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Addis Ababa, 25 February 2009- The first Africa Healthy Lifestyles Day will be commemorated on Friday, 27 February 2009, in Member States and at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Department of Social Affairs explained that the AU Executive Council in July 2008 adopted the Decision, declaring the last Friday of February each year as Africa Healthy Lifestyles Day upon the recommendation of the AU Conference of Ministers of Health.

Addis Ababa, 23 February 2009 - The Assembly of Heads of State and government of the African Union has declared the years 2009-2019 as the decade of youth development in Africa. The decade was declared during the last Executive Council held in January 2009 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia within the context of the outcomes and prospects related to the Year of African Youth 2008 and to facilitate the implementation of the African Youth Charter after its ratification.

The decade is an opportunity to advance the agenda of youth development in all member states across the African Union, to ensure effective and more ambitious investment in youth development programmes and increased support to the development and implementation of national youth policies and programmes.

THE PAN-AFRICAN e-NETWORK PROJECT FORMALLY INAGURATED
Addis Ababa, 04 March 2009- The Pan-African e-Network Project formally inaugurated on 25 February 2009, in the Addis Ababa University Tele Education Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The inauguration was held in the presence of H.E Mr. Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission; H.E Dr. Elham Ibrahim, Commissioner for the Infrastructure and Energy of the AU Commission; H.E Ambassador Gurjit Singh, Indian Ambassador to Ethiopia, and other Ministers.

In his speech Mr. Mwencha recalled that it was on May 2005 that the government of India presented the detail proposal for the AU commission to establish a Pan-African e-Network, which linking Member States of the AU and India. “The network composed of optical fiber connections and V-SAT satellite station to provide Member States with Tele-Medicine, Tele-Education and Diplomatic Communication services”. He added.

He also underscored that the inauguration of the Pan African e-Network project has become a reality and it is a perfect example of South-South cooperation.