Kenya today received provisional approval for the Yr. 2 PEPFAR Country Operational plan (COP) – USD 322,000,000 (KES43B) funding for HIV response whose implementation will run from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025. This was announced today during the COP 23 approval meeting, that took place between the Kenya Government represented by the CS, Ministry of Health – Hon. Nakhumicha S. Wafula, Office of the Global Aids Coordinator -Ambassador Dr. John Nkengasong; US Ambassador to Kenya, HE Meg Whitman; Kenya Chair of COP 23 Julia Martin; PEPFAR Country team through the respective agencies, CDC/ USAID, DOD; Council of Governors (COG); the civil society and MOH representatives including the Ag. Director General Health, National AIDS and STI Control Program and the National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC) among others.  

During the meeting, the US Ambassador to Kenya, HE Meg Whitman, expressed confidence in Kenya’s ability to achieve epidemic control in the near future including ending AIDS in Children by 2027. Amb. Dr. John Nkengasong, the US Global AIDS Coordinator, while giving the provisional approval, lauded Kenya’s strong commitment and efforts in management of HIV and GOK transformation of the health sector through the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Primary Health Care (PHC) platform which are a critical pillar to a sustainable HIV response. The speakers lauded the alignment of the proposed priorities and the collaboration between MOH, communities, counties and Kenya PEPFAR team reflected in the COP process and proposal. In her remarks the Cabinet Secretary reiterated the MOH commitment to steward the response and provide a conducive environment in the convergence of the HIV response in the context of UHC as the country accelerates the epidemic control efforts.     

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Kenya.

About 1,000 people a day are fleeing into South Sudan from Sudan after nearly one year of war, arriving in scorching heat and with children in dire need of support, Save the Children said.

More than 600,000 people – both refugees and returnees – have crossed the border since last April, arriving into a region already facing a severe hunger crisis, and the numbers continue to rise as the hostilities show no sign of abating. Most people arrive with nothing, having lost their homes and livelihoods. Some children have reported seeing loved ones, including their parents, killed on route.

The majority have arrived at the border crossing of Joda in Upper Nile State by foot or on donkey carts, from where up to 200 people at a time are crammed into trucks with standing room only. They are taken to two overcrowded transit centres in nearby Renk, a two-hour journey on dirt tracks in temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) as South Sudan battles its worst heatwave in four years.

They usually spend about two weeks in the centres – which houses over 15,000 people, even though they were built for no more than 3,000 – where food and water are scarce, healthcare is limited, and many sleep outside in makeshift shelters. From there 500 people at a time are packed onto barges for a two-day journey along the Nile to head to other destinations in South Sudan or packed into trucks for a 12 hour road trip to a refugee camp in Maban.

Most of these families have been displaced before. Many fled to Sudan from South Sudan in 2013 when widespread intercommunal violence erupted just two years after the country celebrated its independence as the world’s newest nation. Despite a peace deal in South Sudan in 2018, the country is still facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, plagued by continuing violence, repeated climate disasters, widespread hunger, mass displacement and now soaring prices. Even before the war in Sudan, about 9 million people – about 75% of the population ­– including nearly 5 million children were in need of humanitarian assistance.

For people fleeing the conflict in Sudan, however, life in South Sudan is a better option. About 1.75 million people have left Sudan, according to latest UNHCR data, headed to South Sudan, Ethiopia, Chad, Central African Republic and Egypt.

Amira*, 37, a South Sudanese citizen, crossed the border into South Sudan with her husband and two young children in early March before being taken to one of the transit centres in Renk. She was working at a hospital in Khartoum  as a surgical nurse when the fighting started and was trapped in the basement for three days before she could get home.

“We have lost everything. We left everything behind,” she said. “My husband and I both had good jobs and my son was happy at school but that changed overnight. When the fighting began, we had no choice but to leave. Our lives in Khartoum were destroyed. So much has changed in a year, but now we both just want to get jobs and be settled again, so our children can go to school.”

For children in Renk’s transit centres, Save the Children has opened Child Friendly Spaces, where they can play, paint, dance, learn and receive psychosocial support.

