Arrangements to export oil through Djibouti progressing JUBA, 9 April 2013 (NASS) - Authorities in Upper Nile state have announced that work on the project to export oil through Djibouti via Ethiopia is progressing very well.
The Upper Nile State minister for Information and Communication, Mr. Philip Jiben state this late last week after briefing his counterpart in the national government on the challenges Upper Nile is facing in receiving the signals of South Sudan Radio. Mr. Jiben said the project will enhance oil transit and exportation once it is completed. He stated that most of the roads that are meant for the oil transportation through Ethiopia have been finished. He also reported that the security situation at the border with Sudan has improved following the signed matrix and people have begun to experience peace. Dr Benjamin (right) meeting the delegation from Upper Nile. [Photo: Ajang Monychol] On his part the national minister for Information and Broadcasting, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin said the challenges facing the media houses in the ten states will be solved in two months. He also briefed Mr. Jiben on the recent transformation process of the media institutions from analog to digital systems as well the ongoing public broadcasting process. Reported by Martin Jada Gabriel, News Agency of South Sudan (NASS) “Playing with information can be disastrous”, warns official JUBA, 8 April 2013 (NASS) – The Director General for Information in the government of South Sudan, Mr Mustafa Biong Majak has warned that communication and information should be handled well to avoid hazards. He said wrong management of information is always bad and can be disastrous if not controlled. The Director General said this yesterday while launching a joint workshop with UNICEF on the national communication for development in Juba Regency Hotel. During the event Mr Majak advised the participants who are mostly communication officers from the ten states and UN agencies that the workshop be taken seriously to avoid future problems in the system. He told the participants that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has taken steps towards the transformation of the state owned media into public broadcasters. He also disclosed that that the government has already passed a resolution to adopt the 2015 digitalization initiative, a project worth 100 million USD. Mr. Majak assured the media houses that the ministry is fully committed to support media development in the country. Equally, Elizabeth Quaye, UNICEF Chief of Operations urged the communication officers to follow the proceedings of the workshop carefully so as to help facilitate behavior change in the societies they will be working with after the course. The workshop is facilitated by experts from both United Nations agencies and British Broadcasting Corporation. Reported by Martin Jada Gabriel, News Agency of South Sudan (NASS) H.E Kiir congratulates President Kibaki for the smooth transfer of power NAIROBI, 8 April 2013 - President Kiir and the accompanying delegation this evening paid a courtesy call on the outgoing Kenyan President H.E Mwai Kibaki at State House in Nairobi. H.E Kiir shakes hands with H.E Kibaki at State House. [Photo: Thomas Kenneth] According to Hon Dr. Barnaba the minister for Information and Broadcasting President Kiir during the meeting congratulated H.E Kibaki for the smooth elections conducted and for the peaceful preparations being carried out for the smooth transfer of power tomorrow at the Moi International Center for sports in Kasarani. Dr. Benjamin said President Kiir assured H.E Kibaki that South Sudan will never forget him for his unforgettable role in bringing peace in South Sudan. He also reiterated that South Sudan is ready to cooperate with the new President H. E Uhuru Kenyatta and to work with him for the mutual interest of the two sisterly countries and for the region at large. H.E Kiir and the delegation in a general photo with H.E Kibaki. [Photo: Thomas Kenneth] Dr. Benjamin also reported that President Kibaki congratulated President Kiir for the resumption of oil production and thanked him in person and the entire people of South Sudan for the bilateral ties the two countries are enjoying. Reported by Thomas Kenneth from Nairobi - Kenya African leaders arrive in Nairobi for Uhuru’s inauguration NAIROBI, 8 April 2013 - Fifty Four African leaders including President Salva Kiir of South Sudan and President El-Bashir of Sudan have been invited by the Kenyan government to attend the inauguration ceremony of Kenya’s new President H.E Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto which will take place tomorrow on Tuesday 9th, April 2013. South Sudan’s President H.E Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit was the first African leader to arrive in Nairobi on 6th April, 2013 for the occasion, followed by Ugandan President Yoweri K. Museveni, and according to the sources in Nairobi President El-Bashir is expected to arrive in Nairobi today. Some foreign leaders also started to arrive in Nairobi since yesterday for the occasion. H.E Kiir the first African leader to arrive in Nairobi for Uhuru's inauguration. [Photo: Thomas Kenneth] Mr. Kenyatta, Kenya’s fourth President is to be sworn in by the Kenyan Chief Justice Willy Mutunga at the Moi International Sports Center in Kasarani, in a colorful ceremony expected to be attended by thousands. As quoted by Daily Nation, Kenyan newspaper, all arrangements for the ceremony had been finalized and the party was set to start tonight. Indeed the entire world keeps watching Kenya’s historic moment. As Uhuru prepares to take Presidential Oath tomorrow, his main contender at the polls Raila Odinga went to South Africa on 7th April 2013 and according to the sources in Nairobi he is expected to deliver a speech on the same date of the ceremony. Reported by Thomas Kenneth from Nairobi - Kenya President Kiir leads RSS delegation to Uhuru’s inauguration NAIROBI, 7 April 2013 - President Kiir has led South Sudan’s delegation comprising of a number of Presidential Advisors and National Ministers to Nairobi to participate in the inauguration ceremony of Kenya’s President-elect H.E Uhuru Kenyatta. H.E Kiir and the delegation arrived in Nairobi on Saturday 6th April, 2013. President Kiir arrives in Nairobi. [Photo: Thomas Kenneth] As stated by South Sudan’s official spokesman who is a member of the delegation to Nairobi, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, South Sudan’s President is one of the eight African leaders invited by the Kenyan Government to participate in the inauguration ceremony which will take place on Tuesday the 9th April, 2013 at Moi Sports Centre Kasarani in Nairobi. For South Sudan, Kenya is one of the most important sisterly countries in Africa. Kenya has contributed a lot to peace and stability in South Sudan and not forgetting the tremendous economic activities being carried out between the two countries. Reported by Thomas Kenneth from Nairobi - Kenya Media urged to sensitise public on child labour JUBA, 7 April 2013 - The media in South Sudan have been urged to be at the forefront in educating members of the public on the dangers of child labour