Africa Briefs

Jo-Mare Duddy Booysen
Ghana to create more jobs

The Ghanaian government will speed up the implementation of its proposed jobs and skills programme to promote skill development and offer job opportunities to the youth, Ghana's finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta said on Sunday.

The upcoming US$200-million programme will strengthen the capacity of the private sector as well as small and medium enterprises to create jobs for the youth.

"This is a programme we have been discussing with the World Bank over the past three years and it aims at addressing the structural inequities in the economy to facilitate economic transformation and increase private sector jobs," he said.

In addition to this programme, the government will launch eight new initiatives in the coming months in the health, tourism, trade, agriculture, and infrastructure sectors to boost economic growth, which will also contribute to job creation, said the minister.

The latest data states that the youth unemployment rate in the West African country increased to 9.46% in 2020, compared with the 9.1% recorded a year earlier. – Nampa/Xinhua

Zambia: Digital technology can expand markets

Zambian president Edgar Lungu has called on the business community to embrace digital platforms in order to reach wider markets amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Zambian leader said the pandemic has presented new opportunities for doing business resulting in a rise in the number of niche businesses poised to respond to renewed demands resulting from the pandemic.

"We have seen a rise in the provision of digital solutions making it easier for people to access goods and services online without ever having to leave the comfort of their homes. Therefore, the importance for the business community and the citizenry at large to embrace the digital space cannot be overemphasised," he said when he officially opened the Lusaka Business Expo 2021.

The Zambian leader said the pandemic has not spared the country's economy forcing the government to come up with an economic recovery programme aimed at restoring economic growth to 3% by 2022. – Nampa/Xinhua

Tunisia begins week of strict measures

Tunisia on Sunday started a week of coronavirus restrictions covering the Eid holiday, as hospitals battle to stay afloat as Covid-19 cases soar.

Prime minister Hichem Mechichi said Friday that Tunisia was going through "the worst health crisis in its history" and that health facilities were at risk of collapse.

Until next Sunday, mosques, markets and non-essential shops must close, gatherings and family or cultural celebrations are banned, and people are forbidden from travelling between regions. Schools have been closed since mid-April.

The Eid al-Fitr holidays that mark the end of Ramadan are traditionally a time when Muslim families and friends gather together.

Tunisia, a country of almost 12 million, has officially recorded more than 319 000 coronavirus cases and 11 350 deaths. Over 500 people are currently in intensive care, a level previously unseen in the North African country. – Nampa/AFP

