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Checkers – driving patriotic spirit and giving away R8 million this Rugby World Cup Checkers is going all in to ensure South African consumers have the ultimate Rugby World Cup experience on local soil – just light the fire and Checkers will do the rest! This includes making sure that there are enough beer glasses …
By Jason Mitchell
Africa's vast natural gas reserves are key to bringing energy to Africa's poorest countries, to a solid industrialisation process throughout the region and to significant poverty reduction.
The region is home to 33 of the world's 46 least-developed countries (LDCs) with an average income per head of less than $1,018 a year. The continent's poorest countries must expand at 6-7% a year if poverty is to be reduced in a big way and if the life chances of hundreds of millions of people are to be improved. To achieve this goal, these countries require abundant and cheap energy. Luckily, for many African states, the answer lies on their own doorstep — natural gas. Gas has remained a niche fuel in sub-Saharan Africa — contributing only 5% of the total energy mix against a global average of 20-25% — but its potential is enormous.
A new vision for Africa is required — a criss-crossing network of natural gas pipelines that brings energy to all corners of the region. The continent's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is tiny and will only become slightly bigger if the region's natural gas reserves are exploited. There is also a massive opportunity to wean poor Africans away from the use of biomass fuel and to help protect the region's forests through the rollout of small, liquified petroleum gas (LPG) stoves. Climate change is an issue in Africa but poverty reduction is a bigger one. Poverty is the biggest killer in Africa today.
It's very hard for Europeans and North Americans to imagine what it's like to live on under $1,018 a year, to not have readily available electricity, to not have a refrigerator or a washing machine, to not have a car, to not have a lawnmower, to not be able to fly from one country to another cheaply, to not have electricity in the school or the workplace and to have to use firewood or charcoal for cooking purposes. Fossil fuels have been at the heart of the Industrial Revolution that has brought prosperity and better living standards to the developed world. People in the First World must be very careful if they decide to deny Africans the same chance to prosper.
Africa has the lowest energy use per capita in the world — the average electricity use of a sub-Saharan African resident is lower than that of a household fridge in the United States. Average consumption per person in sub-Saharan Africa, excluding South Africa, is a mere 185 kilowatt-hours (kWh) a year, compared with about 6,500kWh in Europe and 12,700kWh in the US. Every year San Antonio, Texas, with a population of 1.5m people, uses as much electricity as the whole of Nigeria, with 203m people. Golden, Colorado, a small town with only 19,000 people, uses as much electricity as Chad, a country with 16m people.
The UN's Sustainable Development Goal Seven aims to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” by the year 2030. That's a tall order. In 2019, 917m people in Africa (around 80% of the region's population) relied on wood, charcoal, kerosene, animal and crop waste or other solid fuels to cook their food and heat their homes. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that almost 490,000 people die prematurely every year in sub-Saharan Africa from household air pollution-related causes — stemming from the lack of access to clean cooking facilities. Gas is a much cleaner form of cooking than biomass and its use should be encouraged. Biomass burning-power plants emit 300-400% more CO2 than natural gas per unit energy produced. Natural gas emits almost 50% less carbon dioxide than coal.
Africa has one-fifth of the world's population but contributes only 3% to global greenhouse gas emissions. Incredibly, some 48 sub-Saharan African countries, excluding South Africa, have an estimated share of global emissions of only 0.55%. The fact is that many African states are already at net zero. If the continent were to use an additional 90bn cu m of natural gas per year — or 50% more than today — the resulting emissions would only raise Africa's cumulative contribution to global carbon emissions to 3.5% (ten gigatonnes) by the year 2050, according to the IEA. It really is a tiny increase compared to the chance of reducing poverty levels for hundreds of millions of poor people. If Africa is to provide universal electricity access by 2030 it would have to almost double its total generation capacity from around 260gw today to 510gw.
Almost half the continent's 55 countries have proven natural gas reserves. Across the region, natural gas reserves amount to around 17.5trn cubic metres (cu m), making up around 9% of the world's total gas reserves. They are considerable in northern Africa (accounting for 45% of African reserves) and western Africa (32%), in particular. Commercial quantities of natural gas have been found in many African countries.
Previously, only four countries from the region have been major natural gas production hubs: Nigeria (with total gas reserves of 5.8trn cu m), Algeria (4.5trn cu m), Egypt (2.2trn cu m) and Libya (1.5trn cu m). These four accounted for 78% of African gas reserves in 2021 (https://apo-opa.info/48gDBWG), according to the United States Energy Information Administration.
However, seven African countries — Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, Mauritania, South Africa, Ethiopia and Morocco — with no history of fossil gas exploitation have now opened up their doors to gas projects. Some 84% of new reserves in the pre-production stage are found in these states — total new reserves amount to 5.1trn cu m. Mozambique has re-production reserves of 2.3trn cu m, Senegal 779bn cu m, Mauritania 575bn cu m, Tanzania 512bn cu m, South Africa 96bn cu m, Ethiopia 42bn cu m and Morocco 39bn cu m.
Furthermore, major untapped reserves have been discovered in Angola, Cameroon, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Uganda. A number of these states — including Mozambique, Tanzania, Mauritania and Senegal — are actively marketing natural gas to capitalise on recent discoveries. In fact, the IEA has declared Africa the ‘new frontier' in global oil and gas.
The big four gas-producing countries will continue to dominate gas production in the near term but experts estimate that Mozambique and the other new entrants will contribute more than 50% of the region's gas production by 2038.
Natural gas can be used for electricity generation, industry and domestic use. Crucially, harnessing Africa's gas could provide the baseload power needed to boost Africa's capacity to process its raw materials locally. It could provide enough energy for industrial processes, including steel and cement production and paper and pulp manufacturing. It could be also used to make fertiliser to raise agricultural yields. Renewables, including solar and wind, cannot yet provide enough energy for these purposes.
The huge reserves of gas can play a significant role in the continent's energy transition, as natural gas has a much lower carbon footprint than oil and coal. Critically, natural gas development and renewable power are not mutually exclusive. If Africa were to triple its use of natural gas, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Uneca) estimates that the region would be able to increase its use of renewable energy eight-fold. Reliable forms of energy such as gas can be used to stabilise a grid powered by intermittent sources such as wind and solar. It can play a key role in a ‘just' energy transition.
