Advocates for sustainable food systems in Africa have launched a program aimed at empowering consumers to demand more appropriate food policies by 2026. The initiative, known as the “Transforming the African Food System to Sustainability (TAFS)” project, focuses on promoting healthy and culturally appropriate food choices, with an emphasis on indigenous food varieties and production techniques.

Led by the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), the “My Food is African” project seeks to enhance food sustainability on the continent and safeguard Africa from foreign control of the global food system.

Charles Mulozi Olweny, Advocacy, and Campaigns Coordinator, highlighted that Africa’s reliance on food imports is due to the abandonment of indigenous production practices by populations, coupled with the lack of proactive policies from governments. AFSA General Coordinator, Million Belay, emphasized the inconsistency and conflicts within national food policies across the 27 African countries studied.

Belay welcomed the prioritization of food systems in the upcoming CAADP (2025 Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme), which traditionally focused on value chains and productivity enhancement. CAADP, aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, aims to combat hunger, reduce poverty, and foster economic growth through agriculture-led development.

Over the past three years, AFSA has been working to empower African citizens in shaping a cohesive and purposeful African Food Policy, informed by national policy analyses and dialogues conducted between 2020 and 2022.

Josephine Akia, Country Manager of Pellum Uganda, stressed the importance of promoting indigenous and traditionally prepared foods over processed fast foods, particularly among Ugandans, including elites, urban dwellers, and youth populations. In collaboration with the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), AFSA launched the “Mobilizing for an African Food Policy (MAFP)-My Food is Africa” project in 2022.

Looking ahead, AFSA aims to expand its transformative efforts to additional communities through the financing of another three-year project by SIDA. Titled “Transforming the African Food System to Sustainability (TAFS) – My Food is African,” this initiative will address challenges in the African food system while promoting agroecology, policy advocacy, and stakeholder engagement.

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As the world gears to mark International Women’s Day, UNAIDS is calling for the protection of women’s rights to protect their health.

The world is way off track to meet the gender, equality and HIV targets that are part of the Sustainable Development Goals. At the current rate of progress, it will take an estimated 300 years to end child marriage, 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions of power and leadership in the workplace, and 47 years to achieve equal representation in national parliaments.

In addition, around the world at least five women or girls are killed every hour by someone in their own family. One in three women worldwide experience sexual or gender-based violence.

Women who experience violence are more at risk of acquiring HIV. This risk is heightened for the 600 million women and girls who live in the world’s conflict-affected countries, facing an increased danger of sexual violence. And in the majority of the world’s poorest countries, the debt crisis is squeezing out investment in education, health, and social protection, particularly hurting women and girls.

Women are further threatened by the organized pushback against women’s rights. “Today, women’s hard-won rights are under a globally coordinated, ruthless attack. Those facing the most vicious attack are already the most marginalized women,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “The injustices faced by women are not natural disasters to prepare for, like hurricanes or storms. They are man-made, and, as such, we can unmake them.”

The good news is that across the world, women and girls are leading struggles for equality and rights. Women are standing up against oppression in their homes, workplaces, and communities. Women’s movements are providing direct support to women and girls who face violence, and marching and striking for equality. To protect women’s rights, it is vital to support and resource these community organizations, civil society groups and women’s organizations—the frontline defenders of those rights. Like justice, health is never given, it is won.

UNAIDS’ call this International Women’s Day, is to protect women and girls’ health, protect women and girls’ rights. In doing so, the world will end AIDS, and will overcome the inequalities driving it.

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The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, directed the Government Chief Whip to convene a multi-sectoral meeting involving relevant stakeholders to comprehensively discuss nodding syndrome and report back to Parliament within one month.

Relevant stakeholders identified include the Ministry of Health, Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, the Acholi Parliamentary Group, and other leaders in the affected areas.

The directive follows a call by legislators during plenary on Tuesday, 05 March 2024 for the restoration of rehabilitation centres in Northern Uganda to manage cases of the nodding syndrome.

According to a report of the Committee on Health following a field visit to assess the prevalence of nodding syndrome in Acholi sub-region, rehabilitation centres in the districts of Omoro and Kitgum districts were closed due to lack of counterpart funding from government and depletion of support from donors

Omoro District Woman Representative, Hon. Catherine Lamwaka, alluded to a presidential directive to the Ministry of Health to take over the facilities, which she said, has not been done.

“In the planning process, we should have a meeting with the Prime Minister and this ministry so that this issue gets into the forthcoming budget, so that the centres are reopened with the establishment of health centre IIIs,” said Lamwaka.

Hon. Peter Okot (DP, Tochi County) noted that managers of rehabilitation centres in Omoro and Kitgum districts ran short of funding and handed them to the local governments, with the expectation that the government would appropriate money to support them.

“The last time money came from the central government was in 2018. To date, there has been no budget to support these centres so that children suffering from nodding syndrome are taken care of,” Okot said.

He urged the government to ensure the centres are reopened and operational, and also give support to affected families.

The legislators made the call during a plenary sitting held on Tuesday, 05 March 2024, while responding to the findings and recommendations of the committee report.

