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The Ministry Of Health hereby informs the general public that, the Variant strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus first detected in the United Kingdom has been identified during sequencing in positive specimens at the National Public Health Laboratory Services. public may note that, this new strain of the virus has been found in other countries namely, South Africa and Brazil, and may continue to be found in any other country.

In The Gambia, the discovery of this variant does not until now change our current public health strategies and recommendations. The fact that the variant strain is thought to be more contagious, than the viral strains currently in wide circulation calls for reinforcing the importance of wearing a mask, social distancing outside homes and quarantining of people exposed to positive cases.
It may be noted that, whist it has been found difficult to know whether one has new strain, preliminary studies have indicated that, the COVID 19 Vaccines currently deweloped and used in some countries are effective against the variant strain. It is therefore important to protect ourselves and others by adhering to the measures instituted by Health officials.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in collaboration with Medical Research Council and London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in The Gambia will continue to collect and isolate for the common COVID 19, the new variant and any other form of strain by strict observance of standard procedures. The two designated and accredited Laboratories in &#8220;The Gambia have been screening COVID 19 virus using an effective sequencing&#8221;.
The Ministry of Health assures the general public that, COVID 19 tests conducted in The Gambia by the National Public Health Laboratory and the Medical Research Council and London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in The Gambia are effective and safe, thus urge all to utilize for these two facilities for testing and certification of COVID 19 samples. The public is further encouraged to call the Ministry of Health Toll-Free Number 1025 for other related information..
In conclusion, the Ministry of Health is soliciting the continuous support and cooperation of the general public in its efforts to contain COVID-19 and also in addressing all health care needs of the population.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, The Gambia.

Coronavirus – Gambia: The variant strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus first detected in the United Kingdom has been identified during sequencing in positive specimens at the National Public Health Laboratory Services

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His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has launched the Sierra Leone health village and turned the sod for the construction of an ultra-modern general hospital at Kerry Town, Western Rural District.

“I am informed that per the MOU, EASI Trading Limited will build a 150-bed general Hospital that will provide such diagnostic imaging services such as Endoscopy, X-Ray, MRI and CT Scan. This project will also construct 40 flats for Doctors, 50 rooms for Nurses, a training facility for medical, nursing and other allied health professionals, and a 36-room building for people accompanying patients. At the same time, the project will create a minimum of 200 local jobs in the Kerry Town area,” he said.

President Bio also noted emphasised that they were following through on their New Direction Manifesto promise and the Medium-Term National Development Plan to increase affordable access to quality healthcare service delivery.

He added that that goal also aligned with a central plank of their human capital development priorities – access to quality healthcare, and the Sustainable Development Goal 3 on delivering good health and well-being to Sierra Leoneans. 

President Bio said his government had been able to continue to deliver increased care for other diseases even through the COVID-19 pandemic because of their well-considered and scalable investments in the healthcare system over the last two years.

He recalled that for healthcare infrastructure, they had commissioned 380 beds in four new hospitals in Kailahun, Hangha, Rokupa, and at the King Harman Road, adding that they had also commenced the construction of 360 beds in 3 facilities in Jojoima in the Kailahun district, Lower Banta and Upper Banta Chiefdoms in Moyamba district, and 100 additional beds at the 34 Military Hospital in Freetown.

“We have recruited and trained nearly 6,000 additional healthcare workers, improved their conditions of service, and provided diagnostic laboratories in all district hospitals. The 2019 Demographic Health Survey (DHS) shows better health outcomes for Sierra Leoneans with a 39% reduction in maternal mortality and a 19% reduction in infant mortality. We may not be where we want to be, but we are determined to continue to give our best,” he assured.

Team Lead, Health and Education UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, Penny Walker-Robertson, commended government leadership for making this a priority.

“We believe we will see much more progress in the coming years. The opening of this health village is an opportunity to reflect some reforms and how this centre can contribute to the overall ambition for universal health coverage. We stand ready to partner with you,” she assured.   

Minister of Health and Sanitation, Prof. Alpha Tejan Wurie, said what people saw with the health village was the tip of the iceberg within the health sector, adding that the President had gone to tell the people about the provision of tertiary service.

“You have been informed about the 150-bed hospital that will have 40 flats for doctors, 50 rooms for some of the nurses at work and will also have a hostel facility for those that accompany the sick.

“So, let us look at the services that we are going to get from this. Today, we send people out for paediatric service but more importantly for oncology service and also for cardiovascular service. We do hope that this facility will now have a reversal, in the sense that rather than Sierra Leoneans go out to access services, people will come into this country to access services,” he said.
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Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio launches the Sierra Leone Health Village, turns Sod for the Construction of Ultra-Modern General Hospital at Kerry Town

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With Tropical Storm Eloise expected to make landfall in Central Mozambique early tomorrow (23 January), the Red Cross is warning of the potential for major damage and displacement.

Tropical Storm Eloise is predicted to make landfall in Sofala Province, about 20km north of the city of Beira that bore the brunt of Cyclone Idai in March 2019. The Red Cross has activated teams of volunteers to support evacuation and preparation efforts.
Gorkhmaz Huseynov, IFRC’s head of country office in Mozambique, said:
“We are worried about the safety of over 1 million people in high-risk areas. Mozambique Red Cross teams are on high alert and have already prepositioned emergency relief items in the landfall area. They are already providing water, sanitation, hygiene and health services to families in temporary accommodation centres.”
Tropical Storm Eloise is predicted to turn into a category one cyclone with winds between 110km per hour and 185km per hour.
Heavy rains will be felt on the coast of Zambezia, Sofala and Inhambane provinces from this evening (22 of January).
The cyclone is forecast to cross central Mozambique with considerable strength and potential for widespread floods. It is expected to decrease in intensity as it crosses southern Zimbabwe and South Africa.
IFRC’s Huseynov said:
“Ahead of the landfall, Mozambique Red Cross staff and volunteers—in collaboration with partners—have shared early warning messages to communities in the path of the cyclone in order to minimise the impact of the cyclone. As a result, many families moved to safer areas, where they are receiving support from our teams.”
Mozambique is prone to cyclones and tropical storms which can lead to flash flooding, hundreds of deaths, and massive destruction of property and crops. Eloise is expected to strike areas that have been devastated by previous cyclones, including Cyclone Idai.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Devastation feared as Eloise approaches Mozambique

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Daily: Laboratory test: 4,951 Severe cases: 227 New recovered: 507 New deaths: 3 New cases: 555

Total: Laboratory test: 1,908,533 Active cases: 12,306 Total recovered: 118,513 Total deaths: 2,060 Total cases: 132,881
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Coronavirus – Ethiopia: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

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Total cases: 12,443 (+273) Recovered: 8,184 (+211) | 65.7% Active cases: 4,094 Tests: 817,800 (+4,857) Deaths: 165 (+3) | 1.3% Test positivity rate: 5.6%
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Coronavirus – Rwanda: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

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Health Minister Lizzie Nkosi announces 17 new COVID-19 deaths in Eswatini, taking total deaths to 458. &#8220;May their souls rest in peace.&#8221;

New cases: 202 Total cases: 14 219
Active cases: 4597
New recoveries: 140 Total recoveries: 8962
New deaths: 17 Total deaths: 458
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini.

Coronavirus – Eswatini: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

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As at 22 January 2021, Zimbabwe had 30 523 confirmed cases, including 21 080 recoveries and 962 deaths.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health and Child Care, Zimbabwe.

Coronavirus – Zimbabwe: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

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New cases: 1,316 Total active cases: 10,302 Lost to follow-up: 134 Total number of tests conducted: 121,620 (3,108 new) Total confirmed cases: 17,365 Total recovered: 6,408 (95 new) Outcome under investigation: 76 Total deaths: 445 (49* new)
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Coronavirus – Malawi: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

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A SEQUENCE of letters preceding an upcoming summit by the western affiliate of the continental mother body further exposes a thickening plot to turn the Confederation of African Football (CAF) into a private fiefdom of its western subsidiary.

This comes as the besieged confederation heads for elections to choose its new president on Saturday (today).

Hot on the heels of CAF employing tactics denounced as devious, to frustrate aspirants from outside the West from contesting for the top body, the association is using the West African Football Union (WAFU) to push the agenda.

WAFU thus is obligingly throwing spanners in the works of the sole CAF presidential candidate from Southern Africa, Patrice Motsepe, the president of South African multiple champions, Mamelodi Sundowns.

The odds, thanks to the goings-on at CAF, are already heavily stacked against Motsepe even before the regional meeting starts in Praia, the Cape Verde capital, on Saturday

Letters gleaned by CAJ News Africa expose CAF’s old guards of Ahmad’s administration scheming wicked tactics to bar Motsepe from attending the West African football indaba.

This is at the expense of CAF’s preferred candidates – Augustin Emmanuel Senghor, who is the Senegal Football Federation president, and Jacques Bernard Daniel Anouma, the honorary President of the Ivorian Football Federation.

The manoeuvres by WAFU came days before its A Zone holds an Ordinary General Assembly at the weekend.

This meeting is the precursor to the CAF 43rd Elective Ordinary General Assembly March 12 set for Rabat, Morocco where a new president will be elected.

WAFU A’s assembly offers a platform for the candidates aspiring for the CAF presidency, to replace the beleaguered Madagascan Ahmad Ahmad, to present their manifestos to the body of voters.

Hence, all four candidates – Anouma, Motsepe, Senghor and Ahmed Yahya, a businessman who is President of the Mauritanian Football Federation – were invited to address the nine federations that make up WAFU’s Zone A.

These are Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania (also a member of the Union of Arab Football Associations), Senegal and Sierra Leone.

CAJ News Africa saw one such invitation letter (dated January 18), addressed from Gambia by WAFU zonal executive director, Gerson Sena de Melo, to Motsepe.

De Melo discloses that on the agenda of the general assembly would be a session where CAF presidential candidates would be afforded an opportunity to “present their proposal for an electoral platform, during 10 minutes.”

Apparently, fearful of the mileage such a platform this could provide to Motsepe, the invitation has been revoked at the last-minute, through a letter dated January 20.

It is strongly believed Zone A president, the Guinean Antonio Souare, ordered the revocation under Senghor’s demands.

Senghor served eight years as WAFU A president, before Soure was elected to succeed him.

These manouvres fly in the face of attempts to democratise the administration of football in the underachieving African continent.

De Melo attributed the withdrawal of the invitation to his “superior’s request.”

“At the superior’s request, we inform you that the invitation for Dr Patrice Motsepe, to attend the WAFU A Ordinary General Assembly becomes void,” read a letter de Melo addressed to Motsepe’s aide, Angelique Grieve.

“Please accept our sincere apologies for any constraints caused. Aware of your understanding, please accept our greetings,” the letter cryptically ends.

In order for the revocation to seem impartial, Anouma’s invitation has also been revoked.

Anouma’s federation falls under the seven-member WAFU Zone B.

Yahya’s participation at the Zone A indaba is retained by virtue of his federation being a member of the zone.

However, it is mostly the revocation of Motsepe’s that has been most noticeable as he has emerged Senghor’s biggest threat to the position, and by extension, that of West Africa’s plans to maintain a monopoly.

Besides the snub by WAFU, Motsepe, alongside Yahya, still has to contend with controversial, so-called additional checks by the CAF Governance Committee, led by its President, Michel Kizito Brizoua-Bi.

The same committee endorsed the candidatures of the old guard Anouma and Senghor, following a meeting in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on January 5 and 6.

The committee is scheduled to rule on the candidature of Motsepe and Yahya on January 28.

This has raised eyebrows that the checks are a ruse by CAF to block the pair’s participation and preserve the status quo.

Motsepe is the sole candidate of the Council of Southern African Football Association (COSAFA), which despite having the same number of affiliates as WAFU of CAF’s five subsidiaries, has always played second fiddle to its western rival in the field or the boardroom.

Motsepe seems undeterred by the CAF and WAFU snub.

He has intensified his campaign and last week took the crusade to the ongoing African Nations Championship in Cameroon.

According to his team, he is consolidating his campaign within COSAFA and launching a foray into the 12-member Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA).

The new president of the Egyptian-headquartered CAF must redeem the image of the 56-member continental body after the controversy-prone era of Ahmad.

His reign as seventh leader of the organisation came to a hasty end after the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) handed him a five-year ban for financial misconduct last November.

– CAJ News

Read the article: https://bit.ly/3c4v52d
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of CAJ News Africa.

Football: Ahmad’s old guards maintain West’s stranglehold on Confederation of African Football (CAF)

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1483 new cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria;

Kaduna-545 FCT-235 Plateau-127 Nasarawa-80 Oyo-72 Delta-65 Rivers-64 Kano-46 Ogun-46 Bayelsa-30 Gombe-30 Abia-28 Osun-27 Edo-25 Ondo-14 Sokoto-12 Zamfara-10 Bauchi-8 Imo-5 Jigawa-4 Ekiti-4 Borno-4 Niger-2
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Coronavirus – Nigeria: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

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As of 22 Jan 2021, in the last 24 hrs, we recorded 1,120 new cases (out of 9,809 tests), 1,145 recoveries and 13 new deaths [MTSRIP].
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Coronavirus – Zambia: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

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139 people have tested positive to the disease, out of a sample size of 5,487 tested in the last 24 hours. The total confirmed positive cases are now 99,769. The cumulative tests so far conducted are 1,148,030. From the cases 119 are Kenyans while 20 are foreigners.

County distribution; Nairobi 81, Mombasa 13, Turkana 11, Kwale 3, Laikipia 3, Isiolo 2, Nakuru 2, Bomet 2, Trans Nzoia 2, Nyeri 2, Migori 2, Nandi 1, Nyamira 1, Nyandarua 1, Murang’a 1, Taita Taveta 1, Busia 1, Embu 1, Kiambu 1, Kisumu 1, Kajiado 1, Kericho 1, Siaya 1, Kitui 1, Machakos 1, Kilifi 1, and West Pokot 1.

137 patients have recovered from the disease. 110 are from our various facilities and 27 from the Home-Based Isolation and Care. Total recoveries now stand at 82,866. 1 patient has succumbed to the disease pushing our fatality to 1,740.

577 patients admitted in various health facilities countrywide, while 1,553 are on Home Based Isolation and Care. 27 patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 16 of whom are on ventilatory support and 10 on supplemental oxygen. 1 patient is under observation.

15 patients are separately on supplementary oxygen with 10 of them in the general wards. 5 patients are in the High Dependency Unit.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Kenya.

Coronavirus – Kenya: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

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Roughly 160 International Organization for Migration (IOM) staff in central Mozambique are working to prepare local communities for the imminent arrival of Cyclone Eloise, which is currently packing winds of at least 150 km/h.

