news From All Africa
- Al Maskari Holding and EF Education First partner to promote world-class education and training in the United Arab Emirates
World-class education is fundamental for the development of a nation and the best investment in its future. The UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda therefore emphasizes the development of a first-rate education system, which among other things will require modern and efficient teaching methods. A prerequisite for this is continuous professional development of teachers, equipping them with up-to-date knowledge and improved teaching skills. With more qualified and better trained teachers, school graduates will be equipped with the necessary skills for the 21st century globalized economy.
Al Maskari Holding (www.AlMaskariHolding.com) is therefore partnering with EF Education First (EF) (www.EF.com), one of the world’s premier provider of teacher training programs. EF is working with Ministries of Education on all continents to ensure professional development of teachers with state-of-the-art programs – primarily for English teachers but also teachers focused on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL).
EF is also the world’s largest provider of language training services – both to staff of large corporations and government institutions. According to research, improved English proficiency has a strong correlation with, e.g., more innovation, job creation and overall economic growth. Given the UAE’s focus on these areas to ensure a prosperous future after the Golden Jubilee, improved English proficiency is a priority.
“We are proud to partner with EF Education First to bring world-class education and training to our Government institutions and leading corporations. We are confident that our collaboration will create many ground-breaking Public Private Partnerships, which will benefit the UAE as a whole”, says Mohamed Ali Al Maskari, Director of Government Affairs of Al Maskari Holding.
“Al Maskari Holding is one of the UAE’s most reputable groups and we are equally honored and excited to work closely together in order to improve skills of teachers, government officials and corporate staff. We look forward to bringing over 50 years of experience from around the world to the UAE in close collaboration with Al Maskari Holding”, says Claes Ceder, President of EF Government Solutions.
Distributed by APO on behalf of Al Maskari Holding.
For media enquiries please contact:
Mr. Carl-Johan Westring
Vice President EF Education First
CJ.Westring@EF.com or +46707793064About Al Maskari Holding:
Her Highness Sheikha Azza Bint Saif Al Maskari, the matriarch of the Al Maskari tribe of Abu Dhabi founded Al Maskaria Establishment (www.AlMaskariHolding.com) in 1968. Initially engaged in general trading and services associated with oil and gas fields in the United Arab Emirates, the enterprise has evolved sectorally and expanded geographically through commercial agencies, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships. Its growth trajectory aligns with the development curve of the country by first delivering community needs and then developing crossborder opportunities. In 2008, the group of companies were reorganized into Al Maskari Holding (AMH) as the umbrella parent organization for the family's commercial interests and private equity.
As Chairperson, Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Al Maskari is globally recognized for her governance and was recently conferred the Order of the Polar Star, Member 1st Class by His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf for her service to Sweden.
About EF Education First:
Established in 1965 in Sweden with the mission to “open the world through education”, EF (www.EF.com) is the world’s leading international education company. With a network of more than 46,500 teachers, researchers and staff in over 500 offices and schools in more than 50 countries, EF can deploy dedicated project management resources all over the world. Two thirds of the Fortune 500 and thousands of other companies as well as multiple governments worldwide have put their trust in EF for a reason – EF’s training solutions generate real results with a guaranteed return on investment.
EF is a proud supporter of the Olympic Games and has successfully delivered services to Seoul 1988, Beijing 2008, Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016. For Rio 2016, EF trained almost one million people in the world’s largest language and hospitality training program to date. For PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2020, EF will train millions of staff, athletes, volunteers, teachers and students.
EF has a research unit at the University of Cambridge and a research network which includes, e.g., Harvard Graduate School of Education. EF publishes annually the EF English Proficiency Index (www.EF.com/epi) – the world’s largest ranking of adult English proficiency in more than 70 countries. EF has also developed the world’s first free standardized English proficiency test – the EF English Standard English Test (www.EFSET.org).
- Earth Day (April 22nd): German Company GROHE shares tips on water saving in Africa
GROHE (www.grohe.com), a world leading German brand in sanitary fittings is commemorating on April 22nd, World Earth Day (www.APO.af/EarthDay) through its commitment to innovative design with a strong focus on sustainability. In keeping with this year’s theme for Earth Day: environmental and climate literacy, GROHE has provided key tips for saving water, especially in Africa.
Statistics published by international development organization WaterAid (www.WaterAid.org) show that 695 million people out of the 1.2 billion total population of Africa are surviving without basic sanitation and 395 million people are without clean water. With Africa’s population projected to be 2.2 billion by 2030, only 32% of Sub-Saharan Africans will have access to sanitation by 2030.
According to WASHwatch (www.WASHwatch.org), the collaborative monitoring platform set up by WaterAid, 57 million people in Nigeria don't have access to safe water, over 130 million people don't have access to adequate sanitation which is two third of the population and around 45,000 children under five years old die every year from diarrhea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.
For GROHE, sustainability is a corporate value with a tradition and a future. GROHE has developed a wide portfolio of advanced product technologies and launched also a series of awareness campaigns and programs to change mindsets and habits.
Since 2009, GROHE has launched the Green Mosque Initiative in many countries, whereby the company partners with local entities to install water-efficient products in the ablution rooms of mosques to help the respective regions achieve sustainable reduction in water consumption. Muslim worshippers' ritual ablutions consume between 10 and 15 liters of water per day. Every possibility to save water therefore has a great impact on consumption. As mosques play an important role in people’s day-to-day lives.
The initiative has reduced water consumption for the cleansing rituals by roughly 30 percent which is good for the environment and helps cut costs.
“Water saving taps and showers and water saving flush systems are two of the main ways that everyday citizens can contribute to protecting the environment, and sustainability is one of the core values and a top priority in the creation of every GROHE product for bathrooms and from the design to development stages.” says Mohammed Ataya, Vice President of GROHE Egypt, North and West Africa.
Mohammed Ataya adds that “Quality materials, first-class design and advanced engineering all play an important role in saving water. For example, GROHE EcoJoy™ hand showers feature either an integrated flow limiter, or an Eco button or spray dimmer which lets you chooses when to reduce the water flow.”
GROHE agrees strongly with the Earth Day ethos that everyone needs to be empowered with the knowledge and the products to inspire action and protect the environment.
The individual choice to reduce water consumption is only one of the many strategies needed to address the issue of water scarcity but it gives each person a role to play in protecting the planet.
Distributed by APO on behalf of GROHE.
Media contact:
Lina Varytimidou
Phone: +35722899033
E-Mail: varytimidou@grome.comAbout GROHE
GROHE is the world’s leading provider of sanitary fittings and a global brand, dedicated to providing innovative water products.
For many decades, GROHE has been committed to the brand values of technology, quality, design and sustainability that all illustrate GROHE’s commitment to creating exceptional experiences and to delivering “Pure Freude an Wasser”. With its engineering, innovation and design activities firmly anchored in Germany, GROHE products bear the badge of quality “Made in Germany”, ultimately strengthening the customers’ confidence in the brand. All plants of the GROHE manufacturing network make use of high-precision production engineering to ensure compliance with consistently high GROHE standards. This way GROHE ensures that its products live up to the most uncompromising demands in terms of workmanship and functionality.
Over the past ten years alone, the success of GROHE has been confirmed by more than 240 design and innovation awards as well as several top rankings as one of “Germany’s most sustainable major companies” and the CSR-Award of the German Federal Government 2017. Numerous high-profile projects around the globe are fitted with GROHE products, testifying to architects’, designers’ and developers’ preference for the brand.
GROHE is part of the LIXIL Group Corporation, a publicly listed company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. LIXIL is the global market leader in the sanitary ware industry, managing a broad portfolio of well-known household brands such as GROHE, American Standard, and INAX. It is also Japan’s leading provider of housing and building materials, products and services.
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