Day: August 16, 2023

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday approved the appointment of the new ministers and also allocated their portfolios.

Mr Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, made this known while briefing State House Correspondents in Abuja,

He said that the swearing in is expected by next week after the retreat by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The list of the new ministers and their portfolio are:

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy- Bosun Tuani

Minister of State, Environment and Ecological Management- Ishak Salako

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy- Wale Edun

Minister of Marine and Blue Economy- Bunmi Tunji

Minister of Power- Adedayo Adelabu

Minister of State, Health and Social Welfare- Tunji Alausa

Minister of Solid Minerals Development- Dele Alake

Minister of Tourism- Lola Ade-John

Minister of Transportation- Adegboyega Oyetola

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment- Doris Anite

Minister of Innovation Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji

Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha

Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy

Minister of Works, David Umahi

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo

Minister of Youth, Abubakar Momoh

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu

Minister of State, Gas Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo

Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri

Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh

Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike

Minister of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy- Hannatu Musawa

Minister of Defence- Mohammed Badaru

Minister of State for Defence- Bello Matawale

Minister of State for Education- Yusuf Sununu

Minister of Housing and Urban Development- Ahmed Dangiwa

Minister State, Housing and Urban Developmet- Abdullahi Gwarzo

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning- Atiku Bagudu

Minister of Environment and Ecological Management- (***Kaduna***)

Minister of State, FCT- Mairiga Mahmud

Minister of State, Water Resource and Sanitation- Bello Goronyo

Minister of Agric and Food Security- Abubakar Kyari

Minister of Education – Tahir Mamman

Minister of Interior – Sa’idu Alhaji

Min. of Foreign Affairs – Yusuf Tuggar

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare- Ali Pate

Minister of Police Affairs- Ibrahim Geidam

Minister of State, Steel Development- Maigari Ahmadu

Minister of Steel Development- Shuaibu Audu

Minister of Information and National Orientation- Muhammed Idris

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice- Lateef Fagbemi

Minister of Labour and Employment- Simon Lalong

Minister of State, Police Affairs- Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim

Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs- Zephaniah Jisalo

Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation- Joseph Utsev

Minister of State, Agriculture and Food Security- Aliyu Sabi-Abdullahi

The ministerial position for Kaduna State has yet to be announced as the Senate is yet to clear the nominee.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

More than 44 billion kwanzas is the total amount which was delivered to the most needy families as part of the Social Cash Transfer Programme (Kwenda) during the three years since it is in force, said Wednesday in the Province of Luanda the director-general of the Institute for Local Development (FAZ), Belarmino Jelembi.

According to him, who was speaking during a visit by the deputies of the 4th Commission of the National Assembly to the FAS facilities, the payment to the families were made by cash at 77%, ATM card (23%) and mobile money (0.4%).

He said that this programme benefits around 3,700 people, in 63 municipalities of the 18 provinces of the country.

The official highlighted the increase of the monthly amount of the social cash transfer since June of the current year, from 8.500 kwanas to 11.000 kwanzas, as well as the changing of the period of time for a family to benefit from 1 to 2 years.

Belarmino Jelembi told the parliamentarians that the Kwenda programme, among other objectives, aims to increase the acquisition and financial capacity of the needy families, is financed by the Angolan government with USD 100 million and by the World Bank (WB) with USD 320.

On his turn, the vice-chairman of the 4th Commission of the National Assembly, Paulo de Carvalho, said that Kwenda is the main project of FAS and with the presentation of the programmes, goals and challenges, he considers that the MPs now have instruments that allow gathering of information on the benefits that this programme has been introducing in the lives of families.

Created by the Angolan Government, Kwenda intends to reinforce the municipalization of social action, through the creation and operation of the Integrated Social Action Centres (CASI), reinforcement of the Single Social Register, cash transfers and productive inclusion.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Angolan government Thursday promised to maintain its pledge to secure the pensions of the former national workers in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR), scrapping the suspension measure recently announced.

The move is meant to complete the compensation process by December this year (2023), the director of the Legal Office of the Ministry of Public Administration, Labour and Social Security (MAPTSS) David Kinjica has said.

Kinjica confirmed this to the press, at the end of a meeting with the Association of the Former Workers in the GDR.

The official said the parties agreed to include, till December, in the compensation process the workers who had not taken their retirement.

“We want to complete this process. So we intend to work together with the association to complete it until December, especially for those not registered with social security department”, he clarifies.

The then governments of Germany Democratic Republic (GDR) and the

People’s Republic of Angola signed between 1981 and 1985 an agreement that provided for some Angolan workers to work temporarily for German companies, in a total of 1,646 employees

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Elias Magosi praised Wednesday in Luanda the spirit of solidarity and cooperation to guarantee regional peace and security.

Elias Magosi was speaking at the meeting of the Ministerial Commission of the SADC body for Cooperation in Politics, Defence and Security, aimed to prepare the report to be submitted at the 43rd Summit of Head of State and Government of the Region, to be held on Thursday ( 17) in Luanda, Angola.

He stated in his speech that although the region remains generally peaceful and stable, there are some security challenges in the eastern region of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and in the province of Cabo Delegado, in Mozambique.

The official noted that the SADC region has been working for the deployment of the Mission in the DRC to support the Government of that country in the fight against armed groups and restore peace and security in the eastern part.

Elias Magosi underlined the steps taken with the UN to strengthen the structure and mandate of the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB), which aims to bring sustainable peace and stability in the east of the DRC.

He recalled the sending, by SADC, of a military mission to Mozambique (SAMIM) in July 2021, with a mandate to help combat acts of terrorism and violent extremism in Cabo Delgado province.

The SADC Executive Secretary said he expected the meeting to deliberate on the necessary actions for peace and security in northern Mozambique and eastern DRC.

He also hopes that the meeting will assess progress in the implementation of ongoing national reforms in Lesotho, and progress in the political and security situation in Eswatini.

He also highlighted the successful elections in Angola, held on 24 August – 7 October 2022 and added that four of the member countries will conduct elections later this year, in line with SADC principles.

The meeting has representatives from Namibia, Zambia, South Africa, SADC Senior Officials and Heads of Defence and Security Institutions from countries in the region.

The organisation comprises Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service’s failure to allocate sufficient funds has resulted in minimal progress towards the construction of a statue dedicated to Namibian sprinter Frank Fredericks.

In June 2018, then Minister of Information and Communication Technology Stanley Simataa announced in Parliament that Cabinet had unanimously agreed to honour the renowned sprinter by erecting a statue at the Independence Stadium in Windhoek.

Fredericks is the only Namibian male sprinter to have secured medals for the nation in the Olympics since Independence in 1990. His notable achievements include securing silver medals in both the 100 and 200-metre races during the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, an accomplishment that helped Namibia stake its claim on the global stage.

Five years down the line, no concrete steps have been taken to realise this commitment.

In a recent interview with Nampa, Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service Agnes Tjongarero disclosed that discussions on a budget for the statue are yet to take place.

“We have not started with the Frankie Fredericks statue. Maybe when they start doing the stadium, they might start with that also,” she remarked.

Tjongarero expressed her approval of the idea of erecting the statue, but clarified that the absence of budgetary provisions was the main hindrance to its realisation.

The minister added that she hopes the idea of the statue being brought to Cabinet’s attention once again will bring back the conversation, and hopefully, the required funds can be availed.

Back in 2018, Simataa indicated that the statue’s erection would adhere to the regulations in the Procurement Act, which governs the procurement of goods and services in Namibia.

Source: NAMPA

Finance and Public Enterprises Minister Iipumbu Shiimi said his ministry is busy engaging with other ministries over plans to only have one budget every financial year.

Shiimi disclosed this during his interaction with civil society organisations regarding the mid-term budget review, on Monday.

He said a consultation process has started in order for the government to adopt a single budget for each fiscal year.

“We are changing the process significantly because we only want to budget once. And this is what we have been telling the ministries and agencies that we have been talking to. We have started a conversation with them, and this consultation is going to continue for the next two weeks or so. We don’t want to budget twice anymore because it has become a culture that we don’t do a proper budget for the main budget,” Shiimi explained.

