Scaling up Tunisian-Omani cultural cooperation relations notably in the heritage field took centre stage on Wednesday at a meeting between the Minister of Cultural Affairs Hayet Guettat Guermazi and Omani Ambassador to Tunisia Hilal Abdullah Al Sinani, according to a ministry press release. The two sides examined ways of establishing lasting cooperation in the various sectors of shared interest under the memorandum of understanding signed on May 3, 2023 between the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Omani Ministry of Heritage and Tourism. Emphasis was laid on a range of project proposals, including the organisation of live workshops on restoration and maintenance techniques for historic monuments, targeting experts from both countries, as well as field workshops for sharing expertise, notably in the field of heritage conservation and artistic lighting. Among the proposals put forward is the consolidation of the artistic, cultural and literary presence of the Sultanate of Oman at major events organised by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, such as the Tunis International Book Fair and summer festivals, as well as the possibility of twinning the Muscat Opera Theatre with that of Tunis and the medina of Tunis with the medina of Oman, both of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In this regard, the minister ordered the creation of a small working group tasked with drawing up a clear programme defining the next projects and proposals with a view to submitting it to the Omani side, in collaboration with the Omani embassy to Tunisia. Underlining the importance of the Omani collaboration in the effort to restore Tunisia's historic monuments, she called to further broaden this cooperation to include other artistic, literary and cultural disciplines. The ambassador, for his part, expressed his country's willingness to step up bilateral cooperation in the various sectors of culture, art and creativity. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse Zoomlion Foundation, in collaboration with the Accra College of Education, has launched an initiative dubbed 'Agenda Zero Waste' as part of efforts to get everyone on board in tackling sanitation challenges in the country. The initiative is aimed at involving teacher trainees to be champions of environmental education across the country. Launching the initiative, Mr Robert Kwaku Adjei, the Writers' Bureau Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, speaking on behalf of the Managing Director of Zoomlion, Madam Gloria Anti, emphasised that the company through the initiative was nurturing a community of passionate individuals who will be actors in the sanitation space in the near future. He said the initiative also signified a momentous move to address waste management and climate change in the country. The event, which was on the theme: 'Achieving Zero Waste: The Role of The Teacher Trainee in Combating Climate Change', was also used to unveil the Green Generation Champions, an environmental club for tertiary insti tutions. The Principal of Accra College of Education, Prof Samuel A. Atintono, said the sustainable management of waste was a critical component of global efforts to mitigate climate change, preserve and present the planet for future generations. 'The time is up for all, especially our young teacher trainees, to rise up to work towards achieving zero waste in order to recover the negative impact of climate change,' he said. According to him, the onus is on all citizens to improve consumption patterns and adopt sustainable waste management practices that protected the environment through recycling of waste. The National Coordinator of Zoomlion Foundation, Mr Thomas Narh Korley, said Zoomlion had committed resources to the mobilisation of the youth and children to change the sanitation narrative in the country. He explained that even though Zoomlion's public education programmes had achieved remarkable results, they still needed to educate citizens on reducing, re-using and recycling of waste instead of du mping it on landfills, which resulted in environmental and health hazards. 'We are therefore drumming home that waste is a resource and we need everyone to appreciate that fact and lean towards benefiting from it,' he stressed. He said the Foundation agreed to work with the Accra College of Education because the teacher trainees were key stakeholders in involving children and the youth to impact the knowledge of transforming waste into resource. 'So when they become professional teachers they would not find it difficult at all to teach children and the youth to transform waste into resources,' he emphasised. He said Agenda Zero Waste would be replicated in all tertiary institutions, particularly teacher training colleges in the country. The President of the Student Representative Council (SRC), Mr Richmond Adjei, explaining the rationale behind the programme, said there was so much filth on campus and to address it they decided to collaborate with Zoomlion to bring a lasting solution to the challenge. ' The collaboration birthed Agenda Zero Waste and the establishment of Generation Champions GGC,' he added. 'Zoomlion has done a great job for us by offering us a lot of support including the provision of waste bins to promote waste management on campus,' he noted. Mr Adjei further added that the SRC would not rest there, but lobby for more support to push forward the agenda. He encouraged other tertiary institutions to adopt the initiative and institute programmes that would prompt students to promote good sanitation. Zoomlion is providing training for the Green Generation Champions and resources for the implementation of Agenda Zero Waste Project. Source: Ghana News Agency