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Peer-reviewed study in Africa Sanguine shows expanding investment in safe blood supply to prevent fatal post-partum hemorrhage (PPH) in Ghana, Kenya and Ivory Coast is likely to provide social benefits as well as substantial economic savings in under two years.¹

According to the World Health Organization, every day, 810 women die globally (295,000 annually) from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Of these deaths, 94% occur in low-resource settings and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounts for approximately two-thirds. Severe bleeding is one of the main preventable complications in SSA, causing up to 44% of maternal deaths, and the need for blood continues to outstrip supply.²

LAKEWOOD, COLO., United States of America, 29 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies (Terumo), a medical technology company​, today announces that Africa Sanguine, a peer-reviewed medical journal¹, has published results from its study showing the anticipated clinical outcomes and economic justification of overcoming blood shortages in Kenya, Ghana and Ivory Coast. The Terumo study results present a strong argument for further investment in a safe blood supply chain to build on the considerable existing efforts to improve access to blood and blood supplies.

The study was conducted in collaboration with experts in blood transfusion and health economics. It demonstrates societal and substantial economic benefits for countries investing in blood transfusion to save the lives of African mothers impacted by maternal bleeding. The study includes a targeted literature review, clinical expert inputs and a novel budget impact model to estimate the value of a life saved with blood transfusion and quantify the economic benefits to investing in an adequate, safe and sustainable blood supply.

“Maternal mortality is a ‘homewrecker’ and a ‘national disaster.’ The study details that nearly 30% of maternal deaths are attributable to blood shortage,” said Dr. Shirley Owusu-Ofori, Transfusion Medicine Specialist and Head of Transfusion Medicine Unit, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Ghana. “Any intervention to mitigate such quantified effects may be either expensive or cost-effective. We demonstrate that improving blood availability in SSA (Kenya, Ghana and Ivory Coast) by substantially investing in the blood safety chain will address all mortality and morbidity and ultimately yield cost savings.”

The Terumo study looked at the costs associated with severe maternal bleeding compared with investment costs to adequately manage maternal bleeding.

·     The study validated the number of lives that could be saved per year in Kenya (8,503), Ghana (3,902) and Ivory Coast (3,618).

·     The estimated total socio-economic yearly value of these lives was found to be approximately USD $57 million.

·     The total cost to provide adequate blood supply, which is calculated at 13 units per patient, was approximately USD $33.7 million. 

·     This means that USD $23 million could be saved by providing blood transfusions in post-partum hemorrhage (PPH). The study further found that the savings would be realized from the first year in Kenya and Ghana and from the second year in Ivory Coast.

·     The cost of saved lives outweighs the investment in the supply of blood with cost savings. This conclusion takes the income levels of Kenya, Ghana and Ivory Coast into account.

“Blood availability is a critical health concern. An increased investment in blood will empower women, reduce inequalities and foster more productive workforces,” said Antoinette Gawin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies. “Saving lives is within our grasp. It requires our collective commitment, expertise and capacity to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to reduce global maternal mortality.”

There are many reasons that blood availability is a concern. The contributing factors include a lack of structured blood supply chains, few blood donation programs and the limited access to healthcare, especially in rural areas. Terumo has undertaken the study to bridge the current gap in data on the impact of blood shortage on socio-economic outcomes and mortality, specifically for maternal mortality due to severe bleeding. 

1.    Owusu-Ofori S. et al. Health economic value of blood in Kenya, Ghana and Ivory Coast: the case of maternal bleeding. Africa Sanguine. 2021;23(1)1-13. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/asan/article/view/210878

2.    World Health Organization. Maternal mortality fact sheet. Published 19 September 2019. Accessed 22 July 2021.https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality

 Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies .

About Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies 

Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is a medical technology company. We have a portfolio of products, software and services for blood collection, therapeutic apheresis and cellular technologies enabling customers to collect and prepare blood and cells to help treat challenging diseases and conditions. Our employees around the world believe in the potential of blood and cells to do even more for patients than they do today.

Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies customers include blood centers, hospitals, therapeutic apheresis clinics, cell collection and processing organizations, researchers and private medical practices. Our customers are based in over 130 countries across the globe. The company works to improve patient outcomes by providing innovations that address unmet medical needs.

Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is a subsidiary of Terumo Corporation (TSE: 4543), a global leader in medical technology. www.terumobct.com

About Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies African Initiatives

Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is committed to advocating for adequate, safe and sustainable blood supply in Africa using four strategies: 

·     Enter partnerships and support initiatives to raise awareness on the importance of adequate, safe and sustainable blood supply

·     Support the development of donor recruitment and retention programs that would build the capacity of communities to encourage blood donation

·     Drive the research agenda for blood in Africa

·     Encourage the building of effective systems with strong regulatory frameworks

The company has undertaken several recent initiatives toward this objective, including a joint effort with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to implement programs to better protect blood transfusion recipients in Ghana; facilitating a panel together with OAFLAD on Safe Blood for African Mothers on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in 2019; co-founding the Coalition on Blood for Africa in November 2020; and partnering with the Global Blood Fund and the Queen Mothers of Ghana on the Champions of Change initiative, also in 2020, to create awareness on the critical importance of blood donations; and partnering with the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service to provide donor recruitment training.

Media Contacts

Africa Practice
Pereruan Kenana
+254720800843
pkenana@africapractice.com

Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies
Image Box Communications
Neil Hunter/Michelle Boxall
Tel +44 (0)20 8943 4685

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

A sustainable and prosperous planet can only be achieved through working together and in solidarity, the UN Deputy Secretary-General said on Wednesday at the end of a major global food security meeting.

NEW YORK, USA, July 29, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-Amina Mohammed was speaking during her closing press conference at the Food Systems Pre-Summit in Rome, Italy. 

‘A silver lining’ 

More than 500 delegates from 108 countries attended in-person, while thousands more joined virtually. Participants included government officials, smallholder farmers, producers, indigenous people, women and youth. 

“This meeting has shown us that there’s a silver lining to this COVID crisis: Food systems are a priority area for transformative investments, that can lead the transitions that we need to make,” said Ms. Mohammed. 

“Only by working together – as one people, in solidarity – can we have a sustainable and prosperous planet for all.” 

The Rome gathering paves the path to the UN Food Systems Summit in September, where countries will underline the need to transform how the world produces, consumes and thinks about food.  

On ‘fertile ground’ 

It is part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aim to deliver a more just future for all people and the planet by 2030. 

The Pre-Summit has provided “fertile ground” for a strong outcome in September, according to Ms. Mohammed. 

“We are united in our belief that within food systems lies the potential to achieve all of the goals for people, planet, and prosperity. There is tremendous energy bhind this belief,” she said. 

“There is recognition that our challenges are urgent and must be addressed at scale.  There is also an incredible desire to break down the silos that exist between government Ministries and thematic sectors and communities.” 

Hope and solutions 

In her remarks to the closing plenary, the UN deputy chief described the summit process as “a reason of hope” during the pandemic. 

Even as the crisis has kept people physically apart, the process has actually brought them together.  

“The Pre-Summit has shown me that we can deliver on the right to food, while securing the future of our planet,” she said. 

 “Just as food brings us together as cultures and communities, it can also bring us together around solutions.” 

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of UN News.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

Continent’s First Pan-African Global Freelance Talent Marketplace is Born

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, July 27, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Gebeya Inc. the Pan-African source for freelance professional talent, today announced the launch of its revamped marketplace, the first of its kind in terms of reach in Africa. Prior to investment, Gebeya operated mostly a manual non-scalable marketplace model. Gebeya raised a $2M seed investment in Feb 2020, co-led by Partech and Orange Ventures and followed by Consonance Investment Managers, to set up the machine for scale, fully automated and digitized.

Gebeya.com connects Startups and Small and Medium Enterprises to professional talents from across the continent. The platform offers a self-service single gateway for clients to create a profile and gain instant access to pre-vetted, qualified talents offering professional services and ready to work. Gebeya customers can choose from remote or on-site talent in fields such as software development, graphic design, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, product development, and digital marketing.

Gebeya.com boasts of features such as an intelligent matching algorithm that considers location, language, and budget; provides automated matching for a seamless experience on a single dashboard, the ability to create a profile and request talent at no cost; and an option to hire individual talent with specialized skills or build a core team. 
As companies embrace the need to stay on pace with an evolving global job market, Gebeya unlocks a new source of eager, available professional talents from across Africa.

Gebeya.com a new transition

Since its inception, Gebeya has played an integral role in aggressively moving the needle forward, bringing Africa’s competitiveness to the forefront of the global digital and technical landscape. New features on the platform will connect businesses with talent in minutes. Visitors to the Gebeya Marketplace are matched with freelancers from a carefully curated pool, trusted by multinational telecommunications companies like Orange, as well as e-commerce startups such as Limestart, and logistics startup Paps.

“It’s time for businesses to leverage the sharp skills and fresh perspective that freelancers infuse into a permanent workforce,” said Amadou Daffe, CEO and Co-founder of Gebeya. “Africa doesn’t have a talent deficiency; it has a matching problem and that is what Gebeya is seeking to address through the deployment of a true Pan-African freelance marketplace. Freelancers are part of a smart, agile hiring strategy. We plan to expand our pool of skilled freelance talent to 15,000 within the next 3 years,” he added.

Growing global need for on-demand workforce

Africa claims only 1.4% of the total addressable gig and freelancer economy industry, a figure estimated at $1.5 trillion with North America accounting for over half of the world’s freelancers, according to a 2017 report from Freelance Statistics. $486 million of that amount went to tech freelancers. According to the same report, there are seventy-seven million identified freelance workers globally. 

As experts project, freelancers will constitute 80% of the workforce by 2030., Gebeya’s vision is to unlock the power of the skilled workforce on the continent, and increase the number of innovative startups leading the helm of digital transformation.

Untapped skilled talent ready to work

Demand for African talent on the Gebeya platform is Pan-African, from East to West Africa—and reaches as far as the EU and the US, as quality and caliber is comparable to freelancers in those markets. Clients are only matched with talents who have successfully passed vetting, testing, and an interview. Freelance talents possess experience in exploding sectors like fintech, healtech, agritech, and logistics & supply chains, meaning individual entrepreneurs, startups, and large enterprises alike will benefit.

Gebeya.com closes the gap between companies and their next best hires. In the first six months since the launch of the Gebeya Talent app, thousands of freelancers from 27 African countries have flocked to join the pool.

Gebeya.com brings African skilled talent to a hungry global market

The best freelance talent marketplaces thrive on quality, not quantity. As companies embrace the need to stay on pace with an evolving global job market, Gebeya unlocks a new source of eager, available professional talents from across Africa.

In December 2020, Gebeya launched its talent mobile application, attracting more than 2,000 applicants to-date. Since then, the marketplace has onboarded hundreds of highly-skilled freelance professionals. With an efficient and rigorous 4-stage talent recruiting and client matching process, Gebeya has yielded a 35% increase in talent onboarding growth month-over-month.

The upgraded gebeya.com demonstrates the company’s continued success identifying and sealing the gaps for entrepreneurs within many companies, while maximizing a growing freelance market that produces competitive, multilingual, certified and skilled talent.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Gebeya.

For more information, contact:
hello@dabuzzconsulting.com

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About Gebeya

Gebeya Inc. is a Pan-African Freelance Talent Marketplace company headquartered inAddis Ababa, Ethiopia, with remote teams in Kenya, Senegal, North America, and the UK. The company aims to become an active contributor to Africa’s digital transformation and build a booming Africa through leveraging continental and global job opportunities for African talent. Its vision is to be the most trusted and reliable source of skilled talent that showcases Africa’s competitiveness. For more information, visit www.gebeya.com.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

ACCRA, Ghana, July 28, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/– On 27 July 2021, Imani Center for Policy and Education, a Ghanaian Think Tank held a seminar, in Accra, on the topic: “The Imperative of Economic Recovery: How can the Resolution of the Sahara Issue Strengthen Africa’s Regional and Continental Integration?”. The event brought together several Ghanaian and West-African stakeholders including prominent policymakers, experts, academics, business leaders, think tank and civil society representatives from the Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Senegal.

The seminar aimed to debate and discuss the African Union’s (AU) current challenges in an objective, scientific and dispassionate manner, in the context of a highly intellectual and fact-based exercise with credible experts and influential decision-makers. Accra being the host of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement’s (AfCFTA) secretariat, the discussions focused on the challenges of regional and continental economic integration, with a special focus on the role of Regional Economic Communities. The participants highlighted the urgency of such integration and called for the full implementation of the AfCFTA and its premunition from any deadlocks that hamper the continent’s integration ideal on the ground, as stated and backed by the AU.

The debate also focused on how political deadlocks, such as the Sahara issue, are, today, a major hindrance to Africa’s economic integration. The participants highlighted the necessity of finding a realistic and definitive solution to this longstanding issue, which can only constitute a breakthrough in Africa’s regional and continental consolidation, especially in the current context, marked by the urgency induced by the pandemic’s economic and social repercussions. Most of the participants considered the resolution of the Sahara issue a necessary step to enhance the continent’s economic integration, in view of its current dynamics marked by the exclusivity of the United Nations process and the pre-eminence of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as a sincere, realistic, credible, and inclusive political solution.