However, expanding gas supply across Africa would require a whole web of new gas pipelines and that does not come cheap. A lot of the gas from the new projects already under way in Africa is destined for international markets, including the European Union — which have been seeking new sources of energy since the Ukraine crisis — but it is vital that the region's gas reserves are deployed for domestic use, as well. Nigeria, for example, sits on the continent's largest known natural gas reserves but only 55% of the population had access to secure electricity in 2020.
Multilateral financial institutions (MFIs) — many of which are headquartered in the developed world — are now shying away from investing in natural gas projects in Africa because of pressure from a vociferous green lobby. In 2021, 20 countries — including almost all the world's big, rich democracies — pledged to stop almost all financing of new fossil fuel projects internationally by the end of 2022. Furthermore, under the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), 450 financial firms across 45 countries, responsible for over $130trn in assets, committed to accelerate the global decarbonisation process. The problem is that most Western governments and financial institutions do not distinguish between coal, oil and gas, and the pressure to stop funding all hydrocarbons has negatively impacted gas projects in Africa in a big way.
Some of the continent's biggest financiers — including the African Development Bank (AfDB) — are finding it increasingly difficult to support gas project developments that require loan syndication and foreign partners. The World Bank is pulling back, too. Local banks cannot finance major gas projects on their own, as they are limited by their capital base. In particular, the fossil fuels divestment campaign is having a big impact on the amount of development and concessional finance available. This kind of finance used to support a number of gas projects for their poverty-reducing and economic development value.
For example, without the guarantees of development finance institutions (DFIs), most of Africa's recent gas-to-power plants would have never been built in the first place. The withdrawal of development finance from downstream gas and gas-to-power projects is a serious cause for concern for Africa's electrification effort and moving the needle on energy access.
Furthermore, there is a glaring double standard — many European countries have increased their use of hydrocarbons (coal as well as gas) since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They are constructing new fossil fuel pipelines at home. The EU recently classified natural gas a ‘green' fuel, which will allow Europe's projects to be backed by investors committed to environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles. European countries are now looking towards African states for new sources of gas. However, they are not prepared to back new gas projects in Africa that would supply the fuel to the region itself. That smacks of hypocrisy of the worst kind. How can you deny the poorest people in the world the sort of energy that you want to use yourselves?
Lumping all hydrocarbons together is a blunt policy mechanism that is not good from an emissions perspective either. In poorer places, like sub-Saharan Africa, the available alternative to gas is not renewable electricity but rather coal, diesel and, most of all, polluting biomass. In sub-Saharan Africa, demand for biomass fuels is expected to surge by 40% by the year 2040 if ‘business as usual' continues. The burning of biomass is a major contributor to global carbon emissions and charcoal has been a top driver of tropical forest loss during the past two decades, with the greatest footprint in Africa. The continent's carbon sinks need protecting and the irony is that the greater use of gas would achieve that.
Africa is home to 18% of humanity but receives less than 5% of global energy investment. And much of this investment goes on producing oil and gas for export. There must be much more investment in the region for the domestic use of gas. Gas projects could play an absolutely vital role in bringing energy to Africa but obviously the projects require financing. DFIs must think again about their decision to limit investment in new projects in Africa. The financing of a network of gas pipelines throughout Africa would be one of the quickest and surest ways of industrialising the region in a big way and of alleviating poverty on a large scale. Renewables just cannot do that how ever much wishful thinking takes place.
In fact, development institutions should go one step further and consider subsiding a massive roll out of small LPG stoves to millions of poor households in the region. It could be one of the biggest moves in contributing to Africa's decarbonisation effort by arresting the pace of deforestation in the region. LPG is recovered from ‘wet' natural gas (gas with condensable heavy petroleum compounds) by absorption and reaches the domestic consumer in cylinders under relatively low pressures. The widespread adoption of LPG stoves would reduce the amount of pollutants in the air from biomass fuels. Poor households that currently depend on woodfuel for cooking require a cleaner cooking alternative — LPG is one of the solutions.
LPG stoves are also suitable for domestic use in rural settings — a key consideration in Africa where energy poverty is greatest in the countryside. For instance, in 2016, electricity access in urban and rural areas in Nigeria was 86% and 34%, respectively, according to the World Bank.
Africa only needs to look to Asia for examples. In 2006, Indonesia implemented a ‘mega-programme' to induce a large-scale transition from kerosene to LPG stoves in order to reduce government spending on kerosene subsidies. The initiative invested in LPG infrastructure, domestic cylinder production and consumer awareness. By 2012, 93% of the target had been reached and LPG consumption had grown by almost 350%.
In India, LPG access expanded through the early-2000s but it was still not reaching most poor families. To boost access among the poor, the Indian government introduced the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) Scheme. Under it, the country's oil marketing companies provide subsidies to reduce the cost of both LPG connections and cylinder refills to women in households classified as below the poverty line. In 2016, the cost of a connection was about Rupees 3,200 ($48) and included the first full cylinder (plus deposit), deposit for a regulator, an LPG stove and administrative fees.
Furthermore, African governments must consider increasing domestic gas allocations from liquified natural gas (LNG) export projects. These are an effective way to ensure that even if developers prioritise lucrative exports over local sales, they must reserve part of their production for the domestic market. Upcoming LNG terminals in sub-Saharan Africa — for example, in Mozambique — now make it compulsory to allocate a specific amount of gas to the domestic market. The availability of domestic gas from export facilities can encourage gas-based industrialisation (for example, in Senegal) or additional gas-to-power capacity (Mozambique, Mauritania and Senegal). In August 2022, for instance, Senegal's Petrosen Trading & Services signed an MoU with Turkey's Çalık Enerji and Japan's Mitsubishi for the pre-feasibility study of a gas-based ammonia and urea manufacturing unit.
It is a huge mistake to lump all hydrocarbons together and for Western environmentalists to argue that no new new fossil fuel projects should happen in Africa whatsoever. Deforestation is one of the biggest issues in Africa today. Poor Africans must be weaned off the use of wood-based fuels. The widespread adoption of small LPG stoves would be one of the surest ways of reducing deforestation. Natural gas could also form the basis for a solid, large-scale industrialisation process in Africa — something that is essential if the region is to achieve the sort of economic growth needed to lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
De Lille invites comments on tourism Green Paper
To usher in Tourism Month and the upcoming Summer Campaign, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has welcomed Cabinet’s concurrence of ‘The Green Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa’ to be published for public comment.
