Connect with us

Metro

Dakar, Senegal, hosts 9th World Water Forum, the first in sub-saharan Africa

Published

on

The 9th edition of the World Water Forum is currently holding in Dakar, Senegal, the first time the world’s biggest water-related event will be hosted in sub-saharan African.

The event which kicked off on March 22 to March 27, holds every three years to bring together key political actors, business leaders, NGOs, donors, and international organizations to promote dialogue and facilitate access to water and sanitation.

The theme for this year’s Forum, “Water Security for Peace and Development”, is jointly organized by the World Water Council (WWC), the World Bank and the Government of Senegal, according to website of the World Water Council (WWC).

“The Forum provides a unique platform for the water community and key decision makers to collaborate and make long-term progress on global water challenges.

“From 22-27 March 2022, participants from every horizon, including political and economic decision-makers, multilateral institutions, academia, civil society and the private sector will gather in Dakar, Senegal for the 9th World Water Forum,” the WWC said.

The epoch making event which is coming to Africa for the very first time, is quite significant as the organisers hope it will help build upon previous World Water Forums “through an innovative framework, seek to identify, promote and implement concrete responses and actions for water and sanitation in an integrated way.

“The 9th World Water Forum will focus on four priorities: 1) water security and sanitation; 2) cooperation; 3) water for rural development; 4) means and tools for implementation of reforms in water and sanitation.

“Additionally, the Forum will convene a Summit of Heads of States and major international institutions, to advance the political agenda on water and sanitation at the midpoint of the 2030 agenda on implementing the water and sanitation targets and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” it added.

Metro

Zambia: Minister confirms search for at least 25 miners after Seseli Mine mudslide 

Published

on

Zambian Mines Minister, Paul Kabuswe, said on Monday that a search was still on for at least 25 informal miners buried alive three days ago by a mudslide at an open-pit copper mine.

The soft ground is making the rescue workers, who included military personnel and others from large-scale mining companies, cautious, which has been slowing down the operation, according to Kabuswe.

“We must be mindful that we shouldn’t have an accident within another accident,” Kabuswe said.

According to the government, the Seseli Mine in Chingola, approximately 400 km (250 miles) northwest of the capital Lusaka, was flooded by heavy rains, trapping the miners in three different locations.

Zambia is Africa’s second-biggest producer of copper, which is in high demand for the transition to a low-carbon economy, and its government currently aims to boost the country’s copper production to 3 million tonnes a year by 2032, from around 850,000 metric tonnes last year. It has also witnessed a high degree of mining accidents

A week earlier, Canada’s First Quantum Minerals confirmed that two people died at its Zambian operations last week. The miner said a worker from its contracting partner, Reliant Drilling, died at First Quantum’s Kansanshi operations following a fall of ground due to an underground dewatering decline.

The number of trapped miners was not immediately known, but Kabuswe reported that 25 families had so far come forward to claim missing relatives who were employed at the mine as at the time of the accident.

Continue Reading

Metro

We are shocked at ex-President Lungu’s outbursts— Zambian Govt

Published

on

The Zambia government has expressed shock over the recent outburst by former President Edgar Lungu who accused incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema of doing everything possible to destroy democracy and install a dictatorship in the country.

While speaking at a press conference in Lusaka on Friday, Lungu had alleged that the Hichilema’s administration wanted to “kill democracy and subsequently introduce dictatorship in order to prolong their stay in power.”

He also alleged that all government institutions had been compromised and were being used to hound the opposition.

“All institutions of governance are heavily compromised, I want to repeat that all institutions of governance are highly compromised, you can not even talk about the Police, Registrar of Society, Judiciary, its a question of degree,” Lungu had said.

“Several opposition leaders have been arrested on trumped-up charges in order to silence them and are appearing in the courts of law. The interference can be seen from how they followed Harry Kalaba, Democratic Party, and now they have followed him to the Citizens First, Saboi Imboela’s National Democratic Congress has not been spared,” Lungu had added.

But in a response to the concerns raised by the ex-President, Chief Government spokesperson, Cornelius Mweetwa, said the federal government was surprised by the sentiments expressed by Lungu which it said amounted to advocating civil disobedience by the Zambian people.

In a statement on Saturday,
Mweetwa cautioned Lungu against over-stretching his luck but to “behave himself like a statesman.”

Mweetwa said that government was not happy that Lungu, who should enjoy a position of statesman, was reducing himself to below what was expected of him.

He also insisted that government had no intention of removing Lungu’s immunity as being peddled about in certain quarters.

“Sentiments by the former president that government wants to remove his immunity are unfounded. This is the resolve of president Hakainde Hichilema to ensure that there is unity and peace,” Mweetwa added.

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

VenturesNow12 hours ago

Botswana reforms policy on fresh-produce importation

Botswana is keen on extending and expanding restrictions on imports of some fresh produce, in its quest for food self-sufficiency....

Metro12 hours ago

Zambia: Minister confirms search for at least 25 miners after Seseli Mine mudslide 

Zambian Mines Minister, Paul Kabuswe, said on Monday that a search was still on for at least 25 informal miners...

VenturesNow13 hours ago

Court suspends Kenyan govt’s public assets privatization drive

The Kenyan government’s plan to begin fresh privatisation under a modified law was suspended by the court in a hearing...

Sports16 hours ago

CAF launches research centre to develop African football

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced launching a research centre aimed at assisting member associations with the development...

Tech16 hours ago

Egyptian property startup Partment expands into Greece

Egyptian-run property startup, Partment, has taken its expansion drive beyond the continent by establishing a presence in Greece, following a...

Culture16 hours ago

Spotify names Asake most-streamed artiste in Nigeria in 2023

Nigerian Afrobeats sensation, Ahmed Ololade, popularly known as Asake, has been named as the most streamed musician in Nigeria in...

VenturesNow17 hours ago

Nigeria to disburse subsidy removal support fund to SMEs

The Nigerian government plans the disbursement of funds to small and medium-scale businesses under its Presidential Palliative Programme targeted at...

Metro22 hours ago

We are shocked at ex-President Lungu’s outbursts— Zambian Govt

The Zambia government has expressed shock over the recent outburst by former President Edgar Lungu who accused incumbent President Hakainde...

Metro24 hours ago

US envoy confirms 180,000 Nigerians interviewed for US visa in 2023

The Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Nigeria, David Greene, has revealed that in the year 2023 alone,...

Behind the News2 days ago

Behind the News: All the backstories to our major news this week

Over the past week, there were many important stories from around the African continent, and we served you some of...

Trending