not just to children but the country as a whole. The Undersecretary for Labour in the national Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development, Madam Hellen Achiro Lotara, said the Ministry would work with the media and other stakeholders to sensitise the public on the worst forms of child labour. Madam Hellen said street children were a by-product of the war of independence which lasted for over two decades and that the elimination of child labour was the duty of all and not just the government. The Undersecretary said that the streets of Juba and other state capitals were littered with many children of school-going age, adding that the children were vulnerable to various forms of exploitation including prostitution. She was speaking when she officially closed a two-day stakeholders’ consultative workshop on the proposed list of hazardous work for children at a Juba hotel. The workshop which was funded by the International Labour Organisation drew participants from Western Equatoria, Jonglei, Eastern Equatoria and Jonglei states. The Undersecretary disclosed that similar consultative workshops would be held for stakeholders in the remaining six states. The workshop identified motorbike riding as one of the hazardous tasks that should not be undertaken by children aged 17 years and below. The high number of motorbike accidents was partly attributed to riders some as young as 12-13 years who lacked sufficient knowledge of traffic rules. Other hazardous tasks for children were in the commercial farming sector where children operate heavy machinery and handle chemicals in green house farming. Participants also noted small scale industries as another sector notorious for the worst forms of child labour and singled out alcohol brewing as posing a danger to children’s general health and moral development. Reported by Justin Jada, Alnour Ango and Simon Owaka JICA launches $5.5 million project to strengthen SSTV/R JUBA, 5 April 2013 - The government of Japan through its development agency JICA has launched a capacity development project worth USD $5.5 million to help transition South Sudan TV and Radio to a public broadcaster. Dr Benjamin addressing participants at the launch of JICA/SSTVR project. [Photo: Matata Safi] Launching the four year project at Juba Grand yesterday, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the minister for Information and Broadcasting expressed his gratitude to the people and government of Japan for availing resources to enable the young nation of South Sudan to move towards public broadcasting which he said is in line with the policy and vision of the government. The head of the liaison office of the government of Japan in South Sudan Mr. Takeshi Akamatsu said the project will focus on human resource development besides securing equipments. He underscored the role played by radio and TV in today’s mass media which he said is an important tool that will help the young government of South Sudan as it embarks on a process of nation building. He reiterated his government’s commitment towards establishing a strong and vibrant media in South Sudan. Mr Mustafa Biong Majak, the chairperson of the project's Joint Coordinating Committee. [Photo: Matata Safi] Mr Mustafa Biong Majak Director General of Information who also chairs the Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) of the project on behalf of the ministry announced that a group of officials from South Sudan would be leaving for Japan this month for a ten-day training program to be followed by ten Engineers on 2nd of July. He also said that another training programme will take place in Kenya’s national broadcaster, Kenya Broadcasting Cooperation (KBB) by 2014. Reported by Matata Safi Undersecretary decries child labour JUBA, 5 April 2013 - About 35 per cent of children in South Sudan are engaged in various forms of child labour. The Undersecretary for Labour in the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development, Madam Hellen Achiro Lotara, said many of the affected children work in the informal sector undertaking activities such as pushing wheelbarrows, shoe shining, working in backyard garages and street vending. Madam Hellen said a Labour Market Information survey conducted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) had further revealed that the work undertaken by the children was often hazardous, requiring them to work long hours, including nights and exposing them to physical and verbal abuse on the streets. The Undersecretary said many child labourers were school dropouts, adding that without a list of the most hazardous work it would be difficult to know where and what to concentrate on to protect the children. The Undersecretary made the remarks when she officially opened a two-day stakeholders consultative forum on the propose list of hazardous work for children at a Juba hotel. She emphasised that today’s children were the nation’s future and the country would assured of a healthy generation in tomorrow’s world if it invested in and protected from the worst forms of child labour. Madam Hellen said the government was committed towards ensuring that children were protected and cited the ratification by government of the ILO Convention 182 on Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour and Convention 138 on the Minimum Age for admission to Employment. She said the provision of these two conventions had further been domesticated into draft national labour laws, adding that the list of hazardous work would further enhance efforts to protect children. The Undersecretary said that once developed the list of hazardous work would have to promoted with parents, employers, workers, NGOs and the public being sensitised about it. She, however, pointed out that not all work done by children should be classified as child labour or hazardous work that should be targeted for elimination. She said children’s or adolescents’ participation in helping their parents around the home or earning pocket money outside school hours and during school holidays did not constitute child labour. Reported by Justin Jada, Alnour Ango and Simon Owaka Deloitte international expnads horizon to South Sudan JUBA, 5 April 2013 (NASS) – Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu Limited has announced the expansion of its service delivery in the Republic of South Sudan. This was revealed by the firm’s Regional Managing Director, Jan Dalhuisen during a meeting with the minister of Information and Broadcasting, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin. Deloitte is one of the biggest four professional service firms and the second largest professional service network in the world providing audit, tax consulting, enterprise risk and financial advisory services. Deloitte team meeting Dr Benjamin. [Photo: Ajang Monychol] “We recognized the rapid development in the Republic of South Sudan but yet Deloitte has plans to improve company’s service in the country,” Mr Dalhuisen said. He disclosed that the company is working on the capacity building program to strengthen government auditing services. Reported by Martin Jada Gabriel, News Agency of South Sudan (NASS) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