“The people are scared,” said Cesaltino Vilanculo, an IOM Mobile team leader in the provincial capital Beira, who helped hundreds of families evacuate from unsafe temporary settlements to two accommodation centers.
“The water is rising in their zones and people are frightened, bracing for yet another storm.”  
Eloise is expected to make landfall in Beira late Friday or early Saturday. By mid-afternoon today shops across the city are closed and flooded streets, empty.
IOM personnel will be ready to respond immediately with specialists in camp coordination and management, shelter, the distribution of non-food items, health and protection services and data mapping under IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM). 
The Port of Beira is set to close on Friday for a period of about 40 hours in expectation of dangerous winds and rain from the afternoon of 22 January through the morning of 24 January. Beira is the main entry point for goods bound for north coastal Mozambique. 
A limited supply of emergency non-food items had been stockpiled in Beira, including tarps and water tanks. However, resources are stretched, as IOM is actively responding to the crisis across Northern Mozambique. 
At the same time, over 900 people are already displaced in Beira City due to recent heavy rains and the impact of Tropical Storm Chalane, which hit nearby Sofala Province on 30 December. 
“The government is working, identifying the safe places to bring the people who are most vulnerable,” explained Aida Temba, a protection project assistant with IOM Mozambique.
“The rain is coming, and the water is rising and it’s not easy to reach all the people who need assistance. But we do our best to respond.” 
Hundreds of families were evacuated to two accommodation centres, sheltered in tents provided by Mozambique’s National Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (INGD). One accommodation center was today closed, in favor of moving families to schools, which provide more stable structure. Those families’ needs include food, potable water, hygiene kits and soap. 
IOM Mozambique also has reported that due to heavy rainfall and the discharge of water from the Chicamba dam and the Mavuzi reservoir—both in the Buzi District west of Beira—over 19,000 people have been affected and hundreds are being moved to accommodation centers. Their needs include food, hygiene kits, and COVID-19 prevention materials. 
IOM staff are supporting the Government of Mozambique with the movements in both Beira and Buzi and actively working to improve drainage ways in resettlement sites in preparation for further rains.
IOM’s DTM, working jointly with Mozambique’s INGD, is poised to produce a report on displacement and damages within the first 72 hours of the cyclone’s arrival.  
Tropical storms historically are common in these early months of rainy season. Cyclone Idai struck the country in March 2019. It is considered one of the worst tropical cyclones to hit Africa on record, claiming hundreds of lives, and affecting three million people across wide swaths of Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi and Zimbabwe. A second powerful storm, Cyclone Kenneth, hit Mozambique just weeks later. 
Total property damages from Cyclone Idai have been estimated at some USD2.2 billion. Almost two years later, roughly 100,000 people remain in resettlement sites, which also have been battered by the recent rains.
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Frightened Residents brace as Cyclone Eloise approaches Mozambique

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COVAX announced the signing of an advance purchase agreement for up to 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine; rollout to commence with successful execution of supply agreements; additionally, COVAX announced that, pending WHO emergency use listings, nearly 150 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford candidate are anticipated to be available in Q1 2021, via existing agreements with the Serum Institute of India (SII) and AstraZeneca; COVAX is therefore on track to deliver at least 2 billion doses by the end of the year, including at least 1.3 billion doses to 92 lower income economies in the Gavi COVAX AMC. 

