Feb22017

Housing and Armed Forces sectors thanked for help on Housing Pathway for Veterans

Welsh Government
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The pathway aims to prevent homelessness amongst ex Service personnel and help them find suitable accommodation.

Echoing one of the eight ‘asks’ of Welsh Government in the Royal British Legion’s 2016 Wales Manifesto – Live On – Building a better future for the Armed Forces Community in Wales.

Carl Sargeant said:

“I take very seriously the responsibility we have to those members of our communities who have served, or are still serving, in the Armed Forces. Helping them to find suitable accommodation is an important part of the much broader and wider package of support which helps them to settle back into our communities.

“We will continue our work to implement the Housing Pathway, particularly amongst organisations working on the front line of homelessness. We also aim to do more to raise awareness, with the publication of advice for veterans. This will build on the contents of the Pathway. It will be targeted at those due to be discharged from duty as well as those who were discharged at some point previously. It will include advice cards for those who are sleeping rough. The Pathway will also be shared widely amongst organisations providing support for the Armed Forces community in Wales.

“I am grateful to all the organisations who have worked with us on these developments. In collaboration with The Armed Forces Expert Group and partner organisations, we will continue to support and provide effective services for our Armed Forces community in Wales.”

Antony Metcalfe, Area manager for The Royal British Legion Wales said:

“The Royal British Legion welcomes the new Housing pathway for the Armed Forces community and the commitment the Welsh Government has shown in addressing the issues around housing support for the Armed forces community in Wales.

“The Legion called for such a pathway in our Welsh Assembly election manifesto 2016, following a national conversation we held with the Armed forces community in Wales, who told us that accessing clear housing advice and support was difficult and that too often they were being given inconsistent advice which was leaving them confused about access to housing in their local areas. This document should now help provide clear information for the Armed Forces community but also be used as a training resource for housing professionals so that everyone is clear about housing support that can be expected and delivered.”

Feb22017

India Signs Financing Agreement with World Bank for US$ 201.50 Million for “Third Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP III)”

India
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A Financing Agreement for IDA credit of US$201.50 million (equivalent) for the “Third Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP III)” was signed with the World Bank here yesterday. The Financing Agreement was signed by Mr. Raj Kumar (Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs) on behalf of Government of India and Mr. Junaid Kamal Ahmad, Country Director, World Bank (India) on behalf of the World Bank.

Feb22017

Press release: Mozambique learning of UK Oil and Gas expertise

HM Government
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UK expertise in Oil & Gas at the centre of Mozambique Minister’s visit

The Mozambican Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Leticia Klemens, paid this February a four-day official visit to the United Kingdom, at the invitation of the British Government.

The visit program was centred mainly on the minister’s participation at the SubSea Expo 2017 Conference and Exhibition, which took place place 1 to 3 February in Aberdeen, Scotland – one of the most respected in terms of Oil & Gas expertise centres in the world.

The visit program included several meetings with representatives of the British Government and the private sector in London. The visit has been stimulated by UK’s expertise in Oil & Gas and by existing opportunities for cooperation and exchange of best practice. British High Commissioner in Mozambique, Joanna Kuenssberg, accompanied the Minister in the visit.

By collaborating and working with British experts and companies, Mozambique can maximize its potential in the sector and ensure that exploitation of mineral and energy resources has a positive impact on the country’s economic and social development. At the conference, the minister spoke of Mozambique’s energy sectors potential focusing on the business environment, the opportunities and challenges.

Apart from this, the minister joined by representatives of the National Petroleum Institute (INP) and the National Hydrocarbons Company (ENH) in a visit to the subsea international exhibition, attended by more than 150 organizations from various areas of expertise in the Oil & Gas sector.

Yet in Aberdeen, the minister visited Robert Gordon University, which has a top-of-the-range oil operations simulator. Oil companies use this type of equipment to create a more concrete notion of the infrastructure needed for gas exploration and production.

In the field of education, minister Klemens and the High Commissioner of Mozambique in the United Kingdom, Filipe Chidumo, interacted with Mozambican students learning different specialties on oil and gas. Some of these students have been in the UK on a Chevening scholarship, offered by the British Government.

The minister yet called on Aberdeen Lord Provost George Adam to strengthen partnership and cooperation between the municipalities of Aberdeen and Pemba.

In London, minister Klemens was welcomed by the FCO Minister for Africa, Tobias Ellwood, and also met the Minister of International Trade, Greg Hands, and the Prime Minister’s Commercial Envoy to Mozambique, Richard Benyon.

The program closed with meetings with international companies in the energy sector and a speech by the minister, organized by Chatham House – Royal Institute for International Affairs. The minister spoke about Mozambique’s context and interact with British companies and experts.

Notes for Editors

  • On Aberdeen and Pemba: there have been two projects funded by the British government, which aimed to train Pemba Municipality officials on skills to attract more investment.

  • Richard Benyon, Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Mozambique and also a member of the British Parliament, made his first visit to Mozambique in September 2016.

  • David Mundell, who is the Secretary of State for Scotland also paid a visit to Mozambique in February 2016.

  • (Chevening scholarships)[www.chevening.org]: for the 2016/17 school year, seven Mozambicans were awarded with scholarships from the UK government, two are in Scotland.

For further information, please contact:

Inayah.Sultan@fco.gov.uk

Sonia.Muchate@fco.gov.uk