In cooperation with Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and Islamic Help Türkiye, a Turkish volunteer medical team offered free ENT and general surgery services at Jazeera University Hospital and Mogadishu Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Training and Research Hospital in the capital, Mogadishu.

During the 10-day health camp, the volunteer medical team from Türkiye provided extensive medical support to those in need in the region.

A total of 267 patients were examined, and 87 successful surgical operations were performed. The team addressed serious cases, such as parotid tumors and laryngeal cancer, which could not be treated locally in Somalia, using the facilities of Mogadishu Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Training and Research Hospital. As a result, the patients were able to regain their health. Additionally, both theoretical and practical training were provided to local health workers and medical students throughout the camp.

The event, organized in cooperation with TİKA and Islamic Help Türkiye, aims to strengthen health infrastructure in Mogadishu and enhance public health. Professional medical teams have improved the quality of life for many people by delivering high standards of care in both examinations and surgical procedures.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).

The UN Economic Commission for Africa’s Office for North Africa is organizing, in collaboration with the Mauritanian Ministry of Finance and Tax Authority (Direction Générale des Impôts), a capacity building workshop on international tax treaties and their implementation issues,on 2-6 September in Nouakchott (Mauritania).

“This workshop is part of a series of capacity building workshops carried out by ECA-SRO-NA over the last few years to support tax authorities in Mauritania and other North African countries to increase tax revenue through interventions aimed at improving tax policy and administration for accelerated SDG implementation in the subregion,” said Adam Elhiraika, Director of the ECA office for North Africa ahead of the meeting.

Mauritanian Director of Information, Research, Tax Reforms, and Training Sarr Abdoulaye stressed the significant value of the ongoing collaboration with the Economic Commission for Africa. He expressed his gratitude to the experts and participants for their dedication to this third workshop.

International tax treaties play a pivotal role in facilitating cross-border trade and investment. They help prevent double taxation, provide a framework for tax cooperation between countries, mitigate tax evasion and avoidance, and help ensure a fair allocation of taxing rights.

The workshop aims to provide senior Mauritanian tax officials with the practical skills and a comprehensive understanding of tools to improve their capacity to update the national tax treaty model. Discussion topics include the international tax framework, key provisions of tax treaties, related legal and administrative practices and tax treaty negotiations.

ECA is organising this workshop as part of its support to Mauritanian efforts to diversify the national tax base, improve revenue collection, reduce tax evasion and streamline tax processes and ultimately reduce the national dependence on mineral revenues, agricultural and pastoral activities which are heavily exposed to global price fluctuations and the impact of climate change.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

On 28 August 2024, the Royal Thai Embassy led an Egyptian delegation to attend a briefing at the Halal Science Center (HSC), Chulalongkorn University. HSC has played a key role in the development of Halal science and innovation not only in Thailand, but also at the global stage in the past 21 years since its establishment on 13 August 2003.

On this occasion, the delegation visited the Halal Forensic Science Laboratory or HAFOLAB which uses modern technology and tools to inspect Halal products that are produced or exported to ensure that the quality is consistent with the principles of Islam and in accordance with international standards. HAFOLAB has received laboratory accreditation ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standards which guarantee the accuracy of test results and earn international recognition. There were laboratories from various countries and organisations that keen to learn Halal forensic technology from HSC such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Oman, Uganda, Bangladesh, and the Standard and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) under the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Egypt also expressed interest in Halal cooperation with Thailand in the future.

The above mentioned visit is part of the Embassy’s project on bringing Egyptian businessmen and authority related to Halal certification to attend World HAPEX Thailand 2024 in Songkhla province during 27 August – 1 September 2024.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Royal Thai Embassy, Cairo, Egypt.

More than 100 local enterprises went through the ‘How to Export with the AfCFTA’ workshop, which the International Trade Centre (ITC) has rolled out across the continent.

As part of the workshop in Cotonou, 20 Beninese trainers also learned how to conduct their own workshops, so that they can continue spreading their free-trade know-how to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

‘Exporting is not easy for a company,’ said ITC expert Ilyas Choubaili, who conducted the training of trainers. ‘It is necessary to prepare, be ready to export, optimize cross-border trade, logistics, penetrate the market, and carry out risk studies. It is also crucial to understand how to finance your intra-African export.’

The new trainers that he worked with got hands-on experience, by leading the second phase of the workshop that guided business leaders ‘How to Export with the AfCFTA.’

That component highlighted the technical considerations, export opportunities, and financial benefits unlocked by the AfCFTA. The businesses worked with the trainers to assess their export readiness for intra-African trade. They were introduced to key logistics challenges and opportunities. And they learnt how to select high-potential export markets, and identify and comply with export documents and intra-African trade regulations.

‘There is a voracious appetite within the AfCFTA for Beninese products and services,’ said Ludmila Azo, country manager at ITC. ‘It is about making them more competitive on the one hand, and on the other, equipping our SMEs to export better.’

The workshop was organized with Benin Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Investment and Export Promotion Agency (APIEx Benin).  

The ‘training of trainers’ was conducted by ITC and supported by the Benin Chamber of Commerce, APIEx Benin, Beninese Customs, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Autonomous Port of Cotonou.

Interactive workshop

The event followed ITC’s new digital workshop methodology with presentations, videos, exercises, and conferences. ‘It is an interactive workshop for sharing and exchange,’ said Ilyas Choubaili. Several stakeholders participated, including ITC trainer who introduced the African Trade Observatory, and a representative from Benin Customs who discussed customs formalities. As a partner and lead funder of the training programme, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) showcased its export support products and various solutions designed to help SMEs integrate within the AfCFTA.

Benin is one of the 54 African Union member states that have signed the AfCFTA agreement, but has yet to ratify it.

ITC and Afreximbank have also established a complementary free online training platform, which has trained over 10,000 small businesses.

This workshop in Benin was implemented through new support provided from the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.