“The Green Paper comes at a particularly exciting time for tourism globally and in South Africa. Tourism is a growth sector and generator of jobs, and tourist destinations need to position themselves to take advantage of this sector’s recovery growth trajectory,” De Lille said.
The tourism sector has continued to grow for the past decade, earning the reputation of being one of the most significant and fastest-growing sectors before COVID-19.
In 2019, it contributed 3.7% to the local GDP and created 780 096 direct South African jobs. Despite numerous advances, the tourism sector lags relative to its potential.
To respond to this challenge and to accelerate inclusive tourism growth, the Department of Tourism embarked on a process of reviewing the 1996 Tourism White Paper.
The policy review process has yielded the Green Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa. The Green Paper seeks to sustainably grow a more inclusive tourism sector that creates mass employment, reacts to innovations and adapts to future crises.
“The Green Paper seeks to facilitate growth and transformation of the tourism sector by creating an enabling regulatory environment for the present and future, especially with regards to technological developments.
“The Green Paper further seeks to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to the broader economy and drive employment and entrepreneurship, whilst enabling the sector to adapt to future crises.
“I invite the public to study The Green Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa and provide us with substantive comments,” the Minister said.
The vision of the Green Paper is to sustainably and competitively grow the South African economy through an inclusive, inspiring, visitor-oriented tourism sector that consistently builds partnerships to strengthen the impact of the sector nationally, regionally and globally.
Its aim is also to address barriers to tourism growth and to respond to the social cohesion imperatives of the country.
Key elements include but are not limited to:
• Implementation of a research-based tourism safety response programme in partnership with relevant agencies.
• Develop and regularly review tourism crisis management framework to enable a response to crises.
• Implementation of Tourism BBBEE Codes & strengthening mechanism for access to finance.
• Facilitation of ease of access to the destination, especially as it relates to immigration and transport.
• Recommitting the sector to the responsible tourism agenda.
• Regulation of short-term rental accommodation to ensure policy certainty.
To enable the sector to reach its potential, The Green Paper focuses on four policy thematic areas with a specific focus under each.
The four thematic areas are:
- Evolving former policy areas: Tourism governance, safety and security management and transformation.
- Emerging policy issues: Embracing technology, crisis management, accessing the destination, quality visitor services, skills supply and employment and tourist services.
- Policy issues for targeted growth: Prioritising rural and peri-urban tourism, enhancing domestic tourism for destination resilience and destination marketing and branding.
- Sustainable growth model: Responsible tourism, knowledge management research and insights, tourism diplomacy, and tourism trade and investment.
The significance of tourism within the South African economy is widely recognised. The New Growth Path, the National Development Plan (NDP) and several State of the Nation Addresses identify the tourism sector among the core contributors to the country's medium to long-term national economic goals.
The 1996 Tourism White Paper predates many of these government frameworks, particularly the NDP, thus necessitating alignment.
The country's Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP) identifies tourism recovery as one of the priority interventions to drive the reconstruction and recovery of the economy.
The Tourism Sector's Recovery Plan also identifies the need to review the policy framework to support the sector's growth.
The gazette for public comment was published on Friday 1 September and is available at: www.gpwonline.co.za/Documents/Government/49223%201-9%20Tourism.pdf.
Any person who wishes to submit written inputs in connection with the Green Paper is invited to do so within 60 days from the date of the gazette. Submissions should be:
a) Mailed to the Department of Tourism, for attention: Mr Senzo Nkala, Private Bag x424, Pretoria, 0001
b) Delivered by hand to the Tourism House, 17 Trevenna Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria, 0001
c) Emailed to TourismGreenPaper@tourism.gov.za.
The Green Paper is also available on the Department’s website at www.tourism.gov.za. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Tue, 09/05/2023 - 12:11
Our country’s post-consumer recycling rates for beverage bottles are high but they could be higher if South Africans would learn one simple rule – put nothing in the bottle. This is the view of South African National Bottled Water Association CEO, Charlotte Metcalf, who urges those South Africans who will be actively participating in World …
Tourism, Airbnb sign MoU to grow sector
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between her department and Airbnb to support the continued recovery of the tourism sector and build inclusive tourism in South Africa.
“The MoU will see the Department of Tourism work closely with Airbnb to advance tourism services that are aimed at growing tourism in South Africa and creating more jobs in the sector,” De Lille said.
The MoU seeks to grow collaboration between government and the private sector, as it is “a collective responsibility to grow and enhance tourism sector”.
“As government, if we want to significantly grow tourism and its contribution to the economy and job creation, collaboration with the private sector is vital. We are delighted to be the first African Ministry of Tourism to sign a collaborative MoU with a successful global company such as Airbnb,” she said.
The Minister explained that by leveraging Airbnb's global reach and understanding of the market, the collaboration seeks to create a positive impact on local communities, travellers and the tourism industry as a whole.
“The primary goal of this collaboration is to develop a relationship between the Ministry, entity and Airbnb to harness and drive tourism domestically and internationally.
“As shared in the department’s Green paper, insufficient information is available about the unregulated short-term rental subsector, and this hampers informed policy decision making. Access to the Airbnb data can only assist in informing better decisions,” De Lille said.
As part of the MoU, the parties will have regular engagements to evaluate opportunities for strategic collaboration on driving inclusive tourism and ensuring fair and proportionate regulation of short-term rentals.
Velma Corcoran, Regional Lead: Middle East Africa at Airbnb, said they look forward to working with the Department of Tourism to help build a more inclusive and sustainable tourism economy in South Africa.
Corcoran said the Airbnb platform can help anyone, anywhere, to become a tourism entrepreneur, and that they hope to continue to break down systemic barriers to entry and enable more South Africans to participate in the sector.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with the department to develop a clear, proportionate national framework for the regulation of short-term rentals and see huge power in public and private sector collaborations. We also know from our work with the Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy, that together, we can make a tangible difference and enable more people, in more places, to benefit from tourism,” said Corcoran.
The signing of the MoU is in line with the aims of the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan, which is key to the country’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan.
The Tourism Sector Recovery Plan (TSRP) was adopted by Cabinet in March 2021 to facilitate the recovery of the sector to preserve jobs and livelihoods, facilitate new job opportunities, match demand and supply, and strengthen transformation. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Mon, 09/04/2023 - 13:34
Investment in climate change resilient infrastructure emphasised
Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister, Barbara Creecy, has called on leaders on the continent to urgently implement measures to improve the resilience of Africa’s infrastructure investments against the impacts of climate change.
“If the impacts of climate change are not taken into account now, there is a considerable risk that the current, and potentially the next generation of infrastructure in Africa will be locked into designs that could be inadequate for the future climate and costly or impossible to modify later,” Creecy said in Nairobi, Kenya.
Addressing the Africa Climate Summit on Monday, Creecy said climate change impacts will be genuinely felt during the life span of the planned and future infrastructure within the coming decade.
“Planning new infrastructure for climate resilience and adapting existing infrastructure to reduce risks should be a priority as there is a high probability that climate change will offset or reduce the economic and developmental benefits of these investments.”
Creecy noted the continued decline in the delivery of public climate finance in real terms for developing nations.
“Developed countries have not met the US$ 100 billion per year mobilization goal by 2020 and have indicated that this goal may potentially be met later this year (2023). The goal of doubling adaptation finance from 2019 levels by 2025 is an undertaking in paper only.
“With an estimated annual infrastructure financing requirement in the range from US$130 - 170 billion according to the African Development Bank, implementing urgent measures to improve the resilience of Africa’s infrastructure investments must become the main occupation for us as decision-makers,” the Minister said.
The Global Commission on Adaptation estimates that climate change will lead to an equivalent of 2% to 4% annual loss in gross domestic product (GDP) on the continent by 2040.
The Stern/Songwe High Level Expert Report, commissioned by the COP27 President, found that while “estimates for future loss and damage are subject to great uncertainty, but recent events suggest they could be as high as US$150–300 billion by 2030 to cope with immediate impacts and for subsequent reconstruction.”
“Various other reports demonstrate the enormous climate change needs of developing countries and how present public climate finance flows are unforthcoming, inadequate and lack in quality. In addition, the current financial architecture features an unfortunate reality where developing countries, those that have least contributed to the climate problem, continue to shoulder climate costs albeit their very limited fiscal space and constrained economies,” the Minister said.
Financing
She said African countries need a new suite of financing instruments, with a set of favourable terms and conditions that are not merely debt generators.
“Local currency lending is an imperative to support climate action in Africa. In this regard, recent efforts by the Green Climate Fund and the New Development Bank offer rays of hope. We need to urgently address the need for liquidity in fiscally constrained African countries.
“We further need to address the form of the finance available to developing countries and, in particular, put in place measures that climate finance does not lead to the increased debt burden of African and other developing countries. Credit enhancement approaches are readily available to the private sector, but the urgent reforms are needed in the public sector.
“We need access to scaled-up new and additional and predictable grant and highly concessional finance, which could be deployed effectively to create enabling environments by beginning to buy down risks and create new asset classes for clean investments that would allow for greater mobilization and leveraging of public and private finance and hence access the illusive and unseen trillions,” the Minister said. –SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Mon, 09/04/2023 - 14:36
Electricity Minister attends African Climate Summit
Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, to participate in the inaugural Africa Climate Summit (ACS).
The summit takes place from 4 – 6 September under the theme, ‘Green Growth and Climate Finance for Africa and the World’.
“The summit is hosted by the government of Kenya as the African Union (AU) Chair of the Committee of African Heads of States on Climate Change (CAHOSCC).
“The ACS will draw African Heads of State, global leaders and multiple stakeholders to deliberate, collaborate and exchange knowledge and experiences on climate change action and sustainability in Africa,” the Ministry said in a statement.
The statement outlined the Minister’s participation at the summit.
“Joining the South African delegation - led by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy - Minister Ramokgopa has been invited to participate in a ministerial panel focusing on ‘Africa’s Green Hydrogen, Industry & Trade Potential’.
“This session, which takes place today, will outline Africa’s potential for green industrial production and massive untapped green hydrogen production potential, providing the opportunity to meet local, regional and global demand for energy, industrial feedstock and derivative products such as fuels and fertiliser, and to drive significant economic growth.
“On Tuesday, the Minister will participate in the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance (AGHA) forum, where he will engage in a panel session on ‘Financing Green Hydrogen in Africa – from Bridgetown to Nairobi’,” the statement read.
The proceedings of the summit can be viewed on the following livestreaming links set up by the ACS:
LinkedIn Live Schedule: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7103313166712864768/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/CCXHKjaH0F0?feature=share
Website: https://acs23.org/live-stream
Meanwhile, the Ministry said Ramokgopa is concerned following the ramping up of load shedding to Stage 5 on Sunday.
“The Minister is concerned about the current load shedding Stage 5 situation and is in constant contact with the leadership of Eskom’s Generation team to ensure that units are returned to service as speedily as possible,” the ministry said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Mon, 09/04/2023 - 09:37
Lessons to be learnt from tragic building fire
President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated that the tragedy in which 74 people died during a fire in Johannesburg must not be allowed to happen again.
He was speaking during a meeting of the Presidential Coordinating Council (PCC) at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Tshwane on Friday.
The PCC meeting was attended by Cabinet members and provincial Premiers and was preceded by a moment of silence for the victims of the fire.
“We are meeting here just a day after a catastrophic building fire in central Johannesburg claimed the lives of more than 70 people. As we await further information on the cause of the fire and the huge loss of life, we must ask hard questions about the effectiveness of our interventions to improve the living conditions of our people.
“As we grieve this devastating loss, let us learn from this tragedy and make sure that it never happens again,” President Ramaphosa said.
According to the Presidency, the meeting discussed various issues of national importance including service delivery, the District Development Model and crime and “the need to continue enhancing intergovernmental coordination”.
“The meeting…deliberated on service delivery constraints and proposed interventions; the implementation of the District Development Model (DDM); and corrective action plans to address the worst performing municipalities in terms of the Blue Drop and Green Drop assessments of water and wastewater treatment quality.
“The meeting reaffirmed the need to continue enhancing intergovernmental coordination, with a particular focus on infrastructure development and related financing mechanisms in view of the constrained fiscal environment. The meeting also welcomed proposals on the institutionalisation of the District Development Model and the roll out of the DDM support tool that will enable more focused and improved serviced delivery.
“On the ongoing fight against crime, the PCC resolved to strengthen the partnership between law enforcement agencies and the various provincial crime fighting initiatives to address illegal mining, intimidation of contractors and other security threats, and to bolster community based crime fighting capacity,” the Presidency said.
The PCC is the President’s platform for consultation and engagement with provinces and local government in order to raise matters of national interest, ensure alignment of strategic priorities, strengthen coordination, and discuss performance.
The PCC transcends local boundaries and coordinates action across spheres of government in a holistic and transversal manner, according to the Presidency. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Sun, 09/03/2023 - 10:16
It’s been a cold winter but with the spring sunshine now luring everyone outdoors, it’s time to start planning some new adventures out in nature – but what to do? Ziplining across a gorge? Riding a horse on a beach? Diving with sharks? Hiking to waterfalls? The KZN South Coast has these – and more! …
A ‘warm and welcoming’, multifaceted yet tranquil space took top honours in the second Samsung Bespoke Home Challenge, in which up-and-coming South African designers were challenged to create an integrated kitchen/living room inspired by a colour in the Samsung Bespoke range. Zwelibanzi Nzuza, a final-year design student from KwaZulu-Natal, centred his design around a bold …
Recognising women in science and technology
By Dimpho Mogale
The South African Women in Science Awards (SAWiSA), which recognises and rewards excellence by women in science and technology, will take place in September.
The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) will host a two-day celebration from 8 September in Durban.
Themed, ‘Harnessing technological change and innovation to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls,’ the awards recognises younger women who are starting their careers as researchers and scientists, as well as registered master's and PhD students.
Participants will be awarded in the following categories:
The category DSI Fellowships was renamed to DSI-Ndoni Mcunu Fellowships in honour of Mcunu’s memory and legacy as a young brilliant scientist and phenomenal woman.
The late Mcunu was one of South Africa's leading young scientists in climate change, a social entrepreneur, and the founder of Black Women in Science (BWIS).
BWIS has provided developmental training to over 400 postgraduate fellows in business, entrepreneurship and research skills, scientific writing, project leadership, science communication skills and research career preparation.
During her lifetime Mcunu achieved numerous accolades including being named a 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow, receiving an honorary award at the KZN Young Achievers Awards in the Science Research and Entrepreneurship category, winning the Gagasi FM Shero award in the Science and Technology category and recognised as one of the 40 under-40 African Leaders for Climate Resilience in 2019.
The DSI and 2023 SAWiSA has 26 finalists and one of the finalists selected is Gizelle Roque Van Niekerk from the University of Pretoria, who is a second year MSc student.
In 2022, she attended the 14th Green Chemistry Postgraduate Summer School (GCPSS) in Venice, Italy.
“I am grateful to Pietro Tundo for seeing potential in me as a young scientist by selecting me to attend the in-person event on scholarship.
“The 14th Green Chemistry Summer School was a life-changing experience and instrumental to my future career as a chemist. It was an honour to present my research at such a prestigious international summer school.
“The opportunity reinforced my belief that green chemistry solutions are a fundamental course of action for sustainable development in the Global South,” Van Niekerk said in a statement.
She said it was a privilege to engage with postgraduate students from a broad spectrum of countries and found the talks given by highly influential scientists very inspiring.
Networking with people who share the same common goal encouraged her to fervently continue the ground-taking field of green chemistry. – SAnews.gov.za
seshnee
Thu, 08/31/2023 - 14:14
COVID-19 Taxi Relief Fund disbursement extended
Cabinet has approved the extension period for the payment of the Taxi Relief Fund for another 12 months.
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, explained during a Post Cabinet briefing that the fund was established to assist minibus taxis, cabs and e-hailing drivers who experienced a financial knock during the COVID-19 hard lockdowns, in line with stipulated criteria.
“The extension will provide the Department of Transport sufficient time to assist the many taxi operators who are yet to receive the relief funds,” the Minister said on Thursday.
To date, she said 88 580 taxi operators have been assisted.
Ntshavheni was briefing the media on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.
Tourism
Meanwhile, Cabinet also approved the publication of the Green Paper on the Development of Tourism in South Africa for public comment.
“The policy seeks to develop and promote tourism in South Africa, and address barriers to tourism growth.”
The policy will promote rural and peri-urban tourism by encouraging the profiling and visibility of rural products.
“Policy proposals also focus on tourism governance and cooperation, safety and security management, transformation, and embracing technology, amongst others.”
Members of the public have 90 days to make comments on the policy and the Green Paper is available on www.tourism.gov.za.
National Policy on Theatre and Dance
In addition, the Executive said it also approved the National Policy on Theatre and Dance.
“The policy seeks to address the historically institutionalised inequalities and disparities, which follow racial and economic access lines in theatre and dance.
“The policy aims to set a vision and practical policies, strategies, implementation mechanisms and time frames that will result in a sustainable and vibrant theatre and dance sector in all nine provinces, with South African dance and theatre makers representing the country with pride continentally and globally.” – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Thu, 08/31/2023 - 11:30
Blended finance fund to assist farmers alleviate energy challenges
The ongoing load shedding in South Africa has become a serious constraint on growth and profitability for various sectors, including agriculture.
In addressing the negative impact on the productivity and profitability of farm operations brought about by the load shedding crisis, the Land Bank and Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), have launched a blended finance fund, which is geared towards financing alternative energy solutions with a focus on energy intensive agricultural activities which include irrigation, intensive agricultural production systems and on-farm cold chain related activities.
The Agro Energy Fund aims to support all South African citizens, producers in the agricultural sector, including smallholder, medium scale, large scale and mega commercial producers.
The launch of the Agro Energy Fund follows the successful launch of the Blended Finance Scheme (BFS) in October 2022 through the partnership between Land Bank and DALRRD, where the bank, in collaboration with the department launched the R2 billion BFS.
Speaking at the launch held in Pretoria on Tuesday, DALRRD Minister Thoko Didiza emphasised that the purpose of the Agro Energy Fund is to incentivise farmers to invest in alternative energy sources, and will run parallel to other existing financial instruments that are designed to support farmers with production, farmer infrastructure and market, amongst others.
Didiza explained that the applications for the fund will be directed to the Land Bank and will be subjected to approval guidelines of the bank.
