May 7, 2023 – Page 3 – Reunion Wire

May 7, 2023

Team Namibia Readies for European Tour

The Namibia Paralympic Committee (NPC) is hard at work as it has set its sight on taking a bigger group of athletes to the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships slated for Paris, France in July.

A group of nine athletes and five guides will travel to Italy and Switzerland to compete at the 2023 Jesolo Grand Prix and the 2023 Nottwil Grand Prix in the month of May.

According to Michael Hamukwaya, NPC secretary-general and Team Manager for the European Tour, on Saturday, the committee is taking athletes on a European Tour as part of its preparation for the upcoming International Paralympic Committee (IPC), World Para Athletics Championships.

“After the Para Games in 2021, we selected a team of athletes at our National Championships held in Oshakati in 2022 and a number of those selected athletes competed at the Marrakech Grand Prix in Morocco, where the team was trimmed to this number that will be touring Europe,” he said.

Hamukwaya added that for its pathway to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, they assembled a group of elite athletes who ranked in the top 10 rankings of the IPC in their different categories.

“These athletes should challenge themselves again the best in the world. Our goal at the world champs is to fight for podium positions and get more slots allocated to the NPC for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games,” said Hamukwaya.

The NPC secretary-general added that as a federation they want to improve from the three slots they had at the 2020 Tokyo, Paralympic Games to six slots in athletics and at least one in swimming at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

At the World Athletics Championships held in Dubai in 2019, Namibia ended up having one slot for the Tokyo, Paralympic Games and after competing at some Grand Prix locally, the athletes improved their ranking and were awarded two more slots at the Paralympic Games.

Team Namibia departs for Jesolo, Italy on 07 May 2023 from Pretoria, South Africa, where it has been in camp. From Italy, the team will travel to Nottwil, Switzerland on 22 May, before returning to Namibia on 29 May 2023.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

May 7, 2023

PM Abiy Stresses Need to Boost Agricultural Export Trade by Increasing Productivity

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stressed the need to ensure food security and increase export trade through boosting agricultural productivity.

The premier has today launched the Agriculture and Science exhibition at Science Museum in Addis Ababa under the theme “From the Lab to the Field.”

During the occasion, he said Ethiopia is amongst top African countries in coffee, wheat, livestock and recently honey production, adding that due attention should be given to quality production so as to gain foreign earnings.

“All these have not yet transformed towards addressing our problems through exporting and obtaining foreign earnings. To transform that this exhibition greatly help see ways on how to enhance productivity, link production and market, and making our products favorable for sales,” Abiy elaborated.

The Premier emphasized the need to focus on innovative science and technology to transform the agricultural sector.

Noting that agriculture is the foundation for existence of human beings, he stressed the need to support the sector with the necessary technologies with a view to boost productivity and export trade.

Agriculture and Science exhibition inaugurated today plays pivotal contribution to strengthen the development of the sector as it demonstrates the links between agricultural development with information technologies and mechanization, he underlined.

“As we all know, Ethiopia’s population 30 years ago was below 50 million now it is over 100 million while its land and water remains the same. Unless we enhance productivity of the land that our production will not be enough to the increasing population,” Abiy underscored.

Abiy called all to visit the Agriculture and Science exhibition that will be open for public viewing for consecutive weeks starting tomorrow.

The exhibition, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with Ethio Telecom, aims at promoting the role of technologies in transforming the agricultural sector and improving production and productivity in a sustainable manner.

The exhibition is expected to create awareness among farmers and pastoralists, youth, students, researchers as well as investors on the role of science and technology to improve production and productivity and realize sustainable development.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

May 7, 2023

PM Abiy Launches Agriculture and Science Exhibition

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has today launched the Agriculture and Science exhibition at the Science Museum in Addis Ababa under the theme “from the lab to the field.”

Over 70 companies engaged in transforming agriculture through science and innovation are participating in the exhibition.

The exhibition is organized by the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with Ethio Telecom.

The Agriculture and Science exhibition will be open for public viewing for consecutive weeks starting tomorrow.

The exhibition aims to promote the role of technologies in transforming the agricultural sector and improving production and productivity in a sustainable manner.