The minister is expecting to table the mid-term budget for 2023/24 in the National Assembly in October.

The minister believes that having two budgets in one financial year is ineffective, suggesting that the midterm should only be used for the allocation of resources.

“It is only when there are some emergencies that have cropped up in the execution of the budget that were not foreseen and are unavoidable,” Shiimi said.

He added that anything that is avoidable must be budgeted for properly at the beginning of the year.

Source: NAMPA

The discovery of oil and gas in Namibia has raised prospects for economic growth, but Mines and Energy Minister Tom Alweendo has warned that this is not a guarantee that the nation’s socio-economic problems will be solved.

Speaking at the oil and gas conference here on Wednesday, Alweendo said that mismanagement of the oil and gas sector can lead to inequality and corruption, which in turn will exacerbate social unrest and jeopardise political stability.

“We also need to be cognisant of the socio-political and economic complexities that can arise because of an oil discovery and the subsequent production. While potential significant oil investments are expected to flow into Namibia, it is not a given that prosperity will follow,” he said.

Prosperity will follow only if the investments and the consequent oil revenue are well managed. If not well managed, the subsequent result could well worsen socio-economic challenges, Alweendo said.

He added that Namibia should learn from some oil-producing nations whose oil production has not resulted in broad-based socio-economic development.

“The duty is on us, especially those of us who are entrusted with the public responsibility to manage the sector, to ensure that the sector is managed in the best interest of the country for the benefit of not only the current generation but, importantly, for the generations to come,” he said.

Good governance in the sector requires concerted collaboration from various stakeholders.

The minister stated that in order to manage oil and gas resources effectively through sustainable extraction, the government must set forth clear national goals.

“It is also important that the investing companies in the sector play their role in such a manner that the economic benefits to be derived from the sector are shared fairly and equitably,” Alweendo said.

In the past 18 months, large international oil companies have found significant crude oil in Namibia’s Orange Basin, which is thought to be the largest oil discovery in sub-Saharan Africa.

Source: NAMPA

The Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service says the renovation of the Independence Stadium is expected to commence in September this year.

Finance minister, Iipumbu Shiimi, announced an increased allocation of N.dollars 473.2 million for the Ministry of Sports, Youth and National Service for the 2023/24 financial year.

Over N.dollars 162.5 million was allocated for the renovation and upgrading of the Independence Stadium in Windhoek over the Mid-Term Expenditure Framework.

In an interview with Nampa recently, sports minister Agnes Tjongarero said bureaucracy in government is what causes the delays in the renovation of the stadium.

“We have to follow these systems and that process usually kills us, but we are almost close to completing all these processes, and by September, we should be able to advertise and find a contractor for the stadium,” she said.

The minister added that their joint bid with Botswana for the hosting of the 2027 African Nations Cup also caused an interruption with the renovation but with the bid now off the table, the ministry will focus all its attention on getting the stadium renovated.

“Once we find the lead consultant who will put up the bid we will start using money allocated to the renovation of the stadium. Our goal is to finish stages one and two already, and then we can start using our stadium,” she said.

Tjongarero stated that the most crucial renovations now would be the piping systems, change rooms, pitch, lighting, and seating area that needs to be covered with bucket seats.

“When we complete this, we can start using the field,” she said, stating that her ministry is also in talks with contractors who will fix the Katutura Youth Complex playing field, netball and basketball courts, but due to the homeless individuals resettled there, they are unable to start the work.

Tjongarero said with regards to regional stadiums, there are no funds availed for these stadiums but the ones they are aware of that are in dire need of assistance, including Kavango West, Opuwo and Zambezi, will be looked at if funds become available.

“These stadiums need serious assistance. With the Oshakati Independence stadium, it just needs minor renovations, while the Eenhana Stadium has been idle as contractors have been changing all the time because some contractors do not honour their contractual obligations,” Tjongarero said.

Source: NAMPA

Taxi drivers in Walvis Bay have petitioned the municipality on the deteriorating conditions of the roads in some parts of the town and called for immediate maintenance.