“The funding will be deployed through a blended finance structure which is a combination of a loan and grant. DALRRD will contribute a grant portion to a total value of R500 million which will be matched with a loan portion to a total value of R710 million from Land Bank.
“This will effectively create a R1.21 billion fund size. The fund will be available in the market until the allocated funds are completely drawn down,” Didiza explained.
The Minister added that the priority will be on supporting dairy farming, piggeries, poultry, all irrigated commodities and on-farm processing.
“In deploying funding to producers, the Bank will also rollout its Green Finance product offering with a focus on financing solar panels, biogas and biomass plants which will result in the installation and commissioning of energy efficiency projects across the country which will partially offset electricity usage from the grid.
“The fund will enable the bank to contribute to building resilience against energy shocks in the sector which have negatively impacted productivity and profitability in farm operations. The food security and rural development remain key priorities in the agricultural sector,” the Minister said.
Land Bank Board Chairperson, Thabi Nkosi, expressed the bank’s appreciation to be in partnership with the department for the implementation of the Agro Energy Fund, and also commended the department’s allocation of the R500 million grant.
“The fund aims to support all South African producers - from smallholder farmers to large commercial producers - in a manner that ensures a balanced allocation of funds across various farming cohorts, according to need,” Nkosi said.
Nkosi explained that the smallholder producers will be eligible for up to 70% total finance amount, with the grant portion capped at R500 000 per applicant, while medium scale producers will be eligible for up to 50% of the total financed amount, with the grant portion capped at R1 million per applicant.
“Large producers will be eligible for a grant of up to 30% of the total financed amount, with the grant portion capped at R1.5 million per applicant. On this basis, the fund is expected to support over 500 farmers across the country,” Nkosi said.
While acknowledging that the fund may not reach all of South Africa’s farmers, Nkosi said, this initiative, with specific focus on renewable energy solutions, will catalyse the agricultural sector’s adoption of more sustainable farming practice.
The applications to the Agro-Energy Fund are now open, and the details about the fund, product offering, and how clients can contact and apply for funding support from the Land Bank can be found on www.landbank.co.za or www.dalrrd.gov.za – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Wed, 08/30/2023 - 10:06
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Economic reforms to create growth, jobs
Through economic reforms implemented through Operation Vulindlela, President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is steadily laying the foundation for a revival of economic growth.
In his weekly newsletter, the President noted the release of a progress report, which highlights a number of key milestones that have been reached during the past quarter.
“Since Operation Vulindlela was established, we have built significant momentum in economic reforms to create growth and jobs.
“Through these reforms we are steadily laying the foundation for a revival of economic growth. By restructuring our network, industries like energy, telecommunications, ports and rail, we are opening the space for investment and a renewal of our nation’s infrastructure,” the President said.
The President highlighted that the first of the reform milestones was the digital migration process which government implemented by switching off analogue transmission for all frequencies above 694 MHz on 31 July 2023.
“This marks a significant step in migration from analogue to digital signal. This means that radio frequencies that were being used for television broadcasting can now be used for mobile telecommunications, which will make network communications more accessible and increase the speed and reduce the cost of data. The implementation of this reform will bring new investment in the telecommunications sector,” he said.
President Ramaphosa told citizens that work is underway to implement necessary reforms in the logistics sector to address the challenges that have held back the growth of South African exports.
He highlighted that the lack of investment and the increased cost of doing business have added to the many challenges that need to be addressed.
Another key milestone was reached with the selection of an international terminal operator to partner with Transnet at the Durban Pier 2 container terminal. This terminal handles close to half of South Africa’s port traffic.
“This partnership will increase investment for upgrading equipment and expanding terminal capacity. A key aspect of this partnership is that port infrastructure will remain state-owned and all jobs will be protected,” he said.
The President further highlighted that two critical pieces of legislation were tabled in Parliament this month, that will advance economic reform.
The Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill will support the restructuring of Eskom into three separate companies owned and controlled by Eskom Holdings, including an independent grid operator.
“Through this bill we will introduce competition in electricity generation, enabling a number of independent generators, alongside Eskom, to produce electricity to meet our country’s demand. This reform will fundamentally transform, modernise and improve South Africa’s energy sector to ensure energy security into the future.
“Meanwhile, the reforms we have implemented through the Energy Action Plan have unlocked new investment in renewable energy sources, both to end load shedding and to use our unique wind and solar resources to power economic growth,” he said.
One of key reforms that government has prioritised is in the water sector. Government has introduced the South African National Water Resources Infrastructure Bill to establish a dedicated national water agency to design, plan and finance water resource infrastructure.
This agency will enable significantly greater investment in bulk water infrastructure to guarantee water security in the years and decades to come, while creating jobs and unlocking new agricultural potential.
“We are implementing a range of other reforms to unlock economic growth, from creating an enabling regulatory environment for hemp and cannabis production to eradicating the backlog of title deeds for subsidised housing,” he said.
Despite difficult global conditions, the President said investors continue to see value in the South African economy and the benefit of the reform agenda government is pursuing.
He added that he is pleased that the BRICS Business Forum held last week was attended by 1 500 investors and business people from all five member countries.
The President said the Summit was able to showcase the potential of South Africa and the African continent as the next frontiers of productivity and growth.
“Many of the participants remarked on the enormous potential of our economic reform agenda to drive growth in the green economy, the digital economy and other key sectors.
“In all of the work that we do, our ultimate goal is the same: to build an inclusive, fast-growing and dynamic economy and thereby create a better life for all South Africans,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Tue, 08/29/2023 - 09:57
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Charges against attorney Gary Trappler have been reinstated after CCTV footage came to light
The Nelson Mandela Bay Dance Festival wowed its full-house audience at the Savoy Theatre on Saturday night. The full programme had guests clapping throughout as they were entertained by the top performances from the six-day Festival. From sassy modern dancers, graceful ballerinas, foot stamping hip hop to the adorable young dancers – the gala programme …
Agreements to aid energy solutions
Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has emphasised that the agreements signed in the past week with Chinese state owned entities and the donation by the People's Republic of China are to address this country’s emergency energy solutions.
South Africa concluded a significant amount of agreements with Chinese state owned entities (SOEs) with the signing of two overarching memoranda that were witnessed by President Cyril Ramaphosa and President Xi Jinping.
