Economy: Cameroon imports palm oil from Gabon

The  Awala oil refinery in Gabon owned by Olam Group on the 27th October 2016, effectively carried out the exportation of palm oil and palm destined for Cameroon and Spain.
This exportation which  involved about 300 tons on palm oil and 180 tons of kernel oil was carried out in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture and Animal husbandry in charge of the Seed Program Yves Ferdinand Mamfoumbi

This first Palm oil exportation in Gabon is part of the economic diversification program lunched by President Ali Bongo few years back.

The Awala factory has found Cameroon as an excellent market because it has had a defficit of palm oil production of about 100 000 tons yearly.

the Cameroon government has authorized the importation of about 60 000 tons to boost the production of vegetable oil, soap, etc.

Yaya Toure: Man City midfielder apologises for 'misunderstandings'

Yaya Toure's only appearance in a Manchester City shirt this season came in a Champions League qualifier against Steaua Bucharest - with his team already 5-0 up after the first leg

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has apologised to the club for "misunderstandings from the past".

City manager Pep Guardiola has said he will not pick Toure until his agent Dimitri Seluk apologises for criticising the decision to leave him out of the Champions League squad.
"I wish to apologise - on behalf of myself and those who represent me," said the Ivory Coast player.
The 33-year-old added that he wants "to help City succeed further".
Seluk said Toure, whose £200,000-a-week contract expires next summer, had been "humiliated" when he was not included in City's Champions League squad.
Guardiola, who was Barcelona boss when Toure was sold to City in 2010, responded at the time by saying: "Seluk must apologise. If he doesn't, he won't play.
"I cannot accept as a coach, when his player doesn't play, going to the media to speak and speak and speak."
Asked by BBC Sport about Guardiola's stance, Seluk then said: "What do I need to apologise for?"

"Those statements do not represent my views on the club or the people who work there," added Toure on Friday, who has not played for City since 24 August.
"I have nothing but respect for Manchester City and only wish the best for the football club.
"I am immensely proud to have played a part in the club's history and want to help City succeed further. I live to play football and entertain the fans.
"On that note, I would like to thank all of the fans for their messages through this difficult period. This means a great deal to me and my family."
Toure, a four-time African Footballer of the Year, has scored 75 goals in 267 appearances for City since arriving from Barca for £24m.
He was won the Premier League twice, the FA Cup and two League Cups during his time in England.

Gambia goalkeeper dies trying to reach Europe

Fatim Jawara's friends created this tribute page to her

The 19-year-old goalkeeper of Gambia's national women's football team has drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe.

Fatim Jawara was on board a boat that ran into trouble last month while crossing from Libya to Europe, the country's football federation says.
Her family confirmed news of her death, according to association president Lamin Kaba Bajo.
Many of the undocumented migrants who arrive in Italy are Gambians.
The Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh has been accused of intimidating the opposition - charges he denies.

Jawara made her debut with the national women's side a year ago, after playing in the junior team.
"She will be remembered for saving a penalty kick in a friendly encounter involving the national soccer team and the Glasgow Girls from Scotland," Mr Bajo told the AFP news agency.

In a Facebook post, the federation said the manner in which she had died was "shocking".
The coach of the Red Scorpions, a local team she played in, described Fatim as a very lovely person who always smiled.
Chorro Mbega told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that Jawara was a member of the squad that represented the Gambia in the 2012 under-17 World Cup in Azerbaijan, having first joined the team in 2009.
"Fati was a player who can play anywhere on the field. I'm really sad about this because she fought so much to be number one," Ms Mbega said.
She said she was not aware of Jawara being frustrated but added that Red Scorpion players were not paid salaries.
More than 4,200 migrants fleeing conflict and poverty have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean this year, figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) show.

'Everyone's friend' by Lamin Cham, Banjul

Fatim Jawara's absence was nationally noticed when The Gambia national female team was schedule to play Senegalese club Casa Sports during celebrations to mark a girls football festival recently.
She played for local club Red Scorpions FC in Serekunda town, just outside Banjul, where she made her way to being first-choice goalkeeper, leading to her selection for the national team.
Her death in the Mediterranean has shocked Gambians and brings back the issue of illegal migration facing the country into a shaper focus.
Rumours started flying that Fatim had gone on the "Back Way", the now famous name for the boat journey across the Mediterranean to Italy, according to Red Scorpions captain Fatu Fatty.
"A few days later we confirmed from her family that an agent had contacted them to say Fatim was among those on the boat that capsized," Ms Fatty explained in tears."She was everyone's friend in the team. Jovial and funny to an extreme," Ms Fatty said.
A Gambia Football Federation official noted she was not the first footballer to have suffered such a fate but she was one of the most high-profile to have died this way.

Equatorial Guinea: Vice President Obiang's cars seized in Switzerland

These are two of the cars which were seized

Prosecutors in Switzerland have seized luxury cars belonging to the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea, who they are investigating for corruption.

Teodorin Obiang Nguema, the son of the country's president, is accused of money laundering. He has not commented.
Swiss authorities have seized 11 cars in total.
Among them was reportedly a Porsche valued at more than $830,000 (£667,000) and a Bugatti Veyron which sells for $2m (£1.7m).
The accused is due in court next year in France on similar charges, which he denies.
Prosecutors in Geneva say he has plundered his country's oil wealth to buy luxuries, including a private jet and Michael Jackson memorabilia.
Equatorial Guinea, a small country on the west coast of Africa, struck oil in 1995.
Its president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, is Africa's longest serving leader. He has been described by rights organisations as one of Africa's most repressive leaders.
He seized power in 1979.

Teodorin Obiang Nguema has been made Number 2 of Equatorial Guinea by his father

Mr Obiang, 47, was promoted in June by his father to be vice-president.
He was already set to face trial in France next year on corruption and embezzlement charges.
He is challenging those charges at a UN court and is not expected to appear before the French judges.

Buea Central Prison: Inmates demand admission into the University

Inmates of the #Buea central prison, South West Region of Cameroon have made known their desire to enroll at the University of Buea so as to better serve the nation upon their reinsertion into the society.
The inmates through their representative, Gilbert Nyuykong Ntasin, who wrote and passed both Ordinary and Advanced level examinations as a detainee at the Buea central prison noted that access to education is their fundamental right as human beings.

After sitting public exams while in jail, the inmates want more

He tabled their request to the government Wednesday 19 October, 2016 during a solemn ceremony organized at the prison yard by Prison Fellowship Cameroon in partnership with Operation Total Impact, an NGO that provides education to inmates of the correction facility.
While it was strange enough to learn that inmates were registered to sit for the Cameroon General Certificate of Education CGCE exams last year, Gilbert currently gives lectures to his fellow inmates after being among the three prisoners who passed the Advanced Levels this year took many by surprise with his request.
Speaking on behalf of the student inmates who took part in the school program, Gilbert Nyuykong suggested that he appreciated the initiative which according to him goes a long way to facilitate their reinsertion.

Detainees express desire to contribute to economic development.

He further added that while education is the backbone of every economy, if permitted to study at the university, they would be able to contribute their own quota to economic development.
Responding to his demand, the chief of service for adult literacy and non-former education at the regional delegation of Basic Education Suh Asoh Vera, said her hierarchy will be duly notified about their request.

Over 56 students inmates receive didactic materials 

Speaking during the event which saw the donation of didactic materials to the over 56 students, Sama Raphael Ndaghu, principal of the school and chief executive officer of Operation Total Impact which started the prison’s school program congratulated the four students who passed the GCE exams in both the A/O level.
While calling on those to sit the government exams this year to put forth their best, Sama Raphael took off time to acknowledge the teachers residing both on and off campus for their humanitarian services which is rendered pro-bono.

NGO poised to transform prisons into dormitories 

Pointing out that their mission is to transform prisons into dormitory schools, he called on good will ambassadors to chip in something in order to provide education which remains the greatest asset of mankind to those behind bars.
Also present at the ceremony was the superintendent in charge of the Buea Central Prision, Thierry Fopa, Nana Abunaw Marie, president of Prisons Fellowship Cameroon, representative from the delegation of Secondary Education who promised to table their demand to the government.