Category: General

Huawei Telecommunication Technologies on Friday launched the Seeds for the Future Programme at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Windhoek.

At the ceremony, Huawei’s Public Relations Manager Micheal Namoongo said 25 students in total will benefit from the online programme which takes place from 21 August to 28 August.

The students are from the International University of Management (IUM), University of Namibia (UNAM) and NUST.

“The students will obtain valuable cutting-edge ICT knowledge developed by Huawei’s headquarters and experience cross-cultural communication virtually,” he said.

Justina Mateus from NUST said she is honoured to have been chosen to participate.

“I believe it is a good opportunity to develop my knowledge in general, as well as my ICT skills,” Mateus said.

At the same event, NUST Vice Chancellor Professor Erold Naomab stated that the programme is the result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by NUST and Huawei a year ago.

He said it will expose students to the next level of their studies with the aid of ICT.

At the same event, Huawei Managing Director, Micheal Zhang, stated that the programme will offer rich experiences in learning with other countries and that hopefully next year, more than 25 students will benefit from the programme.

“We believe in you and by sharing expertise, we will be able to prepare you for the future as you play an important role for the future,” Zhang said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Swapo Party Kunene regional leadership has concluded its district conferences to elect office bearers.

The conferences were held in all seven districts of Sesfontein, Pupa, Opuwo Rural, Outjo, Opuwo Urban, Khorixas and Kamanjab from 05 to 13 August and elected coordinators, treasurers, and district mobilisers.

Announcing the outcome of the conferences here Thursday, Swapo’s regional administrator Emily Ndjiluwa said the conferences took place as provided for by Article 43 (10) of the Swapo Party constitution and in accordance with Sections 23 and 26 of the party rules and procedures for the election of party office bearers and party representatives at legislature and government level.

Ndjiluwa said Kephas Itaratjike was elected as Sesfontein district coordinator, while Uaanatjo Kakuva will head the Opuwo Rural district and Steven Tjambiru will serve as the Epupa district coordinator.

Former Opuwo town councillor Willemia Nashihua was elected as coordinator for Opuwo Urban, while Outjo voted for Ellis Geriseb. Hanna Lewe will oversee the district of Kamanjab.

Paulina Haragaes (Sesfontein); Lilia Kakori Kandetu (Opuwo Rural); Victorino Simon (Opuwo Urban); Paladia Augustinho (Epupa); Stella!Ganes (Khorixas); Issai Katambo (Outjo); and Pinehas Hashonadali (Kamanjab) were appointed as mobilisers for their respective districts.

For the role of treasurer, Sesfontein chose Johannes Gawaseb, Opuwo Rural chose Kanjandere Kaee, and Koos Kakuva was chosen unopposed in Opuwo Urban. Immanuel Korukuve was chosen as treasurer of the Epupa district, while Laurence Kandundu will be in charge of Outjo’s district finances. In the Khorixas and Kamanjab districts, Emmanuel //Khamuseb and Bianca Nguaiko ran unopposed for treasurer, respectively.

Also speaking at the press briefing, Swapo’s Kunene regional coordinator Julius Kaujova noted that congresses and conferences are organs and instruments used by the party to examine and analyse successes and achievements for a given time and offer new methods for future delivery.

Kaujova, however, stated that the results of the party’s congresses have left the party more divided, with some members threatening to leave or leaving the party after losing at congresses.

He maintained that the party suffered in the previous elections because of some of its members’ inability to accept defeat at such conferences.

“The attitude of not accepting outcomes cost us dearly in the past and I hope we are not going to experience such attitudes now that we have successfully completed all seven district conferences,” noted Kaujova.

He furthermore urged party members to unite ahead of the elections next year, saying that opposition parties are joining forces and political efforts and strategies to overpower the ruling party, therefore, “we need to be vigilant and stand united more than ever before.”

The returning officers for the just-concluded exercises were Marius Sheya and Titus Rungondo.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

National Youth Council (NYC) ||Kharas regional coordinator, Brandy Lufuma has said the youth self-employment horticulture project at Keetmanshoop still has the potential to address unemployment and food security in the town once it expands.

Launched by Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service, Agnes Tjongarero nearly three years ago, the project has been unable to increase its volume to address the issue of unemployment among the youth and food security.

The project is aimed at ensuring food security and increasing productivity, skills enhancement, and generating income for youth in peri-urban and rural areas, by testing cost-effective and scalable market-based solutions to strengthen micro-entrepreneurship opportunities.

In an interview with Nampa recently, Lufuma said currently cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, spring onions, red onion and chillies are planted in the garden and it is managed by four young volunteers.

According to her once expanded, the project could supply the inhabitants of Keetmanshoop and the region, however, the expansion is hindered by factors such as illegal harvesting by community members.

“This project will be successful if community members do not illegally harvest from our garden. When they see it’s green, they come at night and harvest, because they can see through the net,” she said.

Lufuma further noted that earlier this year when the group harvested their yield, they discovered that the soil in the garden was deteriorating. A decision was made to replace the soil, which involved removing the existing sand to expose it to sunlight for vitamin D replenishment.

