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This year we’re calling on you to put your hand up for Team Qhubeka NextHash (www.TeamQhubeka.com) and Qhubeka. Our goal is to raise funding for 108 Qhubeka bicycles during Le Tour de France which will change the lives of 108 children in Africa.

To get the campaign underway, our eight participating riders all immediately committed to purchase a bicycle each; and now challenge all of our supporters and partners to get involved to continue to change lives with bicycles.
As part of the campaign, a special video has been released which can be viewed below.
Why a hand-up?
It symbolises how we are all connected to one another – in the toughest sporting environment – through the lows and the incredible highs. The hand defines who we are: it is our purpose.
The hand is symbolic of the Qhubeka logo, illustrating that bicycle beneficiaries are receiving a hand up in their lives, and not a handout. The hands on our kit are a reminder of our fans and partners around the world, who continually support us through the good and bad times, showcasing the true meaning of Ubuntu- I am because we are.
Our partners continue make it possible for us to change lives with bicycles, as together we continue to move forward in effecting meaningful change in the world.
A Qhubeka beneficiary puts their hand-up to earn Qhubeka bicycles. people earn bicycles through qhubeka’s programmes, whether through planting trees, recycling or giving back to the community.
How to get involved
 	Donate directly (https://bit.ly/3dikv7t) to the #QHandUp campaign. 	Share our imagery and videos across your social media platforms. 	Challenge your friends and family to show their support for the team by tagging us in images showing a hand up or by making a donation to Qhubeka and changing a life. 	Develop your own fundraising campaign to support Qhubeka and Team Qhubeka NextHash. 	Make use of our hashtags so that we can engage and share our message, together. 	Tag us: #qhandup Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka NextHash.
For further enquiries: 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.

Team Qhubeka NextHash launches #QHandUp campaign to raise funds for 108 Qhubeka bikes

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The African Development Bank Group’s (www.AfDB.org) shareholders have shown strong support for the Bank’s proposals to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, and this as the continent faces the possibility of a third wave of infection amid poor vaccine access.

This emerged from the 56th Annual Meetings of the Bank Group. The three-day event, which ended on Friday, included the 47th meeting of the Governors of the African Development Fund, the Bank’s concessional lending arm. Part of the proposal is that the Bank, the continent’s only development finance institution with a AAA credit rating, act as a conduit for International Monetary Fund (IMF) special drawing rights, which it would then on-lend to African countries.
African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina proposed an African stability mechanism, modeled on a European one, to act as a firewall against external shocks. Adesina also pledged that the Bank would strengthen support to African countries as they tackle the pandemic’s economic and health impacts.
Looking ahead, Adesina said the Bank would invest heavily in domestic vaccine manufacturing and in Africa’s healthcare system, noting that only 51% of public health facilities have basic water and sanitation, and only 31% of healthcare facilities have electricity. The president underlined the fact that Africa imports 60-70% of its pharmaceutical drugs.
On the final day of the meetings, Adesina said: “The lives of 1.2 billion people in Africa are at risk… we must give hope to the poor, the vulnerable, by ensuring that every African, regardless of their income level, gets access to quality healthcare, as well as health insurance and social protection.”
Kenneth Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s Finance Minister and Chairperson of the African Development Bank Board of Governors, cautioned at the start of the meetings that Africa risked being left behind as a result of the pandemic and was “staring down the possibility of a lost decade, where its economic trajectory pulls further away from that of the rest of the world.” He said the African Development Bank should take a leading role in the continent’s recovery.
“Our bank, distinct in its role, has to be at the center of Africa’s build-back through targeted support to tackle Africa’s development challenges and lay the foundation to respond to future challenges,” Ofori-Atta said.
To date, less than 1% of Africa’s adult population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, even as Africa confronts new variants and fast rising cases while the continent’s health and economic responses are hampered by tightening fiscal constraints.
The meetings comprised closed-door discussions between the governors (finance ministers and central bank governors of the regional and non-regional member countries of the Bank), and knowledge events on healthcare, debt sustainability and climate change. In attendance were IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, World Trade Organization Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and United Nations Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed. Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is President and Chairperson of the Global Green Growth Institute, was also among the panelists.
Green growth was high on the agenda. In a panel discussion, Alok Sharma, British Member of Parliament and Conference of the Parties (COP) 26 President, said it was vital that developed countries deliver on a $100 billion commitment to tackling climate change. Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), lauded the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, a joint initiative between the GCA and the African Development Bank to mobilize $25 billion to accelerate climate change adaptation across Africa.
For the second successive year, the Bank’s 81 member countries met virtually, a poignant illustration of how the pandemic continues to disrupt daily life and work. Ghana will host the next Annual Meetings in 2022.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Media Contact: Gershwin Wanneburg Communication and External Relations Department African Development Bank Email: g.wanneburg@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.

African Development Bank 2021 Annual Meetings: Members show support for plan to tackle Covid-19

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Thirty police officers from Jubaland State have completed training on human rights, child protection and gender-based violence, organized by the Gender Unit of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Jubaland State Police Force.

The 30 officers including five women were drawn from various police stations across Jubaland state. They were taken through various topics including sexual violence and abuse, protecting children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect.
As part of its mandate, AMISOM Police trains and mentors Somali police officers, and helps to strengthen specialized police units to fight violence against women and children.
AMISOM Police Coordinating Officer for Jubaland State, Stephen Yeje, said the training was designed to improve the skills-set of Jubaland State Police officers in investigating gender-based and sexual violence crimes, supporting victims, their families and other complainants. The officers were also engaged on the importance of creating awareness among community members, as one way of reducing such crimes.
Among the facilitators was the AMISOM Police Gender Coordinator, Ireen Shaunduba, who emphasized on importance of getting justice for victims of sexual abuse, gender-based violence and human rights abuses.
Jubaland Police Commissioner, Col. Sadiq Mohamud Dhogor, said sexual gender-based violence and child abuse were sensitive matters that required specialized investigative skills in order to ensure justice was done, especially for the victims and survivors.
The protection of civilians, including women and girls, is integral to AMISOM’s intervention in Somalia. AMISOM continues to work with the Federal Government and Federal Member States on clear commitments to protect children and women in its areas of responsibility.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union Mission in Somalia.

Jubaland Police Officers receive human rights and child protection training

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.
Gartner Peer Insights recognized Huawei OceanStor All-Flash Storage as a Customers&#39; Choice in the 2021 Gartner Peer Insights &#39;Voice of the Customer&#39;: Primary Storage Arrays. The OceanStor All-Flash Storage scored 4.8 out of 5 points on the annual Gartner Peer Insights platform and was recognized by different industry customers for its excellent performance and user experience. This makes Huawei (e.Huawei.com) one of the three recognized global storage vendors.

Gartner Peer Insights is an online platform of ratings and reviews of IT software and services that are written and read by IT professionals and technology decision-makers. It includes more than 350,000 verified reviews in 355 markets, which come from end-users who have experience purchasing, implementing, or using the product or service. Vendors with high customer ratings are named a Gartner Peer Insights Customers&#39; Choice, thus helping IT leaders make more informed purchasing decisions.

To date, Huawei has received 93 verified reviews from customers in various industries around the world, such as finance and carriers. These cover multiple factors, including product capabilities, integration and deployment, service and support, as well as evaluation and contracting, and they show a positive response to Huawei’s storage products.

