President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared that the late retired Constitutional Justice Yvonne Mokgoro be honoured with a Special Official Funeral Category 1.

Justice Mokgoro, who was an Esteemed Member of the Order of the Baobab, passed away on 9 May 2024 at the age of 73.

In recognition of her distinguished career and contribution to the nation, President Ramaphosa has declared, in terms of Chapter 1.3.2(a) of the State, Official and Provincial Funeral Policy Manual, that the late justice be accorded a Special Official Funeral Category 1.

The distinguishing features of a special official funeral in this category include ceremonial elements by the South African National Defence Force.

President Ramaphosa has also declared that the national flag be flown at half mast at all flag stations around the country from tomorrow morning, Sunday, 19 May 2024, until the evening of the funeral on Thursday, 23 May 2024.

Further details of the funeral, which will be held in Johannesburg, will be made known in due course.

Justice Mokgoro, one of the first Justices to be appointed to the Constitutional Court when it was established in 1994, was also the first black woman judge of the apex court.

During her legal career, she taught a number of law courses at universities in South Africa, the United States, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

She was a member of the International Women’s Association (Washington DC), the International Association of Women Judges, the International Federation of Women Lawyers and the South African Women Lawyers Association. In 2006, she was selected as an icon of the history of Women Lawyers in South Africa.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare has provided six months of vocational training to 219 foster families. Mr. Gebrea Fesehaye, a representative from the Social Welfare unit at the Ministry, reported that the training covered various skills, including cloth design, catering, sewing, and weaving. The participants included 21 individuals from the regions of Gash Barka, Southern, Anseba, and Northern and Southern Red Sea.

Mr. Amha Kidane, Director General of Administration and Finance at the Ministry, emphasized that the Ministry has been working in collaboration with the Ministries of Tourism and Education to enhance the socio-economic well-being of foster families. He stated that this training initiative is a part of those ongoing efforts.

The trainees, appreciative of the opportunity provided, expressed their readiness to diligently apply the skills they acquired to improve their livelihoods.

At the conclusion of the training, certificates of merit were awarded to the trainees by Ms. Leul Gebreab, Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, and Ms. Askalu Menkorios, Minister of Tourism.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

A photo exhibition organized by the National Union of Eritrean Women has been inaugurated today in celebration of the 33rd Independence Day anniversary. The event took place at the premises of the National Union and was officially opened by Ms. Askalu Menkorios, Minister of Tourism, in the presence of Ministers, senior Government and PFDJ officials.

The exhibition showcases the remarkable role of Eritrean women in the national struggle for independence and in defending the country’s sovereignty. It also highlights their participation in national development programs and depicts the atrocities committed against the Eritrean people by enemies of Eritrea.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

The Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the national and regional stakeholders of the agriculture sector, the African Union, and representatives of the sector’s six stakeholder groups convened to officially launch the fourth Biennial Review on agricultural growth and transformation and to start the conversation on the next ten years for the ECOWAS Agriculture Policy (ECOWAP) and Post Malabo Agenda. The event, which incorporated online and offline participation with a total of 98 participants, was held on the 16th and 17th of May 2024. It featured distinguished facilitators, experts, and ECOWAS officials in a detailed agenda to promote in-depth analysis, discussion, and action planning.

The Director of Agriculture and Rural Development of ECOWAS, Alain SY TRAORE, during his opening remarks, highlighted the importance of the Biennial Review process, setting the tone for the discussions with a subsequent presentation by Mrs. Fatmata Lucia SEIWOH, ECOWAP/CAADP Monitoring&Evaluation Programme Officer, Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Fourth Biennial Review Report, indicating that ECOWAS was rated for the second time as the best-performing region with five countries progressing well.

Regional BR Expert Professor Raphael BABATUNDE presented an in-depth analysis of the Biennial Review Report from the first to the fourth edition, the performance of ECOWAS countries in the four BR rounds based on the overall scores, and the assessment of the BR Process. At the same time, Dr. Mbaye YADE of AKADEMIYA2063 mentioned potential post-BR activities, drawing comparisons and insights to guide future strategies. During the meeting, Prof. Aminou Arouna, one of the regional experts, moderated an open discussion, which allowed participants to share their perspectives and provide feedback on the presented reports. The ceremony climaxed with the recognition of countries that were progressing well and the presentation of the two awards won by ECOWAS for BR 3 (2021) and BR 4(2023).

AU representative Mme. Panduleni ELAGO provided an overview of the Post Malabo consultations, conveners and co-conveners of the technical working groups, UPCOMING RECs-led regional consultations, and the support needed for the Post Malabo CAADP process. At the same time, Mrs. SEIWOH highlighted the perspectives for ECOWAP after 2025.

Dr. Olawale OLAYIDE, representative of the Post Malabo coordinating team, presented the objectives, agenda, and structure for West Africa’s physical meeting slated for June 12-14, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria.

Several discussions were held on how to make ECOWAS and Member States perform better in the fifth BR process come 2025. The team elaborated on the need for policy dialogue, addressing data challenges, and strengthening the capacity of country agricultural data management committees. The Director recognized the efforts of technical and financial partners, especially USAID, European Union, FAO, and AGRA, for their confidence in the Directorate’s M&E team from 2015 to date in this process.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).