Margret, 25, hails from South Sudan and is one of Save the Children’s team working with children in the centres. She fled to Sudan during South Sudan’s conflict and was forced to flee again when armed clashes broke out in Khartoum last April. It took Margret five days to reach Renk. She was robbed of the few possessions she’d managed to take with her.

“They took my laptop and my phone. Life is very difficult there. They killed my friend,” she said. “I feel better here. I get to play with the children – they make me smile again.”

Since the escalation of violence in Sudan, Save the Children has expanded its operations in Renk to assist families. Staff members are on location from the border to the boats to keep children and families safe, help them on and off the trucks, see to their immediate needs and emotional welfare, as well as reunite unaccompanied children with their families.

Pornpun Rabiltossaporn, Save the Children’s Country Director in South Sudan, said the needs were so much greater than the support currently available. She said:

“We want to ensure that the children arriving here are protected, get the psychosocial support they need, and that unaccompanied girls and boys are reunited with their families as quickly as possible. But so much more needs to be done.”

Save the Children’s CEO Inger Ashing visited Renk this month to draw attention to the escalating crisis and call for urgent funding with needs overwhelming. A UN funding appeal for US$1.8 billion for South Sudan is only 18% funded so far. She said:

“This is one of the world’s most overlooked crises and it is getting worse by the day. I heard so many heartbreaking stories from children. Some saw their parents killed. Others were separated from their families. Many told me they just wanted some normalcy and to go back to school.

“It is devastating to think that this journey is not the end of their ordeal but just the start with many not knowing where they are going and with no resources at all. Most displaced people on average spend seven years on the move. That is half a child’s time in education.

“No child should wake up fearing for their safety, worried about when they will next eat, and not knowing where they will sleep that night. No child should be without an education. The international community needs to step up to commit the funding and resources needed before it’s too late.”

Save the Children has worked in South Sudan since 1991. The child rights organisation provides children with access to education, healthcare and nutritional support, and families with food security and livelihoods assistance. In 2023, the organisation’s programmes reached over  1.9 million people including 1.1  million children and this year Save the Children hopes to reach 1.4 million people in South Sudan.

* Name anonymised to protect identity

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has launched a new Compendium of forgotten foods in Africa which is a first-of-its-kind comprehensive collection of 100 African forgotten food crops.

Also referred to as neglected, underutilized or orphan crops, these species offer valuable benefits, including nutrition and diet diversification, while supporting resilient, climate-smart agriculture but they are at risk of being lost as foods such as maize, rice and wheat dominate African diets.

The compendium list includes crops’ botanical classification, agroecological suitability, agronomic requirements, traditional and medicinal uses, value-added prospects and nutritional content. Among the entries are: African locust beans, African nightshade, baobab, Bambara nut, bush mango, cassava, fonio, marula, moringa, teff and tigernut.

Produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s Regional Office for Africa with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), the Compendium is a direct response to the UN Food Systems Summit and the Call for Collective Action in the Global Manifesto on Forgotten Foods.

Embracing both agricultural heritage and innovation can transform agrifood systems across Africa. By cataloguing these forgotten or underutilized crops, traditional knowledge is being honoured in the push to unlock the potential for better nutrition, sustainable agriculture, and resilience against the climate crisis.

In a joint foreword to the publication, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Abebe Haile-Gabriel and FARA Executive Director Aggrey Agumya urged the mainstreaming of forgotten foods into African agrifood systems.

“Forgotten foods’ potential is not realized due to long years of neglect or slight consideration by researchers and development practitioners. Researchers who are interested in these commodities largely lack funding support since these commodities are not part of the big six food commodities supported across the globe. They are labelled as forgotten foods because they are forgotten by the research funders, researchers and development practitioners,” they said.

Intended as a sourcebook to enhance the knowledge of users working on various aspects of forgotten foods, the compendium is aimed at researchers, nutritionists, policy makers, development practitioners and anyone with an interest in food and agriculture in Africa.

The Compendium is a companion to the new publication Integrating Africa’s forgotten foods for better nutrition which explains the methodologies and analysis used to compile the Compendium.

The publication is part of FAO’s work in Africa for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life under the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31.

The Compendium of forgotten foods in Africa can be downloaded from the FAO website https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cc5044en

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has commissioned the 2nd National Fire Service Training School built by the Akufo-Addo Government, bringing the total number of Fire Service Training Schools in Ghana to three.

Prior to the present governemt assuming office in 2017, Ghana had only one Fire Service Training School, located in Accra. About two months ago, Vice President Bawumia commissioned the  nation’s second Fire Service Training School in Wungu, in the North East Region.

Speaking at the commissioning of the third Fire Service Training School at Duayaw- Nkwanta in the Tano North District of the Ahafo Region, Dr. Bawumia said the commissioning marked the “unwavering commitment” of the Government towards strengthening the fire service and protecting lives and property.

“It is with immense pride and gratitude that I stand before you today, on this historic occasion—the commissioning of the first phase of the Duayaw Nkwanta Fire Academy and Training School. This milestone reflects the unwavering commitment of the Government of Ghana to the safety and well-being of its citizens,” Dr. Bawumia said.

“This training school stands as a testament to the government’s pledge in 2017 to increase the number of training schools for the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) from one (1) to four (4) since independence,” Dr. Bawumia added.

“We are happy to be here in less than seven (7) weeks following the successful commissioning of the Wungu Fire Academy and Training School in the North East Region on Friday, January 19, 2024, to commission the second and third Fire Academy and Training School in the country, specifically here at Duayaw Nkwanta in the Ahafo Region.”

“Today’s event which marks another significant step towards achieving the government’s commitment to protecting its citizenry is unwavering,” Dr. Bawumia added.

The newly-commissioned training school has  modern training facilities and equipment, including  two hydraulic platforms to reach the 16th floor, to fight fires and effect rescue for key institutions such as the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS). This, Dr. Bawumia described as “a strategic move to ensure the safety of lives, businesses, livelihoods, and property.”

The Vice President also highlighted significant support the government has offered the Ghana National Fire Service, including the provision of modern equipment and expansion of the human resource capacity of the Service in the past 7 years to respond efficiently to emergencies.

Among the equipment are: command vehicles, modern fire engines, drones, rapid intervention vehicles, buses, appropriate personal protective equipment (APPEs), rescue and firefighting equipment.

“This investment in modern equipment aligns with the government’s vision to empower the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) to deliver on its lawful mandate of saving lives and properties. 

“These resources will not only enhance the Ghana National Fire Service’s capacity to handle diverse and complex firefighting scenarios, but also contribute to the overall safety and security of our communities.”

The support, Dr. Bawumia continued, has impacted positively on the operations of the Ghana Fire Service.

“The Service in 2022, recorded 6154 fires as against 5973 fires in 2023 which translates to a 2.94% rate of reduction. This feat is clearly a testament to the effectiveness of the government’s initiatives, support, training, and the dedicated efforts of the firefighting force,” the Vice President stated.

On the staff strength of the Service, Dr. Bawumia noted that the current government has almost doubled the personnel of the Fire Service from the number it met in 2017.

“It is unprecedented in the history of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) for a single government to recruit over 7000 personnel, increasing the workforce to over 15000 in just 7 years.” 

“This achievement, spearheaded by the NPP Government, led by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, showcases the administration’s commitment to enhancing the capabilities of our firefighting force to provide world class emergency firefighting and rescue services to the good people of this great country of ours.”

Despite the huge contributions and successes chalked, Dr. Bawumia stressed that a lot more has to be done to protect lives and property, assuring that government is ever committed to support the Service realize its vision and mandate.

The Acting President of the Duayaw Nkwanta Traditional Council, Nana Boakye Bonsu, expressed gratitude to government, for the training school.

The Chief Fire Officer, on behalf of the Service, expresses gratitude to the Government for what he described as immense support, the Government has offered the Service, which he said, has significantly boosted their operations.

The 3rd Fire Service Academy and Training School built by the Akufo-Addo Government, is ready for commissioning in the Eastern Region.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.