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Premier League: Manchester United 0 vs 1 Arsenal | Nottingham Forest 2 vs 3 Chelsea | Newcastle 1 vs 1 Brighton | Wolves 1 vs 3 Crystal Palace | Everton 1 vs 0 Sheffield United | West Ham 3 vs 1 Luton Town | Bournemouth 1 vs 2 Brentford | Tottenham Hotspur 2 vs 1 Burnley | Fulham 0 vs 4 Manchester City LaLiga: Valencia 0 vs 0 Rayo Vallecano | Atletico Madrid 1 vs 0 Celta Vigo | Cadiz 1 vs 0 Getafe | Athletic Club 2 vs 2 Osasuna | Granada 0 vs 4 Real Madrid | Villarreal 3 vs 2 Sevilla | Mallorca 1 vs 0 Las Palmas | Deportivo Alaves 2 vs 2 Girona SerieA: Juventus 1 vs 1 Salernitana | Genoa 2 vs 1 Sassuolo | Hellas Verona 1 vs 2 Torino | SS Lazio 2 vs 0 Empoli | AC Milan 5 vs 1 Cagliari | Napoli 0 vs 2 Bologna | Frosinone 0 vs 5 Inter Milan European Championships Qualifying: West Bromwich Albion 0 vs 0 Southampton | Norwich City 0 vs 0 Leeds United English Championship: West Bromwich Albion 0 vs 0 Southampton | Norwich City 0 vs 0 Leeds United Katima Mulilo: 15° | 33° Rundu: 15° | 32° Eenhana: 14° | 34° Oshakati: 16° | 32° Ruacana: 16° | 33° Tsumeb: 17° | 31° Otjiwarongo: 13° | 29° Omaruru: 16° | 31° Windhoek: 14° | 27° Gobabis: 15° | 28° Henties Bay: 14° | 20° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 12:02, High tide: 06:03, Low Tide: 00:33, High tide: 18:39 Swakopmund: 15° | 16° Wind speed: 23km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 12:00, High tide: 06:01, Low Tide: 00:31, High tide: 18:37 Walvis Bay: 15° | 23° Wind speed: 31km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 12:00, High tide: 06:00, Low Tide: 00:31, High tide: 18:36 Rehoboth: 15° | 29° Mariental: 20° | 31° Keetmanshoop: 19° | 31° Aranos: 17° | 30° Lüderitz: 12° | 28° Ariamsvlei: 18° | 33° Oranjemund: 10° | 23° Luanda: 25° | 27° Gaborone: 15° | 27° Lubumbashi: 15° | 29° Mbabane: 14° | 19° Maseru: 8° | 23° Antananarivo: 12° | 25° Lilongwe: 16° | 27° Maputo: 19° | 26° Windhoek: 14° | 27° Cape Town: 13° | 22° Durban: 18° | 22° Johannesburg: 14° | 23° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 31° Lusaka: 17° | 28° Harare: 14° | 27° Currency: GBP to NAD 23 | EUR to NAD 19.82 | CNY to NAD 2.55 | USD to NAD 18.41 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.31 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.68 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.56 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 134.06 | USD to AOA 834.06 | USD to BWP 13.6 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1439.8 | USD to ZAR 18.44 | USD to ZMW 26.75 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 78464.25 Up +1.19% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1754.6 Up +1.22% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13527.01 Up +0.36% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 26003.16 Up +0.05% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 360.52/OZ UP +0.59% | Copper US$ 4.62/lb UP +1.13% | Zinc US$ 2 961.00/T DOWN -0.06% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 83.21/BBP DOWN -0.0171 | Platinum US$ 995.62/OZ UP +1.05% Sport results: Premier League: Manchester United 0 vs 1 Arsenal | Nottingham Forest 2 vs 3 Chelsea | Newcastle 1 vs 1 Brighton | Wolves 1 vs 3 Crystal Palace | Everton 1 vs 0 Sheffield United | West Ham 3 vs 1 Luton Town | Bournemouth 1 vs 2 Brentford | Tottenham Hotspur 2 vs 1 Burnley | Fulham 0 vs 4 Manchester City LaLiga: Valencia 0 vs 0 Rayo Vallecano | Atletico Madrid 1 vs 0 Celta Vigo | Cadiz 1 vs 0 Getafe | Athletic Club 2 vs 2 Osasuna | Granada 0 vs 4 Real Madrid | Villarreal 3 vs 2 Sevilla | Mallorca 1 vs 0 Las Palmas | Deportivo Alaves 2 vs 2 Girona SerieA: Juventus 1 vs 1 Salernitana | Genoa 2 vs 1 Sassuolo | Hellas Verona 1 vs 2 Torino | SS Lazio 2 vs 0 Empoli | AC Milan 5 vs 1 Cagliari | Napoli 0 vs 2 Bologna | Frosinone 0 vs 5 Inter Milan European Championships Qualifying: West Bromwich Albion 0 vs 0 Southampton | Norwich City 0 vs 0 Leeds United English Championship: West Bromwich Albion 0 vs 0 Southampton | Norwich City 0 vs 0 Leeds United Weather: Katima Mulilo: 15° | 33° Rundu: 15° | 32° Eenhana: 14° | 34° Oshakati: 16° | 32° Ruacana: 16° | 33° Tsumeb: 17° | 31° Otjiwarongo: 13° | 29° Omaruru: 16° | 31° Windhoek: 14° | 27° Gobabis: 15° | 28° Henties Bay: 14° | 20° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 12:02, High tide: 06:03, Low Tide: 00:33, High tide: 18:39 Swakopmund: 15° | 16° Wind speed: 23km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 12:00, High tide: 06:01, Low Tide: 00:31, High tide: 18:37 Walvis Bay: 15° | 23° Wind speed: 31km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 12:00, High tide: 06:00, Low Tide: 00:31, High tide: 18:36 Rehoboth: 15° | 29° Mariental: 20° | 31° Keetmanshoop: 19° | 31° Aranos: 17° | 30° Lüderitz: 12° | 28° Ariamsvlei: 18° | 33° Oranjemund: 10° | 23° Luanda: 25° | 27° Gaborone: 15° | 27° Lubumbashi: 15° | 29° Mbabane: 14° | 19° Maseru: 8° | 23° Antananarivo: 12° | 25° Lilongwe: 16° | 27° Maputo: 19° | 26° Windhoek: 14° | 27° Cape Town: 13° | 22° Durban: 18° | 22° Johannesburg: 14° | 23° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 31° Lusaka: 17° | 28° Harare: 14° | 27° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23 | EUR to NAD 19.82 | CNY to NAD 2.55 | USD to NAD 18.41 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.31 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.68 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.56 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 134.06 | USD to AOA 834.06 | USD to BWP 13.6 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1439.8 | USD to ZAR 18.44 | USD to ZMW 26.75 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 78464.25 Up +1.19% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1754.6 Up +1.22% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13527.01 Up +0.36% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 26003.16 Up +0.05% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 360.52/OZ UP +0.59% | Copper US$ 4.62/lb UP +1.13% | Zinc US$ 2 961.00/T DOWN -0.06% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 83.21/BBP DOWN -0.0171 | Platinum US$ 995.62/OZ UP +1.05%