South Africa hosted the 15th BRICS Summit last week and the country also hosted President Xi on his fourth State Visit to South Africa ahead of the Summit.
Addressing the media on the Energy Action Plan on Sunday, Ramokgopa explained that the two agreements include amongst others, addressing issues of green energy solutions, exploitations of renewable energy sources and the use of modern technology.
“The two agreements – the first one addresses issues around green energy solutions- the partnership agreement we will be entering in relation to the exploitation of renewable energy sources in our country; the use of modern technology and the degree to which we are able to connect renewable energy onto the grid.
“The rationale for entering with the Chinese in this regard is because they are a dominant player on the renewable energy space. They have 688 gigawatts of installed capacity of renewables, a combination of PV and wind. They have done one of the biggest expansions of transmission and they have also worked on the kind of transmission modernisation required to be able to accommodate the intermittency of renewable sources,” the Minister said.
In regards to the donation by the People's Republic of China, the Minister said this is aimed at addressing South Africa’s emergency energy solutions, which is targeted at key public facilities such as police stations, health institutions and correctional centres.
Minister Ramokgopa emphasised that provincial departments will play a role in identifying the key public areas.
“The second one, was an exchange of letters in relation to a donation that we are receiving from the People’s Republic of China that is meant to help us in addressing the emergency energy solution in the country.
“I did indicate that it’s likely going to be targeted in key public facilities such as hospitals, clinics, correctional services, and police stations. In this regard, we will be working with the nine provincial governments for them to be able to identify sites that are suitable for this.
“We already have a technical capacity that is supporting us in relation to the appropriateness of the technology solutions that are given to us and those that have been agreed upfront,” he said.
Ramokgopa further announced that the first shipment of the technology solutions by China is en route and an announcement will be made when it arrives in the country, having left Chinese shores on 14 August.
“We will announce at the right time when the first shipment lands and give an indication of the first public facilities that will benefit from this generous donation.”
Turning to the performance of the system for the past week, the Minister said that the available capacity has come down.
“I did indicate that we are beginning to normalise being above 28 000 megawatts on average. We have kept close to that most of the week and the average is about 27 561 megawatts,” he said.
“We did indicate that we were going to slow down planned outages and once we get out of a very difficult winter we are going to ramp up because we need to protect these machines, generation and units to ensure their sustainability and reliability going into the future.
“We still remain above 15 000 megawatts in relation to unplanned capacity lost factor. I made a point that we want to bring it down,” the Minister said.
Load shedding
On load shedding, Ramokgopa said government was confident the system was stabilising and the country will continue to have lower stages of load shedding as the system recovers.
“On the issue of performance, we are more that satisfied. We have shown where we moved from a historic low of 48% of energy availability factor. We have been averaging 60% energy availability factor.
“When we went to the winter period, the worst case scenario was Stage 8. We only had 30 hours of Stage 6. You can see the intensity of load shedding is coming down. The issues of outage slips, I have shown to you, they have come down from a high of 3 300 megawatts to 766 megawatts,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Sun, 08/27/2023 - 13:07
Call to keep the environment clean
Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Makhotso Sotyu has called on all South Africans to do their part in keeping the environment clean and habitable.
“All South Africans have the responsibility to ensure that their environment is clean, green and habitable. Poor waste management poses health and environmental risks. Everyone can do something to attain clean-living spaces.”
The Deputy Minister made this call during a clean-up and greening activity in Bothaville in the Free State on Friday.
The Constitution of South Africa guarantees everyone the right of access to an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being and to have the natural environment protected for the benefit of current and future generations.
She said the collaborative effort between the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and Lejweleputswa District and Nala Local Municipalities aims to emphasise the importance of active citizenry involvement in safeguarding natural resources and curbing waste pollution in communities.
“What we are doing here today epitomizes the Good Green Deeds programme, a ground-breaking Presidential initiative that seeks to mobilise all sectors of South Africa to become more environmentally conscious, leading to a deal for nature.”
The Good Green Deeds programme seeks to change people’s attitudes, behaviours towards responsible management of waste, and keeping their neighbourhoods clean, green and safe.
“This is a clarion call to all sectors in society to do their part to contribute to Good Green Deeds. Where there is litter, society is urged to work together to clear litter and rubble that threatens our efforts to build a healthy South Africa.”
She added that illegal dumping and littering are some of the most common problems in the country and affect all municipalities alike.
“The prevalence of ineffective waste management practices is being witnessed in many parts of the country. This trend, unfortunately, affects the well-being of communities, as it has indeed resulted in the mushrooming of pockets of illegal dumping and littering sites.
“More emphasis is required to ensure that citizens are mobilized to take a firm position against such activities in their respective communities.”
She said a departmental team working together with the provincial Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Lejweleputswa District Municipality and Nala Local Municipality, has spent the past few days conducting clean-up and greening activities at different identified spots in this municipality.
In-House Model
In addition to Friday’s clean-up, the Deputy Minister also handed over personal protective equipment (PPE) to the In-House Model participants to heighten the cleaning and greening programme.
“Through the environmental programmes, we have conceptualised the In-House Model which allows the department to implement and manage its projects using its own staff. This model enables the department to employ more Expanded Public works Programme (EPWP) participants due to ‘savings’ on project management fees. It enables the department to be in control and ensures timely payment of wages.”
The In-House model facilitates direct partnership with local government. In so doing, the department pays stipends, Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and Compensation for Occupation Injuries and Diseases (COID) whilst the municipalities provide PPE, tools of trade and commit to pick up collected waste.
“I am pleased to announce that we have recruited 517 participants as part of the In-House Model to address service delivery and waste management in partnership with the Lejweleputswa District Municipality,” she said. –SAnews.gov.za
Neo
Sun, 08/27/2023 - 12:50
Nigeria remains committed to collaborating with China and other African countries to ensure that the partnership's objectives are achieved for the mutual benefit of both parties, says the Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima.
Vice President Shettima, stated this yesterday when he represented President Bola Tinubu at the BRICS Summit, in Johannesburg at the China-Africa Leaders' Roundtable Dialogue Meeting on the margins of the BRICS Summit, Johannesburg, South Africa.
According to the Vice President, “Nigeria welcomes the new initiatives introduced by the Chinese authorities, which include supporting and promoting the modernization of Africa's agriculture and agribusiness sectors; providing robust support for Africa to expedite regional integration and backing Africa's industrialization and infrastructure expansion.”
