Burkina: Two schoolgirls contribute 32,500 CFA francs to the Patriotic Support Fund

Ouagadougou: Two schoolgirls, the twins Noéla and Toussiane Zabré, both students in 5th grade at the MonSeigneur André Dupont school complex, brought the sum of 32,500 CFA francs, from the sale of candy, to the patriotic support fund.

‘We started selling sweets from February because we were planning to buy a motorbike, but with the advice of our parents we decided to donate the proceeds from March, i.e. 32,500 FCFA, to respond to the appeal of President Captain Ibrahim. Traoré,’ declared the donors according to the daily Sidwaya.

According to the same source, these students have also announced their commitment to now donate 30% of sales to the Patriotic Support Fund and their desire to mobilize their comrades to visit the war wounded.

‘With the agreement of our parents we are going to request an audience with the president to ask him for authorization to do an immersion at the front. For us, this war must end now and the country needs everyone, big and small. This is why we are calling on all students to m
obilize,’ she added.

The daily Sidwaya also informs that the call for the mobilization of endogenous resources to finance the fight against terrorism was also heard by listeners and viewers of the Savane Médias group who contributed 70 million 50 thousand FCFA.

The person responsible for the collection for the Patriotic Support Fund of the Savane Media group, Yacouba Jacob Barry stressed that ‘the amount donated is the fruit of the contribution of Burkinabè from the interior and the diaspora’.

The state daily also informs that traders from the rural commune of Rambo, from the province of Yatenga in the Northern region, traveled to Ouagadougou to hand over a check for 1 million FCFA.

According to their representative, Lassané Sana, this contribution is a sign of their gratitude for the efforts made by the government with a view to the return of peace and their availability to support the process of reconquest of the territory

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Beijing: Opening of a training seminar to share experience with Burkinabe journalists and media managers

A training seminar for the benefit of 23 journalists and 19 Burkinabe media managers opened its doors on Wednesday April 10, 2024 afternoon in Beijing, China in the presence of representatives of the AIB. It provides for a sharing of experience between Burkinabè and Chinese, particularly in the field of media.

At the opening ceremony, the organizer of the seminar and deputy director of the International Studies and Training Center, China International Communication Group, Han Liqiang, indicated that he will allow his country to share his experience in various sectors with Burkinabè journalists and media managers, particularly in the media field.

Mr. Liqiang stressed that “although China and Burkina are thousands of kilometers apart, trade between the two countries is increasingly important.”

‘We have become true friends who can rely on each other and trust each other. Mountains and oceans cannot prevent the two countries from getting closer to each other, getting to know each other and carrying out friend
ly cooperation,’ he said.

In his opinion, “this seminar is a valuable opportunity to come together here to strengthen communication and mutual understanding and deep friendship.”

The representative of media managers Valentin Hervé Sanyan Kambiré, for his part, thanked China for organizing training for Burkinabe public and private media.

Mr. Kambiré, also project manager at the Ministry of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, presented Burkina Faso located in West Africa, independent since 1960 and led since September 30, 2022 by Captain Ibrahim Traore.

‘The new regime, from its advent, has resolutely turned towards more structuring partnerships with countries which have understood our model of society and which want to build with us, a fairer and more equitable world,’ he indicated. .

He indicated that Burkinabè journalists will strengthen their capacities based on the Chinese example in terms of management of journalistic practice and press practice and will build constructive and civic communicati
on in a context marked by competition.

‘This immersion will allow us to discover certain aspects of your rich and envious culture but also to strengthen our relationships which we want to be win-win,’ he maintained.

For the project manager, media managers and journalists will also be proud to share with the Chinese, ‘their daily experiences which make certain Nations around the world green with envy’.

The journalists’ spokesperson, Sébastian Monné, took the opportunity to congratulate the People’s Republic of China for its commitment to the development of Burkina Faso whatever the area.

In his opinion, this seminar ‘represents much more than just an opportunity to enrich our professional skills in the fields of media between our two countries’.

This will involve, he continued, ‘strengthening our knowledge in the areas of human, economic and socio-cultural resources’ of China.

‘We look forward to returning to the Land of Integrity Men with new ideas, new skills and perspectives that will add to the Burki
nabè media landscape,’ said Mr. Monné.

The seminar will take place from April 10 to 19 for media managers and from April 10 to 23 for journalists. It will be marked by thematic conferences but also field visits to Beijing and other localities in the country.

The seminar for media executives and journalists from Burkina Faso is organized by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and actively led by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Tunis hosts 2nd Precision Medicine Academy, April 15-18


Tunis: Tunis will host the 2nd Precision Medicine Academy (PMA- 2nd edition), organised by the Institut Pasteur de Tunis on April 15-18, 2024, as part of the training activities of the Personalised Medicine in North Africa (PerMediNA) project, with the participation of 120 medical specialists and researchers.

The Precision Medicine Academy comprises a set of lectures and interactive sessions led by leading experts in the precision medicine field.

The Academy will begin with an update on the progress of the PerMediNA project and the setting up of the Molecular Multidisciplinary Consultation Meetings and Functional Genomics Task Forces.

Other topics to be addressed, via training workshops and/or feedback, include the development of skills in leadership, mentorship, project management, scientific writing and communication, as well as other issues necessary for the career development of young researchers and healthcare staff, in addition to the involvement of the pharmaceutical industry and political decision-
makers, the health economy and its importance in the well-being of patients.

This second edition will focus on four main themes: a look back at the Academy of Precision Medicine and updates on the project, feedback from young researchers during internships and training courses with collaborators, workshops dedicated to developing skills such as communication and leadership, and an opening-up to other African initiatives.

The PerMediNA project is coordinated by the Institut Pasteur de Tunis and involves four Pasteur Network members: the Institut Pasteur de Tunis, the Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, the Institut Pasteur du Maroc and the Institut Pasteur de Paris.

The project aims to set up a Maghreb consortium for applied precision medicine in oncology.

PerMediNA is a founding project that marks an important step in structuring precision medicine in North Africa, enhancing collaboration between Pasteur Network members in the region and improving patient care by facilitating access to genetic tests and targeted
therapy.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Council of Ministers and bilateral cooperation make the headlines this Friday

Ouagadougou: This Friday’s publications highlight bilateral cooperation between Burkina Faso and China and then the council of ministers.

‘Council of Ministers: report of the work of Thursday April 11, 2024’, displays the state daily Sidwaya on its headline.

The newspaper reports that the Council adopted a decree creating a military penitentiary establishment in Ouagadougou.

Which makes the private daily Le Pays say that ‘the adoption of this decree allows military justice, through the Military Tribunal, to comply with the standards of penitentiary establishments and the requirements prescribed by the various jurisdictional authorities’.

The public daily still reporting the deliberations of the Council of Ministers, mentions the ‘Relaunch of the organization of the Night of the Lompolo, the 4th edition of which is scheduled for November 15, 2024 in Ouagadougou’.

He continued that the relaunch of the ‘Night of the Lompolo’ is a recognition of the State to the efforts made by the actors of an important par
t of culture.

The private daily Le Pays, for its part, mentions on its front page, according to the report of the Council of Ministers, ‘Former minister Boukaré Zoungrana appointed ambassador to Chad’.

The dean of private daily newspapers, the Paalga Observer on his headline, still dealing with the Council of Ministers, informs that Hermann Ilboudo is the new CEO of BUMIGEB.

In another register, the private newspaper Le Pays writes in its columns ‘Bilateral cooperation: Burkinabè journalists discovering China’.

The private daily reporting the remarks of the deputy director of the International Study and Training Center of the International Communication Group of China Han Liqiang explains that “the presence of the Burkinabè delegation in China responds to the desire of the Chinese authorities to strengthen communication and mutual trust, and to deepen the friendship between the two countries.’

The colleague continues that the book on the governance of China, volume IV was offered to each participant.

In
the same vein, Sidwaya indicates that ‘the new political trajectory of Burkina, since the arrival of the President of the Transition, is favorable to the diversification of partnerships’.

He adds that during the journalists’ stay, they will visit the Hunan radio and television station, a southern and mountainous province of China.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Patriotic commitment and citizenship: Annihilate the ugly face of Burkinabè (Corner paper)

Ouagadougou: Burkina Faso organized from March 26 to April 9, 2024, the National Days of Patriotic Commitment and Citizen Participation (JEPPC) .

The initiative aimed at awareness-raising actions on sanitation, reforestation and discipline , but also support for fighting forces .

At the end of the fortnight on Tuesday , Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachimson Kyé lem de Tambe declared that the results were positive. In other words, the expected results were achieved.

This initiative by the Transition authorities , the first of its kind, meets with the approval of citizens. They, through activities and behaviors, demonstrated their support.

Raising drapes, wearing traditional Burkinabè outfits, eating local dishes , were observed, among other things, during these two weeks.

On the sidelines of this fortnight , Burkinabè individuals or in associations took civic actions . This is the case of the national collective for refoundation which, on the eve of Ramadan, gave three tons of food to the women of the Gre
en Brigade, to enable them to celebrate.

Another citizen delivered medical consumables to a reference health center in the Burkinabe capital. In short, the examples are legion.

It must be recognized that many Burkinabè people did not wait for the national days of patriotic commitment and citizen participation to adopt these beneficial behaviors. And they are not going to stop or suspend their generosity once the fortnight is over, either .

However , while the JEPPC was taking place, national news showed that some Burkinabè (fortunately a minority) are capable of the worst .

Indeed, last week, the press reported on the behavior of a trader in Bobo-Dioulasso which shocks ordinary mortals.

This trader pushed greed , let’s say wickedness , to the point of reselling pebbles in the form of cereals intended for human consumption .

He and his acolytes were arrested on Wednesday April 3, 2024 by the Hauts-Bassins Regional Judicial Police Service (SRPJ). According to media accounts , these individuals crushed gra
nite and quartz into small grains so that their mixture with grain was difficult to detect.

‘ It was around forty bags of sorghum mixed with stones that the SRPJ was able to sixteen from the merchant’s store, ‘ we report .

At a time when we are promoting good behavior , this hideous side of Burkinabè must be fought, even destroyed.

The Transition authorities are working to encourage good examples and inspire others. It is in this dynamic that the national coordinator of presidential initiatives regularly carries out field trips to Ouagadougou and other cities.

On each of his outings to visit streets paved by Burkinabè at their own expense , he highlights these initiators of development in the neighborhoods and congratulates them.

It brings joy to the heart to see that gestures of patriotism are being seen among adolescents and children. There are many students who contribute in their own way to the peace effort, often even without the knowledge of their parents.

This is the case in Tenkodogo where two c
hildren (twins) on the basis of the sums they received for snacks at school, were able to put aside money which they gave to support the Fighting Forces.

Their aunt with whom they live admitted in the report that she had not yet given her contribution and that she was unaware that these children were contributing to this noble cause.

In Ouagadougou, Noéla and Toussiane Zabré, both 5th grade students at the MonSeigneur André Dupont school complex, have been talked about positively in recent days. In fact, the two teenagers have decided to donate , for the benefit of the Patriotic Support Fund ( FSP ), all of their income for the month of March from the sale of sweets, which they make.

With such behavior of little ones, we are certain that the next generation in terms of patriotic commitment and citizen participation is assured. It remains to stay the course of awareness-raising and governance by example.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Morocco’s Mehdi Qotbi Awarded France’s Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit


Moroccan artist and president of the National Foundation of Museums of Morocco (FNM), Mehdi Qotbi, was promoted by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to the rank of Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit, one of the highest distinctions of the French Republic, during a ceremony organized Thursday evening at the Elysée Palace.

In an address, the French head of state said that Mehdi Qotbi is “an exceptional artist” and a “builder of bridges between countries and people.’

”Mr. Qotbi is one of the hunters of art and talent,’ said the French President.

“You never cease to create, to exhibit, to teach the visual arts, to cross paths with personalities who inspire you and whom you inspire,” he said.

Describing the artist as “one of the links between Morocco and France”, Macron emphasized that Qotbi is “one of those who bring to life on a daily basis the indestructible fraternal bond that unites our two countries.’

“This distinction honors me because it pays tribute, beyond my person, to the marvelou
s teamwork accomplished by the National Foundation of Museums which, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and with the great support and interest that our Sovereign has for culture and the arts, has produced major new national and international exhibitions and is helping to preserve and publicize our rich multicultural heritage throughout the world,’ Qotbi told MAP news agency.

Made a Knight of the Legion of Honor by former French President Jacques Chirac in 2000, then an Officer of the Legion of Honor by his successor Nicolas Sarkozy, the Moroccan artist was promoted to the rank of Commander of the Legion of Honor in 2016 by President François Hollande.

The ceremony was attended by the French Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, the President of the Arab World Institute (IMA), Jack Lang, and several personalities from the world of diplomacy, culture and the arts.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

Individual Arrested in Tangier for Cocaine Possession, Large Sums of Money Seized


Members of the Tangier prefectural judicial police successfully seized, on Friday morning, five kilograms of cocaine and large sums of money linked to illegal drug trafficking.

According to a security source, the investigation into this case led to the arrest of an individual involved in drug trafficking. He was found in possession of five kilograms of cocaine and a vehicle suspected of being used for transporting and trafficking drugs.

Further searches related to the case resulted in the discovery of significant amounts of money, totaling approximately 8.5 million dirhams, along with another sum in European currency. These funds are believed to be proceeds from the trafficking of hard drugs.

The suspect has been placed in police custody as part of the ongoing judicial investigation under the supervision of the relevant public prosecutor’s office. Meanwhile, efforts to apprehend other individuals involved in the case are underway.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

Morocco to Switch Back to GMT+1 on Sunday, April 14


Morocco will return to GMT+1 at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 14, 2024, moving the time forward by 60 minutes, the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform announced.

This measure comes in application of Decree no. 2-18-855 of 16 Safar 1440 (October 26, 2018) relating to legal time and Head of Government’s Order no. 3-10-24 published on 12 Sha’ban 1445 (February 22, 2024), relating to the change in legal time, the ministry said in a statement.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse