Day: May 15, 2023

Martin Lesiba, a South African tour guide, has called on tourists across the globe to visit the Pilanesberg National Park in Northwest Province of the country as their choice destination for safari exploration.

Lesiba said this while he guided a group of tourists and journalists around the park on Saturday.

According to him, the game reserve is known as the home for the “Big 5”- Elephants, Rhinos, Lions, Buffaloes and Leopards.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tour was an extension of the just-concluded Africa’s Travel Indaba expo, to familiarise tourists with destination sites across the country.

The tour guide said the park remained tourists’ delight because of its untamed African lanscape.

According to him, the park attracts huge number of local and international tourists due to its beautiful landscape, lush-green vegetation, man-made lake and other fauna and floral features.

He explained that tourists were not allowed to walk through the park because of the wild animals, but could be explored in a 200 kilometre drive.

“This is the fourth largest park in South Africa, it was originally owned by four of the numerous local tribes in the Northwest Province.

“We have over 360 bird species and 7,000 animals in this park.

“Here, in South Africa, poaching is a great offence and it attracts 30 years imprisonment for whoever engages in such ilegal activity,” he said.

Lesiba, who gave a brief history of the park, said it was named after a Tswana Chief, with the name “Pilane”.

According to him, the park also accommodates various medicinal plants and trees, among which is the buffalo thorn.

“The leaves and roots of the buffalo thorn are used medically and magically for pain relief, respiratory complaints and skin infections.

“It is also used for chest and stomach disorder. The leaf, if crushed could be used to stop bleeding.

“Certain tribes here believe the tree is safe to use as shelter against lightning.

“Aside the buffalo thorn, we have lots of other plants which have therapeutic effects. Indeed nature is beautiful,” he said.

NAN also reports that the tour was extended to Mphebatho Cultural Museum where the history of the Bakgatla-Ba-Kgafela people of the northwest province of South Africa was relayed.

In adventurous mood, tourists in quad-bikes moved through the Muruleng Leeto Kgolo villages, with some off-road experience and mountainous tarred roads.

There was also a stop at the first non-missionary school within the province.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Katsina State’s governor-elect, Dr Dikko Radda has assured the people of the state that he will run a transparent, fair and open-door government.

The governor-elect also assured the people of Katsina State that he would block all leakages and waste of the state’s commonwealth

Radda gave the assurances at a dinner held in his honour on Sunday in Abuja by Mr Olawale Fasanya Director-General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

The dinner was also in honour of Alhaji Abdullahi Ahmed, lawmaker-elect for Musawa/Matazu federal constituency.

“I will do everything possible to make the lives of the people of Katsina State better and I want to operate an open and transparent government.

“I will block all leakages that may arise from some of the abnormalities that are happening in the state,’’ Radda said.

The incoming governor solicited the support of the Federal Government, development partners, other stakeholders and the people of Katsina State to ensure that his administration succeeds.

“I want you to join hands with me to develop the people and to manage the resources of the state.

“We cannot succeed without the support of development partners and we won’t succeed without the support of the Federal Government and we will be very friendly towards them,’’ he said.

Radda, who described his victory at the March 18 poll as a difficult task prayed that God would guide him to steer the affairs of the state successfully.

“Initially, I thought I could do it easily but as the time gets closer I start to develop fear, but I ask God Almighty to guide us.

“I prayed to God that if I won’t deliver, may He give it to the person that can deliver and God gave it to me, so it is a challenge,’’ Radda said.

Radda of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the governorship election in Katsina State with 859,892 votes.

He defeated his closest rival, Sen. Yakubu Lado-Danmarke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 486,620 votes by 373,272 votes.

Earlier, Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investments, Amb. Mariam Katagum, commended Radda for promoting the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) during his tenure as its director-general.

She said Radda showed outstanding performance when he worked with her to review Federal Government’s MSME policy and urged him to transform Katsina State into an industrial hub.

In her remarks, Director, Agric-Business Development Department of SMEDAN, Hajiya Safiya Balla, described Radda as a leader par excellence who displayed professionalism in the discharge of his duties.

