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N’DJAMENA, Chad, July 8, 2024 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Effectively promoting the economic inclusion of refugees requires recognizing their contribution to the economy, says the World Bank in its recent Note on the economic situation of Chad, which devotes a special chapter to the influx of refugees and its economic implications.

The Sudanese crisis that began in April 2023 has significantly increased the refugee population in Chad, a trend that is expected to continue. As of December 2023, Chad had 1.1 million refugees and asylum seekers.

Chad’s economy has been able to withstand the war in Sudan, despite knock-on effects on trade, government spending, and inflation. GDP growth in 2023, estimated at 4.1% (1% per capita), was supported by oil production, which is estimated to grow at 4.4%. Non-oil GDP growth is estimated at 4.1%, compared to 2% the previous year, thanks to public investment. After overcoming the 2022 floods, the agricultural sector contributed 1.6 percentage points to growth, followed by the services and industry sectors. On the demand side, public investment was the main driver of growth, contributing 7 percentage points.

The Economic Situation Note entitled “Welcoming refugees in an inclusive manner “, aims to feed the public debate on recent economic developments and the prospects for macroeconomic and social policies in favour of growth and poverty reduction.

Economic inclusion of refugees can be enhanced through improved mobility, asset rehabilitation, and integrated productive inclusion strategies. Chadian authorities have taken an open stance on welcoming refugees, with strong support for their local integration, as reflected in the Chadian asylum law signed in 2023. The government’s refugee integration and dispersal policy also aims to reduce potential conflict hotspots and maximize the benefits of economic inclusion.

“Chad is currently facing significant challenges. In this difficult context, it is important to establish a national social protection system that promotes economic inclusion while being adaptive, productive and adapted to the specificities of vulnerable populations, including refugees and host communities, with particular attention to women.” declared Rasit Pertev, World Bank Country Manager in Chad.

The refugee response has focused on meeting the humanitarian needs of those living in camps in border areas. The influx of refugees has exacerbated food insecurity and strained basic services and natural resources in host communities. Integrating refugees into national systems and the economy requires predictable, recurrent and sustainable donor funding, the report says.

“Strengthening social cohesion and avoiding new conflicts requires the development of programs and policies that benefit both host communities and refugees. Integrated policies should target host provinces, combining humanitarian and development efforts to support local development.” complete Claudia Noumedem Temgoua, country economist at the World Bank

To download the report in French: Note on the economic situation in Chad (April 2024) – Special chapter: welcoming refugees in an inclusive manner

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of the World Bank.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

Amid a wave of questions regarding Biden’s health in the United States, NBC News confirmed on Monday that a Parkinson’s disease expert visited the White House several times over the past year, including in January, and met with President Joe Biden’s personal physician.

Dr. Kevin Canard, a neurologist who specializes in Parkinson’s disease, has visited the White House at least eight times over an eight-month period, according to public visitor logs stretching back to March.

The New York Times was the first to report on the doctor’s visits.

The records did not specify why Canard was at the White House, who was there to see him or whether Biden was present during his visits.

Biden’s physical fitness has been a public concern throughout his term, but those concerns turned into full-blown panic when more than 51 million viewers watched him stutter during a June debate with former President Donald Trump.

In response to reports of Canard’s visits, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden’s medical tests “have found no signs of Parkinson’s disease, for which he is not being treated.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dodged questions regarding Parkinson’s doctor visits during Monday’s press conference.

“For security reasons, we cannot share names with the public,” Jean-Pierre explained, even though Canard’s name is listed in public records.

“No matter how much you push me, no matter how angry you get at me, I’m not going to confirm the name. It doesn’t matter if it’s even on the record. I’m not going to do it from here,” she added.

Source: CNBC

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army, V. Zaluzhn, told “Time” journalist S. Shuster that President V. Zelensky does not need to have a very deep knowledge of military affairs, and the Office of the President suspected the general of a desire for power in the first years of the Russian invasion.

An excerpt from American journalist S.Shuster’s book “The Showman: Inside the invasion that shook the world and made a leader from Volodymyr Zelensky” was published by “The Telegraph”.

“During my own conversation with the general, he made it clear that politicians and generals are uneasy partners. Their relationship was at its best when V. Zelensky tried to convince the allies to supply weapons.

“He needs to know no more regarding the army than regarding medicine or building bridges,” said Zalužn, writes S.Shuster.

The journalist claims that the president and his team allowed him to spend a lot of time in the presidency during the first years of the Russian invasion.

He notes that although at the beginning of the war V. Zelensky was considered a hero of Ukraine, later V. Zaluzhno’s popularity began to grow: fan pages dedicated to him had hundreds of thousands of followers, newspaper headlines called him the Iron General, people printed his image on T-shirts, and some of the President chancellery officials suspected the general of lust for power.

At the same time, S.Shuster writes, as the Russians retreated, V.Zelensky became more and more confident. He formed his own military priorities, which did not always coincide with V. Zaluzhno’s priorities. Disagreements soon deepened.

Yurij Tyra, whom S.Shuster describes as a long-time friend of the president, learned regarding the disagreements from military men he met while transporting cargo to the front. “They kept asking me there: are you with the president or with Zaluzhno?” Either with one or the other,” he said.

J. Tyra said that the general received such adoration at the front that no politician can achieve, and the President’s office might do little.