The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is hosting the District 94 Toastmasters 2024 Conference from 22 to 25 May at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, as part of the association’s centenary celebrations under the theme “Building Bridges with Words”. The opening ceremony, which was attended by H.E. Mrs Damtien TCHINTCHIBIDJA, Vice-President representing H.E. Dr Omar Alieu TOURAY, President of the ECOWAS Commission, underlined ECOWAS commitment to regional integration and the promotion of regional integration through platforms such as Toastmasters.

The conference brings together participants from various Member States, who will join in sessions designed to improve their public speaking and leadership skills. The first day of the event was marked by networking sessions, a parade of national delegations and a number of round-table discussions focused on forging links and promoting mutual understanding between participants. To celebrate the region’s cultural diversity, participants marched under the flags of their countries, showcasing their traditions through music, dance and traditional attire.

The organisation of this conference at ECOWAS headquarters underlines the organisation’s dedication to using educational and professional development platforms such as Toastmasters to achieve its vision of a prosperous West Africa. The conference aims to have a lasting impact on regional cooperation by facilitating the exchange of ideas and best practice in communication.

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

On May 23, 2024, at the head of a large delegation, Acting Military Advisor Major General Cheryl Pearce visited MINUSCA troops stationed in Bouar. During this visit, Major General Pearce met with the Bangladeshi medical contingent, the Senegalese rapid reaction force, and the Bangladeshi aviation unit.

These meetings enabled Major General Pearce to immerse herself in the working conditions of troops engaged in peacekeeping. She was able to discuss the challenges facing the troops and took note of the recommendations made by soldiers in the field.

At the end of her visit, Major General Cheryl Pearce praised the dedication and commitment of MINUSCA troops in the service of peace in the Central African Republic. She stressed the importance of their work and expressed her gratitude for their ongoing efforts to promote stability and security in the region.

Major General Cheryl Pearce arrived in the Central African Republic on May 22, 2024, for a three-day visit.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri who is in Tehran to convey condolences over president Raisi and Goreign Minister Amirabdollahian’s martyrdom in a helicopter crash, was greeted by Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri at the Tehran summit hall.

In the meeting, the Egyptian foreign minister expressed his condolences to the Iranian government and people on behalf of the president, government and people of Egypt.

Pointing to his very good and sincere relations with the late foreign minister of Iran, Sameh Shukri stressed that he wished he had traveled to Iran at a better opportunity, but it was necessary to be in Iran to convey condolences to the Iranian government and people.

Referring to his intensive and continuous talks with Amirabdollahian regarding regional issues, the Egyptian foreign minister underlined the need to continue these negotiations in order to promote and expand bilateral ties based on stable foundations and principles.

Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri also appreciated the visit of Sameh Shokri to Tehran as the representative of the government and civilized people of Egypt and thanked him for extending condolences on behalf of himself as well as the Egyptian president and the sheikh of al-Azhar.

Bagheri then spoke about the existence of cultural, historical and religious commonalities between the two great countries with an ancient history and civilization.

He underlined the need to push ahead with the approach and policy of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Amirabdollhian in pursuing the expansion of relations with major Muslim countries, especially Egypt.

Bagheri expressed hope that the negotiations started by the foreign ministers of the two countries with an emphasis on the interests of the two countries will be followed up seriously in order to produce positive results sought by the leaders of Iran and Egypt.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Islamic Republic of Iran.

Cooperation between Finland and Mozambique has yielded good results, according to a recent evaluation. Finland’s support has had an impact especially on teacher education, which is crucial for children’s learning.

Qualified teachers and education for girls have been a focus of Finland’s support for Mozambique’s education sector in recent years. Finland, along with other donors, has channelled most of its support to the Education Sector Support Fund (FASE) to support the development of Mozambique’s education sector.

According to a recent evaluation focusing on the period 2014–2022, cooperation has achieved good results. The number of teachers has increased in both primary schools and secondary schools: in 2010–2022, the number of secondary school teachers doubled and the share of female teachers rose to one quarter of all teachers. Mozambique has made considerable progress in improving access to basic education over the longer term: in 1992, only 41 per cent of Mozambican children aged 6 to 12 attended school, but the number had risen to over 90 per cent before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Finland has also managed to improve aspects that are critical to learning outcomes, such as teacher training and mother-tongue education, and to support Mozambique in significant education sector reforms. These reforms include diversifying teacher education and extending free compulsory education from seven to nine years.

Specialists at the mission play a key role

The evaluation report praises Finland for consistent and substantial support. Finland has supported the development of Mozambique’s education sector since the 1990s and has been one of the biggest bilateral donors for FASE. In terms of Finland’s overall development cooperation, the support provided through FASE has been the single most important aid for education on a country level.

All the stakeholders interviewed for the evaluation highly value Finland’s support and role as a FASE partner,” says Evaluation Team Leader Frans van Gerwen:

“Finland’s position as one of the key partners in the education sector is based on long-term participation and a highly professional way of engaging in political dialogue on the education strategy and policy with Mozambique’s Ministry of Education. The specialists at the mission play an important role in this.”

The programmes implemented alongside FASE have added to Finland’s effectiveness. In recent years, Finland has also supported the education of teachers through a joint pilot project of the World Bank and Mozambique’s Ministry of Education. The pilot COACH/Aprender Mais provides continuing professional education for teachers. Finnish higher education institutions and civil society have also supported the education sector.

“This has increased Finland’s visibility and relevance in the Mozambican education sector,” says van Gerwen.

Sharing the lessons learnt

Although significant progress has been made, challenges remain especially in the quality of education. Moreover, the need for education will increase further as the population doubles over the next 25 years. The evaluation report encourages FASE partners and the Government of Mozambique to pay more attention to the various skills and support needs at the Ministry of Education and to the quality of education, learning outcomes and statistical shortcomings related to them.

The evaluation report recommends that Finland continue to focus on girls’ schooling, improving teachers’ performance and strengthening school governance in basic education in 2024. The report also encourages Finland to identify the lessons learnt from cooperation and share them with other donors. The report includes many other recommendations concerning both Finland and other actors in Mozambique’s education sector.  

The evaluation was carried out between August 2023 and February 2024. As part of fiscal adjustment measures, Finland will reduce its development cooperation funding in the coming years. The changes will also affect cooperation between Finland and Mozambique. Finland will end its bilateral support, including to FASE, and the focus of cooperation will shift to political, economic and commercial relations. Cooperation between civil society organisations and higher education institutions will continue to be possible. The changed situation has been taken account of in the evaluation report’s recommendations.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.