electronic signatures for phytosanitary certificates, and integrating digital government services, all crucial for reducing time and costs for private operators.”

Sonia and Jean Pierre were among who attended the workshop organized by the European Union-East African Community MARKUP II programme, which was held in Rubavu, Rwanda.

The workshop aimed to examine new proposals to simplify coffee, avocado, and horticulture export procedures in Rwanda.

The workshop builds on the work initiated in 2021 during the first simplification workshopthat helped identify the reforms needed to reduce steps in export procedures, as mapped on the Rwanda Trade Portal.. Private sector associations including the Horticultural Exporters Associations of Rwanda (HEAR) and the Coffee Exporters and Processors Associations of Rwanda (CEPAR), along with the Rwanda National Trade Facilitation Committee have made significant headway.

This second workshop reviewed the progress in simplification and identified new areas to reduce duplications and complexities in export processes. Participants also discussed strategic steps for trade facilitation and advocacy in these sectors.

The forum facilitated informed discussions, knowledge-sharing and consensus-building on current as-is processes and allow crafting to-be business processes. These efforts will lead to an efficient and cost-effective process, a balanced position to address the intricate challenges posed by global trade dynamics, especially in the country.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.

The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements embraced the Department of Human Settlements’ intention, in consultation with provinces, to develop a revised strategy to unblock stalled projects. While the strategy is welcomed, the committee highlighted that effective implementation will be the only measure of the strategy’s success.

“It is important that the strategy is not merely another grand plan that does not address the plight of the people. It is now time to ensure that plans bear the necessary fruits and result in more housing opportunities for the people,” said Mr Nocks Seabi, the Chairperson of the committee. The committee’s emphasis on implementation is premised on the effects of stalled projects, which include wastage of financial resources and increased construction costs that eventually contribute to community frustrations and the erosion of trust.

It is important, according to the committee, that the strategy addresses poor administration, capacity challenges and procurement delays at local government level. “It is unacceptable that there is continued lamentation about lack of skills within the local sphere of government without clear plans to address those deficiencies,” Mr Seabi emphasised.

Also, inadequate project planning and management leads to the appointment of incapable contractors who are unable to deliver projects timeously. The committee reiterated the need to cease using contractors with bad track records in project delivery to ensure delivery of quality products.

The committee welcome the assurance that the strategy will address critical causes of stalled projects by focusing on clear project definitions, legal and contractual clarity, project categorisation, financial frameworks, contracting strategies, implementation and monitoring, and quality assurance. The committee believes that if these elements are achieved, the strategy has the potential to resolve many of the stalled projects.

Upon conclusion of the strategy, the committee will request periodic updates from the department to monitor implementation and ensure results.

Meanwhile, the committee welcomed plans to assist provinces and metropolitan municipalities to improve their financial performance against conditional grants. The committee reiterated its long-held stance that better planning and coordination is central to better performance. “The District Development Model provides a framework for coordination across spheres of government and must be exploited,” Mr Seabi emphasised.

Furthermore, the committee emphasised the need to avoid practices that have previously contributed to underperformance, such as delaying supply chain processes, spending grant funding on projects outside approved business plans, allocating funds for projects not ready for implementation, and not enrolling projects with the National Home Builders Registration Council prior to starting construction

The committee has committed to enhance monitoring grant funding spending to ensure that it achieves its intended use.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs applauds the progress achieved by the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel as it undertakes the process of considering electoral reform but emphasised the need for effective and proactive public consultation to enable broader societal participation.

The committee received a progress report from the panel including the development of a draft programme of action, adopting preliminary guiding principles and undertaking preliminary desktop research, and identifying thematic areas for research.

“While this is commendable progress, we must emphasise the importance of effective and meaningful public participation to ensure broader participation. Of most importance will be to ensure that even those in far-flung areas are given an opportunity to participate,” said Mr Mosa Chabane, the Chairperson of the committee.

The committee also persuaded the panel to extend the deadline for the public to submit their views on the issue to the end of October 2024 to enable the public to conduct further consultation and provide substantive inputs.

In addition, the committee welcomed the intention to partner with government entities such as the Pan South African Language Board to enable effective communication on the matter in different languages and the Government Communication and Information System to ensure extensive reach of the panel’s messaging.

The committee also underscored the panel’s responsibility to examine the current electoral system and conduct extensive research of other electoral systems to ensure broader options are presented to Parliament to consider.

The committee also emphasised that the panel must table before it a full programme with timelines, in the context of the legislated timelines in the Electoral Amendment Act of 2023. The committee also emphasised the need to manage time without affecting the quality of output the panel will produce.

Furthermore, the committee agreed that the panel’s independence must be jealously guarded to ensure a credible report. The committee will, upon presentation of the report, undertake its own public participation processes to identify and agree on the best possible outcome.

During their constituency work, committee members committed to engage with their communities about the panel’s work and the need for participation. “It is only through the participation of the people that a credible product will emanate from the panel. We thus urge the public to participate and contribute to charting a path for South Africa’s democratic order,” Mr Chabane emphasised.

Meanwhile, the committee considered a letter it received from the Speaker of the National Assembly on the matter of the judgement delivered in the Western Cape High Court on the My Vote Counts NPC and the President of the Republic, which was delivered on 16 August 2024, on setting the upper limit for donations and the disclosure threshold for donations determined in Schedule 2 of the Political Parties Funding Act 2018. The committee resolved to finalise a draft motion for consideration by the house in its scheduled meeting of 10 September 2024.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.