Parliament has approved a supplementary expenditure budget worth Shs1.106 trillion for settling the offtake arrangement between government and DEI Pharmaceuticals, wage and pension and gratuity shortfalls.

During plenary on Tuesday, 30 April 2023, the Deputy Chairperson of the Budget Committee, Hon. Achia Remigio presented the committee’s report approving the supplementary.

Achia said the government has initiated the process of acquiring equity in DEI BioPharma Ltd as a strategic intervention to increase the local production of pharmaceutical drugs.

DEI Pharma Limited is being allocated Shs578.4 billion to enable it complete business production and ensure it comfortably meets its debt obligations and operational requirements.

“It should be noted that the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation provided a written commitment to the committee, stating that ‘no funds would be disbursed to the company until the valuation process is completed and the government’s stake in the Company is formally established’,” the report reads in part.

Kira Municipality MP who is also the Shadow Minister of Finance, on. Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda  presented a minority report opposing the request stating that it did not comply with the law.

“We oppose donating Shs578 billion to Mr Mathias Magola (DEI Pharma Ltd). All the activities and items the government is seeking to finance through the second supplementary do not meet the requirements of the Public Finance Management Act,” he said adding that, ’money for Magola is being diverted from debt service; the government has diverted Shs666 billion from our debt servicing vote’. 

Hon. Simon Peter Okwalinga (NRM, Kachumbala County) said he supported the majority report but objected to funding Magola’s DEI Pharma Limited.

“I would like the government to come clean on this issue and tell us where this money is heading,” he said.

The Minister of State, Office of the Prime Minister (Northern Uganda), Dr Kenneth Omona supported the report of the committee indicating that the government is supporting local manufacturers as a measure to enhance import substitution.

“Uganda is already beginning to export pharmaceutical products which is good for our country,” Omona said.

He however, said that the government must be very serious and ensure that there is value for money in the investment.

Kampala Central MP, Hon. Muhammad Nsereko criticised the prioritisation of funding of a private investor DEI Pharma Limited amidst challenges in the health. He also said in order to seek a supplementary, it should be unforeseeable and unavoidable.

Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi (NUP, Butambala County) added that the government has an investment vehicle in Uganda Development Corporation (UDC) that they should use instead of Parliament directly giving money to Magola.

The Minister of State for Finance (General Duties), Hon. Henry Musasizi told the House that when the valuation has been completed, they will now come to equity. He said the company as it stands is “sick” and they do not want the company to “die”.

The Speaker Anita Among said that much as there is a commitment on valuation, the government must do the valuation. She instructed the Budget Committee to monitor and ensure that the valuation is done. She demanded a full valuation report of the assets and finances.

“No disbursement of this money before the valuation is done. Upon the valuation and this money is paid, the security must be kept with the treasury and not with the owner,” she ordered.

In the other allocations, Shs166 billion goes to the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development for Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development – additional Support (USMID) and external financing for competitiveness and Enterprise Development project- Additional Funding (CEDP-AF), and an additional Shs66 Billion for compensation among others.

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development was allocated Shs3 billion for the Anglican, Catholic and Muslim martyrs shrines in Namugongo and Shs1 billion will go to Nebbi Diocese who will host this year’s 03 June Martyrs day celebrations. 

Shs 13.6 billion will be given to cater for wage shortfalls of Kampala Capital City Authority cleaning casual workforce among others.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

It was an enormous relief to mother Jabumkhaliphi Sifundza when her ten-year-old daughter, Nozweno, was vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV). She’d heard about the vaccine on social media and wanted to do everything possible to protect Nozweno from cervical cancer.

Alongside Eswatini’s efforts to vaccinate girls like Nozweno during immunization drives in schools, the government is leveraging the opportunity to simultaneously vaccinate the boys against COVID-19 in an innovative advance towards integrating these vaccines into routine immunization.

High HPV rates in the country are fuelled by high HIV rates, driving up cervical cancer case numbers and deaths. As of 18 April, Eswatini has, with the support of partners including World Health Organization (WHO), vaccinated over 50 000 girls in schools, with a national coverage of 64.3%.

Meanwhile, although the emergency phase of COVID-19 is over, the virus continues to spread and endanger people’s lives. In Eswatini, integration of COVID-19 vaccination into other health programmes, including HPV immunization, chronic diseases and HIV, is high on its health agenda after the recent release of the country’s COVID-19 Vaccine Post-Introduction Evaluation by the Ministry of Health.

“Expanding access to preventative vaccines is vital to improve health and survival, as well as to lay the foundation for countries to reach every person with the basic health services they need to thrive. This dual immunization effort in our schools is an excellent example of optimizing our resources to boost overall vaccine coverage,” says Hon Mduduzi Matsebula, Eswatini’s Minister of Health.

The report says that while Eswatini did well to achieve COVID-19 vaccine coverage of above 70% among people 40 years and older, overall coverage as a proportion of the general population remained low, at 36.9%, at the end of June 2023. For younger people, aged between 12 and 39, coverage remained low at below 50%, negatively impacting the country’s efforts to meet WHO’s global 70% target.

