DAILY RENDEZVOUS

Daily Rendezvous  China always supports the people of the Middle East in independently exploring a development path and supports the Middle East countries in solving regional security On January 15, 2023 local time, when jointly meeting the press with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said that in recent years, the countries and people of the Middle East have constantly strengthened themselves through unity, strived to advance development and revitalization, actively advocated inter-civilization exchanges, and stayed committed to defending fairness and justice, and serve as an important force in a multi-polar world. On the other hand, the Middle East situation is still faced with prominent uncertainties and instability. Regional hotspot issues keep emerging and turbulence are in some countries. External interference remains an important factor undermining regional security and stability and affecting enduring peace and security ...

Daily Rendezvous  Ishioma Emi for Ventures Africa  International lenders such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have issued warnings of a potential global recession. This situation would be particularly dire for emerging economies, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa. A depreciating currency and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine are causing instability in the global market, leading to food insecurity and slowing developed economies. Last September, the World Bank, in a press release, noted how central banks around the world have been raising interest rates with a degree of synchronicity not seen over the past five decades—a trend that is likely to continue well into 2023. Yet “the currently expected trajectory of interest-rate increases and other policy actions may not be sufficient to bring global inflation back down to levels seen before the pandemic. Investors expect central banks to raise global monetary-policy rates to al...

Daily Rendezvous  Nyahama Japhet No fewer than 1,082 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from 182 households have benefited from 215 constructed mudbrick  houses by International Organization of Migration (IOM). Also known as Malkohi New City, the 215 housing project meant for the IDPs is sited at Malkohi layout Yola South Local Government Area of Adamawa State. In his speech the Country Representative of IOM Laurent De Boeck maintained that the project is the modest contribution of the IOM to support displaced and vulnerable people affected by insurgency to resume their lives and livelihood without depending on aid. He revealed that the IOM in 2021 started implementing a project known as "sustainable integration of internally displaced populations in the northeast Nigeria" using an innovative post emergency approach to humanitarian assistance. According to De Boeck, the IDPs are largely from Gwoza, Bama, Dikwa, and Monguno LGAs of Borno State who endured immense ...

Daily Rendezvous  The 2023 conference aims to strengthen the implementation of the Nouakchott Declaration and grow its popularisation   Presidents, ministers, civil society including UN Agency representatives will be among the hundreds of delegates attending the third African Conference for Peace 2023, which will take place in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, from 17-19 January 2023.</em> The African Conference for Peace 2023 aims to strengthen the implementation of last year&rsquo;s ground-breaking Nouakchott Declaration by continuing to address the prime issues of conflict, the misused concept of Jihad, illegal immigration, girls education, and the promotion of peace and development.  Scores of African leaders, Islamic scholars, policymakers, academics, civil society activists, and youth will descend on Nouakchott, Mauritania this week, to attend the third African Peace Conference. The African Peace Conference 2023 whose main objective is to ov...

Daily Rendezvous  Austin Ajayi I Yola. The 4th edition of National under 20 football competition for inter local government ward in Hong, Adamawa state has produced 9 promising stars that can make the country proud. Among the stars includes Jamilu Ibrahim who eventually became the most valuable player. In his remark at the end of the one week championship, special guest of honor at the closing ceremony, Hon Umar Wa'Adaganga  who is the chairman of Hong Local government area, commended the the sponsor of the competition, Engr. Musa Nimord for have the Youths in mind stressing that since Nimord started sponsoring the annual competition, no fewer than 18 players both in football and other sports have been invited to national camps. The LGA boss represented by the Secretary of the council, Dr. Aliyu Salihu Yerema while Congratulating the winners called on well meaning indigenes and Nigerians' to support sports by emulating the good works of Engr. Musa Nimord that has n...

Daily Rendezvous  Enforcement agencies need to look into this and find a way to courteously deal with driver behaviour The Acting Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Transport, Mr Lisa Mangcu, has noted with concern the many road fatalities that have occurred during the festive season. It is of great concern to the committee that road fatalities involving trucks are on the increase and have become so common that they arouse no outcry. These fatalities seem to be occurring locally and the indication is that recklessness and driver behaviour are attributable. Enforcement agencies need to look into this and find a way to courteously deal with driver behaviour, said Mr Mangcu. The situation calls for law enforcement to be stringent, with stiff penalties imposed. It is just not right that South Africans continue to perish and are harmed on the roads during holidays, he added. Mr Mangcu believes that the situation will only improve once all drivers accept that road safe...

Daily Rendezvous 20 January 2023 |  Diphtheria Public Health Advisory Amidst Outbreak in Nigeria     The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has responded to reports of diphtheria cases in Lagos and Kano States and is monitoring the situation in Osun and Yobe States where cases are now being picked up. In addition to clinically suspected cases, there have been laboratoryconfirmed cases and the NCDC is working with State Ministries of Health and partners to enhance surveillance and response to the outbreak. This includes keeping the public informed on staying safe at home and in their communities.    ABOUT DIPHTHERIA  What is Diphtheria?  Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection caused by the bacterium called Corynebacterium species that affects the nose, throat and sometimes, skin of an individual.    Who is at risk?  People most at risk of contracting diphtheria:  • Children and adults who have n...

Daily Rendezvous  President Touray discussed areas of existing and new cooperation with the envoys with regards to the four strategic objectives of the present administration after accrediting them to ECO-WAS The accredited envoys were H.E. Ms. Annika HAHN-ENGLUND, Ambassador of Sweden to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Ms. Cristian MUNDUATE, Country Representative UNICEF to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ms Joanna Tarnawska, Ambassador Extraordinary and Pleni-potentiary of the Republic of Poland to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Annett GUNTHER, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Wouter PLOMP, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and H.E. Amedi CAMARA, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. President Touray discussed areas of existing and new cooperation with the envoys with regards to the four strategic objectives o...

Daily Rendezvous  Vantage provided €19 million of mezzanine funding in December 2018 to enable the founding family to regain a controlling stake in the company from two exiting private equity investors , Africa's largest mezzanine debt fund manager, announced that in December 2022 it fully exited its investment in Pecute tro Ivoire, the most established locally-owned distributor of petroleum and gas products in Cote de Ivoire. The company has a leading position in the gas-to-consumer segment as well as about eighty service stations around the country. Vantage provided euro19 million of mezzanine funding in December 2018 to enable the founding family to regain a controlling stake in the company from two exiting private equity investors. With this new ownership structure, supported by Vantages investment, the company continued to invest in additional service stations and increased gas bottling capacity. At the time of investment, Vantage recognized Pecute tro Ivoire as a ...

DAILY RENDEZVOUS The adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis (TB) services has brought the urgency of vaccine development efforts into sharp focus. Speaking today at a high-level panel on TB at the World Economic Forum, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, announced plans to establish a new TB Vaccine Accelerator Council. The Council will facilitate the licensing and use of effective novel TB vaccines catalysing high-level alignment between funders, global agencies, governments and end users in identifying and overcoming barriers to TB vaccine development. “One of the most important lessons from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is that innovative health interventions can be delivered fast if they are prioritized politically and financed adequately”, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “The challenges presented by TB and COVID-19 are different, but the ingredients that accelerate science, research and innovati...

Daily Rendezvous  This is to specially notify the electorates of Numan, Demsa and Lamurde Federal constituency of Adamawa state, in particular and the general public that the APC Candidate for Reps Hon Vrati S. Nzonzo(DANTASHE) will be indisposed for about 3 weeks (till around 10th February) due to ill health. The people's candidate had accidentally fell into a culvert on the night of 11th January in Jimeta thereby sustaining multiple fractures on his right knee. He was treated at Fortland hospital Yola for few days before proceeding to Abuja for further Medicare. This notice is necessary because of the frustrations displayed by the electorates due to the absence of their "member Mai jiran gado" for campaigns and many other socio-political engagements at this critical time. The vacuum created by the absence of HonVrati will be most felt when the APC Gubernatorial Campaign team visits Numan federation, this situation is heartbreaking but we are counting on God ...

Daily Rendezvous  Close to 1 billion people in low- and lower-middle income countries - 1 in 8 of the world’s population –are served by health-care facilities that lack a reliable electricity supply, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO), the  World Bank , the  International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) , and  Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll) . Access to electricity is critical for quality health-care provision, from delivering babies to managing emergencies like heart attacks, or offering lifesaving immunization. Without reliable electricity in all health-care facilities, Universal Health Coverage cannot be reached, the report notes. Increasing electrification of health-care facilities is essential to save lives The joint report,  Energizing Health: Accelerating Electricity Access in Health-Care Facilities,  presents the latest data on electrification of health-care facilities in low- and middle-income count...

Daily Rendezvous  The Ministry expressed its solidarity with Congo and its people The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned the terrorist attack that targeted a church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in the death and injuries of dozens of people. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) affirmed that the UAE expresses its strong condemnation of these criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence, extremism and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability and in contravention of human values and principles. The Ministry expressed its solidarity with Congo and its people and its condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims of this heinous crime as will as its wishes for speedy recovery for the injured. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation.

Daily Rendezvous  The abductions took place approximately 15 kilometers from the village of Arbinda, in the Sahel region, and are alleged to have been carried out by members of armed groups UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk today expressed alarm at the abduction of at least 50 women in Burkina Faso on 12 and 13 January and called for their immediate and unconditional release. I am alarmed that dozens of women out to search for food for their families were abducted in broad daylight, in what could be the first such attack deliberately targeting women in Burkina Faso, said Volker  I call for the immediate and unconditional release of all the abducted women and for the national authorities to promptly conduct an effective, impartial and independent investigation to identify those responsible and hold them to account. The abductions took place approximately 15 kilometers from the village of Arbinda, in the Sahel region, and are alleged to ha...

