Africa-Press – Angola. The acting president of the SADC Council of Ministers, Téte António, defended this Sunday, in Luanda, the implementation of emergency plans to combat the various natural disasters in the region.
Speaking at the opening of the extraordinary meeting of this body, which is taking place in virtual format from Gaborone, Republic of Botswana, the head of Angolan diplomacy also said that these plans would ensure, in the short, medium and long term, a response effective against these phenomena.
Téte António said that natural disasters know no borders and have a great impact, hence the need for cross-border collaboration.
The meeting of the SADC Council of Ministers served to deliberate issues related to efforts to respond to the effects of drought, induced by the El Niño phenomenon in the Southern African region.
He recalled that the Republic of Madagascar witnessed the devastation caused by tropical cyclones Alvaro, Filipo and Gamane between January and March 2024, which caused the loss of lives and the destruction of property and infrastructure.
“We have also seen continued rain and flooding in Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi and the United Republic of Tanzania, which have caused loss of life and destruction of infrastructure and property, resulting in billions of dollars in damage and losses,” he said..
He also added that during the 2023/24 agricultural season, there were crop losses as a result of the drought induced by the El Niño phenomenon, which is already causing food deficits.
“As a consequence, we are already seeing volatility in the prices of essential basic products”, he reinforced.
He also highlighted that low rainfall is also having an impact on the availability of water resources for water supply, sanitation and hygiene services, energy production and animal production. Some countries are already experiencing long hours of electricity cuts.
He thanked partners for their support, especially at critical times when the region is facing devastation resulting from multiple recurring threats that wreak havoc on communities and economies.
This meeting is a response to the directive of the Acting President of SADC, João Lourenço, following the decision of the SADC Council of Ministers, in August 2023, and the recommendations of the Steering Committee of the Regional Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis Program.
The meeting precedes the virtual Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of this continental organization, to be held on Monday (20th), to assess the humanitarian situation in the region, following the drought induced by El Niño, which had an impact impact on the lives and livelihoods of around 58 million people.
The Head of Angolan diplomacy called on all Member States to take the recommendations seriously and implement them religiously, in order to reduce the impact of these disasters and strengthen the resilience of our communities in the long term. FMA/PA
TagsPresident João Lourenço learns about the requalification of Moçâmedes Bay
The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, found out Sunday, about the progress of the rehabilitation works in Moçâmedes Bay.
The project includes the rehabilitation of the Sacomar mineral terminal and the expansion of the Port of Namibe container terminal, the technical mobilization phase of which is almost complete. The works end in February 2025.
There, the president received information about the project from the president of the Port of Namibe Board of Directors, Nazareth Neto.
According to the PCA of Porto, when they are completed, probably at the end of this year, there will be a modern infrastructure at the height of many in the southern region of Africa, and will be able to effectively serve the provinces of Huíla, Cuando Cubango and Cunene.
According to the report, the mobilization of the shipyard is at 87% of project development, the buildings at 90% and the pile driving at 100%.
Indicates that the dredging work is completed, the construction of the pier bridge is 49% completed. In the initial phase of construction is the demolition of the ship loader and deck.
These works are carried out north of Moçâmedes Bay and consist of the construction of a new pier, various buildings and support infrastructure.
The pier bridge will be 520 meters long and 18 meters wide and will allow vessels weighing 50, 60 and 250 thousand tons to dock simultaneously.
The pier bridge is made up of indirect foundations using 514 metal piles distributed over 110 vertical piles and 404 inclined piles, while the superstructure in the shape of the deck is made up of a transition block measuring 17.80 m long and 18 m wide. , two blocks on the land side measuring 30 meters long and 18 meters wide.
Regarding the expansion of the container terminal, the report points out that the shipyard has been mobilized at 84%, the project development at 100%, dredging at 100%, pile driving at 100%, rockfill work at 44%, installation of equipment, such as cranes with 25% and the execution of the terminal with 37%.
These works are carried out at the Sea Port located on the south side of Moçâmedes Bay, and the construction of the new container terminal consists of extending the existing pier and building various buildings, including the Port’s control and administration building.
It also includes support infrastructure and supply and assembly of lifting, loading and weighing equipment, towing and piloting vessels, forklifts, X-ray inspection system, VTS maritime traffic monitoring, among others.
The pier extension will be 288 meters long and 18 meters wide.
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