Content provided by APO Group. CNBC Africa provides content from APO Group as a service to its readers and does not edit the articles it publishes. CNBC Africa is not responsible for the content provided by APO Group.
Sepp Kuss (Team Jumbo-Visma) won stage 15 of the Tour de France, being the strongest out of large breakaway to go solo to the line in Andorra la Vella.

Stage 15 of the Tour de France was another difficult climbing day as the peloton had to cover 191km, including 4 categorised climbs. A fast start on a small climb saw a big breakaway group go clear in the opening kilometers.
Sergio Henao was one of the first 8 riders to go clear before another 24 riders came across to the front group. Groupama-FDJ had numbers in the front group and so they took control of the pace and pushed the lead out to over 9’00”, ahead of the yellow jersey group.
The first real shake up in the race happened on the climb of Port d’Envalira, when the attacks started in the break but also back in the peloton, Ineos and Movistar upped the pace.
Henao came into difficulty on near the top of exposed climb as the strong winds also contributed to the group splitting. A select group made it over the top and descended to the base of the final climb, where Kuss then attacked early on and distanced his counterparts.
The American would not be seen again, and took a very good victory. Henao managed to hold of the chase from the yellow jersey group to finish 18th on the stage and retained his 18th position on the overall classification too.
Sergio Henao
I fought really hard to get into the break today, as we&#39;d planned, and we managed to get a small group together at the start which was perfect. We then had the bigger group come across to us and I rode very comfortably.
There was a very special moment for me with my family waiting for me on the final climb, and I gave it my all so I&#39;m proud of my fighting performance.
We&#39;ll take stock again on the rest day, recover well and then look ahead to an exciting final week heading towards Paris. There&#39;s still a lot of racing to be done in this race.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka NextHash.
Media Contact: Jean Smyth Head of Communications Email: jean@ryder.co.za Mobile: +27 63 470 1710 or +31 625 739 033
About Team Qhubeka NextHash: Team Qhubeka NextHash is a purpose-led, high-performance team, fighting to win on the world&#39;s biggest stage, to inspire hope and create opportunity. Founded in 2007, Team Qhubeka NextHash (formerly NTT Pro Cycling) became the first-ever African cycling team to gain a UCI WorldTour license, in 2016.
We achieved our first major win in 2013 when Gerald Ciolek won Milan-San Remo, one of the five Monuments of cycling. We have competed in six Tour de France’s and notched up 7 stage wins, with Mark Cavendish wearing the coveted Yellow Jersey at the 2016 Tour de France.
We are a multicultural, diverse team with bases in South Africa, the Netherlands and Italy. There are 19 nationalities represented across our World Tour and continental feeder team rosters. Our focus on developing African cycling has resulted in more than 55 riders from the African continent be given the opportunity to race on the world stage, since the team&#39;s inception.
We race to help people to move forward with bicycles through our relationship with Qhubeka Charity. Through our work with Qhubeka, we have contributed to the distribution of over 30 000 bicycles in communities in South Africa.
About Qhubeka: Qhubeka is a charity that moves people forward with bicycles. People earn bicycles through our programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs.
A bicycle is a tool that helps people to travel faster and further, and to carry more. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socioeconomic challenges at the most basic level – helping people to get where they need to go. 
All images attached to the press release can be used with the respective image credit in combination to this release.

Sergio Henao Finishes Top 20 as Le Tour Enters Andorra on Stage 15

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Vantage Capital (www.VantageCapital.co.za), Africa’s largest mezzanine fund manager, announced today the successful first close on its fourth mezzanine fund. With US $207 million of commitments from European and US-based commercial investors as well as development finance institutions (DFIs), including IFC, CDC Group and SIFEM, Vantage Mezzanine Fund IV is on track to reach its target total fund size of US $350 million.

The fund will provide mid-sized African businesses with flexible capital that will enhance job creation and facilitate much-needed economic opportunities and growth – especially necessary for post-Covid-19 recovery.

Warren van der Merwe, Managing Partner, noted, “Vantage is proud of the continued support received from its investors. We were the first independent mezzanine fund in South Africa when we raised Fund I in 2006. Mezzanine was not well known in South Africa at that time, let alone in the rest of Africa. Since then, we have taken our mezzanine product across Africa to 15 target markets, having invested in 11 of them. Our fundraising success, in such a challenging environment, is a validation of the mezzanine asset class in Africa and of our role as a pioneer in this space over the past 15 years. As with previous funds, most of the funds have been raised from private sector investors such as insurers, pension funds and endowments who find our contractual yields and equity upside exposure attractive when compared to private equity alternatives. We have also received valuable support from DFI investors, namely IFC, CDC Group and SIFEM, who appreciate the impact that mezzanine can have in growing mid-sized African enterprises.”

Since 2006, Vantage Capital’s Mezzanine division has made 31 investments across three funds into 11 African countries, making it the largest and most experienced independent mezzanine funder on the continent. Its inaugural mezzanine fund was raised in 2006, with US $150 million invested into five South African companies. In 2012, its second mezzanine fund of $240 million was raised, investing into a portfolio of 13 companies across Africa. This was followed by its third mezzanine fund of US $287 million raised in 2015, with a further 13 investments spread across the continent.

“Vantage Capital’s mezzanine offering plays an important role in supporting the growth of mid-size businesses that would otherwise struggle to access capital through conventional banking channels”, explains Luc Albinski, Executive Chairman. “Vantage’s non-dilutive funding enables business owners to retain control and hold on to their equity, while at the same time accessing the capital needed to realise their full potential. This, in turn, plays an important role in driving economic growth, job creation and improved prosperity.”

Over the past 15 years, Vantage has funded a number of success stories. Vumatel, a fibre-to-the-home network operator in South Africa, is one such example. Vantage invested in the company in 2016, at a time when it had a small subscriber base of 3,500 but was well-poised to take advantage of tremendous household demand for fibre. With the help of Vantage’s expansion funding, in a little over two years the company grew its subscriber base to over 90,000 and enjoyed exponential growth in operating profit. Another example is Pétro Ivoire, where in 2018 Vantage facilitated the first-ever leveraged management buyout in Francophone West Africa. The transaction enabled the founding family to regain control of their business by using Vantage’s mezzanine debt to buy out their private equity investors. In the past year, Vantage has also provided growth capital that facilitated CIM Santé’s expansion of its clinics across Morocco; and in late 2020, the fund manager provided PickAlbatros Hotels in Egypt with capital for its renovations, at a time when banks were reluctant to support the hospitality sector due to the negative impact of Covid-19.

Vantage will continue its focus on supporting Africa’s mid-market sector as it commences deployment on its newly-raised fourth mezzanine fund.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Vantage Capital Group.
About Vantage Capital: Vantage Capital is an Africa-focused fund manager with offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The business was founded in 2001 and has raised funds of over $1.3 billion. Since 2006, Vantage Capital’s Mezzanine division has made 31 investments across three funds into 11 African countries, making it the largest and most experienced independent mezzanine funder on the continent. In addition, Vantage Capital’s GreenX division has made 14 senior debt investments into South African solar and wind energy projects across three funds.

Vantage Capital announces the launch of its fourth mezzanine fund

Content provided by APO Group. CNBC Africa provides content from APO Group as a service to its readers and does not edit the articles it publishes. CNBC Africa is not responsible for the content provided by APO Group.
Kenya U20 Vice-Captain Matoka Matoka put on a man-of-the-match performance as Kenya beat Madagascar 21-20 in the final match of the U20 Barthes Trophy played at the Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams went into the match buoyed by huge wins over third-placed Senegal and everyone had their work cut out if they were to be crowned champions.
Tries from Maxwell Atera, Matoka Matoka and Captain John Baraka complimented by two penalties from Matoka Matoka were enough, in the end, to cancel out Madagascar’s three tries, one conversion and one penalty.
Kenya had already qualified for the 2022 World Junior Trophy and now they will feel they are more than prepared for a tougher test.
Speaking after the game, an elated John Baraka could not hide his joy as he attributed the team’s success to teamwork. “The game was a bit tense in the first half, the scores were tight, but we managed to widen the gap in the second half,” says Baraka.
“We gave in to pressure in the last minutes but in the end our teamwork and defence won it for us,” adds Baraka.
Former Kenya international scrum half Peter Mutai who is the team manager is glad they managed to win despite the late flurry by the Junior Makis. “We went off the script, but we were lucky we started the game on a high, much better than our last game against Senegal. We succumbed to pressure in the final minutes, it is a final anyway, but the good thing is that we went ahead early,” says Mutai.
“Congratulations to Madagascar, we respect a good challenge. Those guys play like sevens using their width so much. At the end of the day a win is a win so congratulations to the boys,” concludes Mutai.
Kenya has now successfully defended the title they last won in 2019 at the KCB Sports Club when they beat Namibia 21-18 in the final.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kenya Rugby Union (KRU).
Media Contact: Rugby@APO-opa.com

Kenya successfully defend Rugby Africa U20 Barthes Trophy in Nairobi

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An estimated 23,000 lives per year could be saved and up to $2 billion in economic losses averted by improving weather forecasts, early warning systems, and climate information in low- and middle-income countries, according to a new report (https://bit.ly/3xAkDay) issued by the Alliance for Hydromet Development (https://bit.ly/3k7041u).

