The Tanzanian Minister of Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Hon. Amb. Dr. Pindi H. Chana, on Thursday paid a courtesy call on the Judge President of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), Justice Nestor Kayobera.

The meeting aimed to strengthen ties between Tanzania and the Court while exploring avenues for collaborative efforts, particularly in capacity building within Tanzania’s legal studies concerning the East African Community (EAC) integration process.

The discussions centred around identifying specific areas of cooperation between Tanzania and the EACJ, with a particular emphasis on capacity building initiatives. This includes the development of specialized programmes, lectures, and training sessions geared towards equipping Tanzanian legal professionals with the necessary skills and knowledge to engage effectively on the EAC integration and navigate the jurisdiction and procedures of the EACJ.

In her remarks, Hon. Chana disclosed that Tanzania had embarked on various national reform initiatives, including a review of existing laws.

“In this process, we believe the EACJ can be instrumental in guiding on which judgments and rulings by the regional court call for amendment of national laws to enable us better facilitate the EAC agenda,” she added. 

The Minister urged the EACJ to explore modalities of offering capacity building programmes in Tanzania, with particular reference to lectures and specialised training sessions at the Law School of Tanzania and at the Tanzania Institute of Judicial Administration. 

The Minister further said that the regional court has a central role to play in supporting Partner States to identify gaps in their national laws that are likely to impede the smooth implementation of the EAC Treaty and its Protocols.

“It is time we review our laws and ensure they are sufficient to address all matters pertaining to regional integration, while at the same time addressing technological and other social developments,” said Hon. Chana.

On his part, the Judge President of the EACJ, Justice Nestor Kayobera, expressed the Court’s readiness to support Tanzania in enhancing her legal capacity regarding the EAC integration agenda.

Justice Kayobera highlighted the significance of mutual cooperation in facilitating a deeper understanding of the EACJ’s mandate and jurisprudence within Tanzania’s legal fraternity.

“We have started discussions with the Tanzania Institute of Judicial Administration, and are working towards developing a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at enhancing our already existing cooperation, particularly in the building of the Court’s Judges Capacity as well as that of Judges on the National Judiciary on EAC Integration,” said the Judge President.

During deliberations, it was noted that the conclusion of the process to amend the EAC Treaty will empower the Court to more effectively fulfill its mandate.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Constitution and Legal Affairs, Ms. Mary Makondo, reaffirmed Tanzania’s commitment to establishing capacity building programmes in partnership with the EACJ, adding that the Ministry will work to develop an MoU between the Court and the Law School of Tanzania.

Speaking during the meeting, the EACJ Principal Judge, Justice Yohana Masara, registered the Court’s appreciation for the commitment of the Ministry in forging a partnership.

The visit is expected to further solidify the longstanding partnership between Tanzania and the EACJ, while also laying the groundwork for future endeavours aimed at advancing regional integration, promoting the rule of law, and ensuring equitable access to justice across the EAC.

The EACJ, plays a pivotal role in the promotion of regional integration, adherence to the rule of law, and the protection of human rights within the Community. Recognising the significance of legal education in advancing these objectives, the Minister’s visit underscores Tanzania’s commitment to enhancing her legal infrastructure and fostering a deeper understanding of the EACJ’s mandate and functions among legal scholars and practitioners in the country.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of East African Community.

Marking World Press Freedom Day, the United Nations in Somalia highlighted the important work Somali journalists carry out in reporting on the climate challenges facing their country and encouraged increased coverage.

“Somalia is on the frontline of climate change, with the climate crisis affecting the lives of millions of Somalis, especially the most vulnerable. Much more needs to be done to raise awareness of all aspects of the environmental crisis and journalism is indispensable for this purpose,” said the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Catriona Laing.

“For Somalia to achieve its goals of stability and sustainable development, it is necessary for journalists to report accurately, timely, and comprehensively on environmental issues and their consequences, as well as on possible solutions,” she added.

In Somalia, the United Nations supports civil society to engage on the nexus between human rights and climate change – this includes understanding how climate-induced shocks intersect with fundamental human rights such as the right to life, right to health and right to access food and clean water. 

As part of the campaign to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights last year, the United Nations launched media campaigns to promote and gather youth perspectives on climate change and environmental issues to hear their voices on how climate change is impacting Somalia.

Established by the UN General Assembly in 1993, the theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day is ‘A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the face of the Environmental Crisis’ and is dedicated to the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current global environmental crisis. 

It aims to highlight the significant role that the press, journalism, access and dissemination of information play in ensuring a sustainable future.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

During the SWARM Summit in Uganda on 25 and 26 April 2024 in Kampala, Hive Colab, a technology incubator, celebrated the graduation of 40 start-ups from the Youth Startup Academy Uganda (YSAU). 

The SWARM Summit, themed “The Future is Now: Emerging Trends Shaping Startup Ecosystems”, highlighted Uganda’s young and innovative minds and aimed to foster innovation, collaboration, and growth in Uganda’s start-up community. The programme included keynote addresses from industry leaders on the current state and future direction of the start-up ecosystem and insightful panel discussions. YSA Uganda graduates from previous cohorts were invited as panels to share their business experience and to inspire their alumni.

This year’s graduation of the third cohort of the YSA Uganda, represents diverse industries and the potential to revolutionize Uganda’s entrepreneurial landscape. The start-ups have undergone intensive bootcamps, which brought the needed skills and resources to launch and grow successful ventures and seek potential investments.

Emphasizing the importance of youth-driven innovation, the Korean Embassy to Uganda encouraged the present YSA alumni entrepreneurs in following their goals. Phyllis Kyomuhendo, founder of M-SCAN, said YSA to be different from other projects as she was directly linked to business partners.

The Youth Start Academy Uganda is a project funded by the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) under its Ministry of SMEs and Startups Korea and implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC), a United Nations agency, and Hive Colab in partnership with the National Information Technology Authority (NITA-U).

YSAU empowers aspiring young entrepreneurs by fostering a thriving start-up ecosystem in Uganda. The current graduating cohort represents over 700 young entrepreneurs who have been empowered to drive innovation and job creation across the country.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.

His Majesty King Mohammed VI sent a congratulatory message to the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, on the occasion of his country’s National Day.

In this message, the Sovereign expresses His warmest congratulations to Duda and His sincere wishes of progress and prosperity to the friendly Polish people.

His Majesty the King takes this opportunity to commend the steadily growing relations rooted in friendship and close cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Poland, underlining His determination to continue to work with the Polish President to strengthen and diversify bilateral cooperation for the mutual benefit of the two friendly peoples.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.