THIS WEEK
12: World Governments Summit. The gathering will bring together leaders, experts and senior officials from more than 150 countries to address future trends and shifts on the global level as well as ways to foster collaboration regionally and globally (Dubai).
12: UN International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism
13: The Benghazi Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture will host the Libyan-Tunisian Trade Forum. The event will be held in co-operation with Emaar Libya Holding Company and the Tunisian Export Promotion Centre (Benghazi).
13-14: World Conference on Soil, Water, Energy and Air (Entebbe)
14: South Africa’s national football team to arrive in Johannesburg following the successful African Cup of Nations campaign in the Ivory Coast. The Premier Soccer League has rescheduled all midweek DStv Premiership fixtures to accommodate the return of the team which secured a third-place finish.
15: Bail application for preacher Paul Mackenzie and others who were charged with engaging in organised criminal activity, radicalisation, murder and terrorism. The suspected cult leader was arrested in April 2023 following the discovery of bodies in mass graves in Shakahola (Tononoka).
15: Court hearing for expat social commentator Malaika Mahlatsi, who has been served a summons by German authorities over what is believed to be her public stance on the ongoing conflict in Gaza (Berlin)
17: UN Global Tourism Resilience Day
17-18: The 37th African Union Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government. The Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU will be held under the theme, ‘Educate an Africa fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa. The highlight will be the launch of the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan of the AU’s Agenda 2063: ‘The Africa we want’. Agenda 2063 serves as a fifty-year blueprint for Africa’s socio-economic development and integration, adopted by the AU member states after extensive consultations across the continent (Addis Ababa).
OTHER:
* Buckingham Palace has announced that Prince William’s Earthshot Prize will be hosted in Cape Town later this year. The annual environmental celebration has previously taken place in London, Boston and Singapore. Earthshot Prize was launched by Prince William in 2020 to search for and scale the most innovative solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges. The Earthshot Prize will celebrate the ground-breaking work of 15 global environmental solutions and convene leading innovators, Earthshot Alumni, partners, investors and philanthropists for inspiring conversations and action on catalysing solutions to protect and restore our planet.
* Zimbabwe is considering overhauling its exchange-rate regime as the government seeks new measures to save its beleaguered currency. The latest proposals will be in a monetary policy statement the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and Treasury are jointly working on, according to Governor John Mangudya. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday signaled a revamp, following the local dollar’s decline. A date is yet to be announced for the release of the statement.
* Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba has officially declared a national mourning period starting until the date of late President Hage Geingob's funeral. Minister of Information & Communication Technology Peya Mushelenga said all national flags should be flown at half-mast throughout this period across the entire country and at all Namibian diplomatic missions.
* The EU has extended sanctions on Zimbabwe Defence Industries by a further year. An embargo on weapons that might be used against Zimbabweans and an assets freeze will remain until 20 February 2025.