Africa
Nine child workers die in Egypt as bus plunges into the Nile
Nine child workers die in Egypt as bus plunges into the Nile
At least 10 female farm workers, nine of them children, died in Egypt on Tuesday when a minibus plunged off a river ferry and into the Nile northwest of Cairo, the health ministry said.
“The toll is at 10 and could rise,” ministry spokesman Hossam Abdelghaffar told AFP.
Reporting the accident, the state’s flagship Al-Ahram newspaper said the driver, who had released the handbrake, was arrested while trying to flee.
He had “a verbal argument” with one of the passengers before getting out of the bus, the paper said.
Two of the victims — all of whom worked on an “export-oriented fruit farm” — were 13 years old, according to a list published by Al-Ahram.
The rest were 16 and younger, except for one victim who was identified as a 40-year old woman.
The vehicle sank at the village of Abu Ghalib, some 50 kilometres (31 miles) northwest of the capital.
Villagers used small wooden boats to row out and help search-and-rescue workers look for survivors, as relatives waited anxiously on the banks of the narrow stretch of the Nile.
A crane was finally able to lift the minibus from the water, after rescuers and locals had swum out to extract victims from the windows of the submerged vehicle.
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Nine injured passengers — most of them also minors, according to al-Ahram’s list — were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, the health ministry said in a statement.
A search operation was “ongoing” into the evening for five more passengers who were unaccounted for, Al-Ahram said.
The ministry of social solidarity said it would provide financial compensation “to the families of the deceased and injured”.
After carrying out an initial investigation at the scene, the public prosecutor’s office ordered a technical inspection of the minibus to try to determine “the reasons it had plunged into the water”, Al-Ahram reported.
Commuter accidents are common in Egypt, especially in agricultural areas along the Nile and adjoining streams, where small, overloaded boats ferry farmers and workers back and forth.
At least 1.3 million children are engaged in some form of child labour in the Arab world’s most populous nation, official figures show.
Most do unpaid work on family farms, according to the International Labour Organization.
However, children are also frequently sent to work on large-scale export-oriented farms, according to rural sociologist Saker al-Nour, who has studied agricultural labour conditions extensively.
“These accidents happen repeatedly because girls are packed, in their own words, like sardines into these minibuses” to go and work in “terrible conditions”, he told AFP.
Nine child workers die in Egypt as bus plunges into the Nile
AFP
Africa
ECOWAS small business group proposes railway corridor for member states
ECOWAS small business group proposes railway corridor for member states
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the ECOWAS region, under the ECOWAS Small Business Coalition (ESBC), have called for the establishment of a railway corridor linking all member countries, alongside the existing road network.
The proposal was made at the end of their inaugural exhibition and workshop, which took place from November 21 to November 23 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the event, organized by the ESBC in partnership with the ECOWAS Commission and Ivory Coast’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, brought together small business operators from across the region.
The coalition highlighted the challenges faced by SMEs in transporting goods and services within the ECOWAS subregion.
They emphasized the need for better communication and a clearer understanding of cross-border trade obligations, as well as improvements in the movement of goods and people.
While ECOWAS has confirmed the free movement of goods and people under existing protocols, it clarified that such movements still require compliance with formalities and customs duties.
Addressing transportation and trade barriers
NAN reports that during the workshop, members of the ESBC presented a range of proposals to address transportation challenges.
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They called for an end to cross-border harassment and corruption, which they attributed to the imposition of unnecessary taxes.
They also suggested that local Small Business Coalitions (SBCs) should be empowered to issue certificates of origin to entrepreneurs to streamline trade processes.
Additionally, the coalition proposed the establishment of online training platforms for SBCs to enhance their capacity to support SMEs.
Proposals for improving access to information and financing
- The coalition also noted the importance of access to information for the success of SMEs and urged them to take advantage of policies such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and ECOWAS frameworks.
- They called for greater awareness of these initiatives to help SMEs navigate trade barriers.
- Furthermore, reports inform that the coalition underscored the need for the harmonization of fiscal policies across the ECOWAS region and advised SMEs to choose suitable business models and consult advisory firms for better guidance.
Innovation and sustainable development for SMEs
- The coalition also discussed the need for greater innovation and sustainability in the region’s SMEs to enhance their competitiveness.
- They proposed training programs focused on certification, efficient technology transfer, and increased research to help businesses expand across borders.
- Despite the availability of financing mechanisms for SMEs, the coalition pointed out that many small businesses struggle to access these funds due to inadequate resources and poor absorption capacity.
- In response, they suggested focusing on promoting new business models suited to African realities and learning from the BRICS nations’ approach to economic development.
Future initiatives for strengthening SMEs
- ESBC proposed several initiatives to further support SMEs in the region.
- These included the creation of an ESBC television network to raise awareness, the establishment of a dedicated bank for SME financing, and the development of strategies to encourage a common currency within ECOWAS.
- They also called for the removal of customs and monetary barriers and the establishment of international shipping lines to improve logistics. To address the needs of landlocked countries, the coalition proposed facilitating better access to ports for these nations.
- The ESBC concluded that substantial work remains to be done to enhance the competitiveness and growth of SMEs in the ECOWAS region, particularly in the areas of innovation, financing, and cross-border trade facilitation.
ECOWAS small business group proposes railway corridor for member states
Africa
Boyfriend of murdered Kenyan journalist arrested
Boyfriend of murdered Kenyan journalist arrested
Africa
Baltasar Engonga: I dated him for four years, lady says, sues for betrayal
Baltasar Engonga: I dated him for four years, lady says, sues for betrayal
Cristel Nchama, one of the women appearing in viral explicit videos allegedly involving Baltasar Engonga, the former director-general of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), has filed a formal complaint with the National Gendarmerie in Malabo.
Engonga has been the focus of intense public scrutiny after investigators, probing allegations of fraud, searched his home and office and reportedly uncovered approximately 400 explicit videos featuring him with multiple women.
The tapes allegedly show Baltasar Engonga with his brother’s wife, his cousin, the sister of the country’s president, the wife of the director-general of police, and around 20 wives of ministers, among others.
The recordings, which have since gone viral, are said to have taken place in Engonga’s office, hotels, and bathrooms, purportedly with the consent of those involved.
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In her complaint, Nchama disclosed that she had been in a four-year relationship with Engonga and expressed profound distress over the public leak of the videos, which she says has harmed her reputation.
Nchama claimed that Engonga “misled” her into trusting him and that she had initially resisted being filmed, under the impression that any recordings would be deleted.
She also claimed to have been “betrayed” by Bello for publishing the videos.
“I am humiliated,” she stated. “It is my reputation, my honour. I want to know where these images came from and why he kept the images.”
In addition to filing her complaint, Nchama has demanded reparations from Engonga for the damage caused to her reputation and personal dignity.
Following the scandal, the government dismissed Engonga from his position at ANIF on Thursday.
Officials also announced the suspension of various public officials allegedly involved in sexual activities within government offices.
Baltasar Engonga: I dated him for four years, lady says, sues for betrayal
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