In the current context, marked by the urgency of economic recovery – for the unity, the integration and the overall safety of the continent – the recent incident in Guerguerat demonstrates the need to overcome political deadlocks and unproductive ideological positions. Extensively analysed by the participants, the three-week obstruction by Polisario-led campers of a vital and strategic road – connecting Europe, North Africa and Western Africa – put neighbouring countries, the region and the whole continent’s economic security at risk. It also highlighted the importance and weight of the cooperation between Morocco and West-African countries.

Furthermore, the participants examined the solutions available to the AU to rebalance its position on the issue, and fully play its neutral role in contributing to promote a lasting solution to a dispute that has been halting the AU’s functioning as well as the continent’s overall integration. Recognizing the current dynamic around the Sahara issue, the participants highlighted that the United Nations Security Council process could be supported by Ghana’s contribution to reach a final and realistic solution, in light of its upcoming non-permanent membership in the Security Council.

Whilst economic integration represents an emergency and a major milestone in the consolidation and development of Africa, it would be jeopardized should the AU not rationalize its institutional architecture. According to the debates, the consolidation of such architecture makes it imperative for the AU to complete its institutional reform and build its resilience against separatist and secessionist agendas, which are a real threat in numerous African countries.

The participants considered the admission into the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), then its maintenance by the AU, of a non-state entity, which has, since merely been a source of obstructions and division, as a striking example to this day. According to the participants, the AU should correct this “cumbersome legacy” and “historical miscarriage”. Thus, the suspension, if not the expulsion, of the “SADR”, an armed group with no attributes of a sovereign State, must not be considered as a taboo or unattainable objective. Its fulfilment is not intent on being an exclusively Moroccan ambition but one that drives African States to put an end to superfluous divisions, and to stop the instrumentalization of an organization which is supposed to serve a Pan-African ideal and goal.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Imani Center for Policy and Education.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

Practically all peacekeepers and staff have now left the hybrid UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), in line with its drawdown plan, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Tuesday. 

NEW YORK, USA, July 28, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, updated ambassadors on progress towards the mission’s closure and final liquidation, following the end of its mandate last December after 13 years protecting civilians uprooted by conflict.

Nearly 6,000 troops and police were repatriated from the Sudanese province ahead of the drawdown deadline of 30 June, and nearly 1,200 civilian staff were separated from the mission.   

Expedited timelines achieved 

The UN General Assembly recently approved nearly $80 million to support final closure no later than 30 June 2022.   

Mr. Khare was in Sudan earlier this month, where he met with senior officials as part of efforts to ensure progress remains on track. 

“All leaders shared their satisfaction at the successful achievement of the expedited timelines and discussed ways to resolve outstanding issues related to the liquidation and wider transition implications,” he reported. 

Only a 360-strong Guard Unit remains at UNAMID to protect staff working on the exit, and the remaining UN assets, though primary responsibility for security rests with the Sudanese Government.

Remaining UN assets in Darfur are being disposed of in two phases, the first of which is already underway.   

‘Enormous’ inventory list 

The mission has so far handed over some $41 million in facilities and equipment to local authorities, but 10 of the 14 sites reportedly have suffered “varying degrees of destruction and theft”, which Mr. Khare called a major loss for local communities. 

“I note that although authorities have made commitments to investigate these incidents, various Sudanese interlocutors have nevertheless suggested that these events resulted from underlying tensions among groups locally, along with concerns, whether real or perceived, surrounding equitable access to the facilities and equipment that was handed over,” he said. 

Mr. Khare pointed to the potential of properties such as the UNAMID logistics base in El Fasher.  Its numerous assets include more than 1,000 self-contained housing units, a hospital facility, a power generation and distribution network, a fuel storage depot, and water storage and purification equipment.   

Hundreds of vehicles and other moveable property are also being stored there. 

Pure water for a million 

UNAMID also currently holds enough sodium hypochlorite salt to purify roughly seven billion litres of water, sufficient to meet the drinking and cooking needs for one million people for a year. 

“It is critical that the Government of Sudan makes every effort to ensure that this enormous reserve of facilities and equipment is sustainably applied to national imperatives for civilian use,” he said. 

 Although some $8 million in equipment has been transferred to other UN field operations, or to a peacekeeping reserve in Italy, Mr. Khare stressed that the bulk will be donated to the Sudanese authorities for civilian use. 

“To this end, during my recent visit to Sudan, I implored all government interlocutors to emphasize the immediate development of a single, holistic donation plan, with input and agreement from Government interlocutors at the national and local levels,” he said. 

Handover challenges

The UN intends to gradually handover the El Fasher site to the authorities, starting in November, a process that would lead to the phased reduction of the Guard Unit.  

“For all this to occur in an orderly and speedy fashion, I must raise the issue of the armed movements that have stationed forces around the El Fasher compound since the beginning of June,” Mr. Khare told the Council. 

“After an initial period of confusion among these groups which led to the disruption of UNAMID movements, and, in some cases, harassment of United Nations personnel and vendors, movements have for the most part proceeded as needed in the recent weeks.” 

However, he said coordination and leadership among these groups is critical if the liquidation process is to proceed smoothly “for the long-term sustainable benefit of Sudan and its people.”

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of UN News.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

Customer service must evolve if companies want to deliver true value and radically change engagement

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 27 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Most companies have invested in some form of digital customer experience toolkit or technology solution to gain deeper understanding, improve processes, and streamline engagements. Most have looked at chatbots, analytics, and integration to translate customer complexity into seamless simplicity. As McKinsey says, it’s all about building the superior customer experience that delivers a complete picture of the customer’s behaviour and preferences. This is all true, says Wynand Smit, CEO at INOVO, but customers are still getting frustrated and angry because they can’t get a grip on communication with companies.

Connecting the dots

“There’s a disconnect between the technology that the company has invested in and the experience,” says Smit. “People read stories about self-driving cars that can identify a rock on the highway, yet their bank or mobile service provider cannot identify them immediately when they call in to fix a simple billing problem. They expect better, but they’re not getting it.” 

Ultimately, the customer wants to stop that vein from pulsing in the centre of their head because they’ve spent the past hour on the phone, been passed to three different people and given five different answers to their question. They want fast and simple service and easy access to the right information so they can service themselves and resolve problems relatively easily. However, if something goes wrong, they look at all the different channels of communication – social media, email, call centre, chatbot – and take a deep, fortifying breath before they try and fix a problem. “

Customers want there to be a connection, that’s all,” says Smit. “They want the call they had with the call centre to be communicated with the email team and shared with the resolution team. They don’t want to have to explain the same problem, repeatedly, only to get stuck in the endless loop of frustration. Unfortunately, this is the most common result of a customer complaint or query – frustration.” 

Adding more channels to the customer service process only adds more problems if not done correctly – every channel needs to be connected, relevant and the context must be retained if a customer moves across multiple touchpoints. There also needs to be clear pathways to problem resolution that minimises friction. Simply put, organisations need to make it simpler for customers to do business with them.  

No more empty promises 

Usually, companies spend a lot of money on technology designed to attract the customer, but not enough time or effort is put into retaining them. Frustrating delays, unnecessary errors and empty promises are often what’s left once the customer has been pulled in – and this divide is both commonplace and unnecessary. Building a bridge across this gap is where true customer service lies, and value is delivered. “

It’s about keeping the promise made to the customer and delivering support that’s timeous and relevant,” concludes Smit. “Manage interactions more effectively, introduce better self-service tools, and remove the muddle in the middle and you’ve got happy, loyal and retained customers. Use the capabilities of technology to deliver what you promise and use the right metrics to monitor what needs to improve.” 

Infrastructure, technology and processes need to make customers’ lives easier. It’s as simple and effective as that. The easier it is for the customer to do business with your business, the higher your retention rates and the better for, well, business.

 Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of INOVO.

About Wynand Smit
With over 10 years of operational and strategic experience in the SA contact centre industry, Wynand’s understanding of technology and its application to business has benefitted multiple organisations across a variety of industries. As CEO of contact centre solutions provider INOVO, he is passionate about using the contact centre as a platform to drive positive change in a business. 

About INOVO
INOVO offers contact centres a flexible way to service, sell to, or collect from customers across any channel – all with a view to transforming the customer experience, saving costs and driving efficiency and profitability. Through a collaborative approach, the company provides award-winning technology, solutions and professional services that deliver better, measurable results. For more information, go to www.inovo.co.za

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

Global award recognises outstanding business leaders combining profit and purpose to help achieve the UN Global Goals

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 27 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/-Meaningful Business, a curated network and content platform, is inviting nominations from African impact leaders for the global Meaningful Business 100 (MB100) award programme which celebrates outstanding contributions from business leaders working to solve the world’s most pressing social and environmental issues.

Selected by an expert global panel of judges, the annual MB100 recognises and supports entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and impact investors, through a combination of storytelling, community and mentorship. 

The nominations are open for corporate CEOs, entrepreneurs, micro-entrepreneurs, sustainability leaders, functional heads and impact investors from around the world, working in support of the UN 2030 agenda.

Commenting on the third edition of the MB100, Tom Lytton-Dickie, Founder and CEO, Meaningful Business said, “The MB100 focuses on geographic diversity and enabling learning and connections between leaders all around the world. We want to ensure that individuals delivering positive impact across Africa are putting themselves forward for this year’s award and accessing the support this community provides.”

Moky Makura, Executive Director at Africa No Filter,and an MB100 judge said, “I’d love to see more Africans – especially women – in the running for the MB100. You have to be in the game to compete. I believe in Africa’s creativity and ability to innovate. I want to see us represented more on global platforms – it’s one way we can shift the narrative and it starts with making sure we are occupying the right spaces like this.

Nominations can be submitted online till 31st August 2021, and there is no cost attached. View the criteria, judges, previous winners and nominate, here: https://meaningful.business/mb100

 Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Meaningful Business.

About Meaningful Business:

Meaningful Business is a curated network and content platform designed for progressive leaders combining purpose and profit to help achieve the UN Global Goals. The platform is focused on content creation, knowledge sharing and meaningful connections, bringing leaders together across geography, industry, role and company-size, to share and collaborate, resulting in meaningful impact. The community consists of Founders, CEOs, Impact Investors, Sustainability Heads, Humanitarian leaders and academics across 90+ countries, representing 50 industries. To know more, visit: https://meaningful.business/

For more information or media queries, contact:

Leena Sapre
Director of Programmes
E: leena@meaningful.business

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

Rising violent attacks by jihadist groups in Burkina Faso are forcing record-breaking numbers of people to flee both inside the country and across international borders, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on Friday. 

NEW YORK, USA, July 26, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-Six per cent of the population in the West African country is now internally displaced, with more than 1.3 million people uprooted in just over six weeks, according to latest Government figures.  

No slowing down 

The speed of internal displacement shows no sign of slowing as attacks on civilians and security forces continue unabated, UNHCR Spokesperson Babar Baloch told journalists in Geneva. 

During the first six months of the year, 237,000 people fled their homes for other parts of the country, which is a sharp increase over the 96,000 registered during the second half of 2020. 

“UNHCR is equally alarmed by an acceleration in the numbers of people from Burkina Faso forced to cross a border to reach safety,” said Mr. Baloch. 

“Since January, more than 17,500 people have fled to neighbouring countries, nearly doubling the total number of refugees from the country in just six months. There are now 38,000 Burkinabè refugees and asylum seekers across the region.” 

A worrying trend 

Around 11,000 Burkinabè asylum seekers are in neighbouring Niger, up from 7,400 at the start of the year.  Together with the authorities, UNHCR and partners are providing food, shelter, relief items and care, however violence and insecurity continue to hamper humanitarian access. 

Some 900 asylum seekers arrived in the country last month from the northeastern village of Solhan, after fleeing an assault in which 130 people were killed.  This incident was the deadliest attack in Burkina Faso since 2015. 

Mali is also hosting 20,000 Burkinabè asylum seekers, with 6,600 people arriving in the Timbuktu region this year alone. As humanitarian access there is limited due to security conditions, UNHCR believes the number could be higher.  

The agency also recently registered 179 asylum seekers in northern Benin, but thousands more are reportedly located in border areas inaccessible to humanitarians due to insecurity. 

“Continuing this worrying trend, Côte d’Ivoire received its first Burkinabè asylum seekers in May when some 430 people arrived seeking safety,” said Mr. Baloch. 

Appeal for action 

UNHCR has appealed for concerted action towards peace and stability in Burkina Faso and neighbouring Central Sahel countries, Mali and Niger, which are also experiencing a sharp rise in violence and displacement.  

The agency is seeking $259.3 million for operations in the region this year, but so far only half the funds have been received.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of UN News.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

SINGAPURA 23 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Bybit, até agora a maior bolsa de derivativos de criptomoedas, anunciou sua expansão no mercado de criptomoedas à vista.

Bybit destaca passo audacioso 

A plataforma de negociação à vista da Bybit estará disponível globalmente a partir de 15 de julho às 6h (UTC), oferecendo zero taxas para os criadores de mercado. BTCUSDT, ETHUSDT, XRPUSDT e EOSUSDT serão os primeiros pares disponíveis; mais pares de negociação serão adicionados no futuro.

