The United States, through USAID and working with Congress, announced today an additional $40 million to mitigate ongoing food insecurity and build food system resilience across Africa.

Today’s announcement will increase investments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. These efforts will support smallholder farmers to increase yields, mitigate impacts of extreme weather with improved crop varieties, and improve water use efficiency and access, reducing risks to future harvests in the Zambezi River Basin. 

While food prices have come down from the record levels of 2022, food insecurity remains high due to recurrent shocks to food systems, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and effects from El Niño. Through Feed the Future – the United States’ whole-of-government food security initiative – USAID works with governments and private partners to help mitigate the impacts of food system shocks and build resiliency for the future. In line with the U.S.-African Union Joint Strategic Partnership on Food Security, the funding will help accelerate a regional, African-led approach to boost agricultural productivity, market linkages, improve nutrition, and leverage the private sector to enhance food security. 

In areas supported by Feed the Future, hunger and poverty have dropped by as much as 25 percent over the past decade. Hunger will not be solved by emergency aid alone. Through this funding and strategic partnerships, Feed the Future is breaking the cycle of food insecurity by making long-term investments in agrifood systems that accelerate innovative research and build lasting connections with the private sector.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

On the morning of September 3, 2024, President Xi Jinping met with Malawi’s President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, who is in China for the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The two heads of state announced the elevation of China-Malawi relations to a strategic partnership.

Xi Jinping pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the China-Malawi relationship has enjoyed steady and sound development with solid political mutual trust and fruitful mutually beneficial cooperation. China is ready to take the opportunity of implementing the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit to push for deeper and more substantive progress in China-Malawi friendly cooperation at a new starting point and promote the common development of the two countries, so as to continuously benefit the two peoples.

Xi Jinping emphasized that China supports Malawi in exploring a development path suited to its own national conditions, and is ready to share with Malawi opportunities brought by Chinese modernization to help with Malawi’s national development. China is ready to strengthen cooperation with Malawi in agriculture, telecommunications, infrastructure and other fields, and encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in Malawi. The two sides should make good use of the Confucius Institute at the University of Malawi to promote cultural exchanges and forge closer bonds between the people. China supports the smooth operation of the Consulate General of Malawi in Changsha and encourages the two sides to conduct more exchanges and cooperation at the sub-national level. China is also ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Malawi in international affairs and safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera said that every time he comes to China, it feels like coming home. He thanked the Chinese side for the warm and friendly reception. Malawi regards China as its most sincere friend. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera said that in recent years, he has had the honor to maintain close exchanges with President Xi Jinping, leading to positive progress in bilateral cooperation. Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese out of poverty. The Belt and Road Initiative and other major initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping have provided important opportunities for all countries to achieve common development and prosperity. Malawi stays committed to the one-China policy and supports China in safeguarding its own core interests. Malawi also supports strengthening the FOCAC’s institutional development and looks forward to taking this summit as an opportunity to further promote Belt and Road cooperation, strengthen regional connectivity and deepen friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation between Malawi and China.

During the summit, China and Malawi will sign a number of bilateral cooperation documents on peanut exports to China, news media, development cooperation and other fields.

Wang Yi was present at the meeting.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Namibia.

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) today decided unanimously to adjourn a hearing on the National Skills Fund (NSF) and the National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). This is due to the late and unjustifiable withdrawal from the meeting of the Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mr Buti Manamela, who chose instead to attend the launch of an academic programme in Johannesburg.

“The non-appearance of the deputy minister is unacceptable. The primary role of the committee and Parliament is to hold the executive to account and the committee is not prepared to entertain late, unjustifiable withdrawals by members of the executive. The hearing will be rescheduled to a date to be announced in due course, where we expect the minister or deputy minister to appear in person,” said SCOPA Chairperson Mr Songezo Zibi.

Committee members from all political parties represented in the committee voiced their extreme disappointment at the deputy minister’s failure to appear, after he had delegated political accountability to departmental officials. Mr Zibi will be writing a letter to the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Ms Nobuhle Nkabane, and the Deputy President, Mr Paul Mashatile, to ask them to take stern action and ensure that the committee is briefed by the executive in accordance with the rules.

Mr Manamela and the delegation from his department were expected to brief the committee on various matters relating to the NSF and the NSFAS and on investigations into the two entities conducted by the Special Investigations Unit. The committee is disappointed that it cannot address issues affecting NSFAS and yet thousands of students are affected by its inefficiencies. The committee is also aggrieved that the money spent to fly departmental staff to Cape Town is wasteful expenditure.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services today held an informative and frank engagement regarding correctional supervision and parole boards in South Africa.

The committee was briefed by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) on the structure and functions, challenges, and successes, plans to address identified challenges, and progress in legislation to overhaul the parole system.

Committee Chairperson Ms Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng said the committee extensively discussed all the matters, with a key focus on medical parole. “The committee commends the presentation. Our questions and concerns were mostly covered. Some of the statistics on medical parolees and the way forward in terms of vacancies will be addressed to the committee in writing to further interrogate this matter,” she said.

The committee heard there are currently 52 correctional supervision and parole boards (CSPB) in the country, whose main function is to consider offenders for possible placement on parole and correctional supervision. The Correctional Services Act (CSA) provides that any sentenced offender may be considered for placement on medical parole by the National Commissioner, the CSPB or the Minister. The Minister must establish a Medical Parole Advisory Board (MPAB) to provide an independent medical report to the National Commissioner, the CSPB or the Minister.

The MPAB must make a recommendation to the National Commissioner, the CSPB or the Minister on whether it is appropriate to grant medical parole. The committee heard that the CSA provides a list of medical conditions for consideration by the MPAB when assessing an offender’s medical parole application.

Regarding deaths of inmates while awaiting medical parole outcomes, the committee heard that during the 2023/24 financial year, 22 offenders died before their medical parole applications could be finalised. During the same financial year, 85 offenders had applied for medical parole, four of whom were released on normal parole, 43 of whom were recommended for medical parole, 13 were not recommended and 22 died prior to their applications process being completed.

“We have raised concerns. We noted that vacancies exist in some of these boards, which could be a contributing factor. The department will furnish us with further information we required,” Ms Ramolobeng emphasised.

Ms Ramolobeng further stated that some committee members had concerns about inmates who were granted medical parole as they were terminally ill, but more than a decade later they are still to be found functioning well in society.

The DCS said that statistics relating to this issue will be provided to the committee in writing. However, the committee was assured that the board reviewing such matters is expert in the health field. The DCS conceded that such exceptional cases do exist but maintained that the number is small.

“The department will provide us with the statistics of such matters, but they have assured us in the meantime that that figure is generally low. We will engage once we received the information requested,” said Ms Ramolobeng.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.