The exhibition is expected to create awareness among farmers and pastoralists, youth, students researchers as well as investors on the role of science and technology to improve production and productivity and realize sustainable development.

Speaker of House of Peoples Representative, Tagesse Chafo, Agegnehu Teshager Speaker of House of Federation, Prosperity Party Vice President, Adam Farah, regional chief administrators, and top government officials are attending the launching ceremony.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

May 7, 2023

UN Secretary General Says Peace, Stability in Ethiopia has Positive Implications for Entire Region

UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres emphasized that peace and stability in Ethiopia has positive implications for the entire region, as Ethiopia has a “central role in the region.”

Foreign State Minister, Ambassador Mesganu Arga has welcomed and held a productive meeting with the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres during his transit at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.

During the occasion, the Secretary General expressed his delight that Ethiopia has solved the northern conflict and is making progress.

He emphasized that peace and stability in Ethiopia has positive implications for the entire region, as Ethiopia has a “central role in the region.”

The SG also said he “cherishes” the partnership with Ethiopia and expressed “full support” for national initiatives to consolidate peace and implement post-conflict recovery programs.

The State Minister for his part appreciated his role and the continued support of the UN for Ethiopia.

The State Minister briefed the Secretary General about the progress of the Pretoria Peace Deal.

He expressed the unwavering commitment of the Ethiopian Government to consolidate peace and accelerate recovery efforts. He stressed the importance of supporting national efforts.

The two sides agreed to further strengthen the partnership between the UN and Ethiopia to support the post-conflict recovery initiatives of the Government.

They also exchanged views on the current situation in the Sudan, according to Foreign Affairs Minister.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

May 7, 2023

More Efforts must be Exerted to Modernize Agricultural Development in Ethiopia: DPM, FM Demeke

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Demeke Mekonnen underlined the need for more efforts to modernize Ethiopia’s agricultural development activities with a view to strengthening the overall economy of the country.

Demeke made the remark at the opening of a panel discussion held on the margins of the Agriculture and Science exhibition inaugurated today at the Science Museum in Addis Ababa under the theme “From the Lab to the Field.”

Noting that agriculture is the main economic source of the country and the backbone of other sectors as well, Demeke said the government has given the highest priority to accelerate the sector.

According to him, a lot of encouraging achievements have been registered in the sector due to the efforts being made over the past years.

The agricultural development activities in the lowland areas of the country are a very good testament to which the agriculture sector can be improved as long as the necessary efforts are made, he said.

Hence, he stressed the need to change the old ways of agricultural development activities by mechanizing and transforming the sector through the utilization of necessary technologies.

Demeke further stated that efforts will be made to replicate the encouraging successes being registered in the productivity of wheat on other crops too.

Minister of Agriculture, Girma Amente for his part said the government has been carrying out several efforts to expand agricultural mechanization citing the efforts made to import agricultural equipment free of duty.

The Agriculture and Science exhibition, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with Ethio Telecom, aims at promoting the role of technologies in transforming the agricultural sector and improving production and productivity in a sustainable manner.

Agriculture and Science exhibition will be open for public viewing for consecutive weeks starting tomorrow.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

May 7, 2023

The theme for this year’s event is ‘Transforming education in Africa: Teachers, teaching, and the teaching profession’.

The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, in collaboration with the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA) and the Namibia National Teachers Union, will conduct the 10th AFTRA teaching and learning conference in Windhoek from 09 to 12 May.

The theme for this year’s event is ‘Transforming education in Africa: Teachers, teaching, and the teaching profession’.

The Education Ministry in a media statement issued yesterday said that the main objective of the event is to break down the roles of the education ministries, teaching regulatory authorities, and other critical stakeholders in relation to SDG4 and CESA 2016-2025 and to renew their commitment to the revitalisation of the teaching profession.

AFTRA is an intergovernmental organisation comprised of ministries of education and national agencies that regulate education in all African Union member countries, it said.

According to the statement, the national laws that established the national agencies that regulate teaching, empower them to register and license teachers, set standards for pre-service and ongoing teacher professional development, develop and implement a code of ethics and professional standards for teachers and school leaders, and work to promote teachers’ professional status in general.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency