APO International

The authorities in Senegal have cracked down on the opposition, media, and civil society, ahead of general elections scheduled for February 25, 2024, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should effectively investigate all violence by the security forces, release people arbitrarily detained, including on politically motivated grounds, and guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, essential to genuinely free and fair elections. A crackdown began in 2021 […]

Being a budget director, or the head of a macro-fiscal unit (MFU) of a ministry of finance, is a demanding job. So, it was an impressive combination of logistical ingenuity and good timing that brought together heads of budget and macro-fiscal functions from 11 Southern African countries for a regional workshop on ‘Strengthening the macro-fiscal function in ministries of finance’. The event was organized by the IMF’s Regional Technical Assistance […]

Aurora Miranda is a young woman on a mission: connecting homes in her community to the power grid.  When she joined the Industrial Electronics vocational course at Instituto Médio Salesiano de Inharrime in Inhambane Province, Central Mozambique, she had little more than general knowledge and a vague idea about what to do with her future. In the course, she learned practical skills to become an electrician and plans to be self-employed.  […]

Cameroon today launched the RTS,S malaria vaccine into its routine national immunization services, becoming the first country to do so outside the malaria vaccine pilot programme that was carried out in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. The introduction comes as efforts gather pace to scale up vaccination against the disease in high risk areas in Africa. The vaccine is being rolled out across 42 health districts in the country’s 10 regions […]

Speaker Anita Among has, said the health of the Dokolo District Woman Representative, late Hon. Cecilia Ogwal took for the worse during the recently concluded Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC). The late Ogwal was the Chairperson of the Sub-Committee of Spouses and Accompanying Persons during the 27th CSPOC held from 03 to 07 January 2024 at the Commonwealth Resort Hotel, Munyonyo. “When we got the […]

South Africa’s delegation to the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2024 Annual Meeting in Davos used the platform to meaningfully engage investors, civil society, businesses and governments, and drove home the message that the country remains a top destination for growth and investment. The delegation was led by the Minister of Finance, Mr Enoch Godongwana and comprised of Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Mr Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Higher Education, […]

One year after the assassination of human rights defender and lawyer Thulani Maseko, UN experts* expressed dismay about the failure to hold his killers to account and demanded an independent international investigation into his death. “Investigations conducted into Thulani’s death have made no substantive progress over the course of an entire year. This is outrageous and creates a climate of impunity and a chilling effect on the human rights movement […]

Sri Lanka and the Republic of Benin on Saturday, 20 January 2024 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relating to Visa Exemption for holders of Diplomatic, Official and Service Passports. The MoU was signed in Kampala, Uganda on the sidelines of the 19th Summit of Heads of State and Government of NAM and the Third South Summit. Foreign Minister Ali Sabry and the Foreign Minister of Benin, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari signed […]

Minister Mchunu calls on the water sector to set aside egos and prioritise providing adequate water and sanitation services to the public In a bid to improve performance of the water sector and its services to the public, Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, has called for the sector to suspend its ego and prioritise professionalism. The Minister made these remarks during the two-day Water Services Authorities Summit held […]