“We also got new black bags and seeds from head office so we planted new plants and we implemented pest control measures,” said Lufuma.

Lufuma anticipates a harvest within the next month and said any profits generated from sales would directly benefit the volunteers. Even in scenarios where produce remains unsold, the yield would be distributed among the volunteers to promote self-sustainability.

The Ministry of Sport through its subsidiaries, the National Youth Service (NYS) and National Youth Council (NYC) availed N.dollars 1 million to set up greenhouses for horticultural production in all 14 regions.

NYS set up the greenhouse structure while NYC is responsible for the green scheme and overseeing the agricultural production.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Frequent road accidents and traffic jam in Cameroon are results of the deplorable states of the road networks in Cameroon.

Speaking to a civil engineering expert, Manchou Charles, on why Cameroonian roads are this bad and short lived after maintenance works, he said “corruption and bad faith on the part of those giving out the contracts, those receiving and supervising the execution of road construction projects cannot be ignored. People sit in their offices and award contracts to their friends , deducing the budget. For instance, if a project is worth FCFA 100 Million, they will deduct like FCFA 40 Million and give just F CFA 60 million to the contractor to execute it. It is obvious the result will be poor job done.”

According to Manchou Charles, this is why low quality materials are purchased to execute the projects.

“Tell me how the road will last long. The contractor will not remove money from his pocket to complete what he has been given to afford good quality materials. He will do the job with what has been handed to him.”

He added that “such tar is usually thin in thickness and will fast degrade when heavy trucks move on it. That is the case we have in Douala for example, whose landscape is clay and sand.”

Poor soil treatment, untrained individuals and the population according to him have contributed to road degradation in Cameroon.

“Low skilled or untrained persons are employed as road construction engineers. They don’t even treat the soil properly before tarring with the low quality materials purchased. It is obvious the road will degrade in just few weeks. The situation is worsened by burning of garbage on the tar which weakens the binding substances . When the population also block drainage channels, water overflows on the tar especially during the rainy season causing degradation. That is common in Douala.”

Manchou Charles prescribes the use of pavements as a veritable solution to to the poor roads seen in Douala and other communities in Cameroon.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Police agents have opened investigations into the unexplained death of a 2-year-old boy in Bissiang, a vicinity situated 16km away from Kribi in the Ocean division of the South region.

Onlookers suspect the kid found in a bush may have been murdered by his own mother.

“That night, I stayed up late waiting for her in vain. Just to hear her scream early the next day that her son had disappeared… I helped in the search but all efforts were futile,” a neighbor explained.

Another neighbor attests to seeing the mother and child a day before the sad discovery:

“She came to my house with the child we all are rice that I cooked. Then she put the baby to sleep before telling me she could not go back to her house because her child wants to kill her. She declared that the child is possessed. “

The mother’s whereabouts is not known yet but it is alleged she had been tormenting her son ever since she joined a church four days before the death of the latter. Reports on the ground say after a deliverance session which went wrong, the mother had been spreading sand and salt on her kid, with countless incantations calling her child a demon.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Few weeks to the start of a new academic year, parents and students are already making preparations and no one wants to be left behind. Some parents have complained about the high cost of living which they say is affecting their purchase of some school items at the moment.

“Things are really hard now, I am just trying to get what I can for the moment. I have not yet registered my children. I am waiting for month end to see what I can do to make sure they start school on time,” a parent said.

“As a parent, I use the whole year to prepare for the next school. So when it’s already almost reopening like this, I do not have much stress. I have already paid my child’s fees for the whole academic year. I always prefer to do this so that I do not have much stress throughout the year,” another parent stated.

Some complain of the rise in school fees by some proprietors making it difficult for them

“This year I have decided to change my children’s schools to a new one. The former school in which they were last year, the fees have been increased from 65,000 to 80,000. I want to take them to a school that will be up to what I can afford,” the parent explained.

The new academic year begins on September 4.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Militants of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) party have been asked to show prove of zeal and love for the party by raising funds for the day-to-day running of the party. The message is contained in letter from the Party’s National President, Maurice Kamto dated August 17, 2023 to regional, divisional and communal secretaries of the CRM, as well as members and supporters.

The letter reveals that the CRM party has been undergoing financial difficulties since the detention of its militants in 2019 by the current regime.

“Since the creation of our party, we have been facing difficulties and challenges, which have always pushed us to spend considerable sums to resolve them,” a section of Kamto’s letter reads.

According to the CRM President, the party has been spending huge sums every week to support their members who have been in detention since 2019. Apart from these above-mentioned expenditures, the party’s permanent secretariat and headquarters incure monthly operating costs for their security, water and electricity consumption.

“Our party’s third ordinary convention comes up in 3 and a half months which implies everyone’s special contribution” Kamto reminds them in a part of the letter.

It should be recalled that in the aftermath of the 2018 presidential elections in Cameroon, some of the party’s supporters were arrested after they organized a march to protest election results.

Source: Cameroon News Agency