Author: user user

Board of Peace set to present $2.5B Gaza plan

The United States-led Board of Peace will unveil a recovery plan for the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Axios reported after obtaining a copy of the document.

The plan allegedly includes 66 infrastructure and security projects worth a total of $2.5 billion, although only part of the funds has been secured so far.

According to the report, the infrastructure projects include the removal of rubble, road and hospital repairs, temporary housing, as well as small business grants and a Gaza investment fund.

Security projects are set to include a site to house the peacekeeping International Stabilization Force, a Hamas weapon buyback program and support for the Palestinian police. However, the report stressed that the plan will depend on Hamas and Israel’s political will.

The Board of Peace, launched by U.S. President Donald Trump, has 26 founding member countries, chaired by the United States.

The founding member countries and their respective leaders include Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Egypt, El Salvador, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Trkiye, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. For the complete list of specific leaders corresponding to each nation, please refer to the referenced document.

Why real development means changing lives, not just finishing projects

The government has been urged to strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure development projects deliver measurable improvements in people’s lives, shifting attention from paperwork to tangible results.

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Daniel Sillo said development performance should not be judged solely by reports produced, funds spent or activities completed, but by actual changes achieved in people’s lives.

‘When we talk about results, we do not mean the number of documents we have prepared or activities we have implemented. We mean changes in the actual lives of Tanzanians,’ he said on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

Also ReadMr Sillo was speaking at the opening of the fifth Tanzania Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Week 2026, held in Arusha from September 22 to 26.

He said effective monitoring and evaluation were critical to implementing the National Development Vision 2050, stressing the need for reliable and timely information to identify challenges early and enable leaders to take corrective action.

He urged officials to use evaluation findings in daily decision-making instead of waiting until the end of the year to discover that development targets had not been achieved.

‘Monitoring and evaluation is not a system for waiting until failure occurs before taking action. It is an early-warning mechanism that enables challenges to be identified and addressed in time,’ he said.

Mr Sillo called on leaders to visit development projects, assess their implementation carefully on the ground.

He said assessments should examine improvements in education and healthcare, job creation, infrastructure and access to essential services.

According to him, assessments should go beyond statistics to capture people’s experiences, establish who has benefited from public services and identify those who remain unreached.

‘We want evidence that listens to the voices of citizens and takes into account the realities of their lives,’ he said.

Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Policy, Parliament, Coordination and Persons with Disabilities, Dr Jim Yonazi, said the government needed evidence of the impact of its development programmes as it implements the Fourth Five-Year Development Plan (FYDP IV).

‘We are now in the implementation phase, not the planning phase. The government does not simply need reports showing how much money has been spent or how many projects have been constructed,’ he said.

‘It needs evidence showing how people’s lives have changed, at what cost and within what period,’ he added.

Dr Yonazi said the government was continuing to strengthen its electronic management and data collection system, which had reached 70 percent completion by June 2026.

Meanwhile, parliamentary monitoring and evaluation champion, Ms Mwanaisha Ngazi said legislators were ready to present recommendations from the conference to Parliament to accelerate implementation of development plans.

She said the proposals would particularly focus on initiatives aimed at helping Tanzania achieve the objectives of Development Vision 2050.

Ogayre weathers standing eight count to advance

Junmilardo Ogayre escaped with a 3-2 split decision victory over Mongolia’s Gantumur Lundaa on Wednesday to make up for Paris Olympics bronze medalist Aira Villegas’s early exit in the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games.

The 27-year-old Ogayre had to survive a standing eight-count to advance to the next round of the men’s 60-kg class against Nepal’s Roka Magar in the boxing competitions being staged at the Nishio Gymnasium in Nishio City, some 50 kilometers south of Nagoya.

Lundaa was aggressive from the opening bell and pressed Ogayre to the ropes, but the Filipino countered with jabs and inside shots to take the first two rounds on four of five judges’ cards.

Lundaa continued to attack in the third round and managed to sneak one in that forced the referee to issue a standing eight-count against Ogayre.

The Mongolian took the final round 10-9 on all five cards, but Ogayre held on for Team Philippines supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee and Philippine Sports Commission.

Judges from Guatemala, Bulgaria and Argentina scored for Ogayre, while judges from Uzbekistan and Mauritius scored for Lundaa.