Click here for the latest COVAX supply forecast
COVAX, the global initiative to ensure rapid and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, regardless of income level, today announced the signing of an advance purchase agreement with Pfizer for up to 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine candidate, which has already received WHO emergency use listing. Rollout will commence with the successful negotiation and execution of supply agreements.
In further support of its mission to expedite early availability of vaccines to lower-income countries and help bring a rapid end to the acute stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVAX also confirmed today that it will exercise an option – via an existing agreement with Serum Institute of India (SII) – to receive its first 100 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford University-developed vaccine manufactured by SII.
Of these first 100 million doses, the majority are earmarked for delivery in the first quarter of the year, pending WHO Emergency Use Listing. The WHO review process, which is currently underway, follows approval for restricted use in emergency situations by the Drugs Controller General of India earlier this month, and is a critical aspect of ensuring that any vaccine procured through COVAX is fully quality assured for international use. According to the latest WHO update, a decision on this vaccine candidate is anticipated by the middle of February.  
COVAX also anticipates that, via an existing agreement with AstraZeneca, at least 50 million further doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine will be available for delivery to COVAX participants in Q1 2021, pending emergency use listing by WHO of the COVAX-specific manufacturing network for these doses. A decision on this candidate is also anticipated by WHO in February. “Today marks another milestone for COVAX: pending regulatory approval for the AstraZeneca/Oxford candidate and pending the successful conclusion of the supply agreement for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, we anticipate being able to begin deliveries of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines by the end of February. This is not just significant for COVAX, it is a major step forward for equitable access to vaccines, and an essential part of the global effort to beat this pandemic. We will only be safe anywhere if we are safe everywhere,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which leads COVAX procurement and delivery.
Preparations, led by WHO, UNICEF and Gavi, are already well under way for COVAX to deliver vaccines to economies eligible for support via the COVAX AMC, with Gavi making US$ 150 million available from its core funding as initial, catalytic support for preparedness and delivery.
“The urgent and equitable rollout of vaccines is not just a moral imperative, it’s also a health security, strategic and economic imperative,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “This agreement with Pfizer will help to enable COVAX to save lives, stabilize health systems and drive the global economic recovery.”
Building on the work of the past months supporting country readiness efforts, a “Country Readiness Portal” will be launched by WHO this month, which will allow AMC participants to submit final national deployment and vaccination plans (NDVPs). This is a vital step before allocations can be made, to ensure that delivered doses are able to be effectively deployed and to identify where, if necessary, further support is needed.
“These purchase agreements open the door for these lifesaving vaccines to become available to people in the most vulnerable countries,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “But at the same time we are securing vaccines we must also ensure that countries are ready to receive them, deploy them, and build trust in them.”
The COVAX Facility intends to provide all 190 participating economies with an indicative allocation of doses by the end of this month. This indicative allocation will provide interim guidance to participants – offering a minimum planning scenario to enable preparations for the final allocation of the number of doses each participant will receive in the first rounds of vaccine distribution.
Supply update
COVAX now has agreements in place to access just over two billion doses of several promising vaccine candidates. Negotiations continue for further doses to be secured through existing R&#038;D agreements by COVAX co-lead the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), through evaluations of new products with promising results and through contributions from donors.
Based on this, COVAX anticipates being able to provide participating economies doses of safe and effective vaccines – enough to protect health care and other frontline workers as well as some high-risk individuals – beginning in Q1 2021. The aim is to protect at least 20% of each participating population by the end of the year – unless a participant has requested a lower percentage of doses. At least 1.3 billion of these doses will be made available to the 92 economies eligible for the Gavi COVAX AMC by the end of 2021.
To meet its goal of securing two billion safe and effective vaccines in 2021, COVAX has built a diverse portfolio of vaccine candidates which mitigates the risk of a product failing development, production or regulatory processes, and ensures availability of products suitable for various contexts and settings. This work will continue at pace to enable further supply of vaccines suitable for use across a wide range of populations and settings in 2021 and beyond.
“The progress in vaccine development so far has been extraordinary, and it is clear that we are now assembling the tools we need to bring the acute phase of the pandemic to an end. But we cannot afford to slow our efforts given the speed with which this pandemic continues to wreak havoc,” said Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI. “The emergence of new variants of COVID-19 puts into sharp focus the need for us to be one step ahead of the virus by continuing to invest in vaccine R&#038;D &#8211; specifically for next-generation vaccine candidates and to be ready for strain changes in existing vaccines &#8211; to ensure we have the tools to meet the needs of all populations in all countries for the long term.”
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO).

Coronavirus: COVAX announces new agreement, plans for first deliveries

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The Government of India has today gifted 50,000 doses of the COVISHIELD vaccine to Seychelles.  The consignment arrived this afternoon on a special Indian Navy Aircraft ‘Boeing P81’.