The taxi drivers in a petition handed over to the council on Wednesday, expressed their frustration with the road conditions in Kuisebmond and alleged discrimination against the road users, noting that Council does not allocate any budget for the upkeep of these roads.

“We have observed with great concern, progressive and high standard road maintenance in the town areas, however such magnitude of road maintenance is not happening in Kuisebmond,” Ananias Mbango said on their behalf.

According to the taxi drivers, the situation particularly in Agaat and Volstruis streets is so dire that when sewer systems are damaged, the entire road is filled with filthy water and they are forced to make long detours in order to transport clients living in that area.

“We previously gave suggestions as to what could be done to fix the potholes in hotspots, however not many of our suggestions were considered, hence we are demonstrating at one of the affected areas so that Council can witness with their own eyes the issues we are talking about,” Mbango said.

Walvis Bay Councillor and chairperson of the management committee, Richard Hoaeb received the petition on behalf of the local authority and told the aggrieved group that their concerns would be addressed, but that they should be patient as this cannot be done overnight.

“The municipality is not silent about the issue as there was a budget made for these roads and we are already underway with operations in regards to the maintenance of these roads, following consultations with all suburbs,” he expressed.

Hoaeb added that although budget consultations were done in all suburbs, where the amount of money budgeted for each suburb was indicated, the council has to spend high amounts just to fix old infrastructure, especially the sewerage, which is the main problem at the town.

The councillor also urged residents to pay their municipal accounts and rates and taxes, saying failure to do this also places a strain on the municipality, resulting in it being unable to deliver services fully.

Source: NAMPA

Erongo Governor, Neville Andre Itope, has expressed concern about the increasing and easy accessibility of drugs in the region, specifically concerning school children who are now being used as drug mules.

According to Itope, the instant availability of drugs in communities, school yards and playgrounds, requires strengthened efforts to bring an end to as it is contributing majorly to crimes perpetuated mainly by young people.

The governor was speaking at the launch of the Coastal Drug Awareness Campaign (CODAC) Anonymous Helpline at Duneside High School in Walvis Bay on Wednesday.

CODAC is a drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse awareness campaign spearheaded by offenders, ex-offenders and officers from the Walvis Bay Correctional Facility.

The helpline was launched to help drug addicts speak to and seek assistance from trained counsellors, anonymously.

“Given the enormity of substance abuse in our region, the most effective tool to combat drug abuse is to strengthen prevention programmes because prevention is the only cure. Furthermore, we need to ensure that we develop effective treatment centres and we need to, as a matter of urgency, make sure that our treatment programmes are effective to help those who are already in the cycle of drug abuse,” the governor stressed.

He further emphasised that government’s highest priority is to work with all concerned stakeholders to prevent drug abuse and the harm it can cause to families and society in general.

Walvis Bay Deputy Mayor, Sara Mutondoka, said the idea of creating a platform for drug users to seek counselling anonymously is tremendous as it ensures that they can do so without fear of being victimised or judged.

“In a world where mental health concerns and the devastating impacts of suicide are on the rise, there is a need for service like CODAC. Hence, it is crucial that avenues where anyone seeking help can do so without worry of their personal information being compromised,” she noted.

The programme will be rolled out in more schools at Walvis Bay.

Source: NAMPA

Land servicing activities on the newly identified Otjiwarongo cemetery site are progressing as planned by the local authority council.

Otjiwarongo Mayor, Gottlieb Shivute in an interview with Nampa on Wednesday said council identified the site in June this year with a council decision attached to it that the municipality’s technical department should develop the new cemetery site at a cost of N.dollars 500 000.

“The development activities on the new cemetery site are going as planned,” he said.

The new cemetery is situated about two kilometres west of town near the railway station alongside the Otjiwarongo-Outjo main road.

The 14-hectare cemetery will amongst others have ample parking space, a security guard house with ablution facilities, and palisade fencing, Shivute said.

“The current cemetery in town is approaching its full capacity and the new site will take over once its lifespan comes to an end,” he concluded.

Source: NAMPA