African and Caribbean nations issue statement on slavery at UN

A 68-member coalition of Caribbean and African nations recently formed AfCAR (Africa-Group-CARICOM), a new geopolitical United Nations caucus. The new coalition sent a strong message with their first statement on the enslavement of African people at the March meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the “International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade,” held under the theme, “Ending Slavery’s Legacy of Racism: A Global Imperative for Justice.”
The caucus is led by the Ambassador of Botswana, His Excellency Collen Vixen Kelapile, and Ambassador of Grenada, Her Excellency Keisha A. McGuire, who was appointed its co-chairs.
AfCAR’s statement was delivered by Her Excellency Ambassador Carolyn Birkett of Guyana, who noted in the address that, “The horror of slavery separated 12 million Africans from the Motherland and created a diaspora in the Caribbean. Separated from our families, now we are standing here reunited with one voice. Given this Historic reality and linkage, it is indeed fitting that AfCAR’s first statement within the United Nations should come as we commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.”
Birkett also pointed out that, “Urgent action by governments is needed to address issues, which result in social exclusion, the perpetuation of racism, prejudice, and discrimination,” and lamented the fact that “none of the Sustainable Development Goals explicitly calls for the eradication of systemic racism and racial discrimination.”
The historic statement emphasized the “importance of implementing participatory policies that are culturally relevant, free from racism and that promote equality and rights for all persons of African descent.” It underscored that “the issue of reparations is pivotal to restorative justice and to creating opportunity and equity–for those whose limbs and lives were used without mercy or remuneration, to build societies and strong economies,” and urged member-countries of the UN to “take concrete steps to eliminate the scourge of racism, and act decisively to safeguard the human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.”
The sentiments expressed by AfCAR found strong resonance in the remarks made by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who observed that “Ending slavery’s legacy of racism is a global imperative for justice.” He noted that “while the transatlantic slave trade ended over two centuries ago, the ideas that propelled it remain alive today…We must counter all lies of racial supremacy. The irrefutable fact is that we are all equally part of one race – humankind.”
Founded in 1973 The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is comprised of 20 Caribbean, Central, and South American nations that work collectively to promote economic integration, foreign policy coordination, human and social development, and security for the benefit of the region.
The CARICOM and African Caucuses to the UN decided in late 2019 to establish AfCAR. Its formal name is the “African Group-CARICOM Caucus Collaboration Initiative at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.” The strategic establishment of the coalition is an indication of the deepening connection between Africa and the Caribbean on social, economic, cultural, and other issues of common interest and builds on the decision to strengthen the relationship between the two regions. The opening of a CARICOM office in Nairobi, Kenya is expected to serve as a hub for joint activities and t strengthen the connection of the two regions.
AfCAR, has the potential to be a powerful coalition representing, advocating for, and supporting CARICOM and African interests on a wide range of matters in the UN and multilateral agendas. (Source: Caricom)

Egypt’s COVID-19 robot hospital assistant may save lives
In a bid to limit human exposure to disease carriers with Egypt facing a second coronavirus wave, Mechatronics engineer Mahmoud el-Koumi is carrying out trials on a prototype for a remote-controlled robot to assist physicians. He is running tests on suspected Covid-19 patients at a private hospital in Egypt’s Nile Delta city of Tanta. The North African nation currently reports around 196,061 confirmed coronavirus cases with about 150,424 recoveries.
The accomplished engineer explains the early stages of the trial process. “Before starting its mission, the robot receives training to improve its AI (Artificial Intelligence). The training is done by a specialist doctor. The AI in this training acts like a human doctor.”
Named Cira-03, the robot sports a human-like face and head to put patients at ease, and can carry out an array of medical procedures including taking blood tests and temperatures, performing echocardiograms and X-rays, and display the results to patients on a screen attached to its chest. The smart health assistant administers diverse tasks, all while reminding them to wear their masks. The Cira-03 AI has also been developed to perform pain-free PCR swab tests.
“This robot is specially designed to help the medical staff during Covid-19 times,” explained el-Koumi. “It is a medical robot capable of multi-tasks. It can deal with patients in their beds, chest scans, fever screening, and face mask detection.” He reports positive feedback from patients. (Source: africanews)

Safaricom Launches Africa’s third 5G Network
One year after its first 5G trial, Safaricom, the leading Kenyan telecom operator, is introducing ultra-high-speed broadband to the market. The new service would target the country’s major cities and later expand to other parts of the country over the next 12 months. It is also a guarantee of increased financial revenue for the company. Thanks to the launch of 4G in 2015, Safaricom tripled its revenue in 2020. The company is now looking to expand to other countries.
“We are looking at expanding Mpesa (mobile money service) beyond Kenya. We have already expressed interest to enter Ethiopia, and we are going through that process,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom. “Hopefully, if we get in there, we will continue to accelerate growth. Globally, we are looking at partnering with others so that Mpesa becomes the partner of choice for others, including Visa and PayPal. We’ve signed many partnerships across the world.”
Of over 50 million mobile network subscriptions in Kenya, there are just over 10 million smartphone connections, according to Newzoo’s 2019 Global Mobile Market report. Although a 5G roll-out by Safaricom is a major step toward developing the continent’s network, its Kenyan customers should be willing to pay more for internet data and further connectivity. (Source: africanews)

The Canada-Africa Clean Growth Symposium
Clean growth is vital to the post-COVID recovery and global sustainability. That’s why the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business and others participated in the Canada-Africa Clean Growth Symposium co-hosted by Canada, Ethiopia, and Senegal, March 15-17. Participants explored innovative ways to grow their economies, reduce emissions and build resilience to climate change.
Industry leaders from experienced executives to emerging entrepreneurs discussed cutting-edge insights, future trends, and business development opportunities. Canada is party to a $115 million syndicated credit line to support sustainable agriculture through the African Development Bank and is a long-time leader in financing on the continent. African Development Bank President Akinwumi A. Adesina announced in a joint statement with Karina Gould, Canada’s Minister for International Development, on the closing day of the 3-day symposium.
By building innovative partnerships, the symposium advanced shared Sustainable Development Goals, including climate action, gender equality, and poverty eradication, while driving inclusive and environmentally responsible economic development, advancing the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
With the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement now in force, the symposium offered new opportunities for Canadian and African companies to showcase capabilities, technologies, and leadership in the clean growth sector. The B2B track of the symposium fostered increased collaboration between key public and private sector stakeholders. Canadian and African companies participating in the symposium accessed new commercial opportunities on clean growth solutions in various sectors, including green infrastructure, sustainable resource development, water treatment, clean power, and agriculture.
A business café was available to facilitate networking and business development with private sector participants. For more information, contact Claude Gendron at claude.gendron@international.gc.ca. (Source: Canada-Africa Chamber of Business)

New air link between Port-au-Prince and Panama
Sunrise Airways, a private Haitian airline established in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, recently announced the launch of its new air link between Port-au-Prince and Panama beginning April 18. The company plans to provide 3-flights per week from Port-au-Prince, in AIRBUS A 320, for $199 US dollars one way.
This new destination opens the doors to Latin America for Sunrise. From Panama, passengers will be able to take advantage of the Panama hub to domestic and international destinations such as Brazil, Chile, or Costa Rica, with Copa Airlines. Opening up the islands of the Caribbean and their neighbors to better connect countries and people has been Sunrise Airways’ development objective since its creation. With new access to the Panama hub, many new possibilities are now available from Haiti. (Source: HaitiLibre)