East Africa

Details: East Africa; 12 December 2024; 467

By MIKE OMUODO

African Trade & Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI) and African Solidarity Fund (ASF) have signed a framework cooperation agreement, paving the way for further strategic collaboration to promote economic development and mitigate the risks associated with investment and trade in Africa.

The agreement signed on the sidelines of the Africa Investment Forum 2024 (AIF 2024) held in Rabat –Morocco last week, provides a framework for cooperation in support of infrastructure and economic development projects in member states belonging to both institutions (Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal and Togo), and also helps mitigate risk for investors, corporates and lenders looking to invest in Africa.

Commenting on the deal, ASF Managing Director Mr. Abdourahmane Diallo said the marked an important milestone in promoting sustainable development in Africa.

“We are joining forces to drive investment and encourage economic growth across the continent, while ensuring a secure environment for investors,” Mr. Diallo said.

ATIDI CEO Manuel Moses, on his part noted that the partnership presented the Company with an opportunity to strengthen its range of practical financial solutions designed to meet Africa's economic challenges, including by mitigating the risks that often hinder trade & investment.

“It also reflects the need for multilateral institutions to work together to facilitate access to development financing for our continent. Together, we will help create a prosperous future for member states and African businesses," Mr. Manuel added.

The main objectives of this partnership include marketing of both organizations' risk mitigation solutions for commercial and investment transactions; supporting the development of renewable energy sources and infrastructure within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA); and developing professional skills and improving the business environment in Africa.

The agreement represents a turning point for both institutions, which are committed to co-ordinating their efforts to boost intra-African trade, encourage investment in projects with strategic impact, and promote economic development across the continent.

The African Solidarity Fund (ASF) is a pan-African financial institution headquartered in Niamey, Niger. It became operational in September 1979, and its mandate is to contribute to the economic development and social progress of its African member states by facilitating, through its various methods of intervention, access to the financial resources required for investment projects and other income-generating activities. The ASF currently has twenty-three (29) Regional Member States in seven (7) of the eight (8) African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) (EAC, ECOWAS, ECCAS, CEN-SAD, COMESA, SADC and AMU). www.fondsolidariteafricain.org

ATIDI was founded in 2001 by African States to cover trade and investment risks of companies doing business in Africa. ATIDI predominantly provides Political Risk, Credit Insurance and, Surety Insurance. Since inception, ATIDI has supported USD85 billion worth of investments and cross border trade into Africa. For over a decade, ATIDI has maintained an ‘A/Stable’ rating for Financial Strength and Counterparty Credit by Standard & Poor’s, and in 2019, ATIDI obtained an A3/Stable rating from Moody’s, which has now been revised to A3/Positive. www.atidi.africa

Details: East Africa; 12 December 2024; 328

President William Ruto (center) meets officials from Education and Interior Ministries over Hillside Endarasha Academy tragedy.

Thousands of support staff working for the government in secondary schools across the country are set to lose their jobs as part of new changes occasioned by the transition to Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) by learners across the country.

The looming job cuts came after the government began issuing redundancy letters to the affected staff indicating that their jobs cease effective January 1, 2025.

The Kenya Union Of Domestic Hotels Educational Institutions Hospitals & Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) revealed that the government announced that they will be laying off the staff as part of new cost-cutting efforts.

This follows the domiciling of the Grade 9 learners within the Primary schools across the country.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba delivering an address when he visited the Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah Campus in Karen, Nairobi on Tuesday, November 21.

Ministry of Education

Initially, the staff worked at secondary schools across the country and it has since been established that their services would be surplus to the requirement.

KUDHEIHA has instead asked the government to transfer the affected staff to other jobs within the learning institutions to avoid subjecting them to untold suffering.

Njeru added that the government should also consider sending some of them on early retirement.

''We are asking the government particularly the President on behalf of the more than 500,000 non-teaching staff to kindly intervene on this matter,'' Njeru stated.

They are not aware of their fate as the Boards of Management are only giving notices of redundancy without any proper guidance from the Ministry,'' he added.

The decision to send the thousands of staff home is set to affect individuals such as laboratory technicians, and school secretaries among others.

''Let us redeploy all the non-teaching staff to the JSS system because they understand it. Some of them are working as laboratory technicians, cleaners, and secretaries. They have what it takes to handle the roles,'' Njeru urged.

Should the government go ahead with its decision on the thousands of workers, then such is likely to add to the other thousands of Kenyans who are currently facing hardships over job losses. By Frankline Oduor, Kenyans.co.ke

Details: East Africa; 11 December 2024; 329

Sudan has been ravaged by a 20-month-old war Image: Mudathir Hameed/dpa/picture alliance

For the second consecutive year, Sudan topped a watchlist of global humanitarian crises prepared by the International Rescue Committee aid agency.

The civil war in the country that erupted between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April 2023 has wiped out at least 61,000 people, according to a conservative estimate.

The UN says the conflict has driven 11 million people from their homes and unleashed the world's biggest hunger crisis. Nearly 25 million people, which is half of Sudan's population, need aid, according to UN figures.

Syria also re-enters top 5 countries of concern

Conflicts in Gaza and the worsened conditions in West Bank, Myanmar, Syria and South Sudan were next on the list of countries most likely to face humanitarian crisis in 2025.

Lebanon, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Mali, Somalia, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria, Ukraine and Yemen were also among those likely to face deteriorating conditions in the coming year.

'Don't look away from what's happening in Sudan,' warns aid agency

"With millions of people forcibly displaced and even more in humanitarian need, it’s more important than ever that the world not forget about this crisis. Don’t look away from what’s happening in Sudan," the New York-based organization said in an Instagram post.

Former British politician and CEO of the IRC, David Wright Miliband, said the list was meant to serve as a global call to action.

More than 300 million people need aid

The report "A World Out of Balance" said more than 305 million people across the world need humanitarian aid, with the countries on the list accounting for 82% of them.

"There are more resources to do more good for more people than at any time in history. This makes it all the more bewildering that the gap between humanitarian need and humanitarian funding is also greater than ever," Miliband said in the report.

The crisis in Sudan was the largestsince the report began recording conflicts and wars more than 15 years ago. It accounts for 10% of all people in need of aid.

Yesterday, at least 127 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Sudan, with the fighting having turned increasingly bloody as cease-fire efforts remain stalled. Deutsche Welle

Details: East Africa; 11 December 2024; 468

Chief Justice Martha Koome has dismissed calls for her resignation, stating that she remains undeterred by critics.

Koome urged those attempting to defame her to reconsider their plan, as she has no intention of stepping down.

The CJ revealed that she has frequently been a victim of cyberbullying and expressed confusion over the motives behind such attacks.

Without naming her critics, Koome emphasized that their disparaging remarks and actions would not deter her from performing her duties.

“When I speak, I always confess that I’m a victim of cyberbullying—or is it called technologically facilitated gender-based violence? But I know the intention. It’s a business model; I don’t know to achieve what. Maybe to scare, distract, defame, or hound me out of office, but they can try something else,” Koome said.

The Chief Justice reaffirmed the Judiciary’s commitment to combating corruption in the country, despite the challenges posed by existential threats and underfunding.

She underscored that these challenges would not deter the Judiciary from executing its mandate.

This comes amid ongoing criticism of the Judiciary from various quarters, including prominent lawyers and human rights organizations, who have accused the institution of corruption.

Koome has been at the forefront of urging those with evidence of corruption within the Judiciary to come forward and present the necessary details to facilitate investigations and appropriate action.

The Chief Justice also agreed on Tuesday to meet with Professor PLO Lumumba to discuss allegations of corruption within the Judiciary.

Stakeholder dialogue

Her decision followed a letter from Lumumba on December 5, requesting a meeting to address ways to restore the Judiciary’s integrity.

Lumumba had criticized the Judiciary over allegations made by lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi regarding judicial officers in Mombasa who were allegedly accepting bribes or other inducements in exchange for favorable rulings, a practice he referred to as “JurisPesa.”

In response, Koome confirmed that the meeting would include representatives from the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), the Senior Counsel Bar, members of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), and court heads.

The meeting’s agenda will focus on creating a comprehensive and actionable roadmap to address corruption and misconduct within the Judiciary.

It will also ensure that complaints from the legal profession and the public include sufficient details for immediate action by the JSC.

Koome added that updates on complaints currently before the JSC would be provided, along with a discussion of mechanisms adopted by the Judiciary to combat corruption and enhance transparency and accountability.

“I have accepted and convened a consultative meeting to comprehensively discuss concerns regarding integrity within the Judiciary and the legal profession,” Koome stated.

Additionally, the Chief Justice has directed the Secretary of the JSC to deploy an investigative team to engage directly with Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi over allegations of judicial bribery.

Abdullahi’s claims have sparked intense public debate on the integrity of Kenya’s Judiciary.

However, Koome noted that the allegations lacked critical details, such as the identities of those allegedly involved. By Sharon Resian, Capital News

Details: East Africa; 11 December 2024; 428

Nearly half of the population is facing acute hunger according to the United Nations, while famine has already been declared in the Zamzam displacement camp.

Sudan has become the "biggest humanitarian crisis ever recorded" after 20 months of devastating war between rival generals, the International Rescue Committee said in a report released Wednesday.

"The country accounts for 10 percent of all people in humanitarian need, despite being home to less than 1 percent of global population," the New York-based organisation said in their 2025 Emergency Watchlist.

Since April 2023, a war between the Sudanese regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 12 million.

Nearly nine million of those are displaced within Sudan, most in areas with decimated infrastructure and facing the threat of mass starvation.

Across the country, nearly 26 million people -- around half the population -- are facing acute hunger, according to the United Nations.

Famine has already been declared in the Zamzam displacement camp in the western Darfur region, and the United Nations has said Sudan is facing the worst humanitarian crisis in recent memory.

IRC's report highlights the 20 countries at greatest risk of humanitarian deterioration, with Sudan ranking highest on the list for the second year in a row.

They said a total of 30.4 million people were in humanitarian need across the northeast African country, making it "the largest humanitarian crisis since records began", the IRC said.

There is no end to the war in sight, with both parties intensifying strikes on residential areas in recent weeks.

The IRC warned of total "humanitarian collapse", as the health crisis was set to worsen and both sides continued to "choke humanitarian access".

Around 305 million people worldwide are in need of humanitarian support, according to IRC, with 82 percent of them in watchlist areas such as the occupied Palestinian territories, Myanmar, Syria, South Sudan and Lebanon.

"It is clear that 'the world is on fire' is a daily reality for hundreds of millions of people," IRC chief David Miliband said.

"The world is being cleaved into two camps: between those born in unstable conflict states, and those with a chance to make it in stable states." The New Arab

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East Africa

ATIDI, African Solidarity Fund sign Cooperation Agreement to promote investment and trade in Africa

Uproar After Govt Declares 500,000 Workers Redundant Over JSS

Sudan facing biggest humanitarian crisis recorded — report

Syria also re-enters top 5 countries of concern

'Don't look away from what's happening in Sudan,' warns aid agency

More than 300 million people need aid

‘I will not resign’: Koome vows to fight on, tells off cyberbullies

Stakeholder dialogue

Sudan largest humanitarian crisis ever recorded: IRC report

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