LONDON, UK, November 8, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- As we approach the two-year mark since the beginning of the global pandemic, many from the public and private sector are coming together with the common goal to “Build Back Better” for a more resilient economy. Such is the case with Agri Resources Group (a subsidiary of Monaco Resources Group), which for several years now has quietly worked on building sustainable food and agricultural supply chains in Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar – regions which have been strongly affected by the global pandemic. Even before COVID-19 broke out, the African food system was in crisis and in 2020,…
Author: zeroone
The UN chief has joined the whole UN system in Sierra Leone in mourning the victims of an fuel tanker collision on Friday night in the capital Freetown, that reportedly left at least 98 people dead, and many more injured. NEW YORK, USA, November 08, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement issued by his Spokesperson on Saturday, that he was “deeply saddened by the extensive loss of life”, resulting from the crash, when the tanker collided with a lorry at a busy junction in the suburb of Wellington, spilling fuel, before igniting. The resulting blaze engulfed other vehicles and pedestrians nearby. “The Secretary-General…
· Report based on interviews with 200 digital native media in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia provides key lessons for growing sector · More than 85% of African media interviewed have contributed to ‘significant political and societal changes’; more than half have won journalism awards · But more than half subjected to online attacks and threats NAIROBI, Kenya, 5 November 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Digital media entrepreneurs are producing ground-breaking journalism and achieving significant impact on their societies, in spite of often tiny budgets and constant online threats and attacks, a new global report revealed today. The Inflection Point International report, published by SembraMedia, a non-profit that supports entrepreneurial…
DUBAI, UAE, 4 November 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Hedonists, foodies and gourmand’s can rejoice, savor gastronomic delights and fuel their appetite for culture with a culinary extravaganza, as Expo 2020 Dubai opens its doors, this October, to award-winning chefs and brand-new, never been seen before dining concepts across over 200 eateries. Experience non-stop openings of the world’s greatest food concepts. With food central to Expo 2020 Dubai’s multi-cultural experience, visitors can try everything including local gems, authentic street food and fine dining tasting menus.With iconic openings, international chefs and live music throughout the month, it’s not hard to create reasons to visit…
DAKAR, Senegal, 4 November 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) has launched applications for the fourth intake of its unique African Master’s in Machine Intelligence (AMMI), a one-year intensive foundational master’s program that provides brilliant young Africans with state-of-the-art training in machine learning and itsapplications. “The previous AMMI intakes gave students intensive mathematics and AI, Machine Learning training, preparing them to think of new ways to solve local and global challenges. The former cohorts demonstrated the potential for foundational AI and Machine Learning research and are working to enrich the machine intelligence ecosystem on the continent. We…
TORONTO, Canada, 4 November 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Today, the Mastercard Foundation, United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa), and Arizona State University (ASU) announced the launch of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program e-Learning Initiative, which over the next five years, will enable more than 600,000 university students to successfully pursue their studies online, from anywhere across Africa.The COVID-19 pandemic forced many universities, including those within the Scholars Program network, to suspend face-to-face classes and pivot to online learning. Building on what was learned during the disruption, this initiative will increase the investments that have already been made and strengthen the existing capacity of university partners to deliver high-quality, relevant, and…
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commits nearly $4 million to enable manufacturer to more than triple production of auto-disable syringes MOMBASA, Kenya, November 4, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Revital Healthcare (EPZ) Limited, a Kenyan medical supply manufacturer, announced today it received nearly $4 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand production of auto-disable vaccine syringes. This funding will enable Revital to increase syringe production volume from approximately 72 million to nearly 265 million annually towards the end of 2022, enough to cover more than half of the routine immunization needs in Africa.Global demand for auto-disable syringes has surged…
“Pockets of famine” have now been reported in Southern Madagascar, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday. NEW YORK, USA, November 03, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-“We have some pockets of IPC 5 or famine-like conditions, this is basically the only – maybe the first – climate change famine on earth,” said Arduino Mangoni, WFP Deputy Country Director in Madagascar, citing IPC food insecurity assessments, which are used to gauge the level of emergency aid required. After a recent “heartbreaking” visit to an emergency nutrition centre in the south, the WFP official said that he had encountered “silence, no joy; kids just staring at you and in…