The Indian High Commissioner to Seychelles, H.E. General Dalbir Singh Suhag, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr. Sylvestre Radegonde, Minister for Health, Mrs. Peggy Vidot and Principal Secretary of Health, Dr. Bernard Valentin were all present for the occasion.
In a handing over ceremony which took place at the Seychelles International Airport, Minister Radegonde expressed his gratitude to the Government of India for the COVISHIELD vaccines.
“I would like to thank Dr. Jaishankar (Minister of External Affairs) for the prompt consideration of my request made earlier this month, and for the personal role he has played in ensuring the expeditious delivery of the vaccine to Seychelles. 
This kind gesture today further cements the ties of solidarity, friendship and cooperation which exists between our two countries,” expressed Minister Radegonde.
Minister Radegonde also noted that this generous donation from India will further reinforce the National Covid-19 Immunization Campaign that is already on the way in the country.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Seychelles.

Coronavirus – Seychelles: India gifts Seychelles with COVISHIELD vaccines

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New cases 333 Deaths: 1 Recoveries: 341 Hospitalized cases: 193 (27 in ICU)
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Coronavirus – Namibia: COVID-19 Update 22 January 2021

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 His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has embarked on an inspection tour of the stores of the Ministry of Agriculture that is housing about 2,410 agricultural implements and 410 tractors for the 2021 planting season.

In the 2018 New Direction Manifesto of the SLPP, the President emphasised that the overall goal of their agricultural policy was to sustain and diversify the production of food, increase investment in agriculture, develop and implement mechanised commercial farming to transform the traditional subsistence agricultural sector.

At the inspection site, east of Freetown, President Bio said his visit was to show that his government was serious about improving the agricultural sector and providing the enabling environment for farmers to exhibit and discover their true potentials.
“There has been constant grumbling about the lack of mechanisation in farming over the years. With these machines, it is now left with us a country to effectively utilise them to increase agricultural productivity for the years ahead,” he noted.

The Acting Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Dr Abubakar Karim, disclosed that all the 410 tractors and 2,410 farming implements would be distributed across the country by next week to ensure that farmers were ready for the 2021 planting season.
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Coronavirus – Gambia: The variant strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus first detected in the United Kingdom has been identified during sequencing in positive specimens at the National Public Health Laboratory Services

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio launches the Sierra Leone Health Village, turns Sod for the Construction of Ultra-Modern General Hospital at Kerry Town

Devastation feared as Eloise approaches Mozambique

Coronavirus – Ethiopia: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Coronavirus – Rwanda: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Coronavirus – Eswatini: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Coronavirus – Zimbabwe: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Coronavirus – Malawi: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Football: Ahmad’s old guards maintain West’s stranglehold on Confederation of African Football (CAF)

Coronavirus – Nigeria: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Coronavirus – Zambia: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Coronavirus – Kenya: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Frightened Residents brace as Cyclone Eloise approaches Mozambique

Coronavirus: COVAX announces new agreement, plans for first deliveries

Coronavirus – Seychelles: India gifts Seychelles with COVISHIELD vaccines

Coronavirus – Namibia: COVID-19 Update 22 January 2021

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio inspects Agricultural Machinery at the Agriculture Central Stores in Freetown

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APO

Coronavirus – Gambia: The variant strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus first detected in the United Kingdom has been identified during sequencing in positive specimens at the National Public Health Laboratory Services

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio launches the Sierra Leone Health Village, turns Sod for the Construction of Ultra-Modern General Hospital at Kerry Town

Devastation feared as Eloise approaches Mozambique

Coronavirus – Ethiopia: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Coronavirus – Rwanda: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Coronavirus – Eswatini: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Coronavirus – Zimbabwe: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Coronavirus – Malawi: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Football: Ahmad’s old guards maintain West’s stranglehold on Confederation of African Football (CAF)

Coronavirus – Nigeria: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Coronavirus – Zambia: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Coronavirus – Kenya: COVID-19 update (22 January 2021)

Frightened Residents brace as Cyclone Eloise approaches Mozambique

Coronavirus: COVAX announces new agreement, plans for first deliveries

Coronavirus – Seychelles: India gifts Seychelles with COVISHIELD vaccines

Coronavirus – Namibia: COVID-19 Update 22 January 2021

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio inspects Agricultural Machinery at the Agriculture Central Stores in Freetown

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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