Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | African Union officials said Thursday the continent is struggling to compete with rich countries for testing kits and other equipment necessary to curb the spread of the coronavirus. “We need aid for testing equipment,” Kwesi Quartey, the deputy chair of the African Union Commission, told …
Read More »As rich nations battle COVID-19, anxiety grows for low-income states
Paris, France | AFP | As Europe and the United States struggle to contain the coronavirus pandemic, aid groups warn that without measures millions could die in low-income countries and war zones such as Syria and Yemen, where hygiene conditions are already dire. The outbreak has infected some 580,000 people …
Read More »African leaders grapple with failure to ‘silence the guns’
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Seven years ago, amid extravagant celebrations marking the African Union’s 50th anniversary, the continent’s heads of state declared they would “end all wars in Africa by 2020.” But as leaders travel to Addis Ababa this weekend for the latest summit of the 55-member bloc — …
Read More »Cabinet approves signing of several air service agreements
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda will be signing several bilateral air service agreements with different countries, a move that would give her access to the air space of more countries. According to a brief on Tuesday of what transpired in cabinet, “the agreements will put Uganda at equal legal …
Read More »Experts ask AU countries to address refugee crisis
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Experts at the Kampala African Union Judicial Convention have asked members states to address worsening refugees’ crisis in the continent. They said there is urgent need for a joint continental policy for addressing economic, security and political issues causing clandestine migration crisis in the continent. …
Read More »AU Court questions Uganda’s commitment to African human rights protocol
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The African Union has questioned Uganda’s commitment to the protocol establishing the African Court on Human and People’s Rights. Uganda, which is hosting the fourth African Union Judicial Dialogue at Speke Resort Munyonyo, is not signatory to the declaration required under Article 34(6) of the …
Read More »AU cuts Pan African Parliament budget by US$4 million
MIDRAND, SOUTH AFRICA The African Union (AU) has slashed the Pan African Parliament budget for the 2020 financial year by US$4 million. Although the PAP had requested and passed a budget of US$20,798,521 during its May 2019 plenary sitting in South Africa, US$16,408,177 was approved by the Executive Council of the …
Read More »AU slashes Pan African Parliament budget by USD 4m
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The African Union (AU) has slashed the Pan African Parliament (PAP) budget for the 2020 financial year by US Dollars 4 million. Although the PAP had requested and passed a budget of US Dollars 20.79 million during its May 2019 plenary sitting in South …
Read More »Pan African parliament approves model law on police
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Pan African Parliament (PAP) has approved a model law intended to transform the Police services in Africa from what they termed as oppressive to one that respects and promotes democracy and peoples rights. PAP which brings together five legislators from each of the …
Read More »Audit committee exposes irregularities at Pan African parliament
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | An Audit Committee has exposed irregularities in the operations of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) and asked the Bureau, the top administrative unit to urgently resolve the cases. The Committee on Audit and Public Accounts (CAPA) observes that the non-compliance of PAP with the …
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