ANAMBRA STATE, Nigeria, November 2, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Ahead of the tension-soaked November 6 governorship election in Nigeria’s Southeast state of Anambra, candidates, Saturday evening (October 30), participated in an election debate organised by Prime Business Africa to provide insight into what their blueprint would for the people of the state. The debate aptly titled ‘Anambra 2021: Security And Economy In Focus,’ was hosted by the Chief Edecutive Officer of Newstide Publications Limited and Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Prime Business Africa, Dr Marcel Mbamalu and moderated by the duo of Dr Okey Ikechukwu, a Development Communications Consultant, and Canada-based Professor Nduka Otiono, an internationally acknowledged author, researcher…
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, November 2, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Africa.com is excited to announce they are joining forces with Standard Bank to address some of Africa’s most important challenges in a new podcast series launched this week. Igniting Impact is a six-episode podcast series hosted by Africa.com Chair and Executive Editor Teresa Clarke. Each episode welcomes expert guests who bring context and insight to some of the most urgent issues facing Africa today. The first episode features Simon Freemantle, Senior Political Economist at Standard Bank, and Penny Byrne, Climate Research Analyst at Standard Bank. Both have a Ph.D. in Climate Science and…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, 1 November 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Start Network has made £150,000 available to help over 10,000 victims of ongoing civil unrest in Somaliland provinces of Baidoa, Gaalkacyo, and Beledweyneare. Start Network which is made up of a consortium of NGOs including ACTED, Concern, Relief International, Save the Children and Plan International have channeled the funds as an emergency response to the internally displaced persons – particularly women, children, persons with disability and households with chronically ill persons. Early in October, Somaliland authorities in Sanaag issued a statement calling for people from other parts of Somalia to leave Ceerigaabo…
ACCRA, Ghana, October 28, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Today, the Catalyst Fund Inclusive Digital Commerce Accelerator welcomed four Ghanaian digital commerce companies, OZÉ, Shopa, Swoove, and Tendo, as the second cohort to receive funding and support. The Accelerator, managed by BFA Global in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), focuses on building the resilience of Ghana’s micro and small enterprises (MSEs). The companies selected for the second cohort are tackling challenges across the retail sector for Ghana’s informal MSEs. Their focus is on enabling the digital transformation of MSEs through solutions including digital logistics, delivery services, digitization of merchant records, inventory management, and access to affordable inventory…
The global home appliances giant adds more high visibility assets and bolsters experiential content for football fans MANCHESTER, England, 28 October 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Midea and Manchester City today announced an amplification to its global partnership which kicked-off in January 2020. Throughout this partnership, Midea has produced engaging digital content, which has been extremely popular with City fans around the world. Most notably, the #MideaHomeChallenge that kept fans entertained during lockdowns when several Manchester City players challenged fans to show their football skills interacting with their home appliances in unique ways. Also, the Midea #WorldClass Awards campaign that celebrated the Club’s,…
The MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power Conference and Exhibition, organized by Energy Capital & Power, will take place on 13-14 December in Dakar, Senegal. The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, Cos-Petrogaz, Petrosen and Coperes will lead high-level discussions about investment opportunities in the emerging energy sectors of Senegal and the various MSGBC region countries.A number of governmental delegations from the MSGBC region, West Africa and other oil and gas producing countries from throughout sub-Saharan Africa will attend discussion panels, presentations and two days of high-level networking with the top players in the energy sector. DAKAR, Senegal, 27 October 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The…
EARLY INTERVENTION THROUGH INSURANCE CAN ACHIEVE FOUR TIMES THE IMPACT OF POST-DISASTER AID By Amadou Diallo, Regional Disaster Risk Financing Coordinator, Crisis Anticipation and Risk Financing at Start Network DAKAR, Senegal, 27 October 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- According to research and evidence collected by ARC, every one US dollar spent on early intervention through this insurance mechanism saves US$4.5 spent after a crisis unfolds. It is this logic which lies behind the innovation of insuring against climate disasters such as droughts. In July 2019 Start Network and the government of Senegal each purchased an insurance policy to protect against drought. The ARC…
EVENT: Please join us on Friday, October 29, 2021, for a digital press briefing with U.S. Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield will discuss her trip to Mali, Niger, and Gabon. DETAILS: Speaker: Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Representative to the United NationsDate: Friday, October 29, 2021Time: 11:30 Johannesburg | 10:30 Libreville | 09:30 GMT | 05:30 Washington DCLanguage: English. Simultaneous French interpretation will be provided.Ground rules: The briefing will be on the record.Login info: To be provided upon RSVP.RSVP: Please RSVP by clicking hereTwitter: Follow the conversation at #AFHubPress for the call. Follow us on @AfricaMediaHub.Background: Please see the media note linked here. BIOGRAPHY: Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield was nominated by…
NAIROBI, Kenya, October 26, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- A lack of automation can undermine an organisation’s efforts for greater efficiency and profitability and leave decision-makers blind to real-time information about the business. Data suggests up to 22% of a typical employee’s time is spent on repetitive tasks, with up to 10 errors per 100 steps in manual data entry. For CVL, one of Rwanda’s leading investment groups, a reliance on manual processes by several of its group companies left it lacking the automation benefits, efficiency, and agility to speed up its growth strategy. “Our operational efficiency was undermined by reliance on manual…
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres on Monday condemned the “ongoing military coup” in Sudan, saying Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and all other officials, “must be released immediately.” In a statement, he called for the “immediate reconstitution” of the Government, which is due to guide Sudan through to democratic elections. NEW YORK, USA, October 26, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-Long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was overthrown by the military following months of popular protest in April 2019, and a transitional government was set up comprising both military and civilian leadership, after a power-sharing agreement, that was due to lead to full democratic elections in 2023. Now, according to news agencies, Sudan’s military has dissolved civilian rule, arrested political…
CAIRO, Egypt, 25 October 2021-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- H.E. Professor Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, the former President of Mauritius and Laureate of the 2007 L’Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science, delivered a trenchant address at the African Export-Import Bank’s (Afreximbank) fifth annual Babacar Ndiaye Lecture on “the importance of science, technology and innovation in the transformation of African economies”. She called on African leaders to close the region’s science and technology gap to take full advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). H.E. Professor Ameenah Gurib-Fakim,Former President of Mauritius and Laureate of the 2007 L’Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science Professor…
A UN humanitarian aid flight destined for the capital of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, was forced to return to Addis Ababa due to airstrikes on Friday, raising “serious concerns” for the safety of staff working on the ground, said the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator, in a statement. NEW YORK, USA, October 25, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-The airstrikes in Tigray’s capital Mekelle, Tigray region, threatened the safety of UN staff who are simply there “working to help civilians in humanitarian need”, said relief chief Martin Griffiths, who heads up the humanitarian affairs office, OCHA. “The UN had not received any prior…
The suffering of survivors of sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated by World Health Organization staff during the tenth Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is going to be “the catalyst for a profound transformation” of WHO’s culture. NEW YORK, USA, October 22, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-The assurance came this Thursday from WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, while announcing a Management Response Plan to address the findings of an independent commission. “This plan outlines the changes we will make as an organisation to make good on this commitment and to create a culture in which there is no opportunity for sexual exploitation and abuse to happen, no impunity if it does, and no tolerance for inaction”, Tedros said. The plan outlines several short-term actions, focusing on the…
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, 21 October 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Ayoba, the African super app, has announced the launch of a new focus on music in its application. The new Music homepage in ayoba offers a far superior design with enhanced player, and superb artist/ playlist imagery. Users are advised to upgrade their apps to the latest version of the app, 0.42.2, on ayoba.me, to experience it for themselves. This update of the app will also ensure that users get access to the full feature set of the Superapp – including the recent updates to add voice and video calling to the current chat and…
DUBAI, UAE, 21 October 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Bybit, one of the world’s fastest growing cryptocurrency exchanges, has clinched the “Most Transparent Exchange” award at Crypto Expo Dubai (CED) Awards 2021. The award recognized Bybit for its track record of stellar performance, user feedback, scale and financials. “We are honored to receive this distinction, and will work hard to uphold our pledge of transparency and reliability to the crypto lovers who come to Bybit. We invest about 25% of our budget in security to safeguard our infrastructure — this is nearly twice the industry average. We are constantly tweaking our platform mechanisms…
Thales to supply Vodafone Group with eco-designed SIM cards made from recycled refrigerators. Millions of subscribers in Europe and Africa set to benefit from eco-responsible innovation. PARIS, France, 21 October 2021,-/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Thales to supply Vodafone Group with Eco-SIM; a product whose card body is made out of 100% recycled plastic from refrigerator interiors. Vodafone initially plans to deploy Eco-SIM in ten countries1 in Europe and Africa. Over 4.5 billion SIM cards are produced every year2, representing 20,000 tons of plastic – the equivalent weight of two Eiffel towers. Developed in partnership with Veolia, the global leader in ecological transformation, the Thales Eco-SIM was launched…
By Laetitia Badolo OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, 19 October 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Access to water and sanitation remains a luxury for most people in Africa. African parliamentarians are ensuring that this luxury effectively became what it really is, a basic human right. The biggest hindrance to improving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in Africa is the absence of coherent legislation and inclusive policies in most parts of the continent. Taking place ahead of World Toilet Day in November, international advocacy firm Niyel hosted a webinar to unpack how to achieve more sustainable sanitation systems in Africa. It also prepares the ground for the first United…
LUANDA, Angola, 20 October 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The South Atlantic Cable System (SACS) has seen a considerable increase in traffic as major telco players look for direct access to markets in the US and South America.When the 6 156 km intercontinental subsea cable came on stream in September 2018, latency between Africa and the Americas was almost halved, opening an express digital connection to accelerate digital and economic growth on either side of the Atlantic. Since that time traffic on the system has increased tenfold providing major telecoms, content delivery networks and multi -nationals with faster access to Latin America – and…
Financial commitment aims to secure dedicated, low-cost supply of molnupiravir, if the drug is authorized by regulators; builds on long-term efforts to increase access to tests, treatments, vaccines SEATTLE, October 20, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced today a commitment of up to $120 million to accelerate access to the investigational antiviral drug molnupiravir for lower-income countries as part of its COVID-19 response effort. The funding will be allocated based on consultations with partners, and will support the range of activities required to develop and manufacture generic versions of the drug, which is being developed by…
DAR ES-SALAAM, Tanzania, October 18, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) and the Tanzania Peace Foundation (TPF) based in Dar Es-Salaam, Tanzania, jointly organized, on Saturday, 16 October 2021, a seminar on the topic: “The Imperative of Post-Covid Recovery: How Can the Resolution of the Sahara Issue Spur African Stability and Integration?”. This one-day event, which was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dar Es-Salaam, gathered more than 100 participants, among which 25 speakers – Members of Parliament, former Ministers of Foreign Affairs and ambassadors, business leaders, experts and academics as well as civil society…
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, October 18, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- As part of its virtual summit on Women Leading Corporate Africa, Africa.com took a poll among its over 1,000 senior c-suite executive registrants.The poll asked two key questions about women in corporate Africa. The first question was, “Compared to the rest of the world, climbing the corporate ladder for women in Africa is: a) the same, b) harder, or c) easier. 84% indicated that it is harder. The second question was, “For black women climbing the ladder in Corporate Africa (including global corporate operating in Africa), which is a bigger barrier to success:…
By Mrs Fatima Maada Bio, First Lady of Sierra Leone, Africa Champion for Sanitation and Hygiene LAGOS, Nigeria, October 19, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Access to handwashing with soap is a foundational component of healthy schools. Good hygiene practices help ensure children are healthy, so they can attend class and learn. The availability of handwashing stations and menstrual hygiene facilities including soap and water also helps girls manage their hygiene. When girls miss school during their menstruation due to inadequate hygiene facilities, it interrupts their education resulting in reduced academic performance, delays in social development, and reduced future earning potential. Today,…