Known as hydromet, reliable and accurate weather and climate services, such as early warning systems, create benefits worth at least ten times their costs and are vital to building resilience to extreme weather. And yet, only 40 percent of countries currently have effective multi-hazard early warning systems in place, and large gaps remain in the vital underpinning observations data upon which these services depend.
“The first Hydromet Gap Report tells us how far we have to go to ensure all people have access to accurate, timely, weather and climate information. It presents the challenges of the complex global and local undertaking required for effective weather and climate forecast services and proposes priority solutions to scale up hydromet development,” António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations said at the virtual launch event.
While reducing greenhouse gas emissions remains essential, António Guterres has called for a breakthrough on adaptation and resilience in 2021, with significant increases in the volume and predictability of adaptation finance. Such a breakthrough is vital to ensure all people, especially the most vulnerable, can adapt and be more resilient to the consequences of inevitable future weather and climate events.
The report is presented by leaders of the Alliance, which brings together the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and international development, humanitarian and financial institutions, including the African Development Bank.
“Our climate is rapidly changing. The past decade was the hottest on record. Global mean temperature is approximately 1.2 °C warmer than pre-industrial times. We are far off track from reducing global greenhouse gas emissions to avert the worst impacts of climate change and limit temperature rise to within 1.5 °C in line with the Paris Agreement,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas.
“Science-based, data-driven weather and climate services are the foundation for effective adaptation measures,” Prof. Taalas observed.
“While the contribution of developing countries to greenhouse gas emissions is limited, the impacts of disasters from climate-related weather events are three times higher than in high-income countries. Accurate weather forecasts and robust climate prediction is critical for adaptation policy and investment decisions,” Alassane Ouattara, President of Côte d’Ivoire stated.
The Alliance for Hydromet Development was launched at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, COP25, in Madrid. The Alliance members collectively committed to unite and scale up efforts to close the capacity gap on high-quality weather, climate, hydrological, and related environmental services as the foundation for resilient and sustainable development.
Policy makers, planners, farmers all need better and reliable climate information in real time.
Many developing countries, including several in Africa, do not have the capacity to generate basic weather and climate observation data.
“The Alliance partnership is important to the Bank and to Africa. It offers a platform to strengthen resilient development and climate adaptation through improved ground-based observing systems, leading to better weather forecasts of extreme events and climate prediction services,” African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina said in a message.
Click here (https://bit.ly/36Awjhz) to watch President Adesina’s video message at the launch event.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Media Contact: Emeka Anuforo Communication and External Relations Department African Development Bank Email: e.anuforo@afdb.org
About the African Development Bank Group: The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org.

First Hydromet Gap Report calls for scaled-up investments in weather forecasts and early warning systems

Content provided by APO Group. CNBC Africa provides content from APO Group as a service to its readers and does not edit the articles it publishes. CNBC Africa is not responsible for the content provided by APO Group.
The South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD) (www.AMD.org.za) is currently playing an important yet largely un-sung role in South Africa’s economy and civil society, with enormous potential to drive positive change even further.

This is according to Sandile Ndlovu, Interim Executive Director: AMD, who explains, “The AMD is a grouping of South African aerospace and defence registered entities whose focus is in high technology capabilities including the design, development, testing, evaluation, manufacturing, operating, upgrading, maintenance, repair and overhaul of air (including space)&#038;sea (i.e. maritime&#038;naval) platforms and their sub-systems &#8211; including items that are regarded as &#8220;dual use&#8221; for purposes both locally and abroad.

This critical arena requires a special and unique level of government support that is not necessarily pertinent to other local business arenas.

“Around the world, the value of a country’s defence sector to its economy is enormous. It exists to provide sovereign security, of course, but the offering is so much more than this, which civil society does not always realise. The technology required in this sector is able to drive other innovations which, sooner or later, can have a positive effect on civilian life.

“For example, the internet today exists because it was originally part of a defence initiative in America, when the formation of the closed ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), to facilitate communication between separate academic and research organisations that had contracts with the US Defense Department, eventually evolved into the open global network that is the internet of today [1]. And in a similar way, the GPS feature on our smart phones allows us to navigate our way to places more easily than relying on maps or directions – because the technology behind pin drops once originated from a defence technology innovation [2].”

From a local perspective, Ndlovu says the technology in South Africa’s defence sector has allowed the country to remain globally competitive for decades, and this helps to cushion the economy from needing to import certain technologies, while also creating jobs.

“The aerospace, maritime and defence industries are tremendously innovative and there is a huge role they can play in local job creation. The primary focus is not only on defence, it’s also on aerospace and security. This is one of the fastest growing sectors in the economy, with technology lying at its very core.

“South Africa is now famous the world over for its part in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Project, an international effort to build the world’s largest radio telescope, with a square kilometre of collecting area. It will be co-located in South Africa and Australia, deploying thousands of radio telescopes, and will enable astronomers to monitor the sky in previously unprecedented detail.

“Our part in the project would not have been possible without the scientists and engineers that were developed by the local defence sector, including using the efforts of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) [3]. So, too, South Africa’s nuclear modular reactor project would not have been possible without the aerospace and defence sector.”

The World Economic Forum has predicted that innovative technology will create 58 million more jobs than it removes from the global economy in the next few years. The opportunities are there for those who are willing and able to embrace change, and this includes diversifying their skill sets [4].

Adds Ndlovu, “The local defence sector has the ability to train the most brilliant scientists and engineers for our country. Any advances that are made in science and engineering are almost duty-bound to spill over into civilian life, over time, in an ultimately advantageous manner.

“Within local communities for instance, we see the SASSA cards for the social grant payment system. People may not realise that the system is secured and operated in a proper manner precisely because of technology that has been developed within the defence sector.”

Addressing the proverbial elephant in the room, Ndlovu notes, “The history of our country is closely wrapped up with the legacy of the defence sector. Transformation is of course a very sensitive topic in our sector, for historical reasons. However, over the past 10 years or so, we have seen quite a drastic improvement in terms of making changes to reflect the demographics of the population.

“We are not yet at the desired levels, but are working towards it via our transformation charter, which was implemented two years ago. Transformation is a work in progress for this sector. The AMD is pleased to be playing its role in working towards technology sharing, job creation and community upliftment,” he concludes.
[1] https://bit.ly/3r1Dnxe
[2] https://go.nasa.gov/3yK77RR
[3] https://bit.ly/36s5f42
[4] https://bit.ly/3idMl6P
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD).
For more information: The South African Aerospace, Maritime, and Defence Industries Association Sandile Ndlovu Tel: 012 752 5880 Email: magda@amd.org.za
PurpleRoom Consultancy Thandi Chaotsane – Moticoe Tel: 071 600 2429 Email: thandi@prconsultancy.co.za

Aerospace, Maritime and Defence industries playing a key role in moving SA economy and civil society forward

Content provided by APO Group. CNBC Africa provides content from APO Group as a service to its readers and does not edit the articles it publishes. CNBC Africa is not responsible for the content provided by APO Group.
Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) won stage 14 of the Tour de France, going solo to the line from 40km out to take an impressive win.

Stage 14 of the Tour de France was another tough climbing day, as riders made their way from Carcasonne to Quillan over 183km. Once again it was an explosive start to the stage as just about every rider in the race had a go at trying to make the breakaway.
Sean Bennett and Sergio Henao were very active for Team Qhubeka NextHash but the battle for the break went on for 90km. Eventually it was 10 riders that finally got a gap on an exhausted peloton.
The climbs came thick and fast through the stage though, and it was Mollema who took advantage on one of the descents to jump clear from his breakaway companions with 40km to go.
The chase never really got organised and the Dutchman went solo all the way to the line. After the early efforts to try make the breakaway, Henao came home with the peloton while our other Team Qhubeka NextHash riders rolled in with the various smaller groups.
Gino van Oudenhove &#8211; Sports Director
It was like a pre-Pyrenees stage with a lot of climbing. We had big plans to have Sergio in the break as we were expecting the race to develop the way that it unfolded and it took a long time, almost 80km, for the breakaway to go.
We were up there a few times with Sergio but in the end it was a bit of lottery and you can’t expect him to jump after everything. We tried and he got good help from Simon and the others but he had a puncture very early in the stage and had to use a lot of energy to get back when the race was on for the first two hours.
At the finish he was still there in the big group with the GC riders but that wasn’t really the goal, which was to have a top result in the stage, but I think that Sergio has the legs for it so we will see what can happen in the coming days.
We’re going to Andorra next and a lot of the riders live there so their wives and kids are waiting, including Sergio’s, so I’m hoping it gives some extra motivation.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka NextHash.
Media Contact: Jean Smyth (Head of Communications) Email: jean@ryder.co.za Mobile: +27 63 470 1710 or +31 625 739 033
About Team Qhubeka NextHash: Team Qhubeka NextHash is a purpose-led, high-performance team, fighting to win on the world&#39;s biggest stage, to inspire hope and create opportunity. Founded in 2007, Team Qhubeka NextHash (formerly NTT Pro Cycling) became the first-ever African cycling team to gain a UCI WorldTour license, in 2016.
We achieved our first major win in 2013 when Gerald Ciolek won Milan-San Remo, one of the five Monuments of cycling. We have competed in six Tour de France’s and notched up 7 stage wins, with Mark Cavendish wearing the coveted Yellow Jersey at the 2016 Tour de France.
We are a multicultural, diverse team with bases in South Africa, the Netherlands and Italy. There are 19 nationalities represented across our World Tour and continental feeder team rosters. Our focus on developing African cycling has resulted in more than 55 riders from the African continent be given the opportunity to race on the world stage, since the team&#39;s inception.
We race to help people to move forward with bicycles through our relationship with Qhubeka Charity. Through our work with Qhubeka, we have contributed to the distribution of over 30 000 bicycles in communities in South Africa.
About Qhubeka: Qhubeka is a charity that moves people forward with bicycles. People earn bicycles through our programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs.
A bicycle is a tool that helps people to travel faster and further, and to carry more. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socioeconomic challenges at the most basic level – helping people to get where they need to go. 
All images attached to the press release can be used with the respective image credit in combination to this release.

Another big day for the break at Le Tour on stage 14

Content provided by APO Group. CNBC Africa provides content from APO Group as a service to its readers and does not edit the articles it publishes. CNBC Africa is not responsible for the content provided by APO Group.
Devin Booker got 31 points, Chris Paul added 23 points and 8 assists and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 118-108 in Game 2 of the 2021 NBA Finals (www.NBA.com). The Suns have taken a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, winning both of their home games, before the series shifts to Milwaukee for Games 3 and 4.

Nigeria and Greece’s pride, “The Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo, led the Bucks with 42 points and 12 rebounds, becoming the first player to score at least 20 points in a Finals’ quarter since Michael Jordan scored 22 in 1993, but it was not enough to overcome the Suns this morning. Game 3 will be in Milwaukee on Sunday night, live on ESPN 2 from 2:00 a.m. CAT in the early hours of Monday morning.

Quotes Monty Williams (Suns Head Coach): “The thing about Devin, he shoots the same way first quarter, fourth quarter, doesn&#39;t matter, his shot looks the same. That&#39;s a guy that&#39;s put a ton of work in his shot, but the mentality, he&#39;s calm in those moments. So, we&#39;re grateful for those contributions in those moments.”

Mike Budenholzer (Bucks Head Coach) on Giannis: “I think there&#39;s feedback between him and myself and the sports performance (team). I think he&#39;s in a pretty good place. Obviously conditioning-wise, to take &#8212; first of all, to have the injury, and then to have five days, six days, whatever it was, before Game 1. But he wants to be out there. It&#39;s hard &#8212; I think he understands and I think he&#39;ll be better going into Game 3, his conditioning, everything. I think he want us to lean on him hard. He wants as much responsibility as we can give him, and that&#39;s part of what makes him great.”

Chris Paul (Suns): “I do a pretty good job of staying in the moment. Maybe a lot of the guys on our team, it&#39;s their first playoff series, they don&#39;t know the heartache or the heartbreak. They’re just out there playing. So, for me I know how quick things can change. I know how a possession or a play can change the dynamics of an entire series. So, for me I don&#39;t get too high, I don&#39;t get too low, I just stay even keel. I wasn&#39;t always like that, but I know that these situations are &#8212; don&#39;t happen every day.”

Mikal Bridges (Suns): “Got to treat it like it&#39;s Game 1. We talk about it in the locker room and our next game is the most important game. That&#39;s in the regular season, that&#39;s in the playoffs, the Finals no matter what, our next game is our most important game.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks): “It&#39;s always good to play at home in front of your fans. But trying not to think about that right now. Just trying to think about what we have to do to put ourselves in a position to win, what I got to do, what the team got to do. We&#39;ve got to watch the clips. We took a step toward the right direction but we have to keep getting better. We have to keep getting better in order for us to put ourselves in a position to win this series. But we&#39;re going to figure it out.”

Please find transcripts and a photo (please credit NBAE/Getty Images) attached. To view the full media availability sessions, click on the links below. For all things NBA Finals, register on NBA Media Central (https://on.nba.com/2UDdXtT). To request to join Finals media availability zoom calls, please respond to this email.

Game 2 Postgame Media Availability:
 	Bucks Postgame Media Availability (https://bit.ly/2TSZhqp) 	Suns Postgame Media Availability (https://bit.ly/3xv5tnb) Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA).

2021 NBA Finals Game 2 Recap – Phoenix Suns Take 2-0 Lead in the Series

Content provided by APO Group. CNBC Africa provides content from APO Group as a service to its readers and does not edit the articles it publishes. CNBC Africa is not responsible for the content provided by APO Group.
Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-Quickstep) won stage 13 of the Tour de France, sprinting to the win in Carcassonne.

Stage 13 of the Tour de France was another long transitional stage, covering 220km of the Southern France countryside. The stage got off to another fast start with a number of riders again looking to make the break.
Team Qhubeka NextHash were once again very active and were rewarded for their efforts when American, Sean Bennett made the break of the day. Only two other riders joined Bennett on the attack, and so it was set to be a long and hard day under the baking sun for the trio.
They managed to force open a lead of 4-minutes at one point but the peloton easily had the gap under control. With a bit of wind about from 60km to go some attacks began in the peloton.
These accelerations quickly brought back the the three escapees and created some nervousness in the peloton, as nobody wanted to be caught out in echelons. A crash in the peloton created a small split, fortunately no Team Qhubeka NextHash riders went down.
Coming into the sprint, Max Walscheid was battling for position up at the head of the race for the final 20km. Deceuninck-Quickstep being the only team with a sprint train in the race, were in total control though. The finale was somewhat technical but that didn’t stop their sprinter, Cavendish, from taking another stage win, his fourth of the race.
Walscheid would finish as our best placed rider on the stage, crossing the line in 14th place after suffering a mechanical in with approximately 1.5km to go.
Sean Bennett
It’s a bit frustrating to get into the break and then only be three of us. We knew beforehand that it was 50-50 if they would let a big break go up the road and it sticks to the line or something like today happens where there’s just three of us and there’s really no chance. I tried to make the best of it and a long, fun day in the end.
There’s still a week left of the race and there’d better be something left in the tank, I’m now just going to recover for the next days and then see what we can do in the next week.
I want to thank everyone for all of their support. I really miss my family and friends back home but thank you for everything.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka NextHash.
Media Contact: Jean Smyth (Head of Communications) Email: jean@ryder.co.za Mobile: +27 63 470 1710 or +31 625 739 033
About Team Qhubeka NextHash: Team Qhubeka NextHash is a purpose-led, high-performance team, fighting to win on the world&#39;s biggest stage, to inspire hope and create opportunity. Founded in 2007, Team Qhubeka NextHash (formerly NTT Pro Cycling) became the first-ever African cycling team to gain a UCI WorldTour license, in 2016.
We achieved our first major win in 2013 when Gerald Ciolek won Milan-San Remo, one of the five Monuments of cycling. We have competed in six Tour de France’s and notched up 7 stage wins, with Mark Cavendish wearing the coveted Yellow Jersey at the 2016 Tour de France.
We are a multicultural, diverse team with bases in South Africa, the Netherlands and Italy. There are 19 nationalities represented across our World Tour and continental feeder team rosters. Our focus on developing African cycling has resulted in more than 55 riders from the African continent be given the opportunity to race on the world stage, since the team&#39;s inception.
We race to help people to move forward with bicycles through our relationship with Qhubeka Charity. Through our work with Qhubeka, we have contributed to the distribution of over 30 000 bicycles in communities in South Africa.
About Qhubeka: Qhubeka is a charity that moves people forward with bicycles. People earn bicycles through our programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs.
A bicycle is a tool that helps people to travel faster and further, and to carry more. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socioeconomic challenges at the most basic level – helping people to get where they need to go. 
All images attached to the press release can be used with the respective image credit in combination to this release.

Bennett animates Le Tour stage 13 in breakaway

Content provided by APO Group. CNBC Africa provides content from APO Group as a service to its readers and does not edit the articles it publishes. CNBC Africa is not responsible for the content provided by APO Group.
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has approved a €39 million loan package for the construction of the Kinguélé Aval hydroelectric project in Gabon.

The package comprises €20 million from the African Development Bank, €10 million from the Africa Growing Together Fund and €9 million in concessional financing from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa, a special multi-donor fund managed by the African Development Bank.
Additional financing to meet the project’s €133.8 million budget will come from the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group, the Canada-IFC Program for Renewable Energy in Africa, the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Development Fund. The loan funds will be disbursed to Asonha Énergie S.A., a company created to manage the project.
The project entails the design, construction, and operation of a 34.1-megawatt power plant with a net annual generation of 203-gigawatt hours. The Kinguélé Aval dam will be built on the Mbei River, 90 km east of Gabon’s capital, Libreville, downstream from the Tchimbélé (69 MW) and Kinguélé Amont (58 MW) hydroelectric plants.
“We are delighted to support the first IPP project in Gabon”, said Mr. Wale Shonibare, Director of the Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation Department at the African Development Bank. “Kinguélé Aval is a showcase project, and the success of the model provides a useful template for future projects that will help move the country closer towards achieving the government’s 100% clean energy target.&#8221;
“Kinguélé Aval epitomizes the catalytic effect of SEFA and co-financing from the likes of the Africa Growing Together Fund that the Africa Development Bank brings forth to support developers deliver sustainable renewable projects that aid Africa’s energy transition”, said Dr Kevin Kariuki, Vice-President of Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth at the African Development Bank.
The project aligns with the “Emerging Gabon” Strategic Plan and the country&#39;s commitment to address climate change under the Paris Agreement nationally determined contributions framework. The project is also consistent with the African Development Bank’s New Deal on Energy for Africa and the &#8220;Light up and Power Africa &#8221; High-5 strategic priority.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Media Contact: Romaric Ollo HIEN Communication and External Relations Department African Development Bank Email: O.HIEN@AFDB.ORG
Technical Contact: Abel Brook Senior Investment Officer African Development Bank
About SEFA: SEFA is an African Development Bank-managed special fund providing catalytic finance for renewable energy. SEFA’s overarching goal is to contribute to universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy services for all in Africa, in line with the Bank’s New Deal on Energy for Africa and Sustainable Development Goal 7. SEFA was established in 2011 in partnership with the Government of Denmark (https://um.dk/en/danida) and has since received contributions from the Governments of the United States (www.usaid.gov), the United Kingdom (https://bit.ly/3xvlaL9), Italy (www.minambiente.it), Spain (www.mineco.gob.es), and Sweden (www.sida.se/English), Nordic Development Fund (www.ndf.int) and Germany (www.bmz.de/en).
About AGTF: The Africa Growing Together Fund (AGTF), a US$2 billion facility sponsored by the People’s Bank of China and administered by the African Development Bank, has also approved a US$ 50 Million Loan to the Federal Government of Nigeria to co-finance the project.

African Development Bank to provide EUR39 million loan package for Gabon’s first independent hydropower project

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The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has approved a $6 million grant to launch the initial phase of the Desert to Power West Africa Regional Energy Program. Desert to Power, an initiative led by the Bank, is expected to transform the Sahel by harnessing the region’s abundant solar potential.

The grant funding, sourced from the African Development Fund’s 15 (ADF-15) Regional Operations Envelope, will go to the West African Power Pool (WAPP) to conduct pre-feasibility studies for the construction of the Sahel Transmission Backbone that will link regional solar parks in all five countries. The Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) will also receive financing to expand decentralized energy systems as part of an ECOWAS Regional Mini-Grid Program. The board approval was made on 1 July 2021.
The financing will also help de-risk energy investments by preparing transmission infrastructure to link countries in the Sahel region and harness a larger share of electricity from solar power. This is expected to pave the way for power trading on a regional electricity market. The G-5 Sahel countries are  Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
“The Sahel Backbone is synonymous with the West African Power Pool’s drive to reinforce interconnectivity among the ECOWAS national power systems, increase coverage area beyond the ECOWAS geographical space and augment the component of renewable energy within the energy mix,” the Secretary General of the West African Power Pool, Mr. Siengui Apollinaire Ki said. “The approval of funding by the African Development Bank represents a concrete step towards leveraging the solar potential of the Sahel region.”
Mr. Bah F. M. Saho, acting Executive Director of ECREEE, said: “The funding for the Desert to Power initiative will allow ECREEE to upscale efforts on clean energy mini-grids and improve the availability of locally qualified personnel through the certification of technicians.”
The West Africa Regional Program will contribute to the overall target of 10,000 MW of new solar generation capacity, providing electricity access to 250 million people by 2030.
“As the regional roadmap for Desert to Power takes shape, this program comes as a timely enabler for concerted and large-scale solar energy deployments in the G5 Sahel region, and it will help accelerate the energy transition,” said Dr. Daniel Schroth, acting Bank Director for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Media Contact: Olufemi Terry Communication and External Relations Department African Development Bank Email: o.terry@afdb.org
Technical Contact: Adele Boadzo Senior Energy Specialist Renewable Energy and Desert to Power African Development Bank

African Development Bank Group’s $6 million grant kicks off Desert-to-Power West Africa Regional Energy Program

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President of the Republic of Senegal, His Excellency Macky Sall, welcomes the support of Team Europe and other partners, including the United States and the  World Bank Group, in the construction in Senegal of a facility for manufacturing vaccines against COVID-19 and other endemic diseases; President of the Republic of Senegal, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, European Investment Bank (www.EIB.org) Director and United States sign grant agreements to set up large-scale vaccine production project; Part of the Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies in Africa, set to reduce Africa’s dependence on 99% imported vaccines and bolster production in Africa; Project will significantly increase Africa’s medical and vaccine production capacity and reduce its dependence on imports, which account for 99% of its vaccine needs; Institut Pasteur de Dakar to host regional manufacturing hub; Government of Senegal and international financing partners to support scheme.

Producing COVID-19 vaccines in Africa came one step closer today after Team Europe formally agreed to support large-scale investment in vaccine production by the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, alongside other support measures. The new manufacturing plant should reduce Africa’s 99% dependence on vaccine imports and strengthen future pandemic resilience on the continent.

The agreement is part of a major package of investment in vaccine and pharmaceuticals production in Africa launched by Team Europe in May, which brings together the European Commission, EU Member States, and the European Investment Bank, and other financial institutions, in line with the EU’s Strategy with Africa and the strategy of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM).

Team Europe, together with other international partners, has committed to a significant package of support for the medium- to long-term sustainability of the project. This includes:

Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is supporting the manufacturing hub in Senegal with a €20 million grant through KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau), the German development bank.

France, through the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), has already granted two initial financing packages totalling €1.8 million to the MADIBA project (Manufacturing in Africa for Disease Immunization and Building Autonomy) at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar for feasibility studies and initial investments. The AFD Group and its private sector subsidiary, Proparco, are also working within the group of technical and financial partners to structure the project in order to reach financial support at a larger scale.

Belgium will support Senegal in structuring initiatives to produce vaccines and pharmaceuticals, such as the Pharmapolis pharma hub. Belgium also welcomes the fact that a Belgian biotech company in novel bio-manufacturing platforms is forging, with the support of Wallonia, a partnership with the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, as a key partner for building capacity and transferring technology.

The European Commission is discussing with the Senegalese authorities the possibility of mobilising further financial support by the end of 2021 under the new NDICI / Global Europe instrument to support this project. This is part of the €1 billion Team Europe initiative to boost the manufacturing of, and access to, vaccines, medicines and health technologies in Africa, which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in May 2021.

At a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Dakar, the President of the Republic of Senegal, His Excellence Macky Sall, European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton and representatives of Germany, France, Belgium, the European Investment Bank and other development finance institutions, including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), today confirmed details of Team Europe support to accelerate project preparation, expand manufacturing capacities and undertake technical feasibility work. These will be crucial to unlock large-scale investment in the new plant. This will be built over the next 18 months and will equip the African continent with a state-of-the-art facility for the production of authorised COVID-19 vaccines.

Today, Team Europe is providing €6.75 million in grant support to enable technical feasibility studies and project preparation for the new facility at the Institut Pasteur in Dakar. This amount includes €4.75 million from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, €200,000 from Germany, and €1.8 million from France. This will also enable the total investment cost and financial structures to be defined and agreed with Senegalese and international partners. Construction of the new plant is expected to start later this year, with 25 million vaccine doses being produced each month by the end of 2022.

Announcing today’s contracts, Amadou Hott, Senegal’s Minister of the Economy said: “To strengthen the fight against pandemics in Africa, the Government of Senegal is committed to enabling COVID-19 vaccine production at the Institut Pasteur in Dakar. This project is part of the vision of His Excellency Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, to lay the foundations for the country’s – and the continent’s &#8211; pharmaceutical and medical sovereignty. It is strongly supported by my colleagues in charge of finance and health who see it as another means with which to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic more effectively. Initial funding and expertise from Team Europe and other partners, such as the United States, the World Bank Group, and regional donors, will accelerate construction of the new production plant, increase access to affordable vaccines in Africa, and enable vaccine production to rapidly respond to new pandemics.”

“Africa currently imports 99% of its vaccines. But with today’s agreement, Team Europe is helping Senegal move one important step closer to producing its own vaccines and protecting Africans from COVID-19 and other diseases. And more will come. This is just the first part of a much broader Team Europe initiative to support the production of medicines and vaccines across Africa,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“Scaling up local production of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial to tackle the pandemic. As part of Team Europe, the European Investment Bank welcomes today’s agreement that will unlock large scale investment at the Institut Pasteur in Dakar to manufacture vaccines in Senegal and improve health across Africa. The European Investment Bank looks forward to even closer technical and financial cooperation with Senegalese and international partners to deliver this visionary project. This is a key milestone in the EIB’s global effort to address the health and economic challenges of COVID-19 and build a better future,” said Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank.

“Team Europe is proud to support the Government of Senegal’s visionary ambition to enable licensed COVID-19 vaccine production at the Institut Pasteur in Dakar. The initiative will not only support Africa&#39;s autonomy in the production of life-saving vaccines, but also serve as an important building block in Senegal&#39;s emergent health industrial ecosystem,” said Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market, leading the European Commission&#39;s task force for the industrial scale-up of vaccine production.

“Team Europe is mobilised to support African partners throughout the COVID-19 crisis, in line with the priorities in our Africa Strategy. Boosting local manufacturing of vaccines, medicines and health technologies is one of the key lessons of the pandemic. Today, we draw on our combined financial firepower and expertise to accompany Senegal and the Institut Pasteur of Dakar in producing vaccines to bring the pandemic to an end. It is crucial to take an integrated, 360-degree approach by further investing with our African partners in areas like the enabling environment, regulatory strengthening, incentives for the private sector, research and development, education and training, and innovative jobs,” said Jutta Urpilainen, Commissioner for International Partnerships.

“As part of Team Europe, the European Investment Bank is pleased to support technical feasibility and project preparation studies for Africa’s first COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing plant at the Institut Pasteur in Dakar. Over the coming months we will intensify cooperation with the Government of Senegal and international financing, technical and pharmaceutical partners to unlock large-scale financing to bring African vaccine production to reality and reduce Africa’s dependence on imported vaccines,” said Ambroise Fayolle, European Investment Bank Vice-President.

“COVID-19 poses a growing threat in Africa. So Africa needs a vaccine campaign – using African-produced vaccines. Now, for the first time, the continent has a realistic chance of establishing its own manufacturing facilities. Senegal’s Institut Pasteur has unveiled an actionable strategy for launching licensed COVID-19 vaccine production in Africa. The 20 million euros we are providing in seed funding will be important in helping to get the project off the ground. Germany supports the goal that Senegal and the international community share, which is for us to emerge from this pandemic stronger,” said Germany’s Minister for Development, Gerd Müller.

“Addressing vaccine production capacity is a key aspect of our strategy to stem the pandemic, as the President of the Republic has stated. Today, by supporting vaccine production in Africa with a European approach, we’re helping to build our partners’ ability to autonomously provide vaccines for their citizens. So I’m delighted to see this vaccine plant project take shape, a project that is the result of collaboration between the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal and Team Europe,” said the French Minister for Europe and for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves le Drian.

“We fully join Team Europe. Vaccine equality is key to my policy and a major global challenge. Africa needs access to affordable, quality-assured health products. Belgium’s efforts go beyond increasing vaccine manufacturing capacities. They shall prioritise public health, reinforce epidemic preparedness and strengthen local health systems. We will support our Senegalese partners with the structuring of their pharmaceutical industry and the launch of a pharma production hub,” said Belgium’s

Minister of Development Cooperation and Major Cities Policy, Meryame Kitir.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of European Investment Bank (EIB).
Background information Team Europe has been at the forefront of the response to COVID-19 in Africa, as one of the leading donors to the COVAX Facility, the global initiative to secure fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines in low and middle-income countries. https://youtu.be/wbm5Z-hRyOU
Institut Pasteur de Dakar key partner for vaccine production in Africa The Institut Pasteur in Dakar already produces World Health Organisation approved vaccines and has been identified by the Government of Senegal and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Protection as a potential host for the new vaccine production plant. The new facility is expected to be built on land adjacent to existing research facilities.
Following the signature ceremony at the presidential palace today, a delegation visited the Institut Pasteur de Dakar to discuss plans for vaccine production with Amadou Sall, General Administrator of the Institut Pasteur de Dakar. The European Investment Bank and Germany’s KfW development bank are already cooperating with the Institut Pasteur de Dakar to scale up production of rapid diagnostic testing kits for use by front-line health workers across Africa.
France is a long-standing partner of the network of Pasteur Institutes and in particular of the Pasteur Foundation in Dakar which it supports in its efforts to increase its vaccine production capacity. AFD has been co-financing the Africamaril project for the construction of a new yellow fever vaccine production plant in the new town of Diamniadio for over five years. This plant will complement the historical facilities of the Pasteur Foundation in Dakar which has been producing these vaccines since 1937. Equipped with extensive experience and due to this long-standing relationship, France is now supporting the Pasteur Institute of Dakar in this new stage in the fight against COVID-19, whose experience will be necessary to meet the current challenge of increasing local production capacities in Africa.
Reducing Africa’s dependence in vaccine imports Africa, a continent of 54 countries and 1.2 billion people, currently produces only 1% of the vaccines it administers. The remaining 99% are imported.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed Africa’s vulnerabilities in ensuring affordable access to vital drugs, vaccines and health technologies. Boosting local production will save lives, boost public health and health systems, and strengthen African economies, including supporting local jobs and enhance the sharing of crucial technologies.
African, European and international support for new facility The first phase of the new vaccine production plant is expected to be financed by the Government of Senegal and international partners including the European Commission, through the European Investment Bank, Agence Française de Développement, Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC). Leading pharmaceutical and technical partners are already working with the Institut Pasteur de Dakar to enable existing vaccine production, specialist packing and distribution technology to be used at the new plant. The European Commission is currently funding two projects to support the Institut Pasteur de Dakar.
Broader Team Europe support for health resilience in Africa As Team Europe, the European Commission, European Investment Bank and European development finance partners are addressing Africa’s need to increase local manufacturing capacity to produce vaccines in order to bolster Africa’s health security.
Through the new Sustainable Health Industry for Resilience in Africa (SHIRA) scheme the EIB is providing financing and technical support to tackle barriers to regional production.
Press contacts: EU Delegation in Senegal Rose Kane Phone: +221 33 889 10 71 Mobile: +221 77 558 08 27 Email: rose.kane@eeas.europa.eu
European Investment Bank Richard Willis Phone: +352 43 79 82155 Mobile:  +352 621 55 57 58 Email: r.willis@eib.org Press Office: +352 4379 21000 press@eib.org
European Commission Peter Stano Phone: +32 2 295 45 53 Mobile: +32 460 75 45 53 Email: peter.stano@ec.europa.eu Social media: @ExtSpoxEU

Republic of Senegal and Team Europe support agree to build a manufacturing plant to produce vaccines against COVID-19 and other endemic diseases

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Payment technology over the years has completely transformed how retailers operate. Thirty years ago, most retailers across Africa did not accept credit cards, and mobile money was still an idea. Over the past decade and a half, mobile money has transformed how African consumers access and use their money to pay for goods and services.  But the most significant shift in the use of digital payments has happened in the last year, where the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digitisation for the retail sector.

Unfortunately, retail businesses in major urban areas that were not equipped to handle card or mobile payments found it challenging to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. In Zambia, where multiple mobile money players are fighting for market share, merchants and retailers have set up fragmented payment processes, contracts and accounts to accept all forms of payments. In turn, this means that the retailer is managing varying user payment experiences to collect from multiple mobile money networks and processes for settlement and reversals daily.
Cellulant, a Pan-African payments company, is addressing this fragmentation in payment processing for retailers by rolling out Tingg, a digital payments platform enabling businesses across Zambia to accept payments from their customers seamlessly.
“Today, roughly 50% of retail customers request to pay for their purchases using digital payment options. Therefore, for all businesses &#8211; small, medium, large- digitising their payments has moved from a good to have to a game-changer in what has become the new norm.  However, this demand presents several challenges for most merchants who might not always support the customer’s preferred payment method, resulting in merchants having to enable multiple solutions to support multiple wallets.  We want to partner with these businesses and makes it easy for them to conveniently and affordably accept payments with fewer hoops,” says Gilbert Lungu, Country Manager for Cellulant Zambia.
A single integrated solution, Tingg offers simplified payment tools and processes for a merchant to manage their payments. As a result, businesses can allow their customers to make payments for goods and services using locally relevant payment options.
“In rolling out this digital payments platform, we are slowly removing the dependency on cash and POS terminals. Retailers can accept as many payment methods as possible whilst simplifying the collections and settlement processes. For retail customers, the solution provides a standard and unified payment experience regardless of the payment method.,” add Mr Lungu.
More than 70% of businesses in Africa are small or medium businesses and remain a backbone for economic growth for many other countries in Africa. Yet, 90% of these businesses collect payments in cash and lack digital payments options that cater to their customers. Cellulant aims to leverage its digital payments platform to boost growth for the retail sector by making it easy for businesses to conveniently and affordably accept payments and address the complex needs of managing payments.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Cellulant.
For further information contact: Andrew Lala media@cellulant.io W: www.Tingg.Africa
About Cellulant&#038;Tingg: Cellulant is a leading Pan-African financial technology company providing a one-stop digital payments platform. Cellulant uses technology to connect people and their resources, making it easier to do business across Africa.
Cellulant provides a single digital payments platform &#8211; named Tingg- addressing the complex payments needs of businesses. Tingg makes it easy to collect and make payments across multiple payment methods in different currencies, with the best customer experience for any business looking to digitise their payments. 
Today, Cellulant has an office presence in 18 African countries with a payments platform connecting thousands of businesses with 154 payment options across 35 countries. The platform powers payments for 220M consumers on a single inclusive network allowing for interoperability across Africa.

Cellulant Introduces Tingg, a Digital Payments Platform for the Retail Sector in Zambia

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The move is set to open up exciting animation opportunities and grow Ada Animation (www.AdaAnimation.com) across Africa; Unicorn Group appoints Dr. Akindele to join the board.

Ada Animation, an entertainment Tech company under the Ada Labs Africa group of ventures, today announced its pre seed capital raise from Nigerian venture capital firm Platform Capital through its technology vehicle, Unicorn Group. This investment is a first of its kind in East Africa and is set to elevate entertainment companies in Africa as potential partners in the VC investments realm.
Founded in 2020, Ada Animation was born out of the desire to build capacity in the animation industry, tell animated African stories and catalyze the animation industry for growth.
Ada Animation will use the secured investment to support the company’s growth ambitions to hire great talent, create African content, and further develop its proprietary technology. Ada Animation is supported by a strong advisory board of Dean Lyon, Director at Splinter Studios; Jack Giarraputo, Co-Founder at Happy Madison Productions; Firdaus Kharas at CEO at Chocolate Moose; Joann Yarrow at Executive Director at LIVE Animation Studios. As part of Platform’s investment, Dr. Akintoye Akindele, Chairman of Platform Capital will join the board.
Speaking of the investment, Joy Mwangi, CEO of Ada Animation said, “We are incredibly proud of our partnership with Unicorn Group, a Platform Capital company. This strategic investment represents an important step in our growth as a company, we will immediately ramp up our efforts to attract top talent in animation production to join our journey. Ada Animation is at the forefront of animation industry on the continent, changing the way we represent our content to produce more than we consume and share our stories from our perspectives. We see huge potential for Ada Animation content on millions of screens worldwide. The world will watch movies made from our imagination and will visualize color and creativity born from our culture.”
“We look forward to showcasing to the international community that there is a massive animation market opportunity in Africa for investment and scale through our work, talent and programs. The timing is so critical for us as we have started producing our first animation movie set for a global release next year.” Concluded Mwangi.
Dr. Akintoye Akindele, Chairman of the Unicorn Group explained “We are excited about our partnership with Ada Animation. We have seen how passionate and committed they have been since inception to add value into the animation creatives sector in Africa. We see this as an opportunity to build a dynamic animation industry for the youth. It is about time we fabricated and developed a platform that encourages and supports young creatives on the continent to be at the epicenter of telling African stories. We are optimistic about the development of creative talent and growth of homegrown platforms that will spur international companies’ partnerships in boosting the animation industry.”.
The funding comes soon after the company’s recent partnership with Kenya Film Commission (KFC) to launch an animation summit and the second season of Ada Animation boot camp that will be the largest nationwide training program in the sector.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ada Animation.
For more information, please contact: joymwangi@adalabsafrica.com
About Ada Animation: Ada Animation is an innovative African entertainment Tech Company with a mission to develop top-tier animators across Africa by empowering creatives with the necessary skills, tools, mentorship and platforms to create and share African stories with Africa and the world.
The company produces content in 2D&#038;3D Animation, Motion Graphics, White board animation, VFX, Content Creation, Character Design, Voice Overs, Infographics, Animation’s training, and upskilling. Ada Animation is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with subsidiary offices in London, UK; Lagos, Nigeria, Johannesburg, and South Africa.
About Unicorn Group: Unicorn Group is a pan-African, first-mover investment company targeting innovative ideas, start-ups and early-stage companies in the technology and technology-enabled sectors across Africa; that have the potential to emerge as unicorns. Unicorn provides education, training, mentorship, infrastructure, and long-term capital to entrepreneurs, start-ups and early stage in the technology and technology-enabled sector through its ecosystem strategy.
www.Unicornmaking.com
About Platform Capital: Platform Capital is a growth markets focused, sector agnostic, principal investment and advisory firm. We deploy patient, value accretive capital alongside international and local value investors to create champion businesses with the potential for regional or global scale. Platform also provides end-to-end bespoke Corporate Finance&#038;Capital Markets advisory services. What makes us different is our obsession with changing the African narrative.
www.thePlatformCapital.com

Ada Animation secures pre-seed funding from VC firm Platform Capital’s technology vehicle Unicorn Group

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Shri Rahul Chhabra, Secretary (Economic Relations) visited Guinea Bissau (GB) on 5-6 July 2021. He was accompanied by Joint Secretary (C&#038;WA), this was the first ever bilateral visit from our side.

Shri Chhabra called on President Umaro Sissoco Embaló; Deputy Prime Minister Soares Sambú, held delegation level discussions with Ms Udé Fati, Secretary of State for international cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and interacted with prominent members of the Indian community.
Both sides undertook a comprehensive review of the entire gamut of bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest. Both sides collaborate closely in multilateral and regional fora like IBSA, TEAM-9 (Techno-Economic Approach for Africa-India Movement), IAFS (India-Africa Forum Summit), UN etc; Both sides took stock of exchanges of bilateral visits, holding of Joint Commission and FOC meetings, bilateral trade&#038;investment, development partnership, capacity building, people to people to linkages, pending MOUs including ISA, eVBAB, and visa free travel for diplomatic and official passport holders, opening of resident missions, regional and global issues. Also discussed was capacity building training in cashewnuts processing, Digital India program, Co-Win platform and Covaxin to fight Covid-19, development of ports, mining (bauxite, phosphates), agriculture and food processing in Guinea Bissau. Both sides noted with appreciation their cooperation on COVID-19 related issues including supply of medicines and made in India vaccines under COVAX initiative. GB appreciated for gifting 1000 mts of rice.
Bilateral relations between India and Guinea Bissau are warm and friendly and are poised to grow in the times ahead. The present bilateral trade of US$ 135 million is below potential and there is considerable scope for higher growth. India imports close to 90% of Guinea Bissau’s raw cashew nuts and is the biggest export partner of Guinea Bissau. Both sides noted to expand trade basket, organization of business delegations and road shows, both in-person, and virtual platforms.
India has extended developmental assistance to GB worth over US$ 25 million under lines of credit. India continues to extend capacity building support with scholarships, skill development trainings under ITEC.
The talks were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere. Both sides agreed to exchange bilateral visits at regular intervals.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of External Affairs &#8211; Government of India.

India-Guinea Bissau Bilateral Meeting (July 5-6, 2021)

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Team Qhubeka NextHash (www.TeamQhubeka.com) is delighted to present the third in its series of short films from the 2021 Tour de France – ‘Hope’.

This film reflects on exploring hope in respect of honouring the world’s biggest race but also on what the team’s standing is in the world of cycling, and the unique position it has to inspire through competing on the very highest level.
It includes reflecting on the journey of Nicholas Dlamini, the first Black South African to ever compete at the Tour de France, and his remarkable story that saw him eliminated from the race on stage 9 in Tignes. His own personal journey captivated people around the world with his determination to complete the stage despite being out of the time limit.
Our two previous films in the series, ‘Success’ and ‘Ubuntu’ can be viewed here (https://bit.ly/2VqpBsr).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka NextHash.
Media Contact: Jean Smyth (Head of Communications) Email: jean@ryder.co.za Mobile: +27 63 470 1710 or +31 625 739 033
About Team Qhubeka NextHash: Team Qhubeka NextHash is a purpose-led, high-performance team, fighting to win on the world&#39;s biggest stage, to inspire hope and create opportunity. Founded in 2007, Team Qhubeka NextHash (formerly NTT Pro Cycling) became the first-ever African cycling team to gain a UCI WorldTour license, in 2016.
We achieved our first major win in 2013 when Gerald Ciolek won Milan-San Remo, one of the five Monuments of cycling. We have competed in six Tour de France’s and notched up 7 stage wins, with Mark Cavendish wearing the coveted Yellow Jersey at the 2016 Tour de France.
We are a multicultural, diverse team with bases in South Africa, the Netherlands and Italy. There are 19 nationalities represented across our World Tour and continental feeder team rosters. Our focus on developing African cycling has resulted in more than 55 riders from the African continent be given the opportunity to race on the world stage, since the team&#39;s inception.
We race to help people to move forward with bicycles through our relationship with Qhubeka Charity. Through our work with Qhubeka, we have contributed to the distribution of over 30 000 bicycles in communities in South Africa.
About Qhubeka: Qhubeka is a charity that moves people forward with bicycles. People earn bicycles through our programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs.
A bicycle is a tool that helps people to travel faster and further, and to carry more. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socioeconomic challenges at the most basic level – helping people to get where they need to go. 
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The Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd (MCB) (www.MCB.mu) is adopting MITECH’s system TRAC (Trade Risk Active Control) to support a continuous and significant growth in its Commodity Trade Finance (CTF) business. TRAC is a Trade Risk and Collateral Management system supporting Structured Trade Commodity Finance. The TRAC solution handles not only Transactional Commodity Finance but Borrowing Base structures as well.

The TRAC software will be implemented on a Cloud infrastructure, with the aim of going-live with the system before the end of the year.

Michael Cohen Dumani, MITECH’s CEO commented that “this contract is a major milestone for MITECH as we are expanding our geographical footprint to support Africa’s intense Trade Finance growth as well as implementing TRAC seamlessly on a Cloud setup” adding that “MITECH is proud to welcome yet another prestigious reference in its community of users”.

Rajeshwar Pertab, Head of Middle-Office, MCB stated: “We are delighted to be partnering with MITECH and further bolster risk and collateral management within our Commodity Trade Finance business. MITECH’s expertise and TRAC’s extensive functionalities convinced us to adopt the solution and streamline information flow between our customers, front-office and middle-Office teams”.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd (MCB).
For more information, please contact: Jean-Luc Spinardi MIT ASIA Pte Ltd 302 Orchard Road 07-03 Tong Building Singapore 238862 Tel: +65 9056 8108 E-mail: jlspinardi@mitsa.ch
MIT Make Intuitive Tech S.A. Lake Geneva Park Route de Lully 5B 1131 Tolochenaz Switzerland Tel: +41 21 318 81 81 E-mail: sales@mitsa.ch
About MCB: With its 182-year history, The Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd (MCB) has evolved to an integrated bank and financial services institution, which offers tailored and innovative solutions to a diversified client base, ranging from retail to corporate and institutions. MCB’s rich history, commitment to customer service and excellence, innovative culture and high quality employees have underpinned its solid franchise and long track record of sustainable profitability and financial soundness. MCB has also established a physical presence in 10 countries overseas, via its subsidiaries in Madagascar, Seychelles and Maldives, its representative offices in Johannesburg, Nairobi, Paris and Dubai, as well as its associates, Société Générale Moçambique and Banque Française Commerciale Océan Indien (BFCOI – operating in Réunion Island, Mayotte and Paris).
About MITECH, the natural successor of MIT. As of January 2020, MIT Make Intuitive Tech SA (MITECH) (www.MITSA.ch) has taken over the operations of MIT Micro Informatique&#038;Technologies SA (MIT) capitalizing on more than 35 years of experience in Trade Finance automation. MITECH is a swiss based Fintech specialized in the development of Trade Finance software solutions for Bankers, such as the famous CREDOC installed in Prestigious Banks in Switzerland, the European market, and the Middle East. MITECH is headquartered in the Lausanne area in Switzerland with regional offices in Singapore and Belgrade.
In 2010 TRAC, (Trade Risk Active Control), a Middle-Office Trade Commodity Finance Collateral Management system was launched. The purpose of the software is to replace the Excel spreadsheet widely used in the Trade Commodity Finance sector to monitor Credit Facilities. The product has already been adopted by prestigious Banks including NATIXIS, UBS, OCBC, and MUFG among others.
MITECH recently released a brand-new version of its well-known back-end Trade Finance product. CREDOC 5G is a Rich Web Client, multi-entity (Branch/bank), multi-time zone, and multi-language/alphabet system. It was designed using a modern “Service oriented” architecture embedding best of breed “Workflow Engine”, “Rules Engine”, and “Business Activity monitoring” components. CREDOC 5G is truly “agnostic” in terms of underlying Operating System, Application Server, and Database. CREDOC 5G has already been licensed by three financial institutions including Bankmed (Suisse) SA.

Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd (MCB) to adopt MITECH’s TRAC Collateral Management system in the Cloud

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PARFAIT ONANGA-ANYANGA, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa, said the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam encapsulates the conflicting narratives, hopes and fears, challenges and opportunities related to water usage, security and energy in Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan and the wider Horn.  Recalling his last briefing on the matter in June 2020, he said that, since then, the three countries have been unable to agree on a framework of engagement to settle several remaining contentious issues.  Those include a dispute-resolution mechanism and an agreement on drought mitigation, particularly the filling and operation of the dam during drought years.

Outlining the recent negotiations and their scope, he said the three sides failed to agree on the exact role of the experts and observers supporting the African Union-led negotiations process, first at a virtual ministerial-level meeting in October 2020, and then at a subsequent meeting in January 2021.  In February, Sudan put forward a new proposal contemplating a quadripartite joint mediation by the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union and the United States, he recalled.  In March, Sudan with Egypt’s support formally requested that those entities mediate.  Ethiopia, however, preferred fewer changes to the ongoing African Union-led process, he said.  During subsequent talks in Kinshasa in April, the three States were once again unable to agree on a mediation framework.
Owing to the lack of progress, he continued, President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in his capacity as Chair of the African Union, stepped up his engagement on the issue.  In May, he undertook a tour of the region, meeting with all three sides on the basis of a two-step approach — first addressing the most pressing issue of filling the dam during the rainy reason, and second, seeking guarantees for a more comprehensive agreement on its subsequent filling and operation, he recounted.  In June, the League of Arab States passed a communiqué on the dam dispute, calling upon Ethiopia to refrain from filling its reservoir without first reaching an agreement, and upon the the Security Council to meet on the issue.
However, Ethiopia objected to that communiqué, which it saw as an attempt to politicize and internationalize the dispute, he said, adding that Addis Ababa also underlined its commitment to African Union mediation while reiterating its plan to move forward with the second filling of the dam in July.  Highlighting bilateral meetings between Ethiopia and Sudan, and the latter’s recently announced intention to accept an interim agreement on the dam’s filling, he said the Government of Ethiopia sent letters to those of Egypt and Sudan last week, informing them of the start of the second filling.  Both Egypt and Sudan have objected to that notification, reiterating their position that any further filling should take place in the context of an agreed framework.
He stressed: “Each of the countries sharing the Nile waters has both rights and responsibilities, and the use and management of this natural resource requires the continued engagement of all nations involved, in good faith, with a view to reaching common ground.”  To assist in that process, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will provide technical advice based on the best available scientific data and knowledge, with a view to helping the three countries reach a mutual understanding.  Calling upon all sides to engage in a constructive manner and to avoid any pronouncements that could increase tensions, he said that, together, alongside other interested partners, “there is room to move forward” in the spirit of cooperation, compromise and good neighbourliness.
INGER ANDERSEN, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said water sources can be the basis for cooperation, as well as the cause of disputes between countries or communities.  “Well-planned hydraulic infrastructure on a shared river course can be a source of enhanced collaboration, and need not be a zero-sum game,” he emphasized, pointing out that integrated planning can help prevent damaging seasonal floods and generate development benefits.  Drawing particular attention to the Blue Nile — a critical water resource for Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan — he its headwaters are situated in a region where highly seasonal rains produce 69 per cent of the annual river flow between July and September.
Outlining the river’s trajectory, he said the Blue Nile merges with the White Nile in Khartoum, Sudan, and then flows downstream into Egypt.  Noting that the Nile has delivered freshwater, fed agriculture and supported livelihoods in the three countries for thousands of years, he said that, since 2011, Ethiopia has been constructing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a major hydropower source, on the Blue Nile.  The generation of hydroelectricity will enhance Ethiopia’s energy supply and help accelerate industrialization, he said, adding that surplus electricity can be exported across the region.  Construction of the dam is now nearing completion, and the reservoir began to fill for the first time in 2020, he pointed out.
A number of dams exist in the Nile Basin, including smaller dams on the Blue Nile, he said, citing the Merowe Dam and Roseires Dam in Sudan, and the High Aswan Dam in upper Egypt.  When completed, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will generate more than twice as much water as the latter.  “Where water is scarce and drought frequent, such as is the case in the Blue Nile Basin, cooperation on a shared river is the only long-term sustainable option,” he stressed, noting that in the coming years, both the High Aswan and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dams — two of the world’s largest — will largely control and regulate the flow of the Nile.  Careful and cooperative basin-wide management will be crucial in maximizing the benefits of such infrastructure and minimize any negative consequences, he said.
The Governments of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have made sustained efforts to enhance their cooperation on transboundary water resources, he continued.  In 2015, they signed the Agreement on Declaration of Principles, in which they committed to “cooperation, equitable and reasonable” water‑resource‑use, agreeing to settle any disputes peacefully.  They are also working under the auspices of the African Union Chairperson on other parts of the negotiation, but consensus has not yet been reached regarding some critical aspects.  Those include arrangements for the management of protracted drought; the development of upstream and downstream waters; and a dispute-resolution mechanism.  Some differences also remain regarding the scope and nature of the proposed agreement, he added.
“With other sources of regional tension increasing,” he said, “We must recognize that overcoming the remaining differences among the parties will require careful, meticulous work […] with a determination by the three States to arrive at a cooperative solution.”  As all three Governments have recognized, demand on water resources, both for agriculture and energy, is rising.  Underlining that effective, cooperative water management is becoming even more important in the context of climate change, he said models indicating that the flow of the Nile will exhibit increasing variability during the period leading up to 2040, resulting in more floods and more intense droughts.  “It is therefore imperative that the parties work together to manage these interconnected challenges,” he concluded.
PAUL LOSOKO EFAMBE EMPOLE (Democratic Republic of the Congo), speaking on behalf of the Chair of the African Union, said the dam, which is situated 15 kilometres from Sudan’s border, aims to increase Ethiopia’s energy supply and meet the needs of other countries.  It will be the largest dam in Africa, but the enormous project is posing problems for Sudan and Egypt, whose people depend on the White Nile, he noted.  Tensions have been observed for years and several initiatives been taken to address the situation, including negotiations under the auspices of the United States and the World Bank, as well as discussions in the Security Council on 29 June 2020.
The matter then reverted to the African Union, under the principle of “African solutions to African problems”, he said, pointing to the draft agreement and resolution of 90 per cent of the technical problems as being among the gains made.  The creation of a dispute-resolution mechanism and the management of water during drought periods are among the pending issues, he said.  Outlining the African Union’s diplomatic initiatives, he said they included an in-person ministerial conference in Kinshasa in April.  Such consultations at the highest level allowed for the facilitation of negotiations, he added, recalling that, on 24 June, President Tshisekedi reassured the Bureau of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government that he is working to restore trust and find consensus among the three States.
He said that, upon their conclusion, the President Tshisekedi affirmed that he would provide a comprehensive report to the Bureau.  In the meantime, the President requested that all sides abstain from taking positions that could complicate the talks.  Those efforts, with the assistance of observers, led to the drafting to a document that will soon be presented to the three Governments as the basis for negotiations, he said.  Noting that the filling of the reservoir and operation of the dam were among the points agreed, he emphasized:  “A solution remains possible in this crisis.  The will is there.”  However, efforts are required to “break the ice of mistrust”, he said, expressing hope that the Council will provide support for the efforts of the African Union and the facilitator to forge a peaceful resolution “in this sensitive part of the Horn of Africa”.
Statements
TAREK LADEB (Tunisia) called for an agreement that respects the vital interests of the people and countries involved, stressing that the Nile is a source of livelihood and development for Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.  There is urgent need for a cooperation mechanism on the use of water and the settlement of disputes that protects the rights of the upstream countries without harming the interests of those downstream.  “This is not impossible,” he said, emphasizing that it requires political will to settle outstanding legal and technical issues.  The three should continue negotiations under African Union auspices, with a view to reaching a legally binding agreement in a reasonable time frame, he added.  That would pave the way for a new era of constructive cooperation and partnership, as agreed by the African Union Bureau on 21 July 2020, and in line with the 2015 Declaration of Principles.  The Council must support the African Union in sponsoring the negotiations by sending a clear message on the issue, he stressed, encouraging the countries involved to resume talks and work constructively for an agreement.
BARBARA WOODWARD (United Kingdom) emphasized her country’s strong emphasis on consensus around issues affecting a shared natural resource, adding that many of the elements needed to reach consensus on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam are captured in the 2015 Declaration of Principles, in particular the commitment Not to cause Significant Harm and the one relating to Equitable and Reasonable Utilization.  The three States have continued talks to reach a more detailed trilateral agreement on the filling and operation of the dam, she said, while noting the disappointment of Egypt and Sudan that a resolution has yet to be reached, as well as the stated commitment of all three countries to the African Union-led talks.  She called upon all three sides to refrain from actions that undermine negotiations and to engage urgently to seek a mutually acceptable agreement.
MARTIN KIMANI (Kenya), noting that the Nile Basin has been a source of hope and connection throughout history, said its more than 257 million inhabitants will be impacted by the statements and decisions made halfway around the globe in the Council Chamber.  Recalling that the objectives of the 1999 riparian Nile Basin Initiative included developing the basin’s water resources in a sustainable and equitable way, he said the goal of the region’s peoples is only to throw off the shackles of poverty and the ills of war.  However, the concerns of two riparian States, Egypt and Sudan, regarding the legitimate use of Nile waters by the third State, Ethiopia, are also legitimate.  “Kenya stands with the three States, recognizing their equality and that all their people equally deserve development and prosperity,” he said, commending those Governments for placing their faith and confidence in the African Union’s mediation mechanism while emphasizing the critical importance of the principle of subsidiarity.  Kenya is confident that Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will make the principle of “African solutions for African challenges” a reality, he said.
MONA JUUL (Norway) agreed that Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have legitimate interests in the Nile and its water resources, emphasizing that a sustainable solution to the dam issue can only be found by the States themselves.  Noting that much has already been agreed through the Declaration of Principles, she described the latter as a good framework within which to seek equitable and reasonable use of the Blue Nile.  What remains is for all sides to reach consensus on the modalities for future cooperation, based on those Principles, and on transparency and trust, she said, stressing:  “This requires constructive engagement, political will and the courage to find compromise.”  She echoed calls for the three countries to refrain from any action that could undermine negotiations.
INGA RHONDA KING, (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), acknowledging that the Nile River is indispensable to the development of each country, encouraged all three to reconsider their entrenched positions and continue with the trilateral negotiations in good faith.  The African Union is the best suited to facilitate the peaceful settlement of disputes on the continent, she said, emphasizing the importance of respecting the Principle of Subsidiarity, as well as Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations.  “The existing disagreement is among family members,” she asserted, expressing confidence that Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will resolve their difficulties, “as all families do, with wisdom and harmony”.  Noting that “our sister nations” have a shared history linked by the Nile, with which their futures will remain interwoven, she said it is in their collective interests to find a palatable solution, especially given that they have already agreed on 90 per cent of the issues.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations (UN).

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