Month: January 2018

IMF invites Arab nations to tackle public ‘frustration’

BGMN

The International Monetary Fund is holding a two-day regional conference from Monday in Morocco with a message of reform amid growing “frustration” among the population of some Arab states. “Rising social tensions and protests in several countries across the Middle East and North Africa are a clear indication that the aspirations of the people of the region, for opportunity, prosperity and equity, remain unfulfilled,” said Jihad Azour, director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia department. “Reforms are the key to address the fundamental problems that have plagued so…

United Nations Alliance of Civilisations organises PEACEapp workshop in Tunis

BGMN

The United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) will organise Sunday a three-day PEACEapp workshop in Tunis, in partnership with civil society organisation ADO+ and in collaboration with the National Centre of Computer Science Training for Children (French: CNIPE), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the UN Refugee Agency and the Tunisian Red Crescent, TAP reports. “Around 30 young participants will be trained in computational thinking and digital literacy while developing video games through MIT Media Lab gaming platform SCRATCH,” reads a press release. Participants include Tunisian youth and young migrants…

Rabat: A city of great architecture, cuisine and music

BGMN

Having been born and raised in Rwanda, I had always wondered why people in countries like Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt were called Africans yet they had a different skin colour to other Africans. This was until I recently discovered another image of Africa, the Arab Africa. I could not actually, believe it until I went to Rabat, one of the most beautiful cities in Africa. I visited the North African after an invitation to the Moroccan fourth annual music festival, ‘Visa For Music’, an event that brings…

Around 800 migrants rescued in Mediterranean, two bodies recovered

BGMN

Around 800 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean on Saturday as they tried to reach Europe and two bodies were recovered, Italy’s coast guard, which coordinated the rescues, said in a statement. No details about the nationalities of those rescued were given, nor was there further information about the deaths. The migrants were picked up from two barges, two rubber dinghies and one small boat in five separate rescue operations. During one of the rescues, two helicopters from the Italian navy were used to pick-up seven children with water in…

Women’s inheritance next on Tunisia’s rights agenda?

BGMN

Women in Tunisia may be able to pass their family name on to their children and have equal inheritance with men if proposals, due to be finalized in February, are adopted in a country regarded as a leader for women’s rights in the Arab world. The Committee on Individual Freedoms and Equality, set up in August, will present its recommendations on Feb. 20 to the president. “Tunisia is once again pioneering and irreversibly moving toward advancement,” the committee’s Chairwoman Bochra Belhaj Hmida told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in emailed comments.…

USGC to establish Tunisian center for feed manufacturing

BGMN

In dual efforts to expand export opportunities and help local feed producers improve the quality of their products, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) plans to utilize a grant provided by the U.S. State Department to create a Center for Feed Manufacturing in Tunisia, world-grain.com reports. “Centered in North Africa, U.S. suppliers face increasing competition in the Tunisian market from competitors in Europe, the Black Sea and South America,” said Ramy Hadj Taieb, USGC regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. “As a result, the council’s work in Tunisia is…

Tunisia, most innovative country in Africa and Arab world

BGMN

Tunisia confirms and strengthens its status as the most innovative country in Africa and the Arab world. This is apparent from the Bloomberg Innovation Index released on Tuesday 23 January. According to this Index in its 6th edition, Tunisia has moved up two spots compared to the last edition and ranked 43rd in the world ahead of Morocco, last in the top 50. The U.S. dropped out of the top 10 in the 2018 Bloomberg Innovation Index for the first time in the six years the gauge has been compiled.…

Filmmaking helps refugee girls learn English

BGMN

With the guidance of a team of filmmakers, the girls come up with their own idea before jotting them down on a script and acting out the different characters.  “From filmmaking, I learned to never give up on my dreams no matter how tough the path gets.” Alaa Mustafa, 13, is among the estimated 11 million Syrians who have fled their homes since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011. Living in the UAE for the past six years, she was also among the 33 girls between 10 and…

Tunisian classrooms to learn the Fun Academy way

BGMN

Finnish company Fun Academy and Tunisia’s Ministry of Women, Family and Childhood have entered into a partnership to further the development of early-childhood education in Tunisia. The agreement seeks to enhance the capabilities of local education institutions to provide high-quality and non-discriminatory early-childhood education services. “We are so excited to be part of this important collaboration with the ministry to co-create and provide quality pre-school for children in Tunisia,” says Sanna Lukander, the CEO of Fun Academy. “We are here to learn, to share and to co-create the best start in life for…

Tunisia expected to be admitted as COMESA member state in April summit

BGMN

Tunisia is expected to be admitted to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) as its 20th member state in a COMESA summit to be held from April 18 to 19 in Burundi, a COMESA’s senior official said Wednesday, xinhuanet reports “The forthcoming summit is very important because Tunisia will be admitted as the 20th member state of COMESA. Besides, Somalia will come back to COMESA,” said COMESA Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya in Burundian capital Bujumbura. The summit of the heads of state and government of COMESA will be…