Latest news with #WelcomeRamadan
Saba Yemen
22-02-2025
- General
- Saba Yemen
Marib launches comprehensive cleaning campaign for Ramadan
Marib - Saba: Marib province on Saturday launched a comprehensive cleaning campaign, themed "Welcome Ramadan," to prepare for the holy month. The campaign is organized by the Cleanliness and Improvement Fund in the province. Governorate undersecretaries Daris al-Muawadhi and Nasser al-Shandaqqi, during the campaign's launch in Serwah district, emphasized the significance of cleanliness as an expression of faith and praised the efforts of cleaning workers. SerwahdDistrict director Marai al-Amiri highlighted the importance of raising community awareness about cleanliness and encouraging residents to dispose of waste properly, maintaining the cleanliness of markets and streets. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Al-Ahram Weekly
18-02-2025
- Business
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Securing Ramadan essentials - Economy - Al-Ahram Weekly
The government's Ramadan exhibitions ensure the availability of foodstuffs throughout the month at discount prices The government is ramping up efforts to secure strategic commodities and regulate market prices with the advent of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. The Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade, in collaboration with the private sector and the Federation of the Chambers of Commerce, has launched Ahlan Ramadan (Welcome Ramadan) exhibitions across the country to provide essential foodstuffs at reduced prices. The exhibitions are being held in public squares, retail chains, hypermarkets, shopping malls, and ration food outlets. Hisham Al-Degwi, head of the Foodstuffs Division at the Federation of the Chambers of Commerce, said food security, particularly during Ramadan, 'is a collective responsibility shared by multiple entities, such as the Ministry of Supply, the private sector, the Federation of the Chambers of Commerce, and various government bodies. The governorate of Giza will host five Ahlan Ramadan exhibitions, alongside one-day fairs.' Nouran, a woman in her 30s, visited an Ahlan Ramadan outlet with her son and daughter. With a carefully planned budget, Nouran prioritised purchasing staple items, including rice, pasta, milk, cheese, and cooking oil. Though she had not intended to buy Ramadan's yameesh (dried fruits and nuts), her son's request for meshmeshiya (dried apricots) tugged at her heart. To satisfy his desire without exceeding her budget, she opted for a small quarter-kilo box priced at LE100. For the third consecutive year, Nouran, a public sector employee, has excluded yameesh from her Ramadan shopping list. 'Prices have skyrocketed to an extent that makes it impossible to buy yameesh,' she said, noting that her budget no longer allows for such luxuries. Instead, she carefully selects a small quantity of whatever her children request, alongside essentials like dates and qamareddin (apricot juice) to break her fast. Despite the financial strain, Nouran acknowledges the discounts at Ahlan Ramadan exhibitions. 'A bag of sugar that costs LE35 elsewhere is available here for LE30. There's also a brand of semolina-based pasta sold at an LE8 discount compared to market prices,' she added. Throughout the past couple of years Egyptian family budgets have been strained by high inflation caused by the depreciation of the local currency and high global prices of commodities. Annual headline inflation peaked in September 2023 at 38 per cent but has since started easing down. Inflation figures out on Monday showed annual headline inflation decreased to 24.1 per cent in January 2025. At another supply outlet, Um Mohamed, in her 60s, said she had saved LE1,000 to buy her newly married daughter Ramadan supplies. Working as a cleaner, Um Mohamed added she saved up the amount to purchase rice, pasta, dried dates, dates, a frozen chicken, and tea. Um Mohamed said that prices remain high but was relieved at being able to buy her daughter's essential items. However, she laments the decline of the traditional Ramadan box which is available in supermarket chains and delivered by benefactors. 'It used to be full of goods. Now, it barely contains the basics: no dates, no qamareddin. Even a bag of rice has shrunk to 900 grams instead of a kilo, while a bottle of oil has been reduced to 650 millilitres instead of a full litre.' Goods available at Ahlan Ramadan are offered at discounts reaching 30 per cent, raising scepticism among some consumers about their quality. Mustafa, a father shopping alone for Ramadan provisions, deliberately left his children home, fearing they would request items he could not afford. Expecting the discounts to be superficial, Mustafa was surprised to find that the price reductions were genuine without compromising quality. 'If these discounts are possible now, why do we pay such high prices the rest of the year?' he asked. 'Traders at these exhibitions do not pay rent, and the goods come directly from food factories to the consumer, bypassing middlemen,' Al-Degwi explained to Al-Ahram Weekly. Moreover, 'pasta sold in regular stores is packed in cartons, each costing LE10, with the cost factored into the price of every bag. At the exhibitions, however, pasta is packaged in plastic bags, eliminating the cost of cartons and allowing for further discounts.' The exhibitions often frustrate conventional retailers as the same products are sold at prices lower than what wholesalers themselves pay. 'Consumers then assume that traders are making exorbitant profits throughout the year,' he added. In addition, 'the transport of goods is streamlined, reducing logistical costs, and the electricity powering the exhibition is provided free of charge. Additionally, Civil Defence ensures security, the Ministry of Electricity covers lighting expenses, and the Chambers of Commerce finance the setup of lamps in public squares. This collective effort allows merchants to offer goods without adding additional costs on consumers,' Al-Degwi stated. Sherif Farouk, the minister of supply, had earlier convened a meeting with representatives of major commercial chains to bolster cooperation between the public and private sectors and ensure that essential goods remain accessible at fair prices throughout Ramadan. Market monitoring will be intensified during the month to prevent speculative pricing or disruptions in supply, with the Supply Ministry set to ramp up inspection campaigns and implement well-structured distribution plans, Farouk said. Commercial chains are hosting Ahlan Ramadan exhibitions to increase the availability of essential goods while integrating products from companies affiliated with the Holding Company for Food Industries into mainstream retail outlets, he added. Representatives of commercial chains reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the state's food security efforts, pledging to supply competitively priced, high-quality products in line with government directives. Furthermore, a joint operations room was set up between the ministry and retail chains to monitor the steady flow of goods and address logistical challenges that may arise in the coming weeks. This year, Ramadan is likely to start on 1 March, depending on the sighting of the crescent moon. * A version of this article appears in print in the 20 February, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link:
Saba Yemen
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
PM launches comprehensive community cleanliness & awareness initiative in Capital Secretariat
Sana'a - Saba: Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Rahwi inaugurated today the cleanliness and community awareness initiative in the districts of the Capital Secretariat under the title "Welcome Ramadan, cleanliness is a faith commitment and civilized behavior" in implementation of the outcomes of the expanded consultative meeting to stimulate initiatives and support the cleanliness system in the Secretariat and the provinces. The Prime Minister, First Deputy Prime Minister Allama Mohammed Muftah and the Mayor of the Capital, Dr. Hamoud Obad, were briefed on the work of the initiative, which was launched from Bab Al-Yemen in the old city of Sana'a, and the progress of environmental awareness for shop owners, school students and citizens on the need for concerted efforts to raise the level of cleanliness in streets and neighborhoods, remove distortions and randomness and pay attention and care for the central islands and afforestation. During his visit to Kuwait School in Safiya district, the Prime Minister urged students and their peers in schools to demonstrate cleanliness behavior in their schools, houses , neighborhoods and actively contribute to the cleanliness campaign , its success, gave them instructions on the proper handling of various wastes and the obligation to throw them in their designated places to ensure the cleanliness of the capital and various Yemeni cities. Al-Rahwi inspected the implementation of the campaign and the level of official and popular interaction in a number of neighborhoods and streets in the Capital Secretariat. In a media statement following the launch, the Prime Minister explained that as part of the campaign, guidelines will be distributed to all shops that guide everyone on how to deal with waste and not throw it on the street. Al-Rahwi pointed out that with the leadership of the Secretariat, the capital Sana'a will improve more , more in the environmental aspect and cleanliness in general, calling on citizens , the community not to throw waste or food remnants in the streets and for everyone to contribute to the cleanliness of the capital, which is his big house , everyone should work hard for its cleanliness and pride in it. For his part, First Deputy Prime Minister Allamah Muftah thanked the workers in the cleaning sector for their efforts in improving cleaning services at the level of the Secretariat and the provinces. Allama Muftah emphasized that cleanliness and public health is everyone's responsibility, and a country that is filled with waste will become a hotbed of epidemics, calling on those who are careless about cleanliness not to throw waste outside its designated places and to pay attention to the proper sorting of food, organic, plastic, glass and metal waste, noting that high-risk medical waste will be sorted in a designated place. The First Deputy Prime Minister stressed the activation of laws related to cleanliness to contribute to preserving the aesthetic and civilized appearance of the capital Sana'a and the provinces, improving the performance of waste dumps and taking certain measures to improve the cleaning process so that it becomes a daily behavior for everyone. "It is unbecoming of a human being to throw personal waste in public streets