One manager in the financial industry commented on OceanStor Dorado high-end storage: &#8220;We have been using Huawei storage for more than four years. Last year, we purchased Huawei OceanStor Dorado high-end storage, and we highly recognize its performance and reliability. The batch processing performance is significantly improved. In addition, gateway-free active-active and heterogeneous management are preferred. This year, the procurement volume has increased.&#8221;

One review from a CIO in the healthcare industry stated, &#8220;We use Huawei OceanStor Dorado to help our hospital maximize the protected return on investment (ROI) and meet the data service requirements of our hospital&#39;s large-scale database (OLTP/OLAP) application scenarios. The product also supports advanced data backup and disaster recovery technologies to ensure safe and smooth operation of data services. In addition, the storage system also provides easy-to-use management and convenient local/remote maintenance, which can greatly reduce management and maintenance costs and is very satisfactory in use.&#8221;

Huawei has been named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for five consecutive years, thanks to over a decade of investment in R&#038;D innovation in the storage field. The company places importance on building customer trust, which it says is the driving force behind its continuous innovation. Until now, Huawei has served more than 15,000 customers worldwide, and its products are widely used in the core systems of the finance, carrier, healthcare, and manufacturing fields. With its leading performance and reliability, Huawei OceanStor All-Flash Storage is dedicated to creating more value for its customers and accelerating enterprise digital transformation. Please visit here (https://bit.ly/2Uuv9S4) for more information about Huawei storage.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Huawei Enterprise.
Source: Gartner Peer Insights ‘Voice of the Customer’: Primary Storage Arrays, By Peer Contributors, 12 May 2021
Disclaimer:
 	Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice constitute the subjective opinions of individual end-user reviews, ratings, and data applied against a documented methodology; they neither represent the views of, nor constitute an endorsement by, Gartner or its affiliates. 	Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Huawei is Named a 2021 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for Primary Storage Arrays

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As a leading global provider of ICT technology, Huawei (e.Huawei.com) unveils its award-winning productivity tool for the smart office – IdeaHub. HUAWEI IdeaHub is redefining a new style of collaboration and communication, especially during these times of work-from-home or learning from home since the pandemic outbreak. It ensures collaboration across devices and many different spaces, combines different functions – whiteboard, video conference, wireless projection &#8211; with the application of latest intelligent collaboration tools and cloud technology.

The HUAWEI IdeaHub Tech Experience Zone, located at the base of Burj Khalifa, is demonstrating the wide array of features in different environments – whether it is classroom, office, or home. Meanwhile, the HUAWEI IdeaHub video highlight on the world&#39;s tallest building attracts the attention of the global audience. Hailed as the modern wonder of the world and a marvel feat of engineering, powerful visuals from Burj Khalifa should complement HUAWEI&#39;s premium brand offering.

The new and stylish Smart Office HUAWEI IdeaHub is the ideal productivity tool for making a smart office as it should be. It bundles intelligent writing, High-Definition video conferencing and wireless sharing. A Red Dot Award 2020 winner for its simple user interface (UI) and design, IdeaHub is designed to suit any environment as it turns conference rooms, executive offices and open areas into smart spaces.

Having researched thousands of enterprises, the HUAWEI IdeaHub is an ideal mix of intelligent collaboration technologies and simplicity at work on three aspects:

Whiteboard One of the most obvious drawbacks of remote working is the reduction of face-to-face contact amongst team members. In-person meetings allow participants to convey and receive much more information than just what is exchanged verbally.

As easy as pen and paper – With 35ms ultra-low writing latency, enjoy a smooth, ultra-responsive writing experience. Innovative intelligent writing recognition automatically identifies words, figures, and flowcharts. It even has a calligraphy tool to identify your writing style. Actual application scenarios can entail signing contracts remotely to simplifying complex offline operations.

Cut, paste, edit, highlight – Enhance your meetings, identify key points and areas while penning them down, you can cut and paste words to move them back and forth or highlight things such as sales targets or assigning tasks to different teams.

For the record – With just a single tap, send whiteboard content and fresh ideas flying from the hub to remote sites. Reverse control allows users to control the PC from HUAWEI IdeaHub. Users can also collaborate and annotate on the screen at any time from their devices. It is also possible to use handwriting recognition to directly input and record notes.

Video Conferencing While tools for audio and video conferencing have been in existence for many years, they have often been seen as providing an inferior experience to face-to-face engagements.

Centre of attention – As every professional meeting should be, the speaker is always the centre of attention. Auto-framing automatically adjusts the camera angle based on the conference room and the number of participants.

Clarity – Video conferencing is conducted in crisp 1080p HD quality, with 4K content sharing. The flexible layout automatically switches between site views depending on who is speaking. Enjoy a smooth and natural experience every time.

Loud and clear sound – An array of 12 microphones uses beamforming technology to pick-up human voices over an 8-metre radius. Wider frequency for transfers ensures crystal clear, Hi-Fi audio at every remote site.

Cloud Connectivity Cut the chords, go wireless – HUAWEI IdeaHub cuts the clutter to one external power cable. All required ports for wireless connectivity are concealed in the screen panel which can also serve as a projector or mirroring.

Cloud cover &#8211; IdeaHub supports HUAWEI Cloud Meeting and third-party cloud video conferencing services and platforms. Many such mainstream open office utility services are available on the HUAWEI ecosystem through its AppGallery. They simplify the complex process of cloud conferencing while delivering a better experience with 1080p-4K content sharing.

With HUAWEI IdeaHub, real-time collaboration becomes an effortless task. It eliminates the complicated and tedious mix of traditional methods for simple, intuitive, and convenient communication.

Now Huawei IdeaHub is also starting to sell in Africa. If you also want to have the ultimate collaboration and communication experience, please visit our official website (https://bit.ly/35Tqyv6).
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Huawei Enterprise.

The world’s tallest building – Burj Khalifa, lit up by HUAWEI IdeaHub

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Berbera Port’s new container terminal inaugurated, has capacity for 500,000 TEUs a year; Second phase expansion of terminal will increase capacity up to two million TEUs a year; Berbera Economic Zone under development aims to attract investment and new businesses, and to create jobs; Expanded port, economic zone and Berbera corridor will transform Berbera into an integrated maritime, industrial and logistics hub in the Horn of Africa.

DP World, a leading provider of integrated logistics solutions, and the Government of Somaliland, yesterday inaugurated the new container terminal at Berbera Port, following completion of the first phase of the port’s expansion as part of its development into a major regional trade hub to serve the Horn of Africa.

The new terminal was officially opened by His Excellency Muse Bihi Abdi, President of Somaliland, and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, at a special event attended by over 200 guests, including a Government delegation from Ethiopia, led by their Excellencies Ahmed Shide, Minister of Finance and Dagmawit Moges, Minister of Transport. The event also included a symbolic ground-breaking for the new Berbera Economic Zone, the first phase of which is under construction.

The new container terminal with a deep draft of 17m, a quay of 400m and three ship to shore (STS) gantry cranes, can handle the largest container vessels in operation today, and increases the port’s container capacity from current 150,000 Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) to 500,000 TEUs annually. The terminal also includes a modern container yard with eight rubber tyred gantry cranes (RTGs). A new port One Stop Service Centre is also currently being built and will be ready in quarter three this year.

DP World has committed to investing up to US$442 million to develop and expand Berbera Port, and with the first phase now complete, Mr bin Sulayem also announced that work is already underway to further expand the port in a second phase. This includes extending the new quay from 400 to 1,000 metres, and installing a further seven STS gantry cranes, increasing the total from three to 10, enabling the port to handle up to two million TEUs a year, and multiple large container vessels at the same time.

Part of the overall Berbera plan and modelled on DP World’s Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai, the economic zone is linked to the port and strategically located along the Berbera to Wajaale road (Berbera Corridor). The economic zone will serve as a centre of trade with the aim to attract investment and create jobs, and will target a range of industries, including warehousing, logistics, traders, manufacturers, and other related sectors. It will allow producers, suppliers, and customers to operate in a conducive and competitive environment for investment and trade.

The Berbera Corridor road upgrade project, funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), and the Hargeisa Bypass Road funded by UK Aid, is set for completion in quarter four, 2021 and quarter three 2022, respectively. The road will link to the existing modern highway on the Ethiopian side and position Berbera as a direct, fast, and efficient trade route for Ethiopian transit cargo.

His Excellency Muse Bihi Abdi, President of Somaliland, said: “This is a proud and historic moment for Somaliland and its people, as the completion of the first phase has made our vision of establishing Berbera with its strategic location into a major trade hub in the region a reality. With the new terminal, along with the second phase of expansion and economic zone along the Berbera corridor, we are now firmly positioned to further develop and grow our economy through increased trade, attracting foreign direct investment and creating jobs”.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DP World Group Chairman and CEO, said: “Our further expansion of the port in a second phase, and its integration with the special economic zone we are developing along the Berbera Corridor, reflects our confidence in Berbera and intent to develop it into a significant, world-class centre of trade. It will be a viable, efficient and competitive option for trade in the region, especially for Ethiopian transit cargo”.

DP World Berbera, which began operations at the port in March 2017, has since increased volumes by 35 percent and vessel productivity by 300 percent, and reduced container vessel waiting time from four to five days, to only a few hours.

DP World and the Ethiopian Ministry of Transport signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in May this year, with the aim of developing the Ethiopian side of the road linking Addis Ababa to Berbera, into one of the major trade and logistics corridors of the country’s international trade routes.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of DP World.
For DP World media enquiries, please contact: Roland Buerk Head of Media Relations DP World Tel: +971 50 628 7856 roland.buerk@dpworld.com
Hakam Kherallah Int’l Media Relations Manager DP World Tel: +971 50 552 2610 hakam.kherallah@dpworld.com
Follow DP World on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/DP_World LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/dp-world
About DP World: We are the leading provider of worldwide smart end-to-end supply chain logistics, enabling the flow of trade across the globe. Our comprehensive range of products and services covers every link of the integrated supply chain – from maritime and inland terminals to marine services and industrial parks as well as technology-driven customer solutions.
 We deliver these services through an interconnected global network of 148 business units in 60 countries across six continents, with a significant presence both in high-growth and mature markets. Wherever we operate, we integrate sustainability and responsible corporate citizenship into our activities, striving for a positive contribution to the economies and communities where we live and work.
 Our dedicated, diverse and professional team of more than 54,620 employees from 137 nationalities are committed to delivering unrivalled value to our customers and partners. We do this by focusing on mutually beneficial relationships – with governments, shippers, traders, and other stakeholders along the global supply chain – relationships built on a foundation of mutual trust and enduring partnership.
We think ahead, anticipate change and deploy industry-leading digital technology to further broaden our vision to disrupt world trade and create the smartest, most efficient and innovative solutions, while ensuring a positive and sustainable impact on economies, societies and our planet.

DP World and Somaliland open new terminal at Berbera Port, Announce Second Phase Expansion and Break Ground for Economic Zone

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.
We have met Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com) known as Mama Africa and asked her about her vision for Africa.  She emphasized, “We are committed to making history with the transformation of the public healthcare sector in Africa. In sight are training of an army of thousands of well-trained specialized Doctors who will save millions of lives in the continent.”

She emphasizes after the huge success of 8th edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary which held for the first time online, “ I am  very proud of our success. Our annual conference for the first time was held online due to coronavirus pandemic, however it was even more successful than actual conferences. Everyone was extremely engaged and committed. And of course, we had livestream with 75,000 attendees from 70 countries and more than 300, 000 viewers on our social media channels. The conference was in partnership with the Government of Zambia, and was inaugurated by the President of the Republic of Zambia, H.E. Dr. EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU and Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp Chairman of both of Executive Board of E.Merck KG and Merck Foundation Board of Trustees; and co-chaired by H.E. Mrs. ESTHER LUNGU, The First Lady of the Republic of Zambia and myself. It is a great honour.”
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej expresses how proud she is that 13 African First Ladies participated as guests of honour. The First Ladies of Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Namibia, who are also the Ambassadors of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother.
Moreover, 26 African Ministers of different sectors also joined us on the second day, during the high-level ministry’s panel with African Union to discuss Merck Foundation strategy to define interventions to break infertility stigma and support girl education; and to build healthcare and research capacity and establish a strong platform of specialized trained medical experts in many critical and underserved fields to be the first in their countries. She further confirmed how proud  she is with her work as CEO of Merck Foundation as it empowered her to provide for more than 1100 Doctors from 42 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America with one&#038;two-, three-year specialty training in multiple fields such as Oncology, Diabetes, Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, Endocrinology, Sexual and Reproductive Medicine, Acute Medicine, Respiratory Medicine, Human Assisted Reproduction and Embryology&#038;Fertility specialty, to be the first in their countries. Dr. Kelej emphasized “we have now widened our horizons by introducing more scholarships for young doctors in many new underserved specialties across Africa and Asia. The reach and impact of our 8th edition conference has been great. Even Better than previous editions”.
On Day 2 of the conference, MARS- Merck Foundation Africa Research was held where a High-Level Panel Discussion with Ministers of Health, Science and Technology, Education, Information And Gender and MARS Researchers participated with the objective to empower African young researchers&#038;women researchers, advancing their research capacity and empower them in STEM.
The High-level Ministerial panel included:
1) Hon. Dr. Jonas Kamima CHANDA, Minister of Health, Zambia 
2) Hon. Dr. Dennis WANCHINGA, Minister of General Education, Zambia 
3) Hon. Dr. Brian MUSHIMBA, Minister of Higher Education, Zambia 
4) Hon. Elizabeth PHIRI, Minister of Gender, Zambia 
5) Hon. Dora SILIYA, Minister of Information&#038;Broadcasting Service, Zambia 
6) Hon. Silvia Paula Lutucuta, Minister of Health, Angola 
7) Hon. Dr. NDIKUMANA Thadée, Minister of Public Health&#038;Fighting against AIDS, Burundi 
8) Hon. Dr. François HAVYARIMANA, Ministre de L’Education Nationale et de la Recherche Scientifique, Burundi 
9) Hon. Imelde SABUSHIMIKE, Ministre de la Solidarité Nationale, des Affaires Sociales, des Droits de la Personne Humaine et du Genre, Burundi 
10) Hon. Marie Chantal NIJIMBERE, Ministre de la Communication, des Technologies de L’Information et des Médias, Republic of Burundi 
11) Hon. Jacquiline Lydia Mikolo, Minister of Health&#038;Population, Republic of the Congo 
12) Hon. Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, Minister of Health, The Gambia 
13) Hon. Ebrima SILLAH, Minister of Information, The Gambia 
14) Hon. Colonel Remy Lama, Minister of Health, Guinea Conakry 
15) Hon. Pr. Amadou Bano Barry, Minister of Education, Guinea Conakry 
16) Hon. Amara Sompare, Minister of Information&#038;Communication, Guinea Conkary 
17) Hon. Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, Minister of Health&#038;Population, Malawi 
18) Hon. Dr. Patricia Kaliati, Minister of Gender, Community Development&#038;Social Welfare, Republic of Malawi 
19) Hon. Agnes Nyalonje, Minister of Education, Malawi 
20) Hon. Ulemu Msungama, Minister of Youth&#038;Sports, Malawi 
21) Hon. Timoth Pagonachi Mtambo, Minister of Civic Education&#038;National Unity, Malawi 
22) Hon. Dr. Kalumbi Shangula, Minister of Health&#038;Social Services, Namibia 
23) Hon. Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, State Minister for Health, Uganda 
24) Hon. Monica Mutsvangwa, Minister of Information&#038;Broadcasting Publicity, Zimbabwe 
25) Hon. Sthembiso Nyoni, Minster of Women Affairs Small&#038;Medium Enterprises, Zimbabwe 
26) Hon. Amon Murwira, Minister of Higher&#038;Tertiary Education, Zimbabwe 
“On the third day, Merck Foundation Health Media Training was organized for the African and, Latin American Media fraternity to emphasize the important role that media plays to break the stigma around infertility, in raising awareness about infertility prevention, and empowering girls and women through education. Parallel to this, we had Infertility and reproductive care scientific session and respiratory and acute medicines for Covid-19 response session” Senator, Dr. Kelej said.
 We asked her about the state of the partnership she has established with African First Ladies over the years. Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej answered,  “I am proud of our partnership with 20 African First Ladies, who are now the Ambassadors of “Merck Foundation More than a Mother” Campaign. It is an extremely successful partnership; we have achieved a lot together at all levels. Through this partnership, we continue to build healthcare capacity in their countries and empower infertile women and break the stigma around infertility and support girls’ education. Together, we have introduced many initiatives in their respective countries. This certainly speaks volumes about the work we are doing.”
She added “With the unprecedented times of COVID-19, I cannot travel and meet the First Ladies of other countries we wish to partner with. I hope the world is free of Coronavirus and the lockdown is lifted soon. However, I have been able to meet the new First Ladies to invite them to be new members of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiate &#8211; MFFLI. And they have gracefully accepted to be our Ambassadors such as New First Lady of Burundi, Malawi, and DR Congo. I have also established a new important partnership with Burkina Faso First Lady in 2020.”
Here is the list of our partner African First Ladies, who are also the Ambassadors of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother:
H.E. NEO JANE MASISI, The First Lady of Botswana
H.E. SIKA KABORE, The First Lady of Burkina Faso
H.E. ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, The First Lady of Burundi
H.E. BRIGITTE TOUADERA, The First Lady of Central African Republic
H.E. ANTOINETTE SASSOU-NGUESSO, The First Lady of Congo Brazzaville
H.E. DENISE NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI, The First Lady of Democratic Republic of Congo
H.E. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of The Gambia
H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana
H.E. CONDÉ DJENE, The First Lady of Guinea Conakry
H.E. CLAR WEAH, The First Lady of Liberia
H.E. MONICA CHAKWERA, The First Lady of Malawi
H.E. MONICA GEINGOS, The First Lady of Namibia
H.E. ISAURA FERRÃO NYUSI, The First Lady of Mozambique
H.E. AISHA BUHARI, The First Lady of Nigeria
H.E FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of Sierra Leone
H.E. ESTHER LUNGU, The First Lady of Zambia
H.E. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA, The First Lady of Zimbabwe
The Former First Lady of Burundi, H.E DENISE NKURUNZIZA, The Former First Lady of Chad, H.E. HINDA DÉBY ITNO, The Former First Lady of Malawi, H.E. PROFESSOR GERTRUDE MUTHARIKA and The Former First Lady of Niger, H.E AÏSSATA ISSOUFOU MAHAMADOU have worked successfully with Merck Foundation as Merck Foundation More Than a Mother Ambassadors to break the stigma of infertility and empower infertile women in their countries.
About the reasons of her long-term success and her strong relationship with African First Ladies, Senator, Dr.  Rasha Kelej responded, “Honest, sincere long-term commitment to the social health and economic development of their country and their people, programs with concrete measurable impact and not only talk. Creativity, smart focused strategy and objectives and also flawless implementation. Always exceed expectations, all the time we exceed their expectation actually we exceed our own expectation. Therefore, I consider Merck foundation to be the most successful Foundation because we achieve even more than our set goals and exceeds our and our partners expectation and this is how you evaluate success. I consider myself the happiest person in the world because I achieved more than my goals to be part of transforming some people’s lives, but now I am part of transforming millions of people every month. Not only this but together with our partners we transformed the healthcare sector across Africa, revolutionary transformation in few years and still more to come, it is history in the making, as long as I am alive I will do more and more for Africa. We will create an army of specialized and trained doctors we will save lives together. I want to be one day part of Africa history this will make me proud as an African woman.
I look forward to expanding our footprints and work with more African First Ladies who will help us to realize our vision.”
 About the challenges from COVID 19 and what the Merck Foundation did to help its partner countries in Africa to fight the pandemic, she answered “We raced to respond to COVID 19 and came up with many initiatives. One of the most important initiatives which I personally believe in its importance even before Covid 19 times is to continue healthcare capacity building, which has been our strategy since 2012, in partnership with African First Ladies and Ministries of Health, much before the pandemic struck worldwide. Due to travel restrictions, we adopted the online medical speciality education strategy, through providing scholarships for speciality training to doctors in many medical specialties such as Oncology, Diabetes, Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, Endocrinology, Sexual and Reproductive Medicine, Acute Medicine, Respiratory Medicine, Reproductive and sextual medicines. Moreover, we recently started to provide scholarships in many new underserved specialties including: Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine, Gastroenterology, Laparoscopic Surgical Skills, Mental Health: Psychological Therapies, Orthopaedic Trauma Science, Paediatric, Emergency Medicine, Advanced Surgical Practice, Dermatology, Neonatal Medicine, Pain Management, Psychiatry, Clinical Microbiology and infectious diseases, Ophthalmology, Internal Medicine, Neuroimaging for research, Urology, Trauma, and orthopaedics. We are very proud to invite applications from African and Asian English-speaking doctors from under-served communities for these scholarships on our mail: info@merck-foundation.com
We also understand the importance of creating community awareness about Coronavirus, so we launched “Mask up with Care” and “Stay at Home” Recognition Awards for Media across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. And also, “Make you Own Mask” Fashion Awards for the Fashion fraternity across Africa: I strongly believe in the critical role that Media and Art play to be the voice of the voiceless and raise awareness about sensitive topics such as breaking Infertility stigma and Covid 19 health precautions.
Also, the lockdown and restricted movement to fight coronavirus had hit most casual and daily workers very hard. Therefore, we supported the African government&#39;s strategy to save the living and livelihood of 1000’s of families of casual workers and women who were affected the most by the lockdown or restricted movement. We invite applications from media personal and fashion designers to these two awards on email submit@merck-foundation.com
Moreover, we launched an inspiring storybook ‘Make the Right Choice’ in partnership with African First Ladies to sensitize children and youth about Coronavirus. The story aimed to raise awareness about Coronavirus prevention amongst children and youth as it provided facts about the pandemic and how to stay safe and healthy during the outbreak. It also promoted honesty, hard work, and the ability to make the right choices even during the most challenging times. We released the story in three languages: English, French and Portuguese”.
Link to the Make The Right Choice Storybook: https://bit.ly/3daMWEA
Complied by Hoda Shebl 
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.
For more images: https://bit.ly/3xQcazQ

We Will Be Part of Africa’s History; This is Our Legacy-Senator Rasha Kelej on the Merck Foundation Africa Nexus

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U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant to the Administrator Sarah Charles announced during the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Humanitarian Affairs Segment more than $97 million in additional assistance to respond to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, nearly $83 million of which is dedicated to address growing COVID-related food insecurity. This new funding will provide urgently needed food and nutrition assistance, health care, protection services, and psychosocial support for people in seven countries across Africa.

This funding includes:
 	Nearly $3.2 million in additional assistance for the Democratic Republic of the Congo to provide lifesaving health care, nutrition support, and protection for the most vulnerable, as well as rehabilitating health care facilities, and strengthening the resilience of communities affected by conflict and the pandemic. 	$2 million in additional assistance for Madagascar to provide urgently needed food assistance, agriculture support, and water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies to drought affected populations impacted by the pandemic. 	More than $9.2 million for Mali to provide food and nutrition assistance to people facing the compounding impacts of the pandemic and the lean season, and to facilitate the transportation of humanitarian workers and cargo to hard-to-reach areas. 	$6 million for Niger to provide food assistance and the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition. 	$35 million for Nigeria to meet basic food needs for the most vulnerable and to safely facilitate the transportation and logistics of humanitarian workers and supplies to hard-to-reach areas. 	$20 million in additional assistance for Somalia to provide emergency food assistance, including rations of sorghum, yellow split peas, and vegetables, as well as nutrition assistance for children, pregnant and lactating women, and other vulnerable people facing malnutrition. 	$22 million for Uganda to provide food assistance to refugees. 
To date, USAID has provided more than $1.5 billion in humanitarian assistance to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. USAID will continue to work alongside partners to provide life-saving assistance to meet urgent needs in communities affected, as well as help them prepare for future outbreaks.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

USAID provides more than $97 million in additional urgently needed humanitarian assistance to countries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

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<iframe loading="lazy" height="360" width="640" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BOQwqcsq0OY"></iframe>
Today, Team Qhubeka NextHash (www.TeamQhubeka.com) is delighted to announce its partnership with luxury fashion brand Burberry. This support will commence from the start of the 108th Tour de France and will feature an iconic new jersey that will first be revealed at the team presentation in Brest, France.

Burberry is the first luxury fashion brand to partner with a cycling team and share the vision that through this partnership we are united in our longstanding commitment to driving positive change in communities and building a more inclusive future.
The partnership brings together shared values of pushing boundaries, exploring new spaces and landscapes to create possibilities, and challenging expectations.
Meaning “to move forward”, Qhubeka enables people to earn bicycles through its not-for-profit programmes, which will also be supported by a donation from Burberry. Qhubeka’s initiatives help students travel to school, healthcare workers access more patients and first responders transport life-saving equipment to those in need.
Rod Manley, Chief Marketing Officer, Burberry: “We are delighted to be supporting Team Qhubeka NextHash, partnering with them as they compete in Tour de France and contributing to their charitable work.
We were inspired by their ethos of uniting a diversity of cultures and backgrounds to focus on high performance while having a meaningful positive impact on the communities around them.
We will be cheering them on through every stage of the Tour and into the future, and we are so proud to be a part of their team”.
Douglas Ryder, Team Principal, Team Qhubeka NextHash: “I am so happy to welcome Burberry as an official partner to our team, a brand built on pioneering luxury clothing for the outdoors.
The beautiful Thomas Burberry monogram will feature on the jerseys of our team as they push the boundaries and go beyond what they think is possible in Tour de France and the rest of the racing calendar this season.
Our mutual passion for diversity and inclusion through the team and the Qhubeka charity is a strong connection, and we look forward to telling some impactful stories together.”
The Burberry logo and iconic Thomas Burberry monogram will feature on Team Qhubeka NextHash’s cycling jerseys and tour vehicles.
The Team Qhubeka NextHash kit, produced by Assos of Switzerland, will be the team&#39;s kit for the remainder of the 2021 cycling season.
Derek Bouchard-Hall, CEO, ASSOS of Switzerland “As a brand with deep roots within professional cycling and a shared belief that ‘bicycles change lives’ it was hugely important for us to support the team and it’s cause at a time when it’s future was in question.
We are very proud of the contribution we have made over the past 6 months in supporting the team and raising awareness of both their fantastic wins and the Qhubeka Charity through our Bicycles Change Lives campaign and Race for Change webseries.
We’re delighted that the team is able to continue on its mission to win races, changes lives with bicycles and drive development of the world’s most technologically advanced equipment.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka NextHash.
Media Content: Jean Smyth (Head of Communications) Email: jean@ryder.co.za Mobile: +27 63 470 1710 or +31 625 739 033
About Burberry: Burberry is a global luxury brand, headquartered in London, UK. Founded in 1856, Burberry is listed on the London Stock Exchange (BRBY.L) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index.
BURBERRY, the Equestrian Knight Device, the Burberry Check and the Thomas Burberry Monogram and Print are trademarks belonging to Burberry. For more news: www.Burberryplc.com.
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 ASSOS (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.

Iconic Luxury Fashion Brand Burberry Partners with Team Qhubeka NextHash from Tour de France 2021

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Duggan Flanakin, director of policy research for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow.

It was quite a shock to Africa Energy Chamber Executive Director NJ Ayuk – and an even bigger shock to the Chamber – that the London-based Hyve group decided to move the annual Africa Oil Week (www.Africa-OilWeek.com) from Cape Town, South Africa to Dubai. It was such a shock that the AEC shortly afterward announced it was sponsoring Africa Energy Week (https://bit.ly/3qoxeed) on the same weekend (November 8-12) as the (Out of) Africa Oil Week.
Mr. Ayuk works hard to ensure the interests of African companies and citizens in African energy ventures are widely recognized. He calls the dueling conferences a major confrontation between “Cancel Fossil Fuels” (Dubai) and “Protect our Oil and Gas Industry” (Cape Town).
The Cancel Fossil Fuels movement is currently being led by the International Energy Agency, which recently declared that all oil and gas exploration must cease immediately in order to achieve compliance with the Paris climate accords – and save the world from the mythical fires of hell on Earth.
The Biden-Harris Administration, the European Union, many Western banks and now even Western insurance companies claim the world faces a “climate catastrophe” if we “cling” to fossil fuels. They are lying, of course. There is no actual catastrophe on the horizon. And they know it!
The hysteria in the press (here (https://wapo.st/3qnIWpn), here (https://bit.ly/2TXwLDF), here (https://bit.ly/3dcgvFD) and here (https://bit.ly/3jc3wYm), for example) is exceeded only by the screeching of Hollywood actors like Leonardo di Caprio (https://yhoo.it/2SmFw9S) and Don Cheadle (https://bit.ly/3gQG4OI). Newspaper reports tout compliance with Paris as a litmus test (one of many) for determining one’s humanity.
The hoopla has been so successful that a recent Pew Research Center poll (https://bit.ly/3j57Pom) found fully a third of Americans now favor a full-on extinction of fossil fuels and engines that run on them. Only 64% of Americans prefer keeping fossil fuels in the energy mix. This in a nation with 270 million gasoline-powered vehicles and who knows how many gas furnaces and water heaters!
Hardly a day goes by without some entity virtue-signaling disdain for fossil fuels. The media imply that “no fossil fuels by 2050” is “the future.” They are dead wrong. Litigation attorney Francis Menton hit the nail on the head (https://bit.ly/3h1bFfv) in a recent real-world post: “The current legal onslaught is unlikely to limit world oil production significantly.”
Menton acknowledges the “multi-front legal onslaught” against the “major” oil producing companies (not countries!). The war is not confined to lawsuits. Other weapons include new laws, regulatory initiatives and proxy contests. However, as Menton demonstrates, the oft-targeted “major” Western oil companies (ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, Conoco Phillips) “are just not that big a part of world production.”
ExxonMobil, the largest of the group, was ranked just sixth, and Chevron was the only other “major” in the top ten. The top five are Saudi Aramco, Rosneft (Russia), Kuwait Petroleum, National Iranian Oil Company and China National. When is the last time you saw legal actions, major demonstrations or even public demands that those oil giants shut down?
Despite all the official kowtowing to Paris and even the IEA, not even all Western nations have any real intention of decarbonizing. Norway, for example, has openly stated its intention to increase (https://bit.ly/3gU2UoU) its investments in offshore oil and gas operations in 2021. Of course, in an official “woke” statement, the Norwegian government promised to facilitate long-term economic growth (https://bit.ly/2T13M1H) in the petroleum industry “within the framework of our climate policy and our commitments under the Paris Agreement.” Huh?
Meanwhile, the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association bluntly stated that (https://bit.ly/3jaR0bG) its members do not share “the assumption that OPEC members alone should account for more than half of oil and gas production for the world market in a 2050 perspective.” The reasons are obvious.
First, the result would be soaring energy prices and significant threats to global energy supplies. Second, Norway would lose revenues and jobs associated with industries like oil and gas, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and recovery of seabed minerals.
Africans like Ayuk share similar views: that their countries cannot afford to throw away their best chances for economic growth, full employment, infrastructure development and modern living standards – to satisfy the whims and demands of wealthy Europeans.
To underscore their determination, Canada-based Reconnaissance Energy Africa is on the verge (https://bit.ly/3vUt1Qs) of turning the Namibian part of the Kavango Basin into a world oil capital. Exploratory drilling within the 8.5-million-acre Kavango Basin has confirmed that “Namibia is endowed with an active onshore petroleum basin,” says Namibia Minister of Mines and Energy Tom Alweendo. The country hopes oil and gas development will bring economic stimulus, increased infrastructure, access to potable water, and investments in environmental protection and wildlife conservation.
Just last year the Russian firm Rosgeo signed an agreement (https://bit.ly/3zNGoFo) with Equatorial Guinea for an historic geological mapping project – the first step toward developing a domestic oil and gas industry and finding other mineral resources. (Guinea withdrew from Africa Oil Week in favor of Africa Energy Week.)
An earlier report identified 70 crude oil and natural gas projects planned for startup in sub-Saharan Africa between 2019 and 2025; it also said Nigeria would be producing over a million barrels (https://bit.ly/2UDMMPH) of oil per day (BOPD) by 2025.
Two of Africa’s five largest oil and gas projects are in Mozambique: the state-of-the-art Mozambique liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, which plans to tap into an estimated 75 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of recoverable offshore natural gas, and the 85-tcf Area 4 project, which includes the Coral and Rovuma LNG facilities.
BP just awarded a billion-dollar contract for construction of phase 1 of the 15-tcf Tortue Ahmeyim offshore LNG project, which benefits Mauritania and Senegal. Shell is planning to begin construction in 2022 of a $30 billion LNG liquefaction plant in Tanzania, which has over 57 tcf of recoverable natural gas reserves. And the East African Crude Oil Pipeline intends to transport crude oil from Kabaale-Hoima in Uganda to the Tanzanian port of Tanga.
None of these energy-rich African nations is eager to submit to IEA demands, which seem to envision only existing OPEC nations as future producers and refiners. This, it appears, is the dividing line between Africa Oil Week and the new Africa Energy Week.
A leading theme of Africa Oil Week (https://bit.ly/3xQC1HO) in Dubai is “Africa’s energy transition efforts toward a cleaner environment.” The Dubai event asks, “As the pressure mounts for regions, countries and companies to meet the Paris Agreement targets on eliminating carbon emissions, where does the continent stand?” (Resistance. Is. Futile. attendees want Africans to believe.)
Africa Energy Week has already garnered an impressive list (https://bit.ly/35S1BAe) of speakers, sponsors (https://bit.ly/3wXGdFJ) and attendees (https://bit.ly/3wXPFZU). It has a much different theme (https://bit.ly/3vRHmNJ) – and no lack of chutzpah. “Replacing Africa Oil Week” is the goal. The creators say their event “seeks to unite industry stakeholders, international speakers, and movers and shakers from the African oil and gas sector … to define and promote the African energy agenda through development, deal-making and private sector participation.”
Key topics at Africa Energy Week include making energy poverty history before 2030, the future of the African oil and gas industry, the role of women in energy, and opportunities and financial challenges. The AEC says this Africa-focused, in-person energy event is fully devoted to promoting African development and growth through African-held programs.
Ayuk says that the AOW’s move to Dubai provided an opportunity for Africans to stand up for African values. “We are going to fight for our future. We are not going to give in to this crowd. I am not worried about the attacks. We are going to stand for what is right.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Duggan Flanakin.

Cape Town and Dubai Battle Over Africa’s Energy Future (Op-Ed by Duggan Flanakin)

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We are delighted to announce today a hugely exciting five-year partnership with NextHash, that will see the company assume the position of co-naming partner of our UCI WorldTeam with immediate effect, henceforth to be known as ‘Team Qhubeka NextHash’.

Team Qhubeka NextHash, Africa’s UCI WorldTour team, will be presented to the international sporting world for the first time, tonight, as the team takes to the stage for the 108th Tour de France in Brest, France.
The multi-year agreement shows an alignment of our respective core values; for NextHash it is about people, relationships and reputation and for Team Qhubeka we are about people, purpose and performance.
NextHash is a global entity comprised of several units that combine the traditional financial industry with brand new digital class assets, by harnessing the power of blockchain technology.
NextHash aim to make the digital, crypto and financial world accessible to all perfectly aligns with our team’s mission to provide a platform and an opportunity to those in need everywhere.
The current rapid evolution of the digital financial industry is extremely exciting. As a team that has always embraced the power&#038;potential of technology, we are delighted to begin this journey with NextHash. Together we look forward to creating a market place for cycling in the digital medium based on shared value.
Douglas Ryder, Team Principal I am incredibly happy to welcome NextHash, our official cryptocurrency and blockchain partner, into our family of partnerships and into our team name for the remainder of 2021.
The whole sports industry is moving towards a digital universe and this long term partnership will help us innovate and develop new and interactive approaches to engage with our fans.
We look forward to being ahead of the curve with the latest technologies to offer our fan community new experiences.
Ana Bencic, CEO NextHash NextHash is delighted to be partnering with Team Qhubeka to create ‘Team Qhubeka NextHash’ – competing at the highest level of professional cycling, the UCI WorldTour.
As well as being a world class cycling team, Team Qhubeka NextHash has at its heart a social purpose that chimes perfectly with our own business. Using technology to enable communities is central to our mission at NextHash &#8211; we believe in making the digital, crypto and financial world accessible to all, across geographic and social boundaries.
NextHash will work hand in hand with Team Qhubeka to socially and environmentally responsibly bring our products and services to a huge new audience through this amazing global sport and team.
I look forward to our teams working together to build future successes, on and off the road, and take this opportunity to wish our riders every success at the 2021 Tour de France.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka ASSOS.
*Note to Editors: Rights-free imagery of Team Qhubeka NextHash’s new jersey for editorial use will be circulated later today ahead of the teams’ presentation at the Tour de France.
Media Contact: Jean Smyth (Head of Communications) Email: jean@ryder.co.za Mobile: +27 63 470 1710 or +31 625 739 033
About NextHash: NextHash brings a new class of digital assets and securities to the financial industry, utilising the power of blockchain technology. Operating several brands, NextHash has built a state-of-the-art platform for easy access crypto trading to users, investors, clients and newcomers to the digital world of security tokens. 
The NextHash Group has established a global presence &#8211; with offices in Europe, North America and Asia &#8211; to secure financial licenses in key jurisdictions, and compliance with the latest directives to address worldwide financial markets.
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 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.

Introducing Team Qhubeka NextHash

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.
Nokia’s (www.Nokia.com) new, industry-leading 5G portfolio covers baseband, radio, and massive MIMO antennas offering huge 5G capacity, coverage, and easy deployment; Introduces industry’s lightest massive MIMO units at 17kg enabling simplified deployments and faster time to market; Nokia’s new comprehensive range of products are powered by Nokia’s latest generation of ReefShark chipsets; Nokia’s extended Single RAN accelerates 5G rollouts and cuts overall RAN Total Cost of Ownership.

Nokia today announced the global launch of its latest range of industry-leading AirScale 5G products covering baseband, remote radio heads, and massive MIMO active antennas with digital beamforming. The innovative solutions are powered by the latest generation of Nokia’s ReefShark System-on-Chip (SoC) chipsets and deliver the highest capacity and network performance while enabling efficient deployments and operation. The rollout of the new products is already underway.

Nokia introduces its new generation of ReefShark-powered AirScale massive MIMO antennas with both 32TRX and 64TRX products, as well as 8T8R remote radio head solutions. The 32TRX is the industry’s lightest, at 17kg, simplifying and speeding up site deployments. Notably, this low weight is achieved at the same time as supporting high radio frequency bandwidth (200 MHz occupied bandwidth and 400 MHz instantaneous bandwidth) and delivering high radio frequency power output, without compromise. Both the new 32TRX and the new 64TRX massive MIMO antennas support both fragmented spectrum and network sharing cases.

Nokia also introduces its new SoC-based baseband plug-in cards to boost the capacity of the AirScale System Module. The new ReefShark-powered plug-in cards deliver up to eight times more throughput and serve up to eight times more cells compared to previous generations. They are easily installed and simplify the upgrade and extended operation of all AirScale deployments. Nokia’s baseband module can support 90,000 connected users simultaneously and has 84 Gbps throughput. The highly efficient ReefShark powered plug-in cards also reduce power consumption by up to 75 percent. Nokia’s modular AirScale baseband enables mobile operators to scale capacity flexibly and efficiently and as their 5G business evolves.

Nokia Single RAN software now includes 5G, accelerating 5G rollouts and cutting overall radio access network TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), by unlocking network efficiencies with common transport, common operability, common software delivery, and increased hardware sharing. The combination of Nokia’s Single RAN software and the new baseband plug-in cards offer multi-mode (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G) and multi-band and supports the latest fronthaul interfaces (eCPRI) on a single baseband platform, simplifying the network and lowering costs.

Nokia’s AirScale baseband architecture is designed to be future-proof and support the increasing demands for wireless traffic. By keeping the L1 and L2 (Layer 1 and Layer 2) computing separate from L3 (Layer 3) and Transport baseband plug-in units, capacity can be added when and where it is needed in the network. Network modernization can be simply achieved either by software upgrade or by adding new plug-in units into the existing baseband.

Nokia’s ReefShark chipsets will also play a critical role in future Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) capabilities. Nokia has already introduced AI/ML features in areas such as predictive load balancing, anomaly detection, and intelligent traffic steering. All Nokia ReefShark platforms are AI/ML ready and Nokia is carrying out proof of concepts with customers this year in innovative areas such as Massive MIMO beam pattern optimization, energy-saving, advanced traffic steering, advanced packet scheduling, and alarm pattern discovery.

Patrick Filkins, Senior Research Analyst, IoT and Mobile Network Infrastructure, IDC, commented: “5G networks are absolutely critical for improving network capacity and performance, particularly when higher bandwidth is in demand. Nokia’s new portfolio addresses these concerns by enabling mobile operators to flexibly scale capacity while helping to smoothly transition to 5G from existing technologies easily and cost-effectively. The integration of Nokia’s ReefShark SoCs across both radio and baseband boosts performance and capacity and the new massive MIMO antennas set a new benchmark for low weight without compromising on performance. These solutions will help mobile operators to address the increasingly dynamic mobile services space that urgently requires more capacity.”

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks, Nokia, said: “Our new generation of ReefShark-powered AirScale radio and baseband products is evidence of the successful transformation of our business and ability to deliver market-leading products to our global customers. Nokia’s new portfolio enables communication service providers to offer both consumer and enterprise customers with cutting-edge 5G experiences with premium speeds, capacity, and connectivity underpinned by seamless, simple, and efficient ‘plug-in’ deployment. Our new AirScale products are O-RAN ready. They consume less energy and highlight our commitment to climate change. We’re excited to see our customers deploying these products and see the transformative impact of 5G technology.”

Resources: Activate massive 5G capacity with Nokia AirScale – launch event (https://nokia.ly/3dsKSYL) Activate massive 5G capacity with Nokia AirScale (https://nokia.ly/2SpApWD) AirScale baseband | Nokia (https://nokia.ly/3h1TF4H) AirScale Active Antennas | Nokia (https://nokia.ly/3qlvnqu) AirScale Radio | Nokia (https://nokia.ly/3jbzt38) Single RAN | Nokia (https://nokia.ly/3x6dApK)
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Nokia.
Media Inquiries: Nokia Communications Phone: +358 10 448 4900 Email: press.services@nokia.com
About Nokia: We create technology that helps the world act together.
As a trusted partner for critical networks, we are committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. We create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.
Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities needed for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world.

Nokia launches next-generation AirScale 5G portfolio powered by ReefShark technology

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Hyve Group Plc, organisers of Africa Oil Week (www.Africa-OilWeek.com) have released the first line-up of Ministers who will be attending the 2021 event due to take place in Dubai 8-11 November.

The initial line-up consists of two former African Presidents, Commissioner for the African Union Commission, Secretary General for AfCFTA and Ministers from Ethiopia, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Republic of Congo, Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso and Djibouti. This initial line-up suggests government presence at Africa Oil Week 2021 will be as strong as ever.

Paul Sinclair, VP of Energy and Government Relations for Africa Oil Week said “Governments are an integral part of Africa Oil Week and we are delighted to be able to provide the sector with much needed direct access to these leaders. Discussions onsite will take the form of 15+ National Energy Showcases, ministerial panel discussions and pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings and will help to drive investment and advance energy projects in to, and across Africa.”

Africa Oil Week is known for gathering vast numbers of African and international energy ministers and acts as a deal-making platform for the most senior stakeholders within the African upstream industry.

Foday Mansaray, Director General for Sierra Leone’s Petroleum Directorate who has also confirmed his participation said “We are very much looking forward to attending Africa Oil Week in Dubai in November. We look forward to participating in the event and presenting opportunities that Sierra Leone has.”

To date, the following Ministers and government leaders have been announced to attend Africa Oil Week 2021: H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria H.E. Dr. Peter Arthur Mutharika, Former President of Malawi H.E. Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, African Union Commission H.E Wamkele Keabetswe Mene, Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Hon. Jean-Marc Thystere Tchicaya, Minister of Hydrocarbons, Republic of Congo Hon. Abdirashiid Mohamed Ahmed, Minister of Petroleum&#038;Mineral Resources, Republic of Somalia Hon. Timothy Kabba, Minister of Mineral Resources, Republic of Sierra Leone Hon. Hon. John Munyes, Cabinet Sec Ministry of Petroleum&#038;Mining, Republic of Kenya Hon. Dr. Koang Tutlam, State Minister of Mines, Petroleum&#038;Natural Gas, Republic of Ethiopia Hon. Fafa Sayang, Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Republic of Gambia Hon. Lamine Seydou Traore, Minister of Energy and Water, Republic of Mali Hon. Bachir Ismael, Minister of Energy, Republic of Burkina Faso Hon. Yonis Ali Guedi, Minister of Energy, Republic of Djibouti Atty. Saifuah-Mai Gray, CEO, National Oil Company of Liberia Hon. Archie Donmo, Director General, Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority Francis Gatare, CEO, Rwanda Mining Petroleum and Gas Board Proscovia Nabbanja, Ag. Chief Executive Officer, Uganda National Oil Company Ms. Asha Omar, CEO, Somalia Petroleum Authority Foday Mansaray, Director General, Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone Maixent Raoul Ominga, Head, SNPC, Republic of Congo Jerreh Barrow, Commissioner for Petroleum, Ministry of Petroleum&#038;Energy, Republic of Gambia Dr. Solomon Kassa, Director for Petroleum Exploration, Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, Republic of Ethiopia Ibrahim Djamous, Director Gen Hydrocarbon, SHT, Republic of Chad Mr. Famourou Kourouma, Director General ONAP, Republic of Guinea Alem Kibreab, Director General of the Department of Mines at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Eritrea

For more information on the Ministers and government leaders attending, please click here (https://bit.ly/35KOz7M).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Oil Week.
For more information please contact: On behalf of Africa Oil Week Abbie Coonan Email: abbie.coonan@hyve.group
About Africa Oil Week: Africa Oil Week is the meeting place of choice for the continent’s upstream oil and gas sector. Now entering its 27th year, the event brings together governments, national and international oil companies, independents, investors, the G&#038;G community and service providers.

African Union Commission, AfCFTA and former heads of state from Nigeria and Malawi amongst first government leaders confirmed for Africa Oil Week 2021

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The scramble for favourable positions on the logs will take centre stage in the women’s competitions this weekend with some teams already eyeing final berths, while others will have their sights set firmly on ensuring that they remain safe from relegation.

It will be a weekend loaded with rugby as the Premier Division strikes round eight, while the First Division Group 2 teams enter round three of their pool stages, and Group 1 of First Division kicks off. The Premier and First Division finals will play out in a little over three weeks on the weekend of 16/17 July.

It is a big weekend for Premier Division defending champions, DHL Western Province, and the Border Ladies, as a bonus-point victory for the Capetonians could cement their second home final in a row, while a bonus-point win for Border will book their spot in the final.

The teams languishing close to the foot of the log also face intense pressure as the last-placed side at the conclusion of the pool stages will be relegated to the First Division next season.

The Blue Bulls Women will host the Boland Dames in the opening match of the weekend at Loftus Versfeld on Friday at 16h00, with the match being broadcast live on SuperSport.

In the two Premier Division games on Saturday, the Border Ladies welcome the Cell C Sharks Women to East London and the EP Queens meet DHL Western Province in Port Elizabeth – both matches will be streamed live on www.Springboks.rugby.

The competition for log points will be equally thrilling in the First Division with the Leopards hunting their third successive bonus-point victory when they meet the Mastercard Golden Lions Women in Johannesburg, while the Limpopo Blue Bulls and Pumas face off in Polokwane where one of the sides could register their first victory of the season.

The Griffons will host the Free State in Welkom in the opening Group 1 Women’s First Division match, with the fixture between Griquas and SWD cancelled.

Premier Division

In Pretoria, the Blue Bulls Women and Boland Dames will be determined to bounce back from defeats last week, while the home side will have the extra motivation of making up for their defeat against the Wellington side in their last outing.

The last two matches between the sides have been close with no more than five points separating them on the scoreboard.

Interestingly, the Dames have won one more match than the hosts this season, although the women from Pretoria boast better attacking statistics than their opponents.

The Cell C Sharks Women – who are currently in last place on the standings – will enter their match against Border knowing that a defeat could deal a huge blow to their hopes of remaining in the Premier Division, which is expected to fuel their motivation.

Border will have form and confidence on their side after winning the last four matches between the sides convincingly and after bouncing back strongly last week from back-to-back defeats.

In Port Elizabeth, the EP Queens face the mammoth task of toppling DHL Western Province, who have been in burning form and remain the only unbeaten side in the competition.

With the hosts’ taking the field in the late stages of the clash between the Border and the Cell C Sharks, they will know early on if they still have a mathematical chance of sneaking into the top two within the next three weeks.

The hosts, however, will be under no illusions about the task ahead, especially after suffering defeats in their last four matches against the defending champions.

First Division

The main match-up in the First Division will see defending champions, the Mastercard Golden Lions Women, meet the Leopards in an entertaining catfight at Wits University.

The Johannesburgers won their opening match of the season comprehensively two weeks ago, but the Leopards come off back-to-back bonus points victories, and they will be mindful of the fact that this game will be decisive in determining if they could pip the home side for a place in the final this year – as the top teams in Group 1 and Group 2 will battle it out in the final.

The Limpopo Blue Bulls and Pumas, meanwhile, will both target their first win of the season when they line up in Polokwane, while Free State will look to emulate their success against the Griffons in 2019 as they kick off their campaign in Welkom.

Women’s Premier Division fixtures:

Blue Bulls Women v Boland Dames Date: Friday, 25 June Time: 16h00 Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Referee: Ashleigh Murray-Pretorius Assistant referees: Local referees TMO: Rasta Rasivhenge TV: SuperSport Rugby

Border Ladies v Cell C Sharks Women Date: Saturday, 26 June Time: 13h00 (live stream on www.Springboks.rugby) Venue: Police Park, East London Referee: Phumzile Mbewu Assistant referees: Local referees

EP Queens v DHL Western Province Date: Saturday, 26 June Time: 14h30 Venue: Wolfson Stadium, Port Elizabeth Referee: Maria Mabote Assistant referees: Local referees

Women’s First Division Group 2 fixtures (Saturday, 26 June):

Limpopo Blue Bulls v Pumas Time: 11h00 Venue: Noordelikes Rugby Club, Polokwane Referee: Siyanda Pikoli Assistant referees: Local referees

Mastercard Golden Lions Women v Leopards Time: 13h00 Venue: Wits University Rugby Club, Johannesburg Referee: Giana Viljoen Assistant referees: Local referees

Women’s First Division Group 1 fixture (Saturday, 26 June):

Griffons v Free State Time: 13h00 Venue: Griffons Stadium, Welkom Referee: Angie Bezuidenhout Assistant referees: Local referees
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Rugby Union.
Media Contact: Rugby@APO-opa.com

Women’s Premier Division R8 and First Division R3 Preview

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The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org), with financing from the Italian Technical Cooperation Fund, has provided a €990,000 grant to help smaller agro-processing enterprises boost production and quality control.

The project will enable the businesses to better tap into national and regional markets and capitalize on the opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area. The Confederation of Business Associations of Mozambique is the implementing agency.

“We are pleased to receive this grant from the African Development Bank and the Italian Technical Cooperation Fund, which will benefit about 300 agro-processing and agribusiness Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) associations in Mozambique, particularly youth and women-led SMEs operating along the development corridors of Nacala-Beira-Pemba-Lichinga,” said Dr. Agostinho Vuma, President of the Confederation of Business Associations of Mozambique, at the ceremony to hand over the grant funding.

“The grant is apt to further step up the intense bilateral relations in the agriculture area built through the many projects financed by the Italian cooperation and that it can act as a catalyst to extend it to the private sector where it exists a huge and largely untapped potential,” underlined the Italian Ambassador Dr. Gianni Bardini.

African Development Bank country manager Dr. Pietro Toigo noted that the grant would provide critical support to Mozambique, especially amid the socioeconomic challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. “We are pleased to partner with the CTA and the Government of Italy to support Mozambican SMEs recover from the COVID pandemic and scale up their competitiveness, as part of the African Development Bank’s commitment to help Industrialise Africa and Mozambique,” he said.

The project supports the goals of Mozambique’s Country Strategy Paper (2018-2022), which focuses on two strategic pillars: infrastructure investments that enable transformative inclusive growth and job creation, and agricultural transformation and value chain development.

The Minister of Industry and Trade, Dr. Carlos Alberto Fortes Mesquita, highlighted the importance of such initiatives and their catalytical role in promoting Mozambique’s agriculture modernization and the industrialization of critical sectors of the economy.

Recently the Bank approved a $1 million grant to boost local content and the development of initiatives of small and medium enterprises.
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
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.

Mozambique: African Development Bank and Italian Technical Cooperation Fund extend EUR990,000 grant to boost agricultural value chains

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The chairperson of the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has ratified the plea bargain concluded between Constant Omari Selemani, former President of the Congo DR Football Association, former First Vice-President of CAF and former FIFA (www.FIFA.com) Council member, and the chairperson of the Ethics Committee’s investigatory chamber.

A formal investigation against Mr Omari was opened on 7 January 2021 and concerned certain benefits accepted and received from Lagardère Sports (for a total amount of EUR 66,444), in relation to the negotiations that he conducted for an agreement between CAF and Lagardère Sports in connection with the commercialisation of certain TV rights licensed to the LC2 company and to the collection of the latter’s outstanding debt. The negotiations, which were led by Mr Omari on behalf of CAF, resulted in contractual provisions that were particularly detrimental to CAF, causing significant financial damage to the confederation. In this respect, the receipt of benefits created a conflict of interests that detracted from Mr Omari’s ability to perform his duties to CAF with integrity and in an independent and purposeful manner.
In accordance with art. 67 par.1 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, the parties have mutually agreed on the following sanction:
 	A 12-month ban from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level 	A fine of EUR 66,444 
The sanction is effective from the validation of the agreement by the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber, which occurred on 18 June 2021.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FIFA Ethics Committee.
Contact for African media: AfricanMedia@fifa.org

Constant Omari Selemani sanctioned by independent Ethics Committee

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Following the program introductory mapping workshops organized in 2020 and launching the crowdfunding academy in Kazakhstan. Today, the Resilience and Social Development Department (RSD), Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD), Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) and Program strategic partner (UNDP) had celebrated its closing ceremony in Kazakhstan, an important journey of finalizing the crowdfunding academy training, partnership with the ultimate objective to improve the socio-economic well-being of the most vulnerable and hard to reach communities in Kazakhstan and IsDB Member Countries.

27 CSOs participated in the Academy, developed a crowdfunding campaign using e-learning tools and offline training by following a tested program that offers learning materials and presentations, work assignments and guidance from leading crowdfunding experts.

In his opening remark, Abdi Abdullahi, the Principal, Social Development Resilience&#038;Social Development, said, “I am delighted to see that the international aggregated platform is known as TADAMON” “Solidarity in Arabic” is indeed an effective vehicle for equipping winners of the crowdfunding academy with tools to benefit from crowdsourcing and crowdfunding”. Khemais El Gazzah Senior Adviser to the ISFD DG said “I’m excited that today you have presented us the outcome of the first batch of CSOs graduating from this capacity building crowdfunding training academy. This means they will campaign on TADAMON and ensure delivering their projects at their local community grass root level.  In addition, the IsDB Civil Society Lead (Ahmed Berthe) said, “The successful conclusion of this training is an important milestone on the road to the rest of the CSOs in our 57 MCs.

The TADAMON (www.TADAMON.community) Crowdfunding Academy, is an online training program that enables civil society organizations (CSOs) to raise funds using crowdfunding, aims to empower CSOs with know-how on how to finance their projects and ideas in alternative ways, build and grow their community, give their projects more visibility, and engage more partners and donors.

The program&#39;s mission comes on the back of a US $10 million seed contribution of the ISFD. It seeks to empower CSOs in IsDB Member Countries to improve the socio-economic well-being of the hard-to-reach communities through refugees’ education, job creation, building resilience, and training, among which the crowdfunding academy and community livelihoods development.

The TADAMON Crowdfunding Academy is a part of the IsDB &#8211; ISFD NGO Empowerment for Poverty Reduction Program, which is sponsored by the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD), managed by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other strategic partners.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB Group).

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