‘It’s good to be back on the winning track after Aira’s loss yesterday,’ said Marcus Manalo, president of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines.

The result moved the Philippine boxing team to 2-1, with Norlan Petecio delivering the team’s first win before Villegas dropped her opener in the women’s 51kg class.

Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio (women’s 60kg) and Carlo Paalam (men’s 55kg), and Riza Pasuit (women’s 54kg), are scheduled to see action in the coming days.

2027 Appropriation Bill sets Rs. 4.99 t Vote on Account, borrowing capped at Rs. 3.8 t

The Appropriation Bill for the 2027 financial year has been published in the Government Gazette, setting out an estimated Rs. 4.99 trillion in service expenditure for Government Ministries and Departments and capping net Government borrowings for the year at Rs. 3.8 trillion.

The Bill, published as a Gazette Extraordinary Supplement dated 18 September, 2026, by order of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his capacity as Finance, Planning and Economic Development Minister, seeks Parliamentary authority for the Government’s service expenditure for the period 1 January to 31 December, 2027, and for related borrowing.

The Bill fixes the Government’s estimated service expenditure for the 2027 financial year at Rs. 4.99 trillion, to be met from the Consolidated Fund, Government funds, or borrowings, and chargeable in accordance with the First Schedule to the Bill.

The same clause estimates the Government’s statutory expenditure, meaning expenditure that other laws already charge to the Consolidated Fund independent of this Bill, at Rs. 4.92 trillion for the same period, set out in the Second Schedule. Added together, the two figures bring total Government expenditure provided for under the Bill to approximately Rs. 9.92 trillion.

The Bill separately caps the net outstanding balance of borrowings raised by or on behalf of the Government during the 2027 financial year at not more than Rs. 3.8 trillion, with details of such borrowings required to be included in the final Budget position report tabled in Parliament under Section 51 of the Public Financial Management Act, No. 44 of 2024.

Notably, Provincial Councils (Heads 312-319 and 321) are budgeted as a distinct block within the First Schedule at Rs. 574.95 billion recurrent and Rs. 85.00 billion capital, a combined Rs. 659.95 billion, rather than being folded into the Public Administration Ministry’s own Rs. 651billion figure above, even though Provincial Councils fall within that Ministry’s named portfolio.

Counted together, the Ministry’s effective allocation would rise to roughly Rs. 1.31 trillion, ahead of Finance. The bulk of the Public Administration Ministry’s own Rs. 651 billion is driven by the Department of Pensions, which alone accounts for Rs. 550.35 billion.

The Bill follows Cabinet approval on 15 September and clearance by the Attorney General. According to the Finance Ministry’s published timetable, the Bill’s First Reading in Parliament is scheduled for 7 October, with the Second Reading and Budget speech to follow on 12 November and the Committee Stage debate expected to run until 14 December.

GRENADA-HEALTH-Grenada to construct rehabilitation center amid worring figures

Grenada Wednesday signed a multi-million dollar contract for the construction of a drug rehabilitation center amid concerns that the country is consistently among the top six consumers of alcohol per capita in the Americas.

Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell speaking at the signing of the EC$15.8 million (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) Mirabeau Drug Rehabilitation Centre to be financed by his administration, said that mental health and wellness is a state of affairs that has concerned the government, the private sector and the general public in the main. He said according to official figures, provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and regional data, Grenadians consume an average of 7.3 to 8.6 litres of pure alcohol annually.

‘This places Grenada, and we have been placed consistently among the top six consumers of alcohol per capita in the Americas,’ he said, adding that ‘culturally normalised substance abuse, because we have culturally normalised the abuse of alcohol, it has had significant consequences for citizens.’

Mitchell said that the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) report found that for young adults and adults in Grenada, substance use disorders account for 19 per cent of the total mental health and neuropsychiatric burden.

‘Alcohol alone makes up 14 per cent of that burden in youths and adults, and rises to 20 per cent of the healthcare burden for individuals between 50 and 70 years old,’ he said, noting that the tracking shows that annually, approximately 120 patients are admitted to hospital strictly for alcohol-associated medical problems, such as alcoholic cirrhosis, liver disease, and alcohol-induced behavioural disorders.

He said that narcotic statistics are also tracked, and often through treatment admissions, seizures, and rehabilitation attempts.

‘It shows that male clients seeking treatment heavily outnumber female clients and I believe you will see in the statistics, in terms of number of rooms that are designed in this building, you will see that more rooms are allocated for men than they are for women and young adults’.

Mitchell said that while men seek treatment for a combination of alcohol, cannabis, crack cocaine, women are primarily admitted often times for alcohol abuse,’ he said, adding that theagreement with the loccal contractor ‘is about beginning to address the significant challenges posed by substance abuse in Grenada, both legal, culturally normalised, as well as illegal substance abuse.

‘And we have to begin to accept that normalising the abuse of substances, whether they be legal or illegal has significant consequences for the mental health as well as physical health of our population,’ Mitchell said, adding that he has not spoken of the economic burden that it places on the health system, on taxpayers, and on productivity.

‘Therefore, the commencement of the process to have this rehabilitation facility built is simply one cog in the wheel that we must be able to reverse the normalisation of substance abuse and to be able to ensure that we can reduce the number of men and women, but particularly men, who find themselves abusing repeatedly and not being able to rehabilitate themselves from the substance abuse, that is frankly right before our eyes.

‘That we have chosen to accept, to normalise, or to pretend it is not happening, often times with significant consequences, including sometimes death, violence, significant abuse, and dysfunction in our society,’ Mitchell told the signing ceremony.

Youth, Sport and Mental Health Minister, Delma Thomas, said that the construction of the facility is an important investment in ensuring that persons who need this support can receive care ‘in a safe, dignified and appropriate environment’

She said that the last time Grenada had a rehabilitation was over 20 years nand that the ceremony today shows that the government is serious about mental health.

‘We are not just talking mental health. We have made many strides as a government in providing support. We do have community health nurses going out in every parish, but as a government we have also provided the support, financial and other support for them to provide the service in the community.’

She said that this project is particularly important, noting that rehabilitation is about giving people the support, opportunity to recover, rebuild their lives and successfully return to their families and communities.

‘And we know the issues that we have on the street with so many young men and women included, who are involved in drug abuse and drug use. And we really seriously cannot accommodate them because we do not provide the service for rehabilitation, for serious drug rehabilitation there.

‘And so it is important that we have this new facility and I therefore welcome that new facility,’ Thomas added.

Trkiye’s renewable energy growth cuts fossil fuel imports and emissions

The capacity growth Trkiye has achieved in solar and wind energy over the past decade has made a significant contribution to replacing fossil fuels in electricity generation. According to data from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, a total of 442.2 terawatt-hours of electricity was generated from solar and wind sources between 2015 and 2025. This generation prevented the need for $21.5 billion in coal imports that would have been required if the same amount of electricity had been generated using imported coal. Thus, renewable energy sources contributed not only to electricity generation but also to reducing energy imports.

If the 442.2 terawatt-hours of electricity had instead been generated by natural gas-fired power plants, $43.3 billion worth of natural gas imports would have been required. The increase in solar- and wind-based generation has helped reduce the need for imported fossil fuels to meet electricity demand. The growth in renewable energy investments has also been important for Trkiye’s goals of strengthening energy supply security and reducing external dependence. As the share of solar and wind in electricity generation has increased, progress has also been made in reducing emissions resulting from fossil fuel consumption.

The 442.2 terawatt-hours of electricity generated from solar and wind during the 2015-2025 period replaced electricity generation from fossil fuels. Assuming that this generation replaced electricity produced from imported coal, approximately 354 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions were avoided. If the same amount of generation had replaced natural gas-based electricity production, calculations showed that approximately 177 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions were prevented.

In 2015, Trkiye generated a total of 11,847 gigawatt-hours of electricity from solar and wind. This generation replaced approximately $300 million worth of imported coal and prevented 9.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Over the following 10 years, the increase in electricity generation from solar and wind was accompanied by a rise in fossil fuel substitution and the resulting reduction in emissions. The total generation reaching 442.2 terawatt-hours demonstrated that the share of renewable energy sources in Trkiye’s electricity supply has increased each year.

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar assessed Trkiye’s renewable energy targets in a post marking World Zero Emissions Day on September 21. Bayraktar said renewable resources were being utilized to the fullest extent in line with Trkiye’s goals of achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2053 and full energy independence.

