General Assembly of the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA) was held Wednesday in Abu Dhabi. TAP CEO Najeh Missaoui told attendees there is need to put forward practical proposals to develop the federation's action in a context of consensus. He also emphasised the importance of the initiative to beef up its board with young qualified professionals and increase specialised journalism training programmes. FANA needs to maintain its financial balances, the CEO added, by means of addressing the debts of some news agencies. TAP is also ready to bring a diversified contribution to the federation's news content. The annual activity report for 2023 was adopted. It addressed a number of topics in relation to the impact of ongoing events in some Arab countries on the activity of media organisations, notably FANA, and training sessions geared towards journalists in Arab news agencies. This in addition to memoranda of understanding inked by the federation and international organisations across the globe. Directo r General of the United Arab Emirates News Agency (WAM) Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi was elected president of FANA, taking over from Fahd bin Hassan Al-Aqran, the director of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Director-General of the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) Fatma Al-Salem was elected as First Vice-President, while Director General of the Moroccan News Agency (MAP) Fouad Arif took on the duties of Second Vice-President Freshly elected Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi said it is crucial to train a new generation of leaders among young news agency journalists. It is also necessary to embrace a different approach by means of forming a team of young journalists and encouraging them to present proposals. The presence of young people in the Federation will bring significant changes in content and decisions. The new Secretariat General of the FANA is made up of the news agencies of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman and Libya. Participants discussed contributions payable to the federation and put forward proposals to address such iss ues as delays in the payment of annual contributions. Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi emphasised the importance of cooperation between Arab news agencies and said member news agencies need to build on each other's experiences and gear up for a new stage. Dr. Farid Ayar, Secretary General of FANA, presented the annual activity report and shed light on training sessions held for representatives of Arab news agencies. The Federation of Arab News Agencies brings together national news agencies of eighteen Arab countries, including TAP. Source: EN - Agence Tunis Afrique Presse Two agro-based companies, New Okaff Industries Limited and OMNI Fert in the agriculture value chain, have donated agricultural inputs, items and some cash to support the upcoming National Farmers' Day. This year's National Farmers' Day Celebration is the 39th ceremony and comes off December 1, which provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of sustainable agriculture practices, celebrate the contributions of farmers, and reflect on the positives. OMNI Fert, an indigenous Ghanaian company, providing affordable fertilizers to scale up crop production donated an amount GhS50, 000 and has supported the ceremony since 2017. The New Okaff Industries Limited donated GhS90,000 worth of items, including organic fertilizers, anti-snake larvae (insecticide) and natural baths. It also presented a cash amount of GhS10, 000. The items, together with the cash donations, were received on behalf of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture by Mr Yaw Frimpong, Deputy Minister for the Agriculture sector. He commended the entities for their unflinching support over the years, adding that items and cash would help the farmers great and the ceremony at large. The annual National Farmers' Day celebrates Ghanaian farmers and fishers for their contribution to the economy, from innovative farming techniques to sustainable practices in fishing and the nation's profound appreciation of the role and contribution of farmers to national development. The theme for this year's Farmers' Day Celebration, is 'Delivering Smart Solutions for Sustainable Food Security and Resilience,' and it is relevant to achieving food security in Ghana within the context of an increase in population growth and its accompanying food system issues. Dr. Bryan Acheampong, sector Minister undertook a diagnosis of the sector leading to the understanding, appreciation and implementation of interventions. At the national level, the event has been opened for a five-day agriculture fair and grand durbar to allow farmers to network with industry players, and lea rn and adopt new technologies, machinery and research innovations in agriculture. The five-day National Agricultural Festival, Agrifest Ghana 2023 would begin November 27 to December 1. The Agrifest Ghana 2023 will be held on the principal streets of the Ministerial enclave in Accra. The last day of Agrifest which marks the first Friday of December would be celebrated with an Awards Night Ceremony at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Auditorium and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo would confer national honours on best-performing farmers and fishers. A total of fifteen award categories would receive recognition at the awards night in Tarkwa. Regional Farmers' Day celebration would continue to be held in all 16 regions and Regional Ministers would confer regional honours on the best-performing farmers in their region on behalf of the President. There would be five (5) regional award categories per region, namely: The Regional Best Farmer, Regional Best Livestock Farmer, Regional Best Fema le Farmer, Regional Best Fisher, and Regional Physically Challenged Farmers. Source: Ghana News Agency