23 July 2008 | Abuja - The International Joint TB and TB/HIV monitoring mission (JIMM) begins work across all geopolitical zones in Nigeria today.

The 2008 mission is of particular importance because it is coming a year after the TB control programnme received the first $25M tranche of a Global Fund (GFATM) grant that will eventually total $65.2M. The team of 62 consultants will visit 14 states over a two week period to assess the implementation of TB control activities, in particular the implementation of the Stop TB strategy, and surveys of TB prevalence and drug resistance.

Brazzaville, 1 July 2008 -- The African Ministerial Conference on Research for Health has ended with the adoption of the Algiers Declaration which commits countries in the Region to work together to strengthen national health research, information and knowledge systems through the optimization of investments, better co-ordination and enhanced management in order to improve the health of the people of Africa.

Accra, 26 July 2008 -- Dr Joaquim Saweka, the WHO Representative to Ghana, has re-affirmed the Organization's commitment and support for the survival of children in the country. Dr Saweka observed that though interventions such as promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, appropriate complementary feeding, micronutrient supplementation with vitamin A, use of iodized salt and other strategies to reduce the burden of malaria during pregnancy are widely available, there is still the challenge of making these services accessible to all children in the country as expected.

KOFORIDUA -- On 25 July 2008, the forecourt of the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) in Koforidua was the scene of a colorful ceremony to present school items to a group of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and their parents.

Algiers, 23 June 2008 --The ministerial conference on research for health in the African Region got under way Monday in Algiers, Algeria, with a pledge by the World Health Organization (WHO) to assist Member States in the Region to reduce the knowledge gap – the gulf that exists between what we know and what we do in practice, between scientific potential and health outcomes.

On the 23rd of June 2008, Dr Abdoulie Dodou JACK  presented his letters  of credence appointing him as WHO Country Representative in Rwanda, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Mrs Rose Mary MUSEMINALI. The Honourable Minister accepted the letters of credence and welcomed Dr Jack to Rwanda. The WHO Representative told the Minister that  his presence in the country is on behalf of the Director General of WHO and the Regional Director of WHO for Africa.

No more use of mobile phones while driving and compulsory use of seat belts’

Gambia, 20 June 2008 -- The Gambia Motor Traffic Act of 1948 has been amended 15 times, the latest was in 1997.The Act has provisions for licensing and registration of motor vehicles and trailers; licensing and registration of drivers; rules of the road governing driving and other offences and general conditions relating to the use of motor vehicles on roads; roads and bridges and legal proceedings and power of the court.

Brazzaville, 16 June 2008 -- The Day of the African Child has been celebrated on 16 June every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organisation of African Unity. This day honours the memory of the children who, in 1976, were brutally shot down while marching in the streets of Soweto, South Africa to protest the inferior quality of their education.

Nigeria joined the rest of the world on June 14th 2008 to mark the world blood donor day with theme aptly coined “Giving Blood Regularly”. Activities for this year’s world blood donor day started on the 13th of June with a ministerial press briefing, national live radio discussion programme (Saturday Morning Live) and blood donation drive at the residence of the Saudi Arabia ambassador in Abuja on Saturday 14, June 2008.