Uma negociação à vista permite que os negociantes comprem e vendam o ativo criptográfico “na hora” e à taxa de câmbio do mercado atual, uma vez que concluída uma ordem. No mercado à vista, a propriedade dos ativos criptográficos é transferida diretamente entre compradores e vendedores. A negociação à vista não é apenas um ponto de partida fundamental para novos participantes no mercado, mas um vetor complementar para negociadores de derivativos engajados em estratégias de hedge.

Trazendo liquidez e confiabilidade de classe mundial ao mercado spot

A Bybit provou ter a troca mais confiável, estável e utilizável. Única entre as principais bolsas, a Bybit nunca experimentou sobrecargas ou tempo de inatividade em nenhum momento.

A liquidez é indiscutivelmente o atributo principal e final nas trocas de ativos. A plataforma de negociação de derivativos da Bybit tem a melhor liquidez do mundo e a margem mais estreita. Os traders têm garantido o melhor preço e execução do mercado, mesmo durante momentos de extrema volatilidade.

Os produtos focados no retail da Bybit e os serviços centrados no cliente ajudarão a diminuir o limite de entrada no comércio de criptografia para um grande número de novos clientes em todo o mundo, permitindo-lhes aproveitar perfeitamente a entrega imediata no negócio de criptografia.

“É um grande privilégio para Bybit poder contar com o grande apoio de nossa comunidade e parceiros enquanto continuamos a crescer e melhorar”, disse Ben Zhou, cofundador e CEO da Bybit. “Estamos muito satisfeitos em poder fornecer operações à vista altamente líquidas e confiáveis e que os clientes já passaram a associar à Bybit.”

Distribuído pela African Media Agency para Bybit.

Sobre Bybit

A Bybit é uma bolsa de criptomoedas fundada em março de 2018 que oferece uma plataforma profissional onde os traders de criptomoedas podem encontrar um mecanismo ultrarrápido de combinação, excelente atendimento ao cliente e comunidades multilíngues. A empresa oferece serviços de comércio online inovadores e produtos de mineração na nuvem, bem como suporte de API, para clientes profissionais e do retail em todo o mundo, e se esforça para ser a bolsa mais confiável.

Para mais informações: https://www.bybit.com 

Para todas as novidades, a Bybit está presente nas redes sociais: Twitter e Telegram.

#Bybit

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

LAGOS, Nigeria, 23 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Nigerian Women in Public Relations (NGWiPR) has announced its inaugural Reverse Mentorship Workshop, with the theme: Leadership Visibility. Leveraging Trends. Managing Complex Teams. The global virtual event, designed for senior professionals with at least 15 years’ experience, will hold on July 28 – 29 from 11am – 1pm WAT. 

Speaking ahead of the event, keynote speaker Eloïne Barry, Founder & CEO of AfricanMedia Agency(AMA), an award-winning Abidjan-based media company said “PR is a Women-led industry, today more than ever this industry plays an integral role in the life of companies, institutions, international organizations and governments. It is crucial that we build a community where we can share, engage and challenge ourselves to grow. I am delighted to see the Nigerian Women in Public Relations being part of building this community, shifting and creating platforms. When women come together, we create magic.”

Nigerian Women in PR has historically delivered innovative events for practitioners and the general public. In March, the organisation hosted its inaugural annual conference with the theme: Experiencing PR. During the two-hour event, which included a six-person panel session made up of captains of industry and heads of PR in various organisations, Nigerian Women in PR also launched its first book titled Experiencing Public Relations – a collection of 12 articles on public relations written by Nigerian female PR professionals practising across the world. The organisation also formally opened up its membership platform, which is opened for young, middle level and senior Nigerian female public relations professionals.

Global Public Relations Consultant and Founder of Nigerian Women in PR, Tolulope Olorundero said: “we understand that as public relations professionals, there must be a conscious effort to upskill and retool ourselves to ensure that we are on track with global trends and standards. For senior public relations and communications women who have over 15 years’ experience, this first edition of our Reserve Mentorship Workshop will be an intensive retooling program where young professionals will lead the sessions on building visibility, leveraging trends and managing complex communication teams.” 

The Reverse Mentorship Workshop is arguably the first of its kind for public relations professionals across the world. It is an exclusive upskilling workshop for senior female Public Relations and Communications professionals with at least 15 years’ experience. The Workshop is aimed at helping target participants build leadership visibility, understand and leverage new trends in Public Relations while learning how to manage increasingly complex and global teams. While speaking to journalists about the Workshop concept, Olorundero said “we also aim to provide a closed networking forum for the senior professionals to interact with our carefully researched global faculty. The Workshop will feature case study sessions facilitated by heads of organisations who have delivered results using the trends and principles that will be taught.”

Event faculty Enitan Kehinde, Lead Consultant, BHM will lead the session on ‘Understanding and Leveraging Trends’ while Jennifer Ogunleye, Google B2B Communications, UK and Ireland will lead the session on ‘Business Communications Strategies for Complex Organisations’. 

Carol Kaemmerer, the faculty who will lead the session on ‘Building Brands and Leadership Visibility’ will teach participants using her experience after her 20-year stint as a marketing communications consultant to a Fortune 500 company ended unexpectedly. Now an internationally recognised executive branding expert, professional speaker and author of the award-winning book LinkedIn for the Savvy Executive, Carol will share some of the career lessons she learned the hard way. “While you are busy minding the brand of your company, remember to mind your own”, says Kaemmerer. 

Participants at the Reverse Mentorship Workshop are expected to include senior Nigerian public relations and communications professionals practising locally and internationally in the banking, investment, FMCG, insurance, healthcare, tech, oil & gas, energy, consulting and real estate sectors. 

Case study Faculty, Philippa Dods, is the Head of Marketing for the African region at Meltwater, the global leader in media intelligence and social analytics. She said “I’m thrilled to be involved in this event as a guest speaker as well as a partner on behalf of Meltwater.” Meltwater provides social and media intelligence. By examining millions of posts each day from social media platforms, blogs and news sites, Meltwater helps companies make better, more informed decisions based on insight from the outside. 

The Reverse Mentorship Workshop is an initiative of Nigeria Women in Public Relations . Nigerian Women in Public Relations (NGWiPR), established in 2019, is an independent social impact organisation created to build a robust network of practicing and aspiring female public relations professionals of Nigerian descent. Its aim is to support, inspire and empower these professionals while improving access to career advancing opportunities. Since inception, Nigerian Women in Public Relations has executed a various set of outstanding programs, including Experiencing PR E-book Launch, PR Students` on Campus Summits, and vast social media campaigns #PRin30Seconds and #ThrivethruPR. 

Key event details:

Organiser: Nigerian Women in Public Relations
Registration link: https://bit.ly/rmw2021
Event FAQs: https://youtu.be/1JZNefrN-Y8
Date: July 28-29, 2021 Time: 11am WAT  

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Nigerian Women in Public Relations.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

LAGOS, Nigeria, 22 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Africa No Filter, the not-for-profit working on narrative change on the continent, is challenging the development community to adopt more ethical approaches in their storytelling with the launch of its new handbook, How to Write About Africa in 8 Steps: An ethical storytelling handbook. 

The handbook was developed to address the rebalancing of the stereotypical narratives about Africa that persist in the development community. Typically, development funders, the media and western storytellers portray themselves as white saviours who heroically rescue Africa from war and hunger, stirring up pity for Africans by leaving out the stories about the agency of communities and individuals to solve their own challenges. Additionally, stories about the continent often create the misconception that Africa is broken, dependent on outsiders and that its people lack agency. 

The handbook hopes to educate and change the usual behaviours that lead to biased stories about the continent. The simple guide remedies the usually unintended consequences of unethical practices of donors and western storytellers in just eight steps.

Practical examples of overcoming unethical practices include checking your privilege, being respectful, co-creating stories, checking for bias, gaining meaningful consent, understanding the local context, putting in the time, and employing local people familiar with local contexts.

The handbook is based on interviews with filmmakers, photographers and writers working in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. They speak about their ethical challenges, including poor conceptualisation, bad hiring and production practices, problems introduced in post-production and failure to return to show production to the communities/people where the stories were sourced to ensure communities and individuals feel comfortable with the stories being shared about them.

Moky Makura, Executive Director of Africa No Filter, says: “We appreciate the development community needs to highlight the issues and share the impact of their projects on the continent, but they also need to be careful that they don’t feed the persistent, stereotypical narratives we have come to expect as they develop their content – especially the ‘Africa is broken and needs fixing’ narrative. The handbook is an intervention aimed at storytellers to help them reconsider how they conceptualise stories, gather materials and edit the final product – and we show you how to do it in this deliberately short and very accessible handbook.”

To launch the handbook, Africa No Filter will be holding a webinar on 29 July at 16h30 CAT entitled How to Write About Africa – reframing storytelling and centering ethics.Panellists are Emily Renshaw-Smith, Head of Content at Comic Relief; Professor Relebohile Moletsane from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, who has explored the ethics surrounding the way we tell stories about rural South Africans; land rights activist Dimuna Phiri, who has been involved in creating stories (books and films) about Zambians facing land grabs, and Heba Aly, CEO of The New Humanitarian, which covers forgotten and overlooked crises in the continent. 

Participants can register here for the webinar.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of African No Filter

About Africa No FilterNarrative matters and the prevailing one about Africa as a continent defined by conflict, disease, poor leadership, poverty and corruption is outdated and harmful. It has also become the single story of the continent, crowding out perspectives of Africa that show an equally creative, innovative and progressive place. Africa No Filter is working to shift harmful and stereotypical narratives about and within Africa through research, grant-making and advocacy. We empower narrative change-makers by supporting storytellers, investing in media platforms and driving disruption campaigns. Our goal over time is to leave an empowered narrative change ecosystem and an informed community of storytellers who work more deliberately to shift the narrative. Africa No Filter is a donor collaborative funded by Ford Foundation, Bloomberg, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Luminate, Open Society Foundations, Comic Relief, the Hilton Foundation and the British Council.  For more information and interviews, contact: lerato@africanofilter.org

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

By Cathy Smith, Managing Director at SAP Africa

LAGOS, Nigeria, 22 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Are African enterprises at risk of extinction, just as millions of natural species face extinction due to the impact of climate change?

Businesses and countries across the continent are attempting to rebuild following the devastating economic impact of the pandemic. It is perhaps an opportune time to take stock of whether we are rebuilding in a way that will ensure our sustainability in the long term, both economically and environmentally.

A missed opportunity to ‘build back better’

When economic activity tapered down in 2020 due to the lockdowns implemented around the world to curb the spread of the coronavirus, researchers noted a drop in global emissions. For a moment, it appeared that the pandemic would be a catalyst for a more sustainable and less environmentally harmful global economy. 

However, our modern lifestyles – and in many cases the very basis of global economic activity – is undermining progress we made during the quieter periods of 2020. Environmentalists decried a sharp increase in deforestation last year, despite the slowdown in overall economic activity. New research also found that the average meat-eating, coffee-drinking Westerner is responsible for the loss of four trees every year as forests are cleared for cattle and high-profit crops.

Recent data indicates that the volume of greenhouse gas emissions will continue to grow unless there is a change in policy and, critically, a change in business practices. So far, we have not risen to the occasion with commendable urgency. 

A recent Oxford study found that only $368-billion of the $14.6-trillion in recovery spending during 2020 was green, with one study author saying the findings are “a wake-up call“. 

Africa is expected to be one of the hardest-hit continents in terms of climate change. Our reliance on agriculture, outdated or lacking infrastructure and low levels of development leave us more vulnerable than many of the more developed regions. 

Our business sector is also at risk.

Outdated business models at risk of extinction

In the mid-2000s, as digital technologies and social media started entering the mainstream, analysts and industry experts dedicated vast amounts of column-inches to predicting which products and business models would not survive the digital revolution. One article from 2007, for example, predicted the demise of several types of businesses, including record stores and newspapers. 

Many of the predictions were correct: record stores were first disrupted by iTunes and then, more recently, by streaming services. Most have shut doors. Newspapers, although still very much around, look vastly different, with the bulk of newsroom efforts going into digital platforms. Many other types of businesses have had to either reinvent themselves or close down.

The point of the predictions was that, barring some miracle intervention, these business models would go extinct due to a combination of technology, innovation and changing consumer habits. Bear in mind that these predictions were made during a period of relative calm, before the global financial crisis of 2008. 

Fast-forward to today, and I would argue you could list hundreds, even thousands of business models facing extinction. The accelerated pace of technological progress, the rise of the data-empowered consumer, the proliferation of smartphones, the changing climate and, recently, the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus pandemic have created the perfect storm of disruption and uncertainty.

As we collectively try to build back following the devastation of the pandemic, do we risk losing sight of our longer-term priorities, and could we be sacrificing sustainability at the altar of short-term profit?

In short, yes. But there is time to course-correct, albeit very little time.

Opposite of ‘extinction’ is ‘sustainability’

How can we as a business community respond to the dual challenge of economic and environmental sustainability?

Start by acknowledging that the opposite of extinction is sustainability, and build sustainability into the fabric of the business.

Business leaders should define a clear purpose and ensure that the purpose transcends narrow, short-term interest in favour of longer-term success. Develop a compelling vision – or reason-to-believe – around the purpose and bring it to life in all aspects of the business. 

Reframe your business objectives away from short term wins and toward more sustainable, long-term outcomes. Realise that this requires a fundamental culture change and strong, visionary leadership. 

For example, sales teams should look beyond quarterly sales targets and instead focus on developing closer relationships with customers with the aim of establishing constant exchanges of value over longer periods of time. Instead of slavishly working to generate shareholder value, take a more balanced view and strive for success across social, environmental and financial metrics, the so-called triple bottom line.

This may mean sacrifices in the short term, but will led to greater success in future and help foster closer collaboration between organisations and their customers. Most importantly, this requires that managers and business leaders support their teams in achieving longer-term targets, which in most cases depend on a shift in organisational culture.

Evaluate your supply chains and ensure that every partner, supplier and provider places the same premium on sustainability. Where possible, work with and support the growth of social enterprises, which are businesses built from the ground up with purpose and sustainability at their core.

Consider the role of technology in aligning everyday decisions to sustainable outcomes. For example, a data-driven customer experience management platform can help organisations better understand which sustainability levers work best with their customers. Digital supply networks can provide greater clarity over the sustainability scores of suppliers and bring greater transparency to supply chains. 

Building intelligent enterprise capabilities that allow for the seamless integration of new technologies to a powerful digital core also gives organisations the flexibility and adaptability to overcome new challenges and act on business priorities quicker and with greater accuracy. 

Driven by purpose and with greater agility and adaptability enabled by technology, African enterprises can switch from survival mode to long-term success while bringing the continent – and the world – closer to a more sustainable society, one that works for all. 

But time is running out. We have to act today.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of SAP Africa.

Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @SAPNews.

About SAP

SAP’s strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world’s transaction revenue touches an SAP® system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers’ businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want – without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people’s lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com. 

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Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

DAKAR, Senegal/GENEVA, Switzerland, 22 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) and Speak Up Africa (SUA) will exclusively announce the final three winners of the first Africa Young Innovators for Health Award. The announcement will take place during the official Award ceremony from09:30 (GMT) on Thursday, 16th September 2021. The Ceremony will be a hybrid event in Dakar, Senegal and online. 

The Awards ceremony will convene prominent healthcare leaders from across Africa and beyond, from entrepreneurs to technical, business and policy experts to celebrate African Innovation. The final three winners shall receive up to $40,000 in financial support and business mentorship and expert support and advice on intellectual property protection to help them develop their solutions to some of Africa’s most pressing healthcare challenges.

This years’ Award theme focuses on supporting innovations that equip, protect and train healthcare workers in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s designation of 2021 as the International Year of Health and Care Workers. The year recognises the dedication of the millions of healthcare workers at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic. “We believe that new solutions are needed to support, equip, protect and train healthcare workers. And young African entrepreneurs are best placed to find those solutions. The continent’s future is bright. With this Award, we are even more confident that the next generation has what it takes to improve the lot of the continent. Providing African solutions to African challenges” says Yacine Djibo, Executive Director, Speak Up Africa. 

Africa is home to the youngest population and one of the highest entrepreneurship rates in the world. The continent’s demographic dividend coupled with its enterprising skills presents a considerable opportunity to fuel innovation to help advance promising healthcare solutions. “This Award recognises that young people are one of Africa’s greatest assets and the Ceremony will be a unique opportunity to showcase and celebrate African excellence in healthcare innovation.” says Greg Perry, Assistant Director-General at IFPMA.

The Africa Young Innovators For Health Award is also an investment in the human capital of Africa’s promising young entrepreneurs. The Award provides financial and in-kind support to three winners of the Award so they can advance their healthcare solutions and develop their great potential as enablers of change

The Africa Young Innovators for Health Award is supported by AMREF Health Africa, BroadReach, Ecobank Academy, IntraHealth International, Microsoft4Afrika, the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle, the Ouagadougou Partnership, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, and Social Change Factory, alongside our media partners: Africa.com, Télésud and SciDev.Net.

·         Register for the Online Awards Ceremony here.

·         Find out more about the Award at www.africayounginnovatorsforhealth.org

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Speak Up Africa.

For all press enquiries contact:

Visit: https://africayounginnovatorsforhealth.org/

Follow our social media pages and join the conversation via #YoungInnovators4Health

• Twitter: @IFPMA @SpeakUpAfrica1
• Facebook: @SpeakUpAfrica

Multimedia content (see link for the following):

·         Africa Young Innovators for Health Award Logo

·         IFPMA Logo

·         Speak Up Africa Logo

·         Ceremony Artwork

IFPMA represents research-based pharmaceutical companies and associations across the globe. Research-based pharmaceutical companies make a unique contribution to global health as innovators of lifesaving and life-changing medicines and vaccines, which improved millions of lives around the world. Based in Geneva, IFPMA has official relations with the United Nations and contributes industry expertise to help the global health community find solutions that improve global health.

Speak Up Africa is a policy and advocacy action tank dedicated to catalysing leadership, enabling policy change, and increasing awareness for sustainable development in Africa. Through their platforms and relationships and with the help of partners, Speak Up Africa ensures that policy makers meet implementers; that solutions are showcased and that every sector – from individual citizens and civil society groups to global donors and business leaders – contributes critically to the dialogue and strives to form the blueprints for concrete action for public health and sustainable development.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire, July 21, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The Covid-19 pandemic has provided the impetus for a stronger partnership between India and Africa with potential benefits to both as they build back sustainably after the crisis, experts attending the 16th CII-Exim Bank Digital Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership affirmed.

Speaking at the virtual event’s opening, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India External Affairs Minister said the two sides must reinforce collaboration in public health, digital delivery, capacity building, and the green economy – “our goals must be to use these new tools and practices for better delivery on the ground.”

“India has always maintained that progress in the world is contingent on the development of the global south, nowhere is that more evident than in Africa, and that is why we adapt as the most priority to the India-Africa partnership,” Jaishankar said.

The three-day virtual conference, with the theme Harnessing the Africa-India Opportunity- Connect, Create, Collaborate, was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the India Exim Bank with support from the Ministries of External Affairs and Commerce and Industry. Sessions focused on healthcare including vaccine access and equity, and digitization of the information technology, tourism, and hospitality sectors.

Participants said India and Africa should boost efforts to improve access to medicines, including vaccines and other essential drugs to tackle Covid-19 and future pandemics. Other sectors where there is scope for investment and partnerships include clean energy and digital technology.

During a panel discussion, Solomon Quaynor, African Development Bank Group Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization, said an infrastructure-led recovery from the pandemic is critical for Africa; he added that the Bank is ready to partner with Indian firms to transform Africa’s healthcare.

“We are focused on health defense systems, in dialogue with our 81 African and non-African government shareholders, including India,” he said.

The African Development Bank will invest up to $3 billion over the next 30 years to advance the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and the development of healthcare infrastructure across Africa, Quaynor said. The Bank has also been providing expertise to its members on preparing public-private partnerships and to deepen debt capital markets including through investment in pension funds and providing sovereign credit and partial risk guarantees.

“The pandemic has widened Africa’s financing gap to $345 billion and innovative solutions are needed,”  Quaynor said. “Africa needs financing to promote the private sector, create jobs, provide social protection for vulnerable groups, and drive inclusive growth.”

Noel Tata, Chair of the CII Africa Committee and Managing Director of Tata International Limited, a conglomerate, called on African leaders to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to spur the development of textile, pharmaceutical, automotive, agro-processing, and information and communication technology supply chains. The AfCFTA, a  pan-African economic bloc with a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion, came into force on January 1, 2021.  

“We must continue to focus and identify new cross-border partnership opportunities that are future-proof and directed at the welfare of the 2.5 billion people in India and Africa. AfCFTA will have a positive cascading impact on our bilateral relations and industrial economic partnerships,” Tata said.

One opportunity for Indian investment is special agro-industrial zones (SAPZ), an initiative the Bank is supporting to concentrate agro-processing within areas of high farming potential to boost productivity and competitiveness. 

The Asia External Representation Office of the Bank has been supporting and participating in the India-Africa conclave since 2014. India joined the African Development Fund, the concessional financing arm of the Bank Group, in 1982; a year later it became a member of the African Development Bank.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of the African Development Bank.

Contacts 

Kwasi Kpodo, Communication and External Relations Department, African Development Bank, email: w.kpodo@afdb.org
Yuna Choi, Senior External Relations and Communication Officer, African Development Bank, email: y.choi@afdb.org

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

LONDON, England, July 21, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has revealed the names of ten African PR leaders who will form the inaugural Board of the Association’s new Africa Network.

The PRCA launched its Africa Network in April as part of plans to extend professional development opportunities to PR professionals around the world. The PRCA Africa Network Board will work with Africa Network Chair Jordan Rittenberry and five regional chairs, to create a more professional, ethical, and prosperous PR industry across the continent.

New Board Members:

• Eloine Barry, Founder & CEO, African Media Agency
• Sarah Gooding, Managing Director, WE Communications
• Dustin Chick, Managing Partner, Razor/M&C Saatchi
• Kwame Senou, Founder & Managing Director, Opinion and Public
• Ayeni Adekunle, Founder & CEO, Blackhouse Media Group
• Leroy Ankrah, Principal Consultant, Diffusion Ltd
• Tom Manners, Co-CEO Clockwork
• Saint-Francis Tohlang, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Director, Nestlé East & Southern Africa Region
• Nicola Nel, Founder & MD, Atmosphere Communications
• Ipelegeng Thibedi, Chief Executive Officer, Weber Shandwick Africa. 

PRCA International Director Melissa Cannon MPRCA said: “The depth and quality of leadership on our Africa Network’s Board is impressive and perfectly positions us to charge forward and provide world-class training and networking opportunities across the continent. I’d like to thank the Board, led by Jordan, for their hard work and commitment. As the world’s largest PR professional body, we look forward to supporting PRCA Africa Network’s exciting growth and showcasing the talent and work across Africa.”

PRCA Africa Chair Jordan Rittenberry MPRCA said: “I’m very pleased to welcome some of Africa’s most innovative industry leaders to our Board. The dynamism and talent in PR across the continent is something we’re all enormously proud of. I’m genuinely excited to be working with the Board’s world-class know-how and local nous to deliver a winning offering to all PR professionals across the continent.”

The Africa Network facilitates senior-level networking; the sharing of best practice; and give members access to a significant programme of events, and over 100 online training courses a year.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of PRCA.

About PRCA
The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) is the world’s largest professional PR body. We represent more than 35,000 PR professionals in 70 countries worldwide. With offices in London, Singapore, Dubai, and Buenos Aires, we are a global advocate for excellence in public relations.

Our mission is to create a more professional, ethical, and prosperous PR industry. We champion – and enforce – professional standards in the UK and overseas through our Professional Charter and Code of Conduct. The Code compels members to adhere to the highest standards of ethical practice.

We deliver exceptional training, authoritative industry data, and global networking and development opportunities. We also manage the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO), the umbrella body for 41 PR associations and 3,000 agencies across the world, and LG Comms – the UK’s national body for authorities raising standards of local government communication. 

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

Equatorial Guinea, 16 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- From July 22 to 27 in Equatorial Guinea, the annual TEG Campus event will bring together, and for the 4th year in a row, African players in the world of technology. The objective: to value and promote emerging technologies in Africa, while educating and raising awareness of the issues and uses. This event is dedicated to the youth, who wish to provide African solutions to the challenges of the continent.

20 000 visitors expected for the largest annual African technology campus

After two editions in 2018 and 2019, welcoming respectively 2,000 and 7,000 visitors, the 2020 digital edition of the TEG Campus, organized during the Covid-19 pandemic, gathered more than 30,000 visitors, making it the largest annual technological campus on the African continent.

For its 4th edition, a hybrid version of the event, both digital and in-person, from Malabo and Bata, has been designed to allow everyone, despite these uncertain times, to participate in one of the following innovative formats, divided into “thematic zones”:

– The « Speakzone » : themed and interactive panels and round tables, bringing together international experts from the world of Tech, to conceive avenues of thorough solutions to the major challenges and issues of the continent.

– The « LearnZone » : 4 training cycles dedicated to technology for education, or how can new technologies make education for all accessible without interruption? 

– The « LabZone » : individual and group competitions where candidates will have to imagine realistic and lasting solutions to the environmental challenge and to the management of crises and natural disasters.

– The « GameZone » : a space dedicated to video games, both through e-sport competitions and through series of conferences and dedicated themed workshops. 

– The « TEGCreator » : enabling new generations to create quality content, both in terms of means, tools, and resources, as well as uses and ethics.

– The « FunZone » : a space dedicated to entertainment, thanks to artistic and sporting performances that will pace these 5 days.

“Youth & Tech” concept: betting on African youth is betting on the future of the continent 

Africa has the youngest population in the world, with more than 400 million young people between the ages of 15 and 35. A single figure that allows us to appreciate the role that the new and future generations of the continent will play, and which shows the necessary involvement of young people in the technological transformation of the continent. 

« Youth are Africa’s greatest resource. Their enthusiasm, dynamism, creativity, energy and ability to make the most of innovation can lead to political, economic and cultural transformation on the continent. This is what we need », says Dr Óscar Ondo, Chairman of the TEG Campus Organizing Committee. 

TEG Campus aims to be an event 100% dedicated to African youth, both on the matters addressed and in the organization. A pan-African campus that is aimed at conscious, knowledgeable, and informed youth who are determined to commit to their country and their continent. Its goal: to raise awareness, train, and educate young people on the importance of Information and Communication Technologies for the economic and social development of Africa.

For an African Silicon Valley

« The TEG Campus is laying the foundation of what will become the Silicon Valley or should I say the Malabo Forest for IT in Equatorial Guinea » announces Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank. Because the whole vision of the TEG Campus is there: to participate in the change of narrative around the continent. A conviction that has animated this event for 4 years. Africa is in the best position to envision tangible and realistic solutions, capable of reacting to the challenges of its territories, its economies, and its populations.

To register for the event: https://tegcampus.com/frontregistro/ 

Website: https://tegcampus.com/ 

Follow the TEG Campus on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, Youtube

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of The TEG Campus.

About TEG Campus:

The TEG Campus is an annual pan-African event bringing together worldwide players from the Tech sector in Africa, whether they are entrepreneurs, creators, innovators or even investors. Its ambition: to offer an alternative to the technological responses of the world, to create synergies between technology experts from all over the world and to offer opportunities in the sector.

Since 2018, the TEG Campus has been organized at the initiative of GITGE, a company that manages and operates telecommunications infrastructure in Equatorial Guinea. After welcoming 2,000 and then 7,000 visitors during its first two physical editions in Equatorial Guinea, the digital edition of 2020 gathered 30,000 visitors.

Press contact: 

Cabinet Global Mind Consulting – contact@globalmindconsulting.com 

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

COVID-19 deaths in Africa have risen sharply in recent weeks, amid the fastest surge in cases the continent has seen so far in the pandemic, the regional office for the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. 

NEW YORK, USA, 15 July 2021-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-

Fatalities are rising as hospital admissions increase rapidly as countries face shortages in oxygen and intensive care beds. COVID-19 deaths rose by more than 40 per cent last week, reaching 6,273, or nearly 1,900 more than the previous week. The number is just shy of the 6,294 peak, recorded in January. 

Reaching ‘breaking point’ 

“Deaths have climbed steeply for the past five weeks. This is a clear warning sign that hospitals in the most impacted countries are reaching a breaking point,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.  

“Under-resourced health systems in countries are facing dire shortages of the health workers, supplies, equipment and infrastructure needed to provide care to severely ill COVID-19 patients.” 

Africa’s case fatality rate, which is the proportion of deaths among confirmed cases, stands at 2.6 per cent compared to the global average of 2.2 per cent.  

Most of the recent deaths, or 83 per cent, occurred in Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia. 

Six million cases 

COVID-19 cases on the continent have risen for eight consecutive weeks, topping six million on Tuesday, WHO reported. 

An additional one million cases were recorded over the past month, marking the shortest time to reach this grim milestone. Comparatively, it took roughly three months for cases to jump from four million to five million. 

Delta, variants drive surge 

The surge is being driven by public fatigue with key health measures and an increased spread of virus variants.  

The Delta variant, the most transmissible, has been detected in 21 countries, while the Alpha and Beta variants have been found in more than 30 countries each. 

Globally, there are four COVID-19 virus variants of concern.  On Wednesday, a WHO emergency committee meeting in Geneva warned of the “strong likelihood” of new and possibly more dangerous variants emerging and spreading. 

Delivering effective treatment

WHO is working with African countries to improve COVID-19 treatment and critical care capacities.  

The UN agency and partners are also delivering oxygen cylinders and other essential medical supplies, and have supported the manufacture and repair of oxygen production plants. 

“The number one priority for African countries is boosting oxygen production to give critically ill patients a fighting chance,” Dr Moeti said. “Effective treatment is the last line of defence against COVID-19 and it must not crumble.” 

The rising caseload comes amid inadequate vaccine supplies. So far, 52 million people in Africa have been inoculated, which is just 1.6 per cent of total COVID-19 vaccinations worldwide.  

Meanwhile, roughly 1.5 per cent of the continent’s population, or 18 million people, are fully vaccinated, compared with over 50 per cent in some high-income countries. 

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

SINGAPORE, 15 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Bybit, hitherto the world’s largest derivatives-only cryptocurrency exchange, has announced its expansion into the crypto spot trading market. 

Bybit Makes Audacious Stride Into Spotlight

Bybit’s new spot trading platform opens to all on July 15 at 6AM UTC, and comes with zero maker fees. Upon launch, BTCUSDT, ETHUSDT, XRPUSDT and EOSUSDT will be supported. More trading pairs will follow shortly. 

A spot trade allows traders to buy and sell the crypto asset “on the spot” and at the current market rate once an order is filled. In the spot market, ownerships of crypto assets are transferred directly between buyers and sellers. Crypto spot is not only a foundational starting point for new market entrants, but a complementary vector for derivatives traders engaging in hedging strategies. 

Bringing World Class Liquidity and Reliability to Spot Trading

Bybit has proven itself to be the most reliable, stable and usable exchange of the bull run. Unique among major exchanges, Bybit experienced no overload nor downtime throughout. 

Liquidity is arguably the be-all and end-all attribute for asset exchanges. Bybit’s derivatives trading platform has the world’s best liquidity and tightest spread. Traders are ensured the best quote and best execution in the market even during extreme volatility. 

Bybit’s retail focused products and customer support focused services will help lower the entry threshold to crypto trading to a whole host of new customers around the world, allowing them to seamlessly enjoy the immediate delivery of crypto trades.

“It has been Bybit’s utmost privilege to have enjoyed the ardent support of our community and partners as we continue to grow and improve,” said Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Bybit. “We are excited to bring with us to spot trading the world class liquidity and reliability derivatives clients have come to associate with Bybit.” 

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Bybit.

About Bybit

Bybit is a cryptocurrency exchange established in March 2018 to offer a professional platform where crypto traders can find an ultra-fast matching engine, excellent customer service and multi-lingual community support. The company provides innovative online trading services and cloud mining products, as well as API support, to retail and professional clients around the world, and strives to be the most reliable exchange for the emerging digital asset class.

For more information please visit: https://www.bybit.com/

For updates, follow Bybit’s social platforms on Twitter and Telegram.

#Bybit

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

MTHATHA, South Africa, July 14, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- In the Sinawe Thuthuzela Care Centre, located in the small town of Mthatha in Eastern Cape Province, Lerato*, a 20-year-old first-year student at the local university, bends forward on her chair, her head fixed to the floor. She looks sad, tired and dejected, avoiding any eye contact. Dressed in a pink tank top and fading jeans with a small yellow handbag sitting on her lap, Lerato has come for her second assessment at this care centre for survivors of rape.  

On a quiet early Saturday evening, while walking back home from the shops, a car abruptly stopped in the middle of the road and two men violently dragged her inside before speeding off. The car then stopped at a dark spot. Shocked and helpless, and before she could process what was happening, one man raped her as the other watched.  

Overnight, Lerato became one of the latest survivors of sexual violence against women in South Africa. According to police statistics, there were 53,295 reported sexual offenses during the 12 months between April 2019 and March 2020, an increase of 1.7 per cent from the previous reporting period. This is the equivalent of a sexual offense every ten minutes. And these are only cases reported to the police. Experts believe the majority of offenses are never reported.

On the frontline 

Some women, like Lerato, end up at care centres specifically set up to help survivors of sexual violence. There are more than 50 such centres scattered throughout South Africa serving as “one-stop facilities” or frontline posts in the war against rape. Their key role is “to reduce secondary victimization, improve conviction rates and reduce the time” between when a crime is committed and when the perpetrator is finally convicted. The centres are attached or located close to hospitals, ensuring survivors have access to urgent medical attention.  

The Sinawe Thuthuzela Care Centre is one example. Sinawe means “we are with you” in Xhosa, one of the country’s eleven official languages. It was at this centre that the United Nations Resident Coordinator in South Africa, Nardos Bekele-Thomas, and her team – which included the head of the UN Women in Southern Africa, Anne Githuku-Shongwe – converged to sign an agreement with the government to revive the struggling local care centres, among other projects.  

The joint UN Country Team and Government plan is to pilot an approach to development that targets specific districts identified as most vulnerable to operational bottlenecks. These logjams have slowed down the delivery of basic social services to local communities. Three districts in the provinces of Eastern Cape, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal are expected to benefit from the programme called “the district development model”.

An emotional challenge 

For many years, one-stop crisis centres made remarkable progress to live up to expectations. In 2012-2013, the Sinawe Centre won an award for being the best-run care centre in South Africa.  

Dr. Nomonde Ndyalvan, an energetic, highly motivated and enthusiastic woman, heads the Sinawe Centre, which sits across the road from the provincial Mthatha General Hospital. She wears several hats as an activist on gender, disability and mental health issues.

A qualified medical doctor, Dr. Ndyalvan, 53, started as a volunteer in 2002, a year after the Sinawe Centre was launched. Notwithstanding the countless and formidable hurdles she faces as the manager, one easily senses the high energy and enthusiasm she exhibits once she starts talking about her job at the centre.  

“The management needed doctors, counsellors, mental health specialists and nurses to come work here. It was emotionally challenging knowing how the women were being raped,” she recalls. Herself disabled, Dr. Ndyalvan says as a disability activist, “I realized that people with disabilities were targets for rape. And the statistics on this are high.” 

The search for a long-term solution 

Shocked by the enormity of sexual violence in the district, Dr. Ndyalvan opted to work full time at the centre in March 2009. “There was no full-time doctor. The patients would wait for the whole day for university doctors to come, and they would only be seen at night.” 

As the years went by, the Thuthuzela model gained fame. Incident reports from rape survivors shot up as more women felt safe enough to report cases to the police and care centres. Prosecutors upped their game; the upshot was high conviction rates of offenders. Because the care centres offered dignified and friendly settings, they reduced secondary trauma among survivors. 

“Now we see about 60 to 80 patients a month on a low season,” says Dr. Ndyalvan, as she sat behind her office desk, a stone’s throw away from Mthatha General Hospital. “During holidays and festive seasons, rape cases go up to between 100 and 120 per month. We cover patients from as far as 200kms away. We go beyond OR Tambo municipality.” OR Tambo is one of the poorest municipalities in Eastern Cape Province, itself the most-poverty stricken of South Africa’s nine provinces.  

The challenge for the UN and the Government is to restore the care centres to their old self if South Africa is to find a lasting-solution to the scourge of sexual or gender-based violence given the limited resources at their disposal.  

*Not her real name. 

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of UN News.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

The partners are jointly organizing demonstrations of these services in Brazzaville, Congo

BRAZZAVILLE, Congo, 13 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA), Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd. (NIGCOMSAT) and Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), are working together to accelerate the development of additional satellite services provided by ASECNA’s A-SBAS (Satellite-Based Augmentation System) for Africa and the Indian Ocean to deliver precise point positioning (PPP, CNES/Geoflex) and danger warnings for a wide range of applications in Africa.

The three partners successfully demonstrated the additional services provided by A-SBAS on July 7 and 8, 2021, by calling on the SBAS signal they have broadcast over the Africa & Indian Ocean (AFI) region since September 2020 to provide the first SBAS open service in this part of the world via the NigComSat-1R satellite. This trial follows successful flight demonstrations in January 2021 in Lomé and the following June in Douala.

The first demonstration of the special urgent situation warning service via satellite showed the system’s ability to broadcast a warning message via the A-SBAS signal to mobile phones, without requiring a terrestrial network. This service sends a message to the populations concerned, providing information on the type of danger and instructions to be followed.

The second demonstration entailed the transmission of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) corrections based on CNES/Geoflex PPS technology and also using the A-SBAS signal. This approach showed the system’s ability to achieve positioning accuracy to within centimeters across the entire African continent. A world first, this satellite service paves the way for applications in a broad range of sectors, including precision agriculture, land and maritime transport, rail safety, drone navigation, mapping and surveying.

A seminar was also organized on July 6, 7 and 9 in Brazzaville to raise awareness of SBAS services in Africa. It was organized in conjunction with EGNOS-Africa JPO (Joint Program Office) and was attended by about 100 national and international experts.

“The demo in Brazzaville, Congo is in line with our desire to bring to the fore the numerous disruptive applications of SBAS technology utilizing precise point positioning (PPP) and warnings alerts in digitalized economy across many sectors especially in non-aviation sector such as maritime, rail, survey, civil engineering, oil & gas, precision agriculture, security of strategic national infrastructure, mass-market applications among others”, declared Dr. Abimbola Alale, MD/CEO of NIGCOMSAT Ltd. “It follows the policy direction of the Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) FNCS, FBCS, FIIM, in utilization of NIGCOMSAT-1R for a digitalized economy for sustainable development in the continent.”

Thales Alenia Space is the ideal partner to support Africa’s efforts to implement its own SBAS system, based on our proven expertise in developing SBAS systems in Europe (EGNOS1) and South Korea (KASS),” said Benoit Broudy, Vice President, Navigation Business at Thales Alenia Space “This latest demonstration proved the ability of SBAS to transmit a warning about an imminent danger to the populations concerned and thus enhance their safety. A number of sectors, including agriculture and transport, will benefit from these precise satellite positioning services, accurate to within centimeters – and we have already proven their effectiveness. This latest success will help accelerate the rollout of SBAS and associated services in Africa.”

“I’m proud that ASECNA was able to demonstrate the utility and efficiency of SBAS services on our continent for all business sectors, and not just air transport,” said Mohamed Moussa, Director General of ASECNA. “The upcoming deployment of the ‘SBAS for Africa & Indian Ocean’ system, a navigation and positioning solution for Africa and by Africa, will make a significant contribution to our continent economic and social development.”

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Thales Group.

ABOUT ASECNA
ASECNA is an international public organization. Its main mission is to provide air navigation services within an airspace of 16,500,000 square kilometers, divided into six flight information regions (F.I.R) as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ASECNA also develops solutions for airport management, aviation infrastructure studies and construction, equipment maintenance, calibration of air navigation instruments and training for civil aviation staff. Its 18 Member States are: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Chad and Togo.

ASECNA – Press contacts: 
Harouna Kindo: email: kindohar@asecna.org    Tel: +221 77 375 36 69 or +221 33 849 67 23
Abdoulaye Faye: email: fayeabd@asecna.org Tel: +221 77 649 01 92

ABOUT THALES ALENIA SPACE
Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies’ Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of approximately 1.85 billion euros in 2020 and has around 7,700 employees in 10 countries with 17 sites in Europe and a plant in the US. www.thalesaleniaspace.com

THALES ALENIA SPACE – Press contacts 
Sandrine Bielecki Tel.: +33 (0)4 92 92 70 94 sandrine.bielecki@thalesaleniaspace.com
Catherine des Arcis Tel.: +33 (0)6 78 64 63 97 catherine.des-arcis@thalesaleniaspace.com

About NIGCOMSAT
Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd. (NIGCOMSAT) is a company and agency under the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy whose mission is to be the leading satellite operator and service provider in Africa. NIGCOMSAT Ltd. owns and operates the Nigerian communications satellite system. The company provides innovative and cutting-edge satellite communications solutions by operating and managing a geostationary communication satellite, NigComSat-1R, built to provide domestic and international satellite services via a 2-way satellite communications system across West, Central and Southeast Africa, as well as Europe and Asia. The satellite is a hybrid communication satellite with a payload for navigation overlay services (NOS) similar to EGNOS.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

NEW-YORK, United States of America, 12 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) in collaboration with WarnerMedia News & Sports is set to amplify global black narratives during MIPAD’s annual Recognition Week following the opening of the 76th United Nations General Assembly, Oct 1st – 4th, 2021 in New York City. 

“We are thrilled to partner with MIPAD in recognition of the remaining three years of the UN’s proclaimed International Decade of People of African Descent to support the contributions of people of African descent worldwide,” said Johnita Due, SVP and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for WarnerMedia News and Sports, which includes brands such as CNN Original Series and CNN Films, Turner Sports + BleacherReport. “We’re looking forward to tapping into its network of Black achievers across the world, and are particularly excited to begin the relationship this year when MIPAD is engaged in activities relating to the UN Year of the Creative Economy.”

With the declaration of 2021 as the International Year of Creative Economy by the United Nations, MIPAD’s Recognition Week 2021 will celebrate high achievers of African descent who are using creativity to uplift and change the narratives for people of African descent worldwide.

The 2021 UN Year of Creative Economy puts the ‘orange economy’ front and centre at a time when we need creative solutions for the world’s challenges says Marisa Henderson, Chief of the Creative Economy Programme at UNCTAD, the UN agency serving as the lead to drive the observations of the UN Year of Creative Economy.

“In continuation of our efforts to highlight and showcase the positive contributions made by people of African descent worldwide, RW2021 will feature the release of two global 100 lists – the Creative 100 and the 100 Under 40 lists,” says Kamil Olufowobi, CEO, MIPAD. He went on to explain, “MIPAD’s collaboration with United Nations and a leading global media company like WarnerMedia sets the stage for us to further amplify global black narratives to showcase the many untold stories of our struggles and triumphs in every corner of the world, sometimes in unexpected places and high positions.

This year’s Recognition Week will be a virtual world-whirl tour of EXCELLENCE broadcasting live from New York City featuring insightful global discussions, leadership development training, talent acquisition fair, film screening and awards ceremony. Finalists in global 100 lists will be officially announced during Recognition & Awards Ceremony, Sunday, Oct 3^rd 2021.

• To learn more about the framework for selection of the 2021 global 100 lists, please click HERE
• To learn more about the UN International Year of Creative Economy, please click HERE
• To learn more about the African Union (AU) Year of the Arts, Culture & Heritage, please click HERE
• To nominate the 100 Under 40 and 100 CREATIVES of African Descent Worldwide (Across Diaspora/Inside Africa), please visit www.mipad.org/nominate
• To get jobs & opportunities in the Creative Economy, please visit www.mipad.org/talent

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of MIPAD.

About WarnerMedia News and Sports

WarnerMedia News & Sports, a division of WarnerMedia, includes all of CNN Worldwide’s networks and platforms such as CNN US, CNN International, HLN, CNN en Español, and CNN Digital, Turner Sports and Bleacher Report, and WarnerMedia Studios. CNN Films produces and acquires documentary feature and short films for theatrical and festival exhibition and distribution across CNN’s multiple platforms. The CNN Original Series group develops non-scripted programming for television via commissioned projects, acquisitions and in-house production. www.warnermedia.com

About MIPAD

The Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD), is a global civil society in support of the International Decade for People of African Descent, proclaimed by United Nation’s General Assembly resolution 68/237 and to be observed from 2015 to 2024. The Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) identifies high achievers of African descent in public and private sectors from all around the world as a progressive network of relevant actors to join together in the spirit of recognition, justice and development of Africa, it’s people on the continent and across it’s Diaspora. To learn more, please visit www.mipad.org

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

PARIS, France, 9 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Professor Rajaâ Cherkaoui El Moursli, Laureate of the L’Oréal-UNESCO International Award For Women in Science in 2015, was ranked number one for Africa by the AD Scientific Index 2021, which ranks the most eminent and influential scientists in the world. 

On May 21^st, the AD Scientific Index 2021^[1] revealed its international ranking. By ranking this Moroccan physicist number one for Africa and 34^th worldwide, the AD Scientific Index 2021 salutes her determinant contribution in the field of Nuclear Physics and High-energies.

^[1]https://www.adscientificindex.com/?con=Africa

A BRILLIANT AND COMMITTED SCIENTIST

In 2015, Professor Rajaâ Cherkaoui El Moursli was awarded by the L’Oréal-UNESCO International Award For Women and Science for Africa and the Arab States for her role in the historic discovery of Higgs Boson, an elementary particle constituent of the standard model of particle physics, as well as for her commitment to make science accessible to all.

“Professor Rajaâ Cherkaoui El Moursli is not only a brilliant scientist – and we are honored to be able to count her among the Jury of our International Awards. But she also embodies female scientific excellence and is committed to making science accessible to all. We extend our warmest congratulations to her on her ranking in the AD Scientific Index 2021“, said Alexandra Palt, Executive Director of the Fondation L’Oréal.

“We have had the opportunity to work with Professor Cherkaoui on several occasions, including the 3^rdAfrican Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation,” said Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, Assistant Director General for UNESCO’S Natural Sciences Sector. “Our Organization is proud to work for and alongside exceptional female scientists such as Professor Cherkaoui and we wish her every success with this new recognition.”

The awareness-raising work carried out by Professor Rajaâ Cherkaoui El Moursli contributes to significantly increasing the number of women in key research areas for the African continent’s development. For example, thanks to her and other renowned scientists’ commitment in Morocco, women represent 42% of students in engineering schools today (against 26% on a global scale).

“Professor Cherkaoui has been accompanying us with as much passion as integrity, for 15 years now, with the For Women and Science Morocco program, and during 7 years for the Maghreb edition. I warmly thank her for her dedication and determination, and congratulate her on this well-deserved distinction, ” said Laila Benjelloun, Managing Director of L’Oréal Maroc.

^[1]https://www.adscientificindex.com/?con=Africa

THE WORLD NEEDS SCIENCE, SCIENCE NEEDS WOMEN

 If the number of women leading scientific careers tends to increase to reach a little more than 33% of researchers worldwide, this evolution remains too slow and only 12% of them are members of national academies of science throughout the world. Additionally, there are simply not enough African female scientists: today, they only represent 2.6% of researchers globally^[1]. 

Convinced that the world needs science and that science needs women, the Fondation L’Oréal and UNESCO are committed to promoting women in science, with the ambition to make them more visible and make their talent known to the world, as well as inspire future vocations. Since the creation of the For Women in Science program in 1998, 117 Laureates and more than 3,500 talented young scientists, doctoral students and post-doctoral students have been supported and honored in more than 110 countries.

^[1] UNESCO (2021) UNESCO Science Report: the Race Against Time for Smarter Development. UNESCO Publishing: Paris.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of the Fondation L’Oréal.

About Fondation L’Oréal
The Fondation L’Oréal works for the benefit of women around the world, supporting them and enabling them to achieve their goals in two major areas that sit at the heart of the Group’s culture: scientific research and inclusive beauty.Created in 1998 and led by the Fondation L’Oréal in partnership with UNESCO, the For Women in Science program aims to improve the representation of women in scientific careers, based on the conviction that the world needs science, and science needs women. Over the last 23 years, the program has supported and raised the profile of more than 3,400 researchers from 116 countries. 

Convinced that beauty is central to the process of personal development and a vector of social inclusion, the Fondation L’Oréal also develops free training excellence courses in beauty care for vulnerable people. It also provides access to beauty and wellbeing services in medical and social settings to help people suffering from physical, mental or social issues, and for patients who have undergone reconstructive surgery. 

About UNESCO
Since its creation in 1945, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) supports international scientific cooperation as a catalyst for sustainable development and for peace between people. UNESCO assists countries in the development of their public policies and in building their capabilities in the fields of science, technology, innovation and scientific education. In addition, UNESCO leads several intergovernmental programs for the sustainable management of freshwater, ocean and terrestrial resources, for biodiversity protection and to promote science’s role in combating climate change and natural disasters. To meet these goals, UNESCO is committed to ending discrimination of all kinds and to promoting equality between women and men.

^[2] UNESCO (2021) Rapport de l’UNESCO sur la science : une course contre la montre pour un développement plus intelligent. Editions UNESCO, Paris

Follow the Fondation L’Oréal on Twitter @4WomeninScienceand
on Facebook @ForWomeninScienceSA#FWIS #FondationLoreal

Press Contacts 
UNESCO: Clare O’Hagan : c.o-hagan@unesco.org +33 (0) 145681729
Fondation L’Oréal : Alaïs Diop : alaisdiop@loreal.com + 33 (0) 633532010
Global Mind Consulting : contact@globalmindconsulting.com

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

The United Nations stands ready to support Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan in efforts to resolve their decade-long disagreement over the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), senior officials told the Security Council on Thursday. 

NEW YORK, USA, July 09, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, reported that recent negotiations under the African Union (AU) have yielded little progress. 

The parties have been unable to agree a framework for engagement to settle outstanding issues, which include a dispute resolution mechanism as well as the management of the dam during protracted drought. 

“The United Nations remains available to promote a win-win solution in supporting Member States in navigating this complex issue, where genuine political will, compromise and good neighborliness are essential,” he said. 

Tensions increasing 

The dispute over the GERD dates back to April 2011, when Ethiopia began building the dam on the Blue Nile, set to be the largest hydroelectric power project in Africa. 

When finished, it will store 74 billion cubic metres of water and generate more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity. 

Construction is nearing completion, and last year the reservoir behind the dam began to fill for the first time. Ethiopia this week announced it has begun filling again.  

Egypt and Sudan have objected, stating that any further filling should occur in the context of an agreed framework. 

While shared water resources have been the cause of contention, they can also be the foundation for cooperation, the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Andersen, told ambassadors. 

“At this stage, and with other sources of regional tension increasing, we must recognize that overcoming the remaining differences among the parties will require careful, meticulous work, supported by the relevant technical and legal experts and with a determination by the three states to arrive at a cooperative solution, in pursuit of sustainable development for all in the spirit of ‘one river, one people, one vision’,” she said. 

Agreement possible 

Ms. Andersen stressed that an agreement on the dam can be reached, and must be reached, while underlining the UN’s readiness to support the countries, and the African Union, in reaching an agreement that is beneficial to all sides. 

Cooperation among the three countries has never been more important as demand for water rises, she added, due to factors such as population growth, urbanization and industrialization. At the same time, they also face the threat of increased flooding, and more intense droughts, due to climate change. 

 “It is therefore imperative that the parties work together to manage these interconnected challenges,” she said. “To reach an optimal agreement, trust and transparency and open engagement will be key.”

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of UN News.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

How LG is leveraging on AI, Inverter Compressor to Deliver Next Generation of Premium ACs
LG Offer Outstanding Energy Efficiency Alongside Smart and Powerful Performance Air Conditioner 

YAOUNDE, Cameroon, 7 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Life is not just about having the latest electronics but about the experiences technology creates. To live a healthy and more convenient lifestyle, many people across the world are seeking eco-friendly, energy-saving and sustainable smart home appliances than ever before. 

In an attempt to address the needs of its esteemed consumers who are health conscious and want to live a healthy lifestyle, LG Electronics in the last few years, have focused on innovative ways deliver next generation of quality products that will fit into the smart home of the future.

In the residential air conditioners market, some of the products that the company has achieved remarkable innovation success are the ARTCOOL and DUALCOOL Air Conditioners. LG ARTCOOL and DUACOOL are life changer because they are beyond just ACs as they are packed with health benefits such as the Plasmaster Ionizer+ that removes 99% of adhering bacteria and deodorizes and 40% fast cooling.

LG’s DUALCOOL is the first air conditioner to utilize LG’s energy-efficient Dual Inverter Compressor™ for energy savings without sacrificing cooling performance. Verified by the world-renowned testing organization TÜV Rheinland, the Dual Inverter Compressor allows LG DUALCOOL to consume up to 70 percent less electricity while providing up to 40 percent faster cooling than typical non-inverter Residential Air Conditioners. LG’s advanced compressor technology also enables DUALCOOL to operate at exceptionally low noise levels, ideal for apartments. The reliable Dual Inverter Compressor is backed up by a 10-year warranty, one of the best in the industry. And DUALCOOL expertly balances form and function with its slim and clean design that blends in perfectly with any interior décor increasing installation flexibility.

The user-friendly Smart Indicator and Smart Lighting features enable users to monitor air conditions inside the home in real-time. Smart Indicator provides accurate air quality readings on a crystal-clear display, enabling users to easily monitor changes in air quality over time. Smart Lighting uses four differently colored lights to monitor air quality, allowing owners to check the air quality at a glance.

LG’s Dual inverter compressor technology enables the ArtCool to operate at a pleasantly low noise level, enabling users to relax or rest comfortably without the distracting hum of the air conditioner. Meanwhile, the durability and reliability of the compressor are guaranteed under its 10-year warranty

According to Mr. Jung June Yoon, General Manager, Air Solution Division, LG Electronics West Africa Operations, LG’s Dual inverter compressor technology enables our residential air conditioners to operate at a pleasantly low noise level, enabling users to relax or rest comfortably without the distracting hum of the air conditioner. “The ArtCool Mirror black embodies beauty, power, and performance while functioning as the centerpiece to any stylish, modern living room.” The ultra-sleek black mirror and frame adds an extra touch of elegance to its already stunning appearance, making it ideal for premium style homes. The eye-catching aesthetic design of the appliance is sure to attract attention just as its convenient features are guaranteed to enhance usability.

“With innovative split system air conditioning units featuring ARTCOOL changeable panels, LG makes it easy to customise your air conditioner to suit your home’s décor. In addition, these advanced systems offer powerful air flow, allergy reduction filters and responsive step controls that allow you to direct the air as needed”, he said.

Commenting on the 70% energy saving and 40% fast cooling feature of the new product, Yoon said the “Inverter Compressor constantly adjusts a compressor’s speed to maintain desired temperature levels. Moreover, Dual Inverter Compressor with power saving operation range frequency saves more energy than conventional compressor. Thanks to the Dual Inverter Compressor, air is expelled farther and faster”.

He added that LG air conditioners are designed for easier and more efficient installation, regardless of the surroundings and the number of persons involved in the installation process. By reducing the manpower and time required for installation, it is now possible to install more air conditioners at more homes in a shorter period of time.

LG’s Artcool incorporates an Ionizer feature, which releases up to three million ions that bond with harmful particles to effectively sterilize them and neutralize odors at the same time. The strong airflow it generates with the help of the 4-Way Swing feature evenly distributes large volumes of airflow. This subsequently creates a consistent temperature throughout the entire room, the air reaching every corner and crevice.

Embedded with advanced Wi-Fi technology, LG’s SmartThinQ application allows users to easily control the appliance from both inside and outside the home. The intelligent application gives household members various personalized options, allowing them to choose and save their preferred air conditioning temperatures. SmartThinQ connectivity also allows users to turn the air conditioner off as they’re heading out, especially convenient for those in a hurry.

In addition, the Artcool features a Smart Diagnosis function for easy and quick troubleshooting. Smart Diagnosis delivers notifications and support for a wide range of technical issues via smartphone.

LG takes AI to the next level and learns its surroundings and customers on its own and works in the best way. LG ARTCOOL product is equipped with sympathetic artificial intelligence which notifies the user of the driving mode that changes according to the situation without a customer’s question and tells the necessary information.

LG Inverter ACs available in showrooms today include ARTCOOL 2.0HP; DUALCOOL 1.5HP; ARTCOOL 1.5HP; DUALCOOL 2.0HP and many others.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of LG.

About LG Electronics

LG Electronics Inc. is a global innovator in technology and manufacturing with operations in 140 locations and a workforce of over 70,000 around the world. With 2018 global sales of USD 54.4 billion, LG is composed of five companies – Home Appliance & Air Solution, Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Vehicle Component Solutions and Business Solutions. LG is a world-leading producer of TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines and mobile devices, including premium LG SIGNATURE and LG ThinQ products featuring artificial intelligence. For more information about our products in Nigeria, visit https://www.lg.com/africa/about-lg/our-brand 

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

Venture Capitalist looks for Early-Stage Startups in Africa

• Zug-based investment company CV VC opens an office in Cape Town and appoints Gideon Greaves as Managing Director Africa
• African startups can immediately apply for the incubation program in Switzerland
• The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) signed an agreement to contribute to the establishment of a blockchain ecosystem in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 8 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- CV VC (Crypto Valley Venture Capital), a Swiss investment company, has been successfully investing in early-stage startups from around the world for two and a half years. These companies develop products, applications and services based on blockchain technology. After having opened CV Labs in Zug, Vaduz (Liechtenstein) and Dubai, CV VC is now opening its first office on the African continent in Cape Town. 

South Africa as most promising blockchain & technology location
More and more blockchain applications are being implemented across the African continent. According to the 2020 Global Crypto Adoption Index, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria have the highest rates of crypto and blockchain adoption worldwide. It was highlighted that there is a very high understanding of the potential of this technology in South Africa in particular.

CV VC’s goal in Africa, together with partners from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and local stakeholders, is to invest in 100 startups that have the potential to tackle the challenges of the African continent over the next four years. The SECO signed a special agreement with CV VC. The joint project aims to support the development of an independent ecosystem in South Africa by transferring know-how and experience from Swiss Crypto Valley to serve as a hub for Africa.

CVVC is seeking to leverage upon the aspirations of the Swiss Government, which is setting a foreign policy focus on its Africa Strategy. “The region is becoming increasingly important, also for Switzerland,” says Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, referring to Africa’s significant political, economic, cultural and scientific potential.For this reason, CV VC is opening an office in Cape Town in close cooperation with local stakeholders, such as co-working spaces, entrepreneurs, investors, authorities and universities.

“We are happy to start our Africa chapter with an initial foothold in South Africa, a thriving hub for entrepreneurs, developers and creatives and an already well-established startup and technology ecosystem. With the experience and know-how from Crypto Valley, including infrastructure providers, an enabling regulatory framework and our global network, we will be able to accelerate growth for blockchain startups and grow the blockchain ecosystem in all of Africa”, said Mathias Ruch, CEO and founder of CV VC. 

CV VC has appointed Gideon Greaves as its new Managing Director Africa, located in Cape Town. “I’m incredibly excited to be a part of CV VC’s journey into Africa. Being a leapfrog population, we are in a prime position to adopt this disruptive technology and I believe this continent can lead the crypto and blockchain charge”, commented Gideon Greaves.

In close cooperation with the University of Zurich, the Swiss Embassy in South Africa will establish a blockchain chair at the University of Johannesburg in September, financed in equal parts by Switzerland and South Africa. 

 Four successful blockchain-based African startups in the CV VC portfolio 

CV VC has created a bespoke incubation program and invested in 27 blockchain startups from Switzerland, Europe, the Americas and Africa. Four of them have African roots:

• Math for Money aims to create a financially independent future generation by teaching children basic math and introducing positive financial behavior from a young age. The Math for Money app allows parents to easily administer pocket money after gaining insights into their child’s math process. Children get incentives to use their time wisely and gain knowledge at the same time.
• Entrepreneurs and business owners often face a time-consuming and complicated process when starting a new online business. With Xion, you can skip this business scrutiny that comes with it. The Xion platform caters to merchants by helping them manage customers, subscriptions, and sales, with minimal effort to sign up and use only two code lines.
• The Earth is currently facing the largest mass extinction in human history and solutions to this problem are not moving fast. Wildcards allow individuals to transparently and easily ‘adopt’ an endangered animal and contribute to sustainability through a fun and engaging platform. The platform is a highly liquid NFT marketplace.
• Accelerating impact investing is critical for the challenges the world is facing. Proof of Impact is a data intelligence platform that makes impact data accessible to maximize return on investment. Proof of Impact will help impact investors transform static impact data reporting into a cost-effective, real-time, dynamic digital solution. Proof of Impact is on a mission to make impact data accessible and measurable both for investors and impact providers.

To promote the blockchain startup ecosystem in Africa, the CV VC Africa Advisory Board will be launched with high-profile individuals from the sub-Saharan region (South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Congo and other countries). As its first member, Cape Town-based entrepreneur and co-founder of Proof of Impact, Fleur Heyns, will help connect CV VC with business, political, academic and community figures. CV VC already has a Global Advisory Board, chaired by Philipp Rösler, former German Vice-Chancellor and Director of the World Economic Forum. 

Application for the startup incubation program in Switzerland

Early-stage startups building applications based on blockchain technology will join the global CV Labs incubation program in Zug, Switzerland. The next program starts at the end of September. Applications are open via cvlabs.com/incubation. The five most promising projects will be invited to the program in Switzerland or virtually, depending on the pandemic situation. The selected startups will receive an investment of up to USD 125,000.

In addition, investors can participate in the growing startup portfolio of the Zug-based company through investment products launched in cooperation with Swiss Asset Manager partners. The first “Technology for Tomorrow” certificate has just been launched.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Crypto Valley Venture Capital.

Media contact:

Samantha Seewoosurrun
samantha@perpetualmotionltd.com

CV VC AG
Mathias Ruch, Founder and CEO of CV VC mathias.ruch@cvvc.com
Gideon Greaves, Managing Director Africa of CV VC gideon.greaves@cvvc.com

Notes to Editors:
High-resolution photographs of the CV VC Labs and the team, and the CV VC logo, are available for download at the following link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MKLO-cYMaI9NK-d8YdXF4Rv6Sj4YV_hX?usp=sharing

About Crypto Valley Venture Capital
Based in Zug, Switzerland, the private investment company invests in crypto and blockchain companies at all stages of development.

CV VC is an early-stage venture capital investment firm focusing on startups that build on blockchain technology. The company offers seed funding and an incubation program for promising startups in exchange for equity.

CV Labs are a unique ecosystem and co-working spaces in Zug, Vaduz and Dubai along with additional partner hubs all over the world. These spaces are tailored to the needs of blockchain companies and regularly host networking events. It is an ideal starting point for startups participating in the CV Labs incubation program.

The CV Summit and Crypto Valley Week bring together innovative startups, industry experts, investors and companies experimenting with distributed ledger technology.

CV Maps is the first online directory of the rapidly growing blockchain ecosystem in Crypto Valley and other regions. The continuously updated database contains over 1,200 companies.

For more information, please visit www.cvvc.com.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

KAMPALA, Uganda, 7 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- In order to combat the spread of misinformation and to mitigate the deadly spread of COVID-19, the One by One: Target COVID-19 Campaign, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the African Union and The Rockefeller Foundation have joined hands with celebrity influencers to launch Africa Covid Champions Campaign in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Uganda. The Campaign features influencers such as Awilo Longomba, DJ Spilulu, Top Congo Radio, Mama Radio, Wezi Victoria, Simon Mwewa Lane, Hot FM, Icengelo FM, Martha Kemigisha Kagimba (Martha Kay) and GNL Zamba. In order to extend the reach of the Campaign, One By One has partnered with Clouds Media International, a multinational multimedia company.

The Campaign’s celebrity influencers have been designated by the Africa CDC as ‘AfricaCOVIDChampions.’ One By One has equipped each of the influencers with Africa CDC approved “COVID Engagement Toolkits” which contain accurate messages about prevention of the pandemic and about COVID vaccines.

The Campaign is aimed at equipping citizens across Africa with accurate information on COVID-19 prevention and COVID vaccines. AfricaCOVIDChampions will help ensure that accurate, life-saving information about COVID-19 vaccines reaches Africans across the continent. As Martha Kay, media personality, Uganda, remarked, “A year into this pandemic, Uganda and Africa continue to fight this deadly disease. Now that Africa is experiencing a third wave of COVID-19, it is vital that all Africans are informed about the importance of vaccines to stop the spread of this deadly virus and prevent new infections.”

Seed Global Health has been instrumental in leading the efforts of the AfricanCOVIDChampions Campaign in Uganda.

“The last frontier is vaccines. Vaccines are about to hit Zambia. The biggest challenge we are going to have is convincing our people that it is important to take these vaccines,” said Simon Mwewa Lane, Campaign Ambassador, Zambia. 

The Africa Covid Champions Campaign is made possible by the generous support of The Rockefeller Foundation. “These tools and resources are necessary to end the pandemic and recover in a way that enables sustainable and resilient growth well into the future.”