The committee recommended that if funds to run a standalone rehabilitation centre are inadequate, the services should be integrated in the surrounding health facilities and necessary funding be made available for recruitment and operational costs.

The recommendation was seconded by Omoro County MP, Hon. Andrew Ojok, who proposed that the rehabilitation centre in Omoro District should be converted into a health centre III, so as to bring health services closer to the population.

Hon. Christopher Komakech (Indep., Aruu County), a neurotechnologist by profession, made a call for the establishment of a rehabilitation centre for nodding syndrome in Pader District, as per the presidential directive.

MPs also tasked the Ministry of Health to present an update on the progress of research done on the nodding syndrome.

In the committee report, it was recommended that the ministry continue scientific research to establish the exact cause of nodding syndrome and consequently preventive and curative measures.

“The drug used for treatment is an anti-epileptic, and we were told that there was research being done. I want to ask the minister [Health] how far it has gone and when the government will come to address this issue?” asked Hon. Santa Alum (UPC, Oyam District Woman Representative).

The State Minister for Health (Primary Healthcare), Hon. Margaret Muhanga, committed to follow up the President’s directive on establishment of two rehabilitation centres to manage nodding syndrome.

She added that the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development advised that home treatment is recommendable for management.

“The ministry [Gender] advised that it is better to have these children in their homes than in rehabilitation centres. It is a better way of dealing with them when they are with their parents who take care of their needs,” Muhanga said.

She added that the health ministry has made efforts to manage the syndrome with limited resources, and proposed a multi-sectoral approach to it.

“The ministry wrote a letter to the PSST [Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development/Secretary to the Treasury] requesting funds but the money was not sufficient. Nonetheless, we have provided treatment for the over 2,200 affected children,” Muhanga said.

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The Deputy Resident District Commissioner of Luuka District, Waiswa Paul Bweni, has been suspended with immediate effect from duty over allegations of physical assault against a resident.

The suspension follows a complaint filed by Abudallah Kisige, who accused Bweni of physically assaulting him.

In a suspension letter issued by Haji Yunus Kakande, the secretary of the Office of the President, it was stated that the complaint has been considered as a criminal matter, thus prompting referral to the police for investigation and appropriate action.

“I hereby suspend you from duty as Deputy Resident District Commissioner Luuka with immediate effect,” the letter stated.

Kakande emphasized the seriousness of the allegations, citing violations of the Uganda Public Service Standing Orders (2021), particularly Section (F-r), paragraph 5(b), (d), and (k), which pertain to actions bringing the public service into disrepute.

Bweni has been ordered to hand over the office and the government vehicle, within the specified timeframe, except for the employment identity card. Additionally, he was asked to provide a written defence regarding the allegations outlined in Kisige’s complaint.

The suspension notice has been forwarded to relevant authorities, including the Minister for Presidency, the Principal Private Secretary to H.E the President, and the Resident District Commissioner of Luuka, for necessary action and oversight.

“You should prepare a defence letter in regard to the allegations contained by Mr. Kisige’s written complaint availed to you. You should therefore show cause why your case should not be forwarded to the Rewards and Sanctions Committee of office of the President for further disciplinary action against you,” Kakande noted in the letter.

He further gave Bweni an ultimatum of fourteen days to issue out the defence statement.   

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Doctor Johnson Byabashaija, Commissioner General of Uganda Prisons has backed the proposal for the relocation of Luzira Prison, saying it is better to use such prime land for job creating projects, other than have it occupied by prisoners.

“This is something we should have done 20 years ago, because when Luzira was built, it was outside Kampala they started building in 1921 they completed it in 1927, now, it is in the middle of the city, we have industries around it, it is no longer a maxi prison. But this is too prime land, it is a place that should create jobs for our children, it shouldn’t be a place to keep people who have had conflict with the law. Our children must have a place to work,” Dr. Byabashaija said.

Byabashaija made the remarks while appearing before Parliament’s Human Rights Committee that was scrutinising the State of Human Rights in Uganda prisons report, where Polycarp Ogwari (Agule County) asked the Prisons officials to clarify on their stand regarding the latest plans by government to relocate Luzira prison to pave way for the construction of a five-star hotel by Chinese investors.

President Museveni approved a proposal from Chinese Investor Tian Tang of Tian Tiang Group to relocate Luzira Maximum Prison and redevelop the land into a five-star hotel. In a letter dated July 10, 2022, addressed to Internal Affairs Minister Gen Kahinda Otafiire, the President disclosed receiving the proposal from Tian Tang Group. The proposal involves transforming Luzira Prison into a five-star hotel with a conference center and relocating the prison to another designated area at the expense of the investors.

President Museveni directed Internal Affairs Minister Gen. Kahinda Otafiire to proceed with implementing the proposal, facilitating the relocation of Luzira Prison to a new site and initiating the construction of an International Conference and Commercial Hub Center on the vacated land.

Byabashaija further highlighted that Luzira Prison currently occupies 271 acres of land, having originally been situated on 360 acres. He emphasized the necessity of relocating the prison to a larger land size.

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