Vice President Shettima spoke to a large audience including President Xi Jinping of China and some African leaders on the theme “Promoting African Integration and Jointly Building a High-Level Africa-China Community with a Shared Future” at the Sandton Convention Centre.
He commended the existing partnership between China and Africa particularly “the three newly identified initiatives and priority areas of cooperation, between China and Africa in the areas of agriculture, industrialization, and human capacity development.
He said these align with the “Renewed Hope” mantra of Tinubu Administration, the African Union's Agenda 2063, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030”, adding that “they are relevant to our continental and national development aspirations.”
Vice President Shettima praised further the commitment of China stating that “Nigeria firmly endorses China and anticipates forging a close collaboration with the Chinese authorities, the African Union, and all stakeholders.”
He envisioned that this collective efforts will elevate the Africa-China comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership to unprecedented heights, driven by our mutual pursuit of economic prosperity.
While appraising the partnership further, the Vice President identified critical areas for the prevailing partnership between Africa and China to include “fostering synergy among the pertinent national institutions tasked with formulating, coordinating, and implementing national policies in the three priority areas of cooperation; and encourage efforts that promote African ownership of these initiatives.
Other areas include “the new undertakings should be designed in a manner that acknowledges local particularities, is community-based, and tailors to individual country needs, “amplify international resources for financing education in Africa; Solicit input from pertinent African Union institutions and continental organizations such as the African Development Bank (ADB), the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, and other related regional bodies.
The VP also stressed the importance of “financing Africa's Infrastructure, with a focus on advancing key infrastructural components like Farm-to-Market Corridors, Farm-to-Ports Corridors, Export Transport Corridors, Railway Networks, Road Network Upgrades and Expansions, Airport Enhancements, including dedicated export-oriented airports, Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution.”
On Nigeria's relationship with the global south, Vice President Shettima told his audience that Nigeria prioritises its relations with the Global South and deeply values all aspects of the South-South Cooperation, noting that the Global South is currently grappling with unparalleled challenges.
Continuing, “we are compelled to devise solutions for climate change and establish security measures to contain and prevent transnational crime, terrorism, and cyberattacks. We are confronted with a significant rate of youth unemployment and disruptive natural disasters.
“This situation provides us with the chance to reassess the challenges we collectively face, as well as those confronting our partners”, he submitted.
In his address, the President of China and co-chair of the Dialogue, Xi Jinping pledged to African leaders who attended the meeting on the sidelines of the Summit that China would launch initiatives to support Africa's industrialization and agricultural modernization.
The Vice President was accompanied to the event by Nigeria's High Commissioner to South Africa, Amb. Muhammad Haruna Manta, the Consul-General, Amb. Andrew Idi and other senior government officials.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The State House, Abuja.
The Medicines Act is being misused while Parliament dithers
Rich countries urged to honour $100-billion climate finance goal
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, has urged developed countries to keep their promises to developing nations by meeting the climate finance commitment of US$100 billion.
This is after rich nations made a pledge in 2009 to the less wealthy countries at a UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, to assist them in adapting to climate change and alleviate rises in temperature by 2020.
Guterres also called on the wealthy nations to double adaptation finance, replenish the Green Climate Fund, and operationalise the loss and damage fund this year.
“As a matter of justice, Africa must be considered a priority in all these efforts,” he stressed.
He delivered the remarks at the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue, which was held during the 15th BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg.
Guterres said the climate crisis was spiralling out of control and urged world leaders to step up their efforts to tackle it.
“I have put forward a Climate Solidarity Pact in which developed countries provide financial and technical support to help emerging economies – in Africa and beyond – to promote an equitable and just transition to renewable energy.”
He told delegates that he presented an Acceleration Agenda, which aims to see developed countries committing to reach net zero by 2040 and developing nations as close as possible to 2050.
The Secretary-General also touched on the crisis of cost of living.
He stated that poverty, hunger, and inequalities are growing against the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development’s objectives.
“Geopolitical divides and conflicts are multiplying with profound global implications, especially the impacts from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
Multipolar world
While nations were eyeing a multipolar world, he said multipolarity was not enough to guarantee a peaceful or global community.
“To be a factor of peace, equity, and justice in international relations, multipolarity must be supported by strong and effective multilateral institutions.”
Guterres is advocating for a strengthened and reformed multilateral architecture based on the UN Charter and international law.
“Today’s global governance structures reflect yesterday’s world. They were largely created in the aftermath of World War II when many African countries were still ruled by colonial powers and were not even at the table.
“This is particularly true of the Security Council of the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions.”
For multilateral institutions to remain universal, he said they must reform to reflect today’s power and economic realities.
“In the absence of such reform –– fragmentation is inevitable.”
Cooperation
Guterres said the world cannot afford a divided global economy and financial system, diverging strategies on technology, and conflicting security frameworks.
“The IMF [International Monetary Fund] estimates that such a fracture could cost 7% of global GDP [gross domestic product] – a cost that would be disproportionately borne by low-income countries, mainly in Africa.
“And so I have come to Johannesburg with a simple message, in a fracturing world with overwhelming crises, there is simply no alternative to cooperation.”
He advised leaders to urgently restore trust and reinvigorate multilateralism for the 21st century.
“This requires the courage to compromise in the reforms necessary for the common good.
“It requires full respect for the UN Charter, international law, universal values, and all human rights – social, cultural, economic, civil, and political. And it requires much greater solidarity,” he stressed, admitting that none of this was easy.
“But it is essential. And is essential, especially for Africa.”
He acknowledged that Africa, a historical victim of slavery and colonialism, continues to confront grave injustices.
“On average, African countries pay four times more for borrowing than the United States and eight times more than the wealthiest European countries.”
Guterres also noted that African states account for just 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but are an epicentre of climate chaos.
“Looking ahead, I see two priorities for action and justice. First, on the economic front. Redesigning today’s outdated, dysfunctional, and unfair global financial architecture is necessary, but I know it won’t happen overnight. Yet we can – and must – take practical action now.”
He has since proposed an effective debt workout mechanism, and other steps necessary to multiply the resources available for developing countries are vital for sustainable development in Africa and its people. – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Thu, 08/24/2023 - 13:42
Hundreds protest in Sandton where summit is underway