Daily Rendezvous  Afrobarometer (AB) has provided reliable data to document African citizens’ experiences, evaluations, and aspirations on democracy, governance, and quality of life. Afrobarometer board chair, senior advisers, and directors of analysis and surveys met in Lilongwe, Malawi, to kick-start the 10th cycle of Afrobarometer surveys. Word by word, phrase by phrase, and sentence by sentence, the Afrobarometer team scrutinised dozens of questions as part of a week-long process that started on 9 January. Afrobarometer (AB), a pan-African non-partisan research organisation, has provided, over the past two decades, reliable data to document African citizens experiences, evaluations, and aspirations on democracy, governance, and quality of life. The questionnaire committee meeting is important because it brings together the core Afrobarometer leadership and some senior advisers who provide a technical backstop to help us through the big-picture issues on the continen...

Daily Rendezvous  U.S.-based Symbion Power has been awarded the Makelele biogas block on Lake Kivu in the DRC, a move recognized as a step in the right direction for the country’s power sector   The Ministry of Hydrocarbons of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), under the leadership of H.E. Didier Budimbu Ntubuanga, has selected U.S. power engineering and construction firm, Symbion Power, as the winner of a tender for the development of the Makelele biogas project in Lake Kivu in the eastern part of the country. The project will include over $300 million in investment for the development of a 60MW gas-to-electricity system to connect consumers in Goma and the North and South of Kivu provinces via existing trading hubs. The African Energy Chamber (AEC), as the voice of the African energy sector, congratulates and strongly supports the DRC and H.E Didier Budimbu Ntubuanga for the milestone achieved, recognizing this development as a critical step to unlocking...

Daily Rendezvous  The inauguration ceremony of the 40,000-seater stadium took place a day in advance of the opening game of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) President Gianni Infantino was present for inauguration of the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers and met with the President of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune; Mr Infantino also held meetings with the Presidents of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Algerian Football Association (FAF); Algeria set to host the African Nations Championship from 13 January to 4 February 2023. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has completed a day of engagements in Algeria, which included the inauguration ceremony to officially open the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers – and a meeting with the President of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune. There are important developments taking place across Algerian football “There are important developments taking place across Algerian football, not least the opening of the Nelson Man...

Daily Rendezvous A bizarre road accident has claimed the life of a out 16 people and left about 83 people injured in the suburbs of plateau. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) had confirmed that at least 16 persons died and 83 others have sustained various degrees of injury in a truck accident involving PDP supporters in Plateau. The FRSC said that the truck was conveying 99 supporters of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) when it crashed on Saturday evening at Jwak, Panyam District of Mangu Local Government Area of the state. Longsan, Peter, the FRSC Public Enlightenment Officer in Plateau, disclosed this in statement on Sunday in Jos. The reports that the PDP supporters were returning from the party’s zonal rally held in Pankshin. ”It was a lone crash involving a truck conveying people from a political campaign rally of the PDP. ”99 people were involved, 16 people, mainly adult males were killed in the crash, while 83 sustained various degrees of injury. ”The unfor...

Daily Rendezvous  - Challenges Other Politicians to Emulate his People Centred Leadership  Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State has called on other polliticns in the state to emulate the people-oriented programmes of Senator Binos Dauda Yaroe, especially in the area of free medical outreach which improved the wellbeing of the inhabitants across nine (9) Local Government Areas of Adamawa South Senatorial District for the past three-and-half years. Urging the politicians shortly after going round wards to see patients that received free medical treatment at the closing ceremony of the 9th Mega Medical Outreach sponsored by the People's Senator held at LCCN Health Referral Centre in Demsa LGA on Friday, the Governor streesd the need for the political class to see the need to embark on programmes that would impact positively on the masses. Governor Fintiri pointed out that he was proud of Senator Binos for his commitment and detrminnation to enhan...

Daily Rendezvous  The Presiding Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has condemned Bola Ahmed Tinubu's ‘emi lo kan’ kind of politics, saying politicians who lay claim to entitlements and practice such are intolerant. Bakare made the remarks, Sunday during a state of the nation broadcast at his church auditorium in Ikeja, Lagos. Pst. Bakare said, the term ’emi lo kan’ which means ‘it is my turn’ in Yoruba language was made popular by the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, who used it to canvass for votes in Abeokuta, Ogun State in the build up to his party’s primary election last June. Speaking on the broadcast titled ‘Bridging The Gap Between Politics and Governance,’ Bakare highlighted politics of division, deception, manipulation, merchandise, exploitation, betrayal, slander, intimidation, elimination, and entitlement as bad forms of politics. Explaining the politics of entitlement further, the clergy who was also a 2023 presiden...

Daily Rendezvous  United Nations (UN) Report Calls for Re-thinking Social Protection as the World Ages  With the number of people aged 65 and over projected to more than double by the middle of the century, the rights and well-being of older persons must be prioritized in efforts to achieve a sustainable future, the UN said in a new report launched on Thursday   The World Social Report 2023 calls for concrete measures to support the greying global population, amidst escalating pension and healthcare costs.  Population ageing is a defining global trend of our time, according to the study, published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).   Countries can reap the benefits by giving everyone the chance to grow older in good health by promoting equal opportunities from birth.  “Together, we can address today’s inequalities for the benefit of tomorrow’s generations, managing the challenges and capitalizing on the opportunitie...