“Radda is a very humble and honest person with great tolerance for people.

“He could be tired but be smiling and be attending to people. He doesn’t wear his powers on his shoulders and he is a very understanding and open-minded person,’’ she said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Ugandan National Government says it has drawn lessons from Nigeria and other African countries by enacting anti-venting law which prevents gas flaring.

Mrs Ruth Ssentamu, the Ugandan Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, disclosed this on the sidelines of the just-concluded Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) held in Houston, Texas, U.S.

The minister said that the enactment also promotes investments for its oil and gas industry.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ssentamu said this at the Africa Women in Energy International Summit with the theme; ‘’Promoting Diversity and Partnership for Growth’’.

She also said that it was in a bid to protect its environment from pollution, degradation and lack of investment.

NAN recalls that the World Bank said that each year, gas flaring, the burning of natural gas associated with oil extraction, emits more than 400 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions, including methane and other pollutants.

Ssentamu said Uganda had learned from the mistakes of other oil producing countries, especially in Africa, to develop its own oil and gas law by not falling into the mistakes of its predecessors.

She announced that Uganda will be producing its first oil in 2025, saying from the first day of oil production, the country has barred gas flaring and any form of environmental hazards associated with oil exploration and production.

The minister said the discovery of oil for any country should naturally be a blessing, warning that such blessing could however turn into a curse if it was not well prepared for.

She added that oil could be a curse if a country decided to abandon agriculture and rely solely on gains from hydrocarbon resources.

‘‘Uganda prepared very well by training Ugandans to be the ones to negotiate the terms, policies and conditions for its oil industry and they are now the ones developing the industry.

“We put in place all the relevant laws to guide our operations. one of those laws stipulates that all the revenue we get from oil will go into infrastructure development only and not for eating or payment of salaries.”

According to her, one of the infrastructure developments that the resources from oil will go into is electricity, which a country needs to industrialise.

She further said that proceeds from oil revenue would be used to build refineries because the country would not be in the business of petroleum resources to export all of its oil.

On gender inclusion, she said it was time for women to be given prominent roles and front row roles in the management of the economy.

‘‘As a mother, women are naturally not selfish because they want every member of the family is happy in an equitable manner,” she said.

The energy minister added that women should take the driver’s seat in the energy sector.

According to her, when there is poor electricity supply and lack of cooking gas, it is the women that bear the brunt of resorting to firewood to cook which shortens her life span.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), the sole wire service in Ethiopia said that it has been working hard to promote national consensus and the image of the country.

The agency added it has competent professionals to compile information and news production that would help to attain its aspiration by promoting the true version of Ethiopia.

The Standing Committee on Legal Affairs of the House of Peoples’ Representatives (HPR) held a public hearing on the draft regulations of the agency’s staff today.

During the occasion, Chief Executive Officer of ENA, Seife Derebe the agency is intensifying a maximum effort to advance the national interest, build the image of the country, and create national consensus by establishing a common narrative for the wellbeing of the nation.

Seife further added the agency is also strengthening endeavors to be a primary source of reliable information in the country and beyond.

Ethiopian News Agency also aspires to become Africa’s leading and reliable news source by 2032, it was indicated.

To this end, the draft regulation has been prepared to modernize the working procedure and create a capable workforce in international and local languages to realize ENA’s mission, he indicated.

He said that ENA is developing the capacity to produce qualified professionals and employ the latest technology which is instrumental for the big vision of the news agency in creating national consensus.

As a result, the draft regulation will enable it to produce and manage professionals who are committed to executing the mission of the agency efficiently with special skills, knowledge, and disciplines, Seife added.

When the regulation becomes effective, it will enable the Ethiopian News Agency to create a workforce that understands the nature and dynamics of international and national media with determination to carry out the tasks and responsibilities given by the decree.

The Standing Committee raised questions and comments on some articles that need clarification and correction from the expression and meaning of the draft regulation.

While officials from the agency responded to questions raised by the standing committee members and explained them in detail.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency