Publications
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CTA announces ACP Media Competition on Value Chains
[Wageningen, The Netherlands, 14 May 2012] – The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) in collaboration with its national, regional and international partners is delighted to announce the launch of the 2012 African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) Media Competition on value chains.
Open to all media and communication professionals from the ACP, the competition aims to encourage journalists and media specialists to investigate the challenges and opportunities for involving smallholder farmers in value chains, showcase success stories and best practices that can be replicated and raise awareness on the important role of value chains in agricultural and rural development..
The competition is being held in conjunction with the International Conference on value chains development, which will take place from 6 – 9 November 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The top six finalists will be supported to attend the conference and provide media coverage. The top three winners will be announced during the event. Submissions are invited to discuss one or more of the following themes:
• Trends on value chain development
• Value chain innovations
• Enabling environments
• Sustainability and scaling up, and
• Capacity development
Interested candidates are invited to send in one original print or audio-visual piece in English or French to makingtheconnection@cta.int , copying Mikenga@cta.int by 10 August 2012. For full details of the competition please visit http://makingtheconnection.cta.int/awards .
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About CTA
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) is a joint ACP-EU institution active in agricultural and rural development in ACP countries. Its mission is to advance food and nutritional security, increase prosperity and encourage sound natural resource management in ACP countries. It does this by providing access to information and knowledge and strengthening the capacity of agricultural and rural development institutions and communities in ACP countries. CTA also facilitates multi-stakeholder engagements and dialogue in agriculture and rural development, thereby providing an enabling environment for knowledge sharing, consensus building and learning, to inform policies and decision making processes and improve rural livelihoods. CTA puts priority on enhancing value chain governance and competiveness across ACP regions to improve agricultural productivity and reduce poverty. For more information on CTA visit, www.cta.int .
About value chains
The value chain refers to the full range of activities required to take a primary product from conceptualisation through design, product development, production, processing, marketing, distribution, consumption, and disposal after use. This implies a linear (and hierarchical) flow of value-adding activities, knowledge and resources – but in practice it involves multiple actors with differing power relationships across a range of interlinked activities. Generally, the goal is to achieve an overall win–win situation that benefits consumers, producers, and other actors in the chain alike. However, in many cases it is the actors with decision-making power over the related activities who ultimately gain the most from value chains. ACP countries have a long history of engaging in value chains (e.g. banana, cocoa, sugar, tea, etc.). Most often, ACP producers are at the lower end of the value chain, while the bulk of the value is captured by large-scale producers, intermediaries and enterprises (‘lead firms’). An important issue is to assess the value that accrues to the different actors in the chain (farmers, traders, processors, retailers, etc), with an emphasis on ensuring that farmers obtain a remunerative share of this value.
NEPAD Organizes Journalist Mobilization Workshop in Preparation of its 10th Anniversary.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia –The NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, will on 27 March hold a workshop to mobilize journalists and raise awareness as part of activities marking its 10th Anniversary celebrations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Holding at the new African Union Conference Center (AUCC), under the theme: “Reflecting on Africa’s past and future”. The workshop will take place at the sideline of the NEPAD Colloquium and Congress to brainstorm on the future of NEPAD and Africa’s development.
The workshop is aimed to reach out to NEPAD stakeholders and create awareness through media on the African Union (AU)/NEPAD’s contribution to Africa’s socio-economic development, given the role of the media in building public awareness and mobilize the public to be engaged in decision-making processes, and promote accountability.
The project involves a one-day brainstorming workshop for journalists about NEPAD before the Colloquium, and coverage of the event by the same journalists and other invited media representatives. The workshop is expected to create constructive participation in Media Sensitization workshop, facilitate the coverage of the NEPAD Congress & Colloquium; to mobilize the media (off and online) to cover the Congress & Colloquium; to enhance the knowledge of journalists’ about NEPAD activities; to enhance the NEPAD’s visibility/awareness; as well as to consolidate and strengthen Media/Journalists’ networks around the NEPAD agenda.
Over the past ten years, major developments have taken place to advance the NEPAD agenda. As part of its celebrations, NEPAD agency has planned a number of activities and events to reach out to different stakeholder groups.
NEPAD is an African Union strategic policy framework for pan-African socio-economic development. It is a strategic partner of Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) with whom they have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on various initiatives such as CAADP.
Journalists are invited to cover the NEPAD media workshop on 27 March and the Colloquium and Congress from on the 28 March 2012.
Interview requests should be addressed to Mr. Gilles Eric Foadey, OIC Communication, Tel +27 83 555 9696 ; email erickf@nepad.org , Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou, Directorate of Information and Communication, Tel. +251 911 3611 85 , e-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org and Mr. Samuel Mikenga CTA, +31 317467101 ; email: mikenga@cta.int
Launch of the East African Community (EAC) Medicines Registration Harmonization (MRH) Project
- AMRH Programme Stakeholders Plenary Meeting, scheduled for 29 March 2012, Arusha, TanzaniaThe AMRH Programme Stakeholders’ Plenary Meeting is being held on the morning of the 29th of March at Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge, in Arusha, Tanzania. The aim is generate discussion and input to developing the way forward for medicines regulatory harmonization in Africa. Partners and stakeholders of medicines regulatory harmonization in Africa, have been invited to attend the meeting. Technical presentations on medicines regulatory harmonization, challenges, lessons learnt and best practices will be discussed and shared.Speakers during this event will include: NEPAD AMRH Programme representatives, EAC NMRAs, WHO, donors and representatives from Civil Society.Resources:
Logistics information for self funding participants
Draft Agenda - Launch of the East African Community (EAC) Medicines Registration Harmonization (MRH) Project scheduled for 30 March 2012, Arusha, TanzaniaThe NEPAD Agency and the East African Community, in collaboration with the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) Programme partners, – the World Health Organization (WHO), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, UK Department for International Development (DfID), and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), will launch the East African Community (EAC) Medicines Registration Harmonization (MRH) Project on the morning of 30 March 2012 at Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge, Arusha, Tanzania. The EAC MRH Project will promote the harmonization of medicines registration in the region, which is a key contributor to public health and leads to rapid access to good quality, safe and effective medicines for priority diseases. This marks the beginning of the implementation phase of the AMRH Programme across Africa. Moreover, it is also a milestone reached towards improving access to essential medicines for priority diseases in Africa.Essential medicines save lives and improve health when they are available, affordable, of assured quality and used rationally. However, lack of access to essential medicines remains one of the most serious global public health problems. Africa’s regions have similar health and technological challenges and relatively low levels of investment in health research, drug discovery and pharmaceutical development, compared to other continents. Countries in Africa are struggling to produce, procure and make safe and essential medicines available to their populations. This is mainly because of limited budgets, lack of adequate infrastructure and human resources and a range of regulatory barriers including weak and/or absent medicines legislation and legal frameworks.With generous support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a global medicines regulatory harmonization (GMRH) multi-donor trust fund was created at the World Bank in 2011 to implement and scale up medicines regulatory harmonization activities. After a series of rigorous consultations with RECS, NMRAs and industry, AMRH partners have successfully finalized and secured funding for the EAC MRH Project. The region’s commitment to medicines regulatory harmonization is an explicit goal in its governing EAC Treaty document, and the project has received strong endorsement from the community’s highest Council of Ministers.
The EAC Secretariat, in close collaboration with representatives from the NMRAs of all five partner states will implement the project. WHO and the NEPAD Agency will provide technical assistance and coordination support to the project, and the World Bank will be responsible for overall project and financial management. Partners hope that the successful implementation of the EAC project will serve as a beacon for other countries and regions to realize the benefits of harmonized regulations for their populations.
Speakers at the launch will include Ministers, high-level representatives from the African Union Commission (AUC), the NEPAD Agency, EAC Officials, representatives of EAC National Medicines Regulatory Authorities (NMRAs), regional pharmaceutical associations, international organizations and donors.
Related links
Logistics information for self funding participants
Draft Agenda
Learning about Africa away forward to move on green revolution
In general media is strengthening in Africa towards working for the green revolution and still there is no tangible solution. The African Federation of Environmental Journalists (AFEJ) is aiming to meet the challenges faced by African people and published today its first online questionnaires in order to look very closely how can African farmers make tremendous activities and make sure that the green revolution takes hold in Africa.
- How can Africa move along with green revolution and feed from farming systems?
- What are the most technology systems is useful to the farming?
- What are the current and past problems the farms and farming processes in Africa generally face?
If you are a scientist or agricultural expert who have been tracking African agricultural system you are most welcome to take part the forum. Please send us your thoughts or submissions through email info@afejnews.org and then we will publish it online.
Simultaneously, Africa is waiting for her society and leaders to wake up so as to move the green revolution and increase her food production as well as develop her agricultural system.
Closing date: march 15, 2012
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Power Reporting Bursaries Available for Environmental Reporters Reporting on Climate Change
BURSARIES NOW AVAILABLE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE REPORTERS!
With the approach of the COP17 talks in Durban, and the shocking example of drought in Somalia, climate change will take centre stage in African reporting in the coming months.
John Vidal, the London Guardian’s environment editor, will be speaking at the conference and running a training session on reporting climate change.
A limited number of bursaries are available for investigative journalists reporting climate change in sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa to attend the conference. Send a motivation letter by email, with at least two examples of reporting on issues of climate change to powerreporting@journalism.co.
The bursary will cover flights, accommodation, transport in SA and food. But not visas and home country transport.
Closing date: Friday 15 October 2011.
For more information about the conference please see: http://www.journalism.co.za/
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Media Advisory: Press accreditation for the UNFCCC COP17
Press accreditation for the 17th Conference of Parties (COP17/CMP7) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) opens today, Thursday, 6 October 2011 through to Wednesday, 16 November 2011.
The UNFCCC COP17 / CMP7 will take place in Durban from 28 November to 09 December 2011.
Accreditation will be granted upon presentation of valid press credentials in accordance with the United Nations requirements.
Please go to https://onlinereg.unfccc.int/ to start the accreditation process.
All media must accredit with the UNFCCC under the name and letter of assignment of their respective media organizations.
Applications for broadcast workspace are open until Monday, 24 October 2011.
Contact information: PressReg@unfccc.int
Issued on 6 October 2011