and markets, as these are scenes that harm the reputation and prestige of the Yemeni people," he said. The Capital Secretary pointed to the importance of the community initiative for cleanliness, reflecting the Revolution Leader's directives in maintaining cleanliness, implementing the outcomes of the expanded meetings to stimulate community initiatives to participate in cleanliness campaigns, and activating the role of neighborhood elders, development knights and community committees by following up on the cleanliness work and not taking it out at unspecified times. For his part, Undersecretary Khalid Al-Madani pointed out the importance of activating the role of offices, government agencies and civil society organizations in implementing broad community cleaning initiatives to raise the level of cleanliness and protect the environment, engage and enhance the role of the local community and active groups in preserving it and reducing the exacerbation of environmental issues. The Cleanliness Fund and Project directors , Mohammed Sharafuddin and Ibrahim Al-Sarabi, explained that the community cleanliness initiative, in which cleanliness workers , equipment, offices, concerned authorities , a crowd of initiatives and community components participate, seeks to form community control frameworks that effectively participate in stabilizing the environmental , service conditions, and everyone cooperates in achieving sustainable cleanliness and consolidating awareness and environmental behavior in the Secretariat. In addition, cleanliness and community awareness initiatives were launched in the streets and neighborhoods according to the work plan, with the participation of the heads of the social affairs, planning, development and services committees in the Secretariat of the Capital Secretariat, undersecretaries, local and executive leaders, environmental awareness teams, a crowd of initiatives and community committees, development and mobilization knights, neighborhood elders, social figures and citizens. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Saba Yemen
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Approving outcomes implementation of meeting to stimulate initiatives & support cleanliness system in Capital Secretariat
Sana'a - Saba: A meeting in the Capital Secretariat approved on Thursday the outcomes implementation of the expanded consultative meeting to stimulate community initiatives and support the cleanliness system in the Capital Secretariat, under the title "Cleanliness is a faith commitment and civilized behavior." The meeting, which was chaired by Social Affairs Committee Chairman Hamoud Al-Naqib, and included Planning and Development Committee Chairman Sharaf Al-Hadi, Undersecretary for Services Sector Engineer Abdel Fattah Al-Sharafi, directors of directorates and concerned executive offices, decided to launch a wide community cleanliness campaign next Saturday in all directorates of the Secretariat, under the title "Welcome Ramadan" in preparation and reception for the holy month of Ramadan. The meeting's outcomes stressed the importance of adhering to the speeches of the Revolution Leader about cleanliness as a public awareness and community culture that requires all official and popular authorities to play their role in spreading and promoting it through educational curricula, speeches, lectures, events, various media outlets, central , local programs and activities. It explained the importance of enhancing the role of community initiatives in sustaining public hygiene, raising community awareness, and establishing it as a religious, moral and humanitarian behavior. It stressed the importance of monitoring and follow-up to ensure the continuation of cleanliness work in various areas, and taking the necessary measures against violators of environmental guidelines. The meeting stressed the importance of enhancing community awareness, consolidating the culture of cleanliness as a behavior of faith, civilization and collective responsibility, and joining official , popular efforts and wide participation in the campaign implementation, activities , programs that promote cleanliness and improve cleanliness efforts. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Saba Yemen
12-02-2025
- General
- Saba Yemen
Sana'a holds workshop on enhancing community participation in cleanliness efforts
Sana'a - Saba: A workshop was held in the capital Sana'a on Wednesday to discuss ways to enhance community participation in cleanliness and environmental awareness efforts. The workshop, organized by Bunyan Development Foundation aimed to mobilize community support for the "Welcome Ramadan" cleanliness campaign. Key participants, including the Secretary of the Capital Sana'a, Dr. Hamoud Ubad and First Deputy Secretary Khaled al-Madani emphasized the importance of community involvement and the need to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining cleanliness as a religious and social responsibility. The workshop discussed the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders, including local authorities, community committees, and development knights, in implementing the cleanliness campaign effectively. The meeting aimed to develop a comprehensive plan for the "Welcome Ramadan" initiative, outlining the objectives, activities, and implementation strategies for the campaign. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (Local)