Bayraktar said Trkiye had risen to fifth place in Europe and 11th place globally in renewable energy, adding that the country aims to increase its renewable energy potential to 120,000 megawatts of installed capacity by 2035.

Faith-based drama ‘A Visit to Ward 4’ wins awards across four countries ahead of November release

Faith-based drama ‘A Visit to Ward 4’ wins awards across four countries ahead of November release

The film A Visit to Ward 4 is set for release in November after collecting awards in Canada, the United States, Germany and on Christian festival circuits. The story follows a family through grief and loss, and stars Rosabelle Andrews as Sarah.

Sarah is a woman who does not believe in God. She loses her only child, then learns she can never have another after surgery removes her womb. Andrews says the role pushed her further than any part she has played before.

‘The character was tough yet relatable because a lot of women are in the same situation all over the world,’ Andrews said. ‘I went through emotions and a range I never knew I had. Truthfully, it is one of the best characters I have ever played.’

Andrews has said the film draws on the loss of her own parents. Her mother died shortly after filming ended. The film’s message comes from 1 Thessalonians 4:13, which speaks of grief alongside hope.

‘I want audiences all around the world to understand that they are never alone,’ she said. ‘It is okay to grieve in any way we deem necessary, but when grieving never lose hope.’

Awards have arrived before audiences have seen the finished film. At a ceremony linked to the Toronto International Film Festival, A Visit to Ward 4 won Best African Family Drama and Best Movie Trailer. At the Christian Online Film Festival, it won Best Feature Film, while Anthony Woode won Best Actor, Andrews won Best Actress and Emmanuela Appah won Best Child Actress.

At the Oniros Film Awards in New York, Andrews won Best Actress. The film was a finalist for Best Feature Film, Woode was a finalist for Best Actor, and Kamsi Ezeagu received a finalist place for Best Young Actress along with an honourable mention. In Germany, the film received a Nollywood Excellence Award at the Nollywood Film Festival Germany, as well as recognition at the Nollywood Europe Golden Awards.

Andrews describes the run of wins as a mix of encouragement and pressure. ‘Personally it means I am doing something right and I need to do more,’ she said. ‘I am happy and excited that A Visit to Ward 4 is going global. Professionally I would say it is a challenge, because the higher you go the more pressure you get to step up.’

She recalls her reaction on hearing the news. ‘I screamed, jumped, laughed and was teary at the same time,’ she said. ‘I wished my parents could see that I am getting it right and staying on the right path. In all, I was truly happy.’

Andrews thanks screenplay developer Chidera Robison, co-stars Anthony Woode, Rosemary Afuwape and Chikezie Obioha, young cast members Emmanuela Appah and Kamsi Ezeagu, along with the director, cinematographers and post-production team, for helping turn a personal project into a finished film.

Viewers who join the film’s global waitlist will get what Andrews calls ‘a journey round Ward 4’ when it releases in November.

FOOTBALL-ST.LUCIA-Latchoo sets 18-point target for St. Lucia in Nations League

New Saint Lucia senior men’s national football team head coach Rajesh Latchoo has selected a strong, experienced yet youthful 25-member squad for his first match in charge, which is Friday’s CONCACAF Nations League clash with Barbados here at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

The Piton Boyz will meet the Bajan Tridents to open their League B, Group B campaign in what is dubbed the beginning of a new era in St. Lucian football.

Latchoo was officially introduced Tuesday during a press conference at the Saint Lucia Football Association headquarters, outlining a long-term vision for Saint Lucia football, while making clear his immediate objective.

‘The mission in the short term is 18 points,’ Latchoo said, referring to the total he believes is needed to top the CNL group.

‘That is the only way we could guarantee, and not have to hope something happened or something didn’t happen, 18 points is the mission to place first.

‘The staff will do everything, and I know the SLFA is doing everything to get the players ready. It is a short space of time, but this is big football, and in big football, you only have five days. The players have the competence and the ability.’

Latchoo also called on the public to back the team.

‘What we would ask now, we ask the public if they believe. If they believe, it’s not just the team, the FA, and the staff; it requires a whole country, a whole nation, to qualify,’ he said.

‘If the nation doesn’t support the team, then how could the players give 100 per cent if 100 per cent of the nation doesn’t support the team and the mission?’