Going forward, integration of vaccines is key to sustainable delivery, the report adds, explaining that the “one-stop-shop” approach to delivering a package of vaccines has the capacity to make the best use of health system interventions.

“In resource-poor settings such as Eswatini, it makes sense to optimize delivery of vaccines in every way possible. If teams are visiting schools to administer HPV vaccines to the schoolgirls, the idea of simultaneously vaccinating the boys against COVID-19 is a perfect example of doing just that,” says Dr Lonkululeko Khumalo, an immunization and surveillance officer in WHO’s Eswatini country office.

WHO supported the Ministry of Health to ensure that WHO guidelines were used to develop national guidelines. The Organization also supported the development of a health workers field guide, training of health workers on HPV introduction and conducting a readiness assessment, including providing supportive supervision during vaccine roll out nationwide. To increase awareness of the vaccine rollout to the population, WHO supported Eswatini in the development of key messages and also sensitized the media to ensure accurate reporting. 

“As WHO, we are proud to be supporting these innovative efforts by the government of Eswatini towards integrated vaccine programmes which, together with strengthening primary health care, is fundamental to our mutual goal of universal health coverage for all,” says Dr Susan Tembo Zimba, WHO Representative in Eswatini.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Eswatini.

From 28 to 30 April 2024, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, was in Morocco, marking his third official visit to a Mediterranean Dialogue Partner in the last month. Admiral Bauer was received by the Minister-Delegate for the Administration of National Defence, Mr Abdellatif Loudiyi, and the Inspector General of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, Major General Mohammed Berrid. The Chair of the Military Committee met with several other high placed military leaders and briefed the Royal College of High Military Studies in Kenitra on NATO’s global approach to security and its partnerships in the southern neighbourhood.

During his meeting with the Moroccan Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence, Admiral Bauer stated that in this era of unprecedented levels of conflict, the importance of military cooperation and ramping up military capabilities cannot be overstated. Rather, it should be perceived as part of a whole of government and whole of society approach to security, including economic and social development, the Chair of NATO the Military Committee said. 

During the meeting, both parties highlighted NATO and Morocco’s historical partnership and the need to strengthen cooperation to face an increasingly complex security environment. “NATO praises Morocco’s commitment to international security and the major efforts you have undertaken in reforming your social, political and economic sectors in the last decades. Time and time again, you have brought your expertise and experience to the table, for instance by elevating discussions on countering terrorism, maritime security and illegal immigration. We also highly value your regular participation in NATO Exercises”, Admiral Bauer said.

During the second part of his visit, Admiral Rob Bauer addressed the Royal College of Higher Military Studies in Kenitra. The Chair of NATO’s Military Committee stressed that NATO Nations share many of the same challenges as the nations in the MENA region, such as those posed by extremists groups, terrorism or nuclear proliferation. 

In his address, Admiral Bauer stated  “The reason all of us here in this room, and thousands of our colleagues, choose to wear a uniform and serve in the military… is not because we believe war is the answer. It is because we believe that strong deterrence is the best way to prevent war.  Military cooperation creates strong deterrence for all parties included. That is why NATO wants to deepen its partnerships in its southern neighbourhood. In this part of the world, NATO is keen on cooperating more, for instance in the areas of maritime security, counter-terrorism, border security, cyber defence, and counter-improvised explosive devices.”

After the speech, Admiral Bauer answered questions from students of on the role of NATO, the Alliance’s new report on the South, and opportunities to increase partnership in today’s dangerous world.

Morocco joined the Mediterranean Dialogue as a partner country in 1995. For three decades, both through this framework and through NATO’s individual cooperation programme, Morocco and NATO have developed a mutually beneficial relationship adapted to Morocco’s evolving security needs. During the visit, both parties manifested their interest in seizing opportunities to grow cooperation in the service of peace and stability.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

On April 30, commencing at 6:30 pm local time (May 1, 2:30 am JST) for approximately 120 minutes, Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting the Federal Republic of Nigeria, attended a meeting with Japanese nationals in Nigeria, including representatives from Japanese companies.

At the beginning, Minister Kamikawa expressed her pleasure to visit Nigeria, the largest democracy and economic power in Africa as part of the first visit to subSaharan Africa since assuming the position of Minister for Foreign Affairs. She heard from the participants about the background of why startups, one of the elements she put emphasis during this visit to sub-Saharan Africa, and entrepreneurship by women and youth are active in Nigeria and the possibility of collaboration with Japanese companies. Participants explained the prospects and challenges of conducting business in Nigeria and they had a lively exchange of ideas.

Minister Kamikawa explained that she paid attention to creating hubs for the region and developing Japan’s efforts not only at “dot” level but also “surface” through this visit and that, in order to effectively support Japanese companies operating in a wide area and prior to this visit, she newly announced to place officials in charge of cross-border economic affairs and invited the participants to make use of the officials actively. She stated her will to actively and proactively support Japanese companies engaging in oversea economic activities more than ever before.

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