Partners involved in this campaign include:

One by One: Target COVID-19
One by One: Target COVID-19 is a pan-African, coalition-driven communications and advocacy campaign created by The Access Challenge, the African Union and the Africa CDC. The Coalition supports the African Union in its COVID-19 response by advocating for increased financing for the Africa COVID-19 Response Fund to strengthen the Africa CDC’s capacity for securing essential diagnostics and medical supplies. The Campaign also includes various mass media campaigns to mobilize influencers from all sectors to use their viral platforms to promote increased testing, vaccine uptake, and general COVID-19 prevention measures across Africa.

The Africa CDC
Africa CDC is a specialized technical institution of the African Union that strengthens the capacity and capability of Africa’s public health institutions as well as partnerships to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats and outbreaks, based on data-driven interventions and programmes. Learn more at: http://www.africacdc.org

The Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation to enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We work to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal. Our focus is on scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, and ensuring equitable access to healthy and nutritious food. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @RockefellerFdn.

Clouds Media International
Clouds is a multinational, multimedia company with over 20 different brands. It is one of East & Central Africa’s most respected media houses and has been recognized as one of the region’s premier Superbrands. Our partnership with Clouds began 15+ years ago, and has proven to be a unique and unusual marriage of media and social impact. As part of this on-going engagement, The Access Challenge has recently partnered with Clouds Media on East Africa’s Got Talent. 

Seed Global Health
Seed Global Health envisions a world in which every country is strengthened by a robust health workforce that can meet the health needs of its population. Rooted in local partnerships, building on local leadership, and driven by local insights, Seed seeks to catalyze lasting change in the health systems of the countries where we work by investing in the people at the heart of health systems. Through strong collaboration with the public sector, Seed equips current and future generations of physicians, nurses, and midwives to strengthen access to high-quality care so that good health is not the privilege of a few, but the right of all. Learn more at www.seedglobalhealth.org and follow us on Twitter @Seed_Global.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of The Rockefeller Foundation.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Fardin Rahman, Communications and Partnerships Associate, The Access Challenge, partnerships@accesschallenge.com

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

Humanitarian operations have been gradually resuming in the war-ravaged Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, but resupply of aid and fuel for civilians caught up in the fighting is urgently needed, the United Nations said on Tuesday, citing information from its emergency relief agency, OCHA.  

NEW YORK, USA, July 07, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-UN Spokesperson  Stéphane Dujarric reported that 23 displacement sites in the regional capital, Mekelle, did not have access to water as pumps could not operate due to the lack of fuel. Transportation of humanitarian and commercial supplies into the region has also been affected. 

Aid partners have also not been able to provide cash assistance, he added.  

Aid operations must continue 

Meanwhile, commercial flights to and from Mekelle have not resumed after being halted roughly two weeks ago, which has affected the deployment of humanitarian workers. 

Although road access was “largely possible” from the city to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, for staff rotations, supplies have been blocked from proceeding.  

“It is critical to get additional staff and humanitarian and commercial supplies into Tigray, restore electricity and telecommunications, and ensure that cash and fuel are available throughout the region for the continuity of humanitarian operations,” said Mr. Dujarric, speaking during his daily briefing from New York. 

The UN continues to monitor developments in Tigray, where eight months of fighting between Ethiopian troops and regional forces have left more than five million people in need of humanitarian assistance.   

More than 400,000 have “crossed the threshold into famine”, Ramesh Rajasingham, OCHA’s acting chief told the Security Council on Friday, just days after the Ethiopian Government declared a unilateral ceasefire. 

Real ceasefire ‘essential’: UN chief 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres this weekend said it was essential to have a real ceasefire paving the way for a dialogue that would lead to a political solution.  

“The presence of foreign troops is an aggravating factor of confrontation. At the same time, full humanitarian access, unrestricted humanitarian access must be guaranteed to the whole territory,” he added. 

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of UN News.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

By Titilayo Adewumi, Regional Sales Director: West Africa at SAP

LAGOS, Nigeria, 6 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- While organisations across West Africa work to recover from the economic impact of the pandemic, the global cybercrime industry is going into overdrive. 

An increasingly sophisticated cybercrime industry is launching a range of attacks aimed at organisations and critical infrastructure. Such attacks are growing in volume and sophistication, putting our collective economic recovery at risk at a time when organisations invest more heavily in digital technologies. 

Global attacks on Internet of Things devices, for example, have risen 300% in 2019 alone, and cost organisations untold amounts of revenue and disruption to their business operations.

One study found that the average cost of cybercrime is $13-million per successful attack, a huge 72% increase over the past five years. The growing digitisation of industries across the region, and the increasing power of the tools at cybercriminals’ disposal, mean the cost of such attacks is likely to grow even further over the coming years.

In short, cyberattacks are posing an existential threat to the economic recovery of the West Africa region. 

Cybercriminals set sights on oil and gas ‘whales’

The oil and gas sector is central to the economic fortunes of the West Africa region. In Nigeria alone, the sector accounts for 10% of GDP, and revenue from petroleum exports contribute 86% of total exports revenue.

Upstream revenue for oil and gas in the region is expected to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.7% between 2020 and 2025, while crude oil production could register a CAGR of 9.63% over the same period. 

Worryingly, cyberattackers are ruthlessly targeted the global oil and gas sector. A 2017 study found that 68% of companies in the sector had experienced at least one compromise that had resulted in the loss of information or a disruption in their operations in the past year.

In a recent example, cybercriminals successfully shut down the Colonial Pipeline, effectively halting 50% of the supply of petrol and diesel to the US East Coast. In another example, ExxonMobil revealed it blocks more than 64 million emails, 139 million internet access attempts and 133 000 other potentially malicious actions every month.

The economic consequences of a successful cyberattack on this critical sector can be devastating to a region already suffering collateral damage from the pandemic. The situation calls for a radical rethink of how organisations across the region – and across industries – bolster their defences and protect against cyberattacks.

Attacks on ERP systems growing

As the nerve centre of modern intelligent enterprises, ERP systems are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals. Attackers know these systems run business-critical applications and house sensitive information, so any data breach could provide access to information they can later use in the service of a range of cybercrime activities.

As these systems increasingly shift to the cloud and integrate a growing suite of business applications, the opportunities for cyberattackers increase too. 

The amount of transactional data in typical ERP systems, for example, represent a veritable gold mine to cybercriminals. So does the information about vendors, suppliers and partners – the more cybercriminals know about the internal operations of a business, the easier they will find vulnerabilities to exploit.

The Nigerian Data Protection Regulation, which was announced in 2019, is Nigeria’s most comprehensive data protection law and is set to transform how organisations collect and process data in the country. Organisations should look at shifting their attitudes to security and treat it as a critical business imperative for both compliance and better protection against attack.

Taking steps to securing West African enterprises

A risk-based approach that is endorsed by the board and focuses on protecting the organisation’s key assets is needed. Organisations need to get a holistic view of their security risks and then implement solutions and processes that help secure and protect data, applications, systems and end-users.

The best defences typically includes both technical security and transactional monitoring – in real time – to allow security teams to take accurate and appropriate action to keep systems operating and data safe. 

Integrating an Enterprise Threat Detection solution for example gives insight into suspicious activities in an organisation’s ERP and other business-critical applications. This allows organisations to identify breaches as they occur and react in real time to neutralise any dangers.

A real-time data platform can help efficiently analyse and correlate log data to help security teams understand what happened within an application, database, operating system or network component, and improve how the organisation scouts for cyberattacks across its most valuable IT assets. 

The importance of ERP systems to the effective running of West African enterprises makes them prime targets for cyberattacks. SAP has worked with enterprise security leaders around the world to develop tools that seamlessly integrate with ERP systems and help protect an organisation’s critical data assets from cyberattacks and data breaches.

Organisations across the region need to recognise the threat that cybercrime pose to their operations, their reputations, their employees and their partners. Business leaders, their security teams and their technology partners need to urgently implement new controls or risk becoming the latest victim in a rising tide of highly damaging – and increasingly sophisticated – cybercrime.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of SAP Africa.

Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @SAPNews.

About SAP

SAP’s strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world’s transaction revenue touches an SAP® system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers’ businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want – without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people’s lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com. 

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SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices. 

Note to editors:

To preview and download broadcast-standard stock footage and press photos digitally, please visit www.sap.com/photos. On this platform, you can find high resolution material for your media channels. To view video stories on diverse topics, visit www.sap-tv.com. From this site, you can embed videos into your own Web pages, share video via email links, and subscribe to RSS feeds from SAP TV.

For customers interested in learning more about SAP products: 

Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)

For more information, press only:

Delia Sieff, SAP Africa, +27 (11) 235 6000, delia.sieff@sap.com
Adam Hunter, SAP Africa, +27 (711) 787 035, adam.hunter@sap.com

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

• Collaboration on training programs and disease awareness
• Generation of scientific evidence related to fertility across Africa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 6 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the African Federation of Fertility Societies (AFFS). Through this agreement, both organisations will jointly work on an agenda to further develop educational training programs for healthcare professionals, aimed at improving access to high quality infertility care in Africa for the ultimate benefit of patients.

By combining their forces, both will benefit from each other’s networks and communication channels, while also exploring opportunities to jointly offer in-depth training programs such as preceptorships and fellowships as well as training courses related to fertility issues for health care professionals. ”We are looking forward to this new collaboration with AFFS, to intensify the exchange and partnership. It will ultimately lead to an important improvement for patients, namely couples who need support to realise their family wishes – which is our common goal. Merck has a long- term commitment and a successful leadership history in reproductive medicine” said Dr. Matthias Meergans, Medical Head MEAR at Merck Healthcare.

Furthermore, the collaboration will focus on other areas such as disease awareness campaigns and generation of scientific evidence facilitating access to high-quality care, starting with the support of the African Network and Registry for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ANARA). Professor Gamal Serour, President of African Federation of Fertility Societies stated that “AFFS welcomes and appreciates collaboration with Merck for the implementation of quality fertility service for the infertile people across Africa”.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Merck.

About Merck
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics. Around 58,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2020, Merck generated sales of € 17.5 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics.  

Press Contact:
Mantis Communications
Kerry Simpson
Tel: 079 438 3252
Email: kerry@mantiscomms.co.za

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

Nairobi and Johannesburg, 6 July 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Africa No Filter (ANF), the not-for-profit organisation focused on narrative change, has launched bird, Africa’s first, optimized-for-mobile, story agency designed to shift narratives about and within the continent. 

Africa No Filter Executive Director, Moky Makura, said the story agency was set up to create compelling multimedia content for African media outlets that’s more reflective of a vibrant, energetic and highly creative continent.

“We identified a clear need for more human interest and feature style stories to counter the barrage of hard news – often negative – stories that are shaping how the world sees Africa and how Africa sees itself. bird’s mission is to create a home for these stories and make them accessible to media outlets. This way we have the potential to reach millions more with content that connects the continent and has the power to change perceptions. It’s an incredibly exciting initiative and a potential game changer for our mission,” said Makura.

bird’s operating model is similar to that of most global news agencies with the difference that it doesn’t charge its media clients for use of its stories. Africa No Filter funds the creation of the content through a network of contributors, which the team at bird edits and fact-checks, before delivering to its digital platform for its clients.

The launch of bird follows a ground-breaking report titled “How African Media Covers Africa” that found a third of all African stories in news outlets on the continent are sourced from foreign news services, many negative and conflict-filled.

During the period under review, AFP and BBC accounted for a quarter of all the stories about other African countries in monitored outlets. African news agencies contributed minimally, according to the report released in March 2021.

The bulk (81 percent) of the stories analyzed were classified as “hard news” e.g. conflicts and crises driven by events and were also largely political in nature, while 13 per cent of the news focused specifically on political violence, civil unrest, armed conflict.

The research surveyed 38 African editors and analysed content from 60 African news outlets in 15 countries between September and October 2020.

bird has begun on-boarding African content creators and journalists who will benefit from paid work and training opportunities.

“We’re looking to sign up more media partnerships and bring on more content creators and mobile journalists who are passionate about profiling ordinary people, places and topics that celebrate the continent. We prioritize stories that deliberately shift the prevailing stereotypical narrative about the continent away from poverty, disease, conflict, poor leadership and corruption,” said Tom Kirkwood, head of Nairobi-based Africa InSight Communications, tasked with building the bird systems and platform.

He added, “We are very much in start-up mode at bird, but it’s clear the demand for good and simple stories is there. There couldn’t be a better time – the world is ready for alternative, lighter, more uplifting stories that reflect this dynamic continent and that’s what bird is uniquely bringing to the market.”

Africa No Filter is a donor collaborative funded by the Ford Foundation, Bloomberg, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Luminate, Open Society Foundations, Comic Relief, the Conrad Hilton Foundation and the British Council.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of African No Filter.

About bird

bird is a story agency designed to shift narratives about and in Africa, away from harmful stereotypes. We produce multimedia stories designed for a youthful, mobile-first audience, for distribution to Africa’s leading digital news platforms. 

For media enquiries: Nasya Smith at nasya@africanofilter.org.

For Media partnerships: Tom Kirkwood at tom@africanofilter.org. 

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)