The new coach has brought in new backroom staff, including legendary former Saint Lucia international Earl ‘Ball Hog’ Jean.

Latchoo said he wants players to have specific roles at different age levels and stressed a results-oriented approach as he plans for the next four years leading to the 2030 World Cup.

‘Every milestone from now to that time is very important,’ he said. ‘And the first milestone is dealing with the CONCACAF Nations League. The team is composed of different level players from different backgrounds and with different abilities. Each of them is an expert in their own right. Every single day, we will hold them accountable, as they will hold us as the staff, as the SLFA will hold us as the staff, and as the nation will hold us as the staff and the team.’

Nearly half the squad, 12 players, feature in the Saint Lucia Semi-Professional Football League, including top scorers Garvin Reggie of Dennery and Yanic Noel of La Clery, as well as La Clery goalkeeper and Footballer of the Year Devone St Prix. Six players come from the two-time defending SPFL champions.

Goalkeeper Vino Barclett is one of four Jamaica-based players, joined by fellow keeper Darren Donaie, defender Melvin Doxilly and young attacker Shevon Byron.

Defenders Terell Thomas and Arkell Jude Boyd arrive from the United Kingdom, while attacker Donavan Phillip comes from Colorado Rapids in the United States.

Veteran fullback Kurt Frederick joins from Grenades FC in Antigua and Barbuda. Jason Similien returns from AC Italia Hilden in Germany. Caniggia Elva enters the forward line from Canada’s Cavalry FC, and Djal Augustin joins from Warta Srem in Poland.

The squad includes only six players aged 30 or older and two teenagers, with most in their early 20s. Saint Lucia will lean on that youthful core as it aims for a strong start on Friday.

Nigeria’s fiscal-monetary pact faces a four-number test

Nigeria’s new fiscal-monetary policy agreement will have to deliver more than closer cooperation between the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). BusinessDay analysis identifies four indicators that could provide a practical framework for assessing whether the pact is translating into better economic outcomes: bank lending rates moving towards 15 percent, the monetary policy rate falling towards 12 percent, inflation reaching about 10 percent and external reserves rising towards $75 billion. These are analytical benchmarks, not official targets contained in the September 18 memorandum of understanding (MoU). They provide a framework for assessing whether closer fiscal-monetary coordination is translating into lower financing costs, sustained disinflation and stronger external buffers. The starting point has already shifted.

BELIZE-BORDER-Belize files statement with ICJ regarding border dispute with Guatemala

The Belize government Wednesday said that it had filed its written observations to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in response to the written statements submitted by Guatemala.

‘The written observations, which consist of two volumes… were filed in the Registry pursuant to Article 85, paragraph 1, of the Rules of Court, within the time limit as extended by the Court in its Order of 16 April 2026,’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said in a brief statement. It said that the written observations of Honduras on Guatemala’s written statement were also filed in the Registry on the same day.

Belize and Guatemala have a long-standing territorial dispute with Guatemala claiming more than 11,000 square kilometers of Belizean land, islands and maritime areas. The dispute is now before the International Court of Justice (ICJ)

In March 2000, Belize and Guatemala resumed discussions on their territorial dispute with the assistance of the Organization of American States (OAS) and on November 8, 2000, they signed the first Agreement on Confidence Building Measures, establishing an ‘Adjacency Line’ and a one-kilometer ‘Adjacency Zone’ on either side.

A second Agreement was signed on February 7, 2003, and subsequently amended in September 2005 by the ‘Agreement on a Framework for Negotiation and Confidence Building Measures between Belize and Guatemala.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister John Briceño said the ICJ would receive oral presentations in the case between Guatemala and Belize from February 22 -26 next year.

Briceño in a nationwide radio and television broadcast, said that he has been informed by the registrar of the ICJ that oral presentations in the Belize, Honduras case will be heard from March 5, 2027 regarding the sovereignty over the Sapodilla Cayes and that these hearings will take place at The Hague.

‘For too long our borders have been disputed by our neighbors. In keeping with our commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes and respect for the rule of law, we have had recourse to the court.

‘We are confident that all doubts will be removed by these two court cases. Belize will be vindicated. Belize has engaged a stellar team of international lawyers and experts to advise us and to present our case before the court,’ Briceño said.