Addis Ababa: The government of Ethiopia has prioritized investment over the past five years, to enhance quality education, said Foreign Affairs Minister Taye Atske Selassie.

The 44th Ordinary Executive Council Session of the African Union (AU) opened here at the headquarters early today.

The two day meeting will be followed by the 37th Head of States and Governments of AU members states from 17-18th of February under the theme of ‘Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.’

In his keynote address to the session, Taye said the African Union theme for the year 2024 resonates deeply with the expectation of people across the continent for progress and development.Taye stated the theme also underscores the urgent need to build a resilient education system that provides increased access, adding it also aspires to promote exclusivity, respond to lifelong education and ensure education for
all children in Africa.

Speaking on Ethiopia’s enormous reform on the education sector, the foreign minister revealed that the government of Ethiopia has prioritized investment to enhance quality education.

‘Throughout our nationwide school feeding programs, feeding over 6 million students daily…we have ensured participation and witnessed the positive impacts that education can have on the lives of our people,’ Taye indicated.

Through a deliberate policy intervention, the minister elaborated that the government increased public boarding schools and remote learning centers thereby enhancing inclusive and quality education.

In this respect, he stressed the need for working together tirelessly, critical to ensure that every child in Africa can have access to education.

Taye also urged all member states to join hands with the African Union Commission in launching the theme and continue advocating for an agile, resilient and transformational education system.

Turning his focus to Africa’s development aspirat
ions, the foreign minister underscored that the African Union’s closer participation with the G-20 is indeed essential.

According to him, participation in the African Union as G-20 would provide us with a unique platform to contribute to global economic governance and decision making. ‘We must therefore ensure that the voice of Africa is heard and that our participation is meaningful,’ Taye underlined.

The minister also went on to mention the BRICS which is instrumental in advancing South-South cooperation.

‘Ethiopia will certainly leverage its BRICS membership with other sisterly African countries to further advance the shared interest of our continent and strengthen global governance and multilateralism,’ he reaffirmed.

Noting that Africa undoubtedly has immense potential for economic prosperity, Taye noted that the successful implementation of Agenda 2063 is our collective aspiration.

Thus, the strong political will and determination, effective coordination and robust partnership among member states a
s well as regional economic communities are vital to realize the agenda, he underlined.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Volta Regional Directorate of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), has marked the 2024 Regional National Chocolate Day with tourists and pupils at Wli in the Hohoe Municipality of the Volta Region.

Chocolates were given to tourists who visited the Wli Waterfalls as well as some pupils of the Wli Afegame Roman Catholic School.

Mr Johnny Arthur-Quarm, the Volta Regional Director of GTA, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), disclosed that the Authority chose Wli waterfalls to enable tourists to have an experience of the Falls with its rich biodiversity.

He said the event would boost the local economy and develop tourism in the Wli area and the Volta Region in general.

Mr Arthur-Quarm said the Directorate had taken notice of an ongoing project; ‘Visitors Centre’ started by the Authority, which had stalled for more than a decade and promised to make the necessary follow-ups towards completing the project.

He said the Directorate would, through its Team of Product Development, visit lists of all
non-marketed tourist attractions in the region and ensure their development to a level that could be marketed.

Mr Arthur-Quarm, throwing more light on National Chocolate Day, said it was instituted in 2005 under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to coincide with Valentine’s Day, which fell on February 14.

It aims at encouraging local consumption of chocolates and cocoa products as well as creating a healthy orientation for Valentine’s Day.

Mr Musa Nudanu, Regent of Wli, commended the Authority for the gesture and called for steps to establish a chocolate sales point at the office of the Falls.

He sought the Authority’s assistance to revive the Wli Agumatsa Festival, which would serve as an avenue to showcase its tourism potential as well as the chocolates.

Mr Dennis Jordor, the Chairman of the Wli Governing Council, called on the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Tourism Ministry to complete the Wli receptive facility, for which sod was as far back as 2002.

He said the facility was
the first to take off in the country, but it was abandoned when it was 80 per cent complete, while others were completed.

Mr Nicholas Agbadza, the Assistant Headmaster of the Wli Afegame R.C School, expressed gratitude to the GTA for putting smiles on the faces of the pupils on such an important day, boosting their morale.

Some tourists who spoke to the Ghana News Agency commended the GTA for the initiatives to promote made-in-Ghana products.

The 2024 edition, held from February 9 to 14, was on the theme: ‘Eat Chocolate, Stay Healthy, Grow Ghana’ and sub-themed: ‘Explore Ghana, Eat Chocolate.’

Source: Ghana News Agency