Uasin Gishu County in partnership with the Paul Bitok Foundation and other partners has launched the Eldoret City Volleyball Tournament second series, 2023 to enable youth in the region to showcase their talents.The second series of the tournament will take place from Thursday, November 30, 2023, at Eldoret National Polytechnic (TENP) featuring 100 teams from the county and regionally from Uganda and Tanzania.Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Chelilim lauded the event which he said is significant in providing a platform for the youth to showcase their sporting prowess.He pointed out that this year's tournament themed on promoting green faces through volleyball, underscores our collective efforts toward environmental conservation and tackling climate change'Like the rules of the game we all must spike for a sustainable future where every serve sends a message, the tournament plays an important role in our persons for a greener tomorrow and aligning with the president's call to grow trees and foster enviro nmental awareness,' he said.He noted that the youth who make the players are the heartbeat of our community and this tournament offers them a stage to display their skills, resilience, and dedication.Reflecting on the successes of the last governor's cup volleyball tournament in which 298 teams participated representing 4172 empowered youth from all the wards, Chelilim reaffirmed his administration's commitment to supporting the youth through sports.'The Governor's Cup showcased the potential of sports in nurturing talents, enabling economic empowerment, and addressing climate change, a testament to harnessing sports for sustainable development,' said Chelilim.He noted that the tournament in collaboration with the Paul Bitok Foundation has attracted over 36 elite professional teams, 62 self-supporting teams participating in the second-tier scholarships, and involvement from 12 schools, colleges, and Universities.The governor confirmed that the county will sponsor 60 teams that earned their place thr ough victory at the Governor's Cup Volleyball Tournament. He added that the sponsorship serves as recognition of talents nurtured at the grassroots level and emphasizes the county's commitment to acknowledging efforts at every stage.Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Chelilim addressing the members of the public during the launch of Eldoret City Volleyball Tournament, 2023, Eldoret, Uasin Gishu, Friday, November 17, 2023.The County Volleyball KICOSCA championship which emerged as the second runners-up in the 2023 Kenya Inter-County Sports and Cultural Association (KICOSCA) will also participate, adding to the tournament's vibrancy.Chelilim further affirmed that the county administration will oversee the construction of a multipurpose hall to enable participants to engage in and train for indoor games like volleyball.He urged the youth to seize this opportunity while embracing teamwork and discipline which are crucial for winning.Paul Bitok, the patron of Bitok Foundation, acknowledged the county governme nt through the Department of Sports, ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs for supporting the event.He added that the tournament organizers have already made proper arrangements and are ready to receive the 100 teams and will put them in different categories.'We have the first category of national league teams who have been registered with regular competition, then self-supporting teams together with series B which will be started on Thursday 30th because there are more teams to enable meet the prequalification date on Saturday and Sunday so that we don't delay or fail to finish the matches on time,' said Bitok.He further noted that the current tournament, unlike its first series, is unique as it brings on board various sponsors which assures its sustainability to be hosting the event annually.The County Executive for Sports, ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, Eng. Lucy Ngendo appreciated the partnership with Paul Bitok Foundation to host the Eldoret City Volleyball Tournament, in 2023.She added that th e indoor games facility which plays a crucial role in terms of training volleyball players is set to be established at Racecourse Ward, Kapseret Sub County, and that they are awaiting final drawing from the Public Works to commence construction works.Source: Kenya News AgencyRecourse to internal and external debt remains a short-term solution to enable the state to meet its commitments, particularly the repayment of loans estimated at nearly 25 billion dinars, Finance Minister Sihem Namsia said.During a plenary session held on Saturday, where she presented explanations to the questions raised by the MPs during the general debate on the draft state budget, the economic balance and the 2024 finance law, the minister added that the recourse to short-term debt is a solution to enable the state to meet its commitments. These are related to the repayment of loans, salary expenditures and subsidies for basic products, social transfers and hydrocarbons.She pointed out that fiscal resources are important for achieving public financial sustainability, and stressed that the draft budget for 2024 provides for the improvement of budget revenues in order to control fiscal balances.Namsia stressed that the draft budget aims to preserve public financial sustainability, pointing out that t he government will work, within the framework of supporting the state's own resources, to achieve revenues of nearly TND 49,160 million dinars, an increase of 8% compared to the updated results for 2023."These own resources, which are one of the pillars of the control of public finances and the reduction of the level of budget deficits and therefore the reduction of financing needs, will come mainly from tax revenues, estimated at 44,500 million dinars or 88.9% of own resources in 2024,» she said.Responding to MPs' questions on whether the draft was an identical copy of previous drafts, the Minister said that the preparation of the draft budget was based on the legal rules and frameworks and on the application of the main budget law.She pointed out that the assumptions in next year's draft budget had been adjusted on the basis of technical-scientific studies as well as the expectations of international organisations, such as the assumption on the oil barrel price.Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse