Month: October 2024

 The Committee on Public Accounts (Local Government) has questioned the motive behind excess release of budgets to districts saying that this has contributed to low absorption of funds.   This was contained in the committee’s report on the report of the Auditor General for the Financial Year 2022/2023 on 37 district local governments, three cities, six divisions and 10 municipal councils. The report was presented by Committee Chairperson, Hon. Gilbert […]

 One fifth of the population of southern Malawi will be better equipped to safeguard against climate-aggravated health risks due to a US$37 million initiative announced today by the Green Climate Fund, the Government of Malawi, and Save the Children and its partners. The project, Climate resilient health and well-being for rural communities in Southern Malawi, aims to directly benefit an estimated 1.7 million people - 22% of the population - […]

 The Uganda Women’s Movement, an organisation which brings together women advocacy groups, on Wednesday, 23 October 2024 called on Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, who asked the group to focus on the plight of rural women. The Speaker announced a Shs100 million pledge towards the construction of the Imara Women’s Centre, a brainchild of the Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE), and said women leaders in the country need to […]

 A four-day forum opened on October 21, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria, bringing together key stakeholders from across the region. Participants include farmers’ organisations, civil society, the private sector, NGOs, public institutions, policymakers, and researchers. The forum aims to promote sustainable food systems and strengthen food sovereignty in West Africa through policies and public interventions that prioritize agroecology, organic farming, and climate-smart agriculture. Discussions will focus on sustainable land management, strategies […]

 Parliament has passed the National Forestry and Tree Planting (Amendment) Bill, 2024, as part of the ongoing government policy on rationalisation of its agencies. The Bill aims to integrate the functions of the National Forestry Authority (NFA) into the Ministry of Water and Environment. The Minister of State for Water and Environment (Environment), Hon. Beatrice Anywar, said that integrating the NFA into the ministry aligns with Uganda National Development Plan […]

 The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) successfully concluded a four-day technical workshop held from October 16 to 19, 2024, in Accra, Ghana. The workshop focused on reviewing and improving on the Technical Guide for Non-Defined Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Indicators under the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP). In her remarks at the opening ceremony of the workshop, Mrs. Fatmata L. SEIWOH, the Programme Officer, ECOWAP/ Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development […]

 Parliament has passed a series of Bills that merge three agencies, the Cotton Development Organisation (CDO), Dairy Development Authority (DDA) and National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS)into the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF). The move, part of the government's rationalisation agenda, is intended to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce duplication of services within the agricultural sector. The Cotton Development Organisation (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was among the key […]

 President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., has officially launched Liberia’s first doctoral programs at the University of Liberia. Held at the Capitol Hill Campus of the University, the historic occasion marks a major milestone in Liberia’s academic development and positions the country to significantly enhance its intellectual and research capacities. In a special remark, President Boakai described the launch of the Ph.D. programs in Health Sciences and Education Administration as a […]