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While the World Health Organization&#39;s (WHO) decision to establish its first COVID-19 mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in South Africa is a welcomed step, the companies that hold the technology, Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, must agree to immediately share it with the hub so more vaccines can be produced as quickly as possible, said the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Kate Stegeman, advocacy coordinator at MSF’s Access Campaign in South Africa, said of today’s announcement: “It’s good news that the first mRNA technology transfer hub will be set up on the African continent, which has been particularly neglected when it comes to vaccine production capacity and is one of the key factors exacerbating COVID-19 vaccine inequity. “The hub will be hosted by South Africa, which offers established manufacturing infrastructure and research and development expertise, and will boost the supply of vaccines to the rest of the continent. “What needs to happen next is Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech must immediately share their mRNA technology with the hub so that many more mRNA vaccines can be produced independently by manufacturers in South Africa and more broadly on the African continent, as soon as possible. “All pharmaceutical corporations that share their technology with the hub through technology transfer agreements must do so in a transparent and non-restrictive way to maximize the chance of success. Any licenses must include all low- and middle-income countries, and technology recipients must be free to build on the platform technology to tackle other health threats. “Governments supported the World Health Organization on strengthening local production at this year’s World Health Assembly and now have a chance to turn their words into action and foster local production by supporting the hub and pressuring Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech to share their technology.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) responds to mRNA COVID vaccine technology transfer hub being set up in South Africa

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Twenty- two teams took to the field, but it was the Irish men’s team and French and Russian women’s’ teams that secured the winning tickets to Tokyo, following the three-day 2021 World Rugby Sevens Repechage that took place this weekend at the Stade Louis II in Monaco.

The Olympic repechage is the final part of the global qualifying process and features the best-placed eligible teams who missed out on automatic qualification via their respective regional qualification tournaments.

This weekend determined Russian and French women’s’ teams and Ireland men’s team will complete the line-up for the rugby sevens competition in Tokyo from 26-31 July, at the Tokyo Stadium.

With the action having kicked off on Friday, 18 June with Zimbabwe versing Mexico, this year also saw 5 000 fans join the festivities in the stadium for a packed programme of men’s and women’s matches on day two and three culminating in the two women’s finals between France and Hong Kong and Russia and Kazakhstan and the one men’s final between Ireland and France on Sunday evening.

Leading up to the finals, the women’s competition featured:

 	Argentina 	Colombia 	France 	Hong Kong 	Jamaica 	Kazakhstan 	Madagascar 	Mexico 	Papua New Guinea 	Russia 	Samoa and 	Tunisia 
The men’s tournament included:

 	Chile 	France 	Hong Kong 	Ireland 	Jamaica 	Mexico 	Samoa 	Tonga 	Uganda and 	Zimbabwe 

For the men’s competition, the 10 teams were drawn into two pools of five teams (https://bit.ly/3zKXxiV), including one team from each of the five pre-determined bands of seeds.

The top two teams from each pool progressed through to the knockout stages, culminating in the final between Ireland and France.

In the women’s competition 12 teams were drawn into three pools of four teams (https://bit.ly/2ST1DoK). The teams were banded based on placements in their regional competitions alongside performances in World Rugby tournaments. One team from each band of seeds was drawn into each pool.

The top two teams in each pool, plus the two third-placed teams with the highest point totals qualified for the knockout stages of the women’s competition.

As there were two Olympic qualification places available for women, the repechage featured two rounds of knockout games with the final round featuring four teams Russia, France, Hong Kong, and Kazakhstan competing in two matches where both winners Russia and France gained Olympic qualification.

Securing the 28-19 victory for Ireland, Jordan Conroy scored a pair of second half tries, while Harry McNulty added a fourth.
France’s women beat Hong Kong 51-0 to secure their win while Russia will make their Olympic debut in Japan next month after winning 38-0 against Kazakhstan.
Day three got underway with Samoa narrowly defeating Mexico 20-17. However, Samoa was knocked out by Russia in the knockout stage.
Victory set up a qualifier final against Kazakhstan, who had beaten Papua New Guinea 17-10 to top Pool B and then overcame Tunisia 29-21 in an absorbing semi-final. 
Russia was too strong for Kazakhstan and ran in four tries before half-time through captain Alena Tyron, Anna Baranchuk, Marina Kukina and Nadezhda Sozonova. Elena Zdrokova added two tries after the break and put the seal on a 38-0 victory.

France won their first match on Sunday 55-0 against Hong Kong, with tries from Anne-Cécile Ciofani, Chloe Jacquet and Séraphine Okemba.
Victory confirmed France’s place as top seeds in the women’s repechage, and a qualifier semi-final against Colombia, who had held off Madagascar earlier in the day to win 12-7.
Hong Kong, who had beaten Argentina 24-5 in their qualifier semi-final were France’s opposition in their final. France started strongly and took less than a minute to open the scoring as captain Fanny Horta took a pass from Okembe to touch down.
It was a dominant performance from the French as Guerin and Ciofani both completed hat-tricks. Okembe, meanwhile, scored her ninth and 10th tries of the tournament in the second period to ensure France qualified for Tokyo 2020 with a 49-0 win.
Overall performance went to point scorer (40) and try scorer (8) Seraphine Okemba of France while best goal scorer went to Caroline Drouin of France (6).
Day three of the men’s repechage got underway with a win for Zimbabwe, who recovered from 12-0 down to beat Tonga 26-17 in Pool A.
HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series (www.World.rugby/sevens-series) core teams Ireland and Samoa were already assured of progress to the qualifier semi-finals, but it was the Irish who did so as Pool A winners. Terry Kennedy produced an audacious behind-the-back pass to set up Jordan Conroy for Ireland’s second try in their 21-7 win.

Ireland’s points difference ensured they headed into the semi-finals as top seeds, and the side proved too strong for Hong Kong, winning 28-5.
France were Ireland’s opponents in the finale match. The World Series core team had enjoyed progress to the final, beating Hong Kong 36-5 and following that up with an impressive 31-0 win against Samoa in the semi-finals.
Within the opening minute Ireland led the scoreboard. France recovered to lead 12-7 at half-time, with tries from Stephen Parez and Paulin Riva, but they were stopped during the second half with a late score from Terry Bouhraoua pushing Ireland to a 28-19 victory.
Overall, in the repechage, Faafoi Falaniko of Samoa was best point scorer (45), while Terry Kennedy of Ireland took best try scorer (8). Best goal scorer (12) went to Melani Matavao of Samoa.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Rugby Africa.
For media enquiries please contact: N: Lerato Chiyangwa  E: Rugby@apo-opa.com
News&#038;results: Follow @RugbyAfrique on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook Website: www.RugbyAfrique.com
About Rugby Africa: Created in 1986, Rugby Africa, previously the African Confederation of Rugby (Confédération Africaine de Rugby – CAR), is one of the six regional associations composing World Rugby (WorldRugby.org), the international organization responsible for the governing of Rugby Union and Rugby Sevens. Rugby Africa unites all African countries which play rugby union, rugby sevens, and women’s rugby. Rugby Africa organizes the qualifying competition for the Rugby World Cup, and Africa Sevens, a qualifying competition for the Olympic Games. Rugby Africa has 39 members.

Ireland, France, and Russia secure a place in the Tokyo 2021 Olympic games following this weekend’s 2021 World Rugby Sevens Repechage

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Trading in cryptocurrency in Africa is growing rapidly in popularity. This can be attributed to a tech-savvy population that has already quickly embraced digital payments via mobile. However, trading Forex has also seen increased growth in the country with an estimated 1,3 million traders recorded in Africa. With this growth, there are many potential traders who want to start trading but are uncertain which currency to choose in this complex environment.

This is according to INFINOX Regional Director, Danny Mawas who says that before launching into trading, it&#39;s important to do careful analysis. “Identify your personal goals, resources and risk tolerance before choosing your risk and trade management strategies. It’s also crucial to spend time researching and analysing both markets before trading.” 
Firstly, he says that it is important to know the differences between the two as they are vast and can be compared to the proverbial apples and oranges. “Crypto currency trading is trading digital or virtual currencies that are secured by cryptography, the most famous example being Bitcoin. Trading takes place on relatively new decentralised platforms using blockchain technology, a system which makes it almost impossible to change, hack or cheat.”
“Forex is foreign exchange, or FX, and takes place in the largest, most liquid, well established global markets. Volumes of up to $6.6 trillion are traded daily using 150 government-backed national currencies,” Mawas explains.  
When it comes to choosing what to trade, Mawas points out that it’s important to take note of the liquidity of the Forex market versus the crypto market. “For example, with Forex traders buying and selling these high volumes daily, it creates a liquid market that offers opportunities for all types of traders. Additionally, Forex instruments also provide leverage as well as plenty of trade opportunities thanks to its volatility, thus making it an easy instrument to trade.”
“The foreign exchange market allows private individuals, large institutions, governments, retail traders and more to participate,” he says.  “Essentially trading Forex is less risky, more protected, regulated and stable. It enables investors to react to market movements, and is influenced by political or economic factors which prompt investors to enter or exit the market accordingly.” 
“Trading crypto, however, can be more risky as there is less information and fewer case studies to predict performance,” adds Mawas “There are less established markets and although there may be a promise of larger returns there is no profit guarantee, but a long-term option for potential profit.”
Mawas explains that for those that wish to start trading Forex there are tried and tested strategies that beginner traders can consider. “A viable way to learn and kickstart your trading journey is via online community apps, such as IX Social, where traders can share knowledge, trades and experiences with like-minded traders. Users are put in the driving seat with the latest news, community trending topics, top trades of the day and the latest prices all in one place.
“Its easy-to-use functionality, coupled with an auto-copy feature that allows traders to automatically copy the top traders to receive the same results, makes it the ideal platform for beginner traders to learn and grow,” he says.
Offering his advice, Mawas says whatever currency traders decide to trade in, it is important to not let your emotions take over. “Trading based on an emotional impulse often results in traders buying and selling at inopportune times.”
“While trading offers great benefits, it is vital for traders to follow a strategy and to start simple. This will ensure their longevity, and prosperity, in the game,” concludes Mawas.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of INFINOX Capital.
Contact details on behalf of INFINOX: Mondli Hadebe mondli@eclipsepr.co.za Tel: +2721 023 0440 Cell: +27 78 640 6457
About INFINOX: INFINOX is an award-winning and market leading online trading platform.
Founded in 2009, with the vision of delivering a customer-focused trading experience, INFINOX has been offering its clients premium service in a range of asset classes. We empower investors and help them gain access to markets so they can trade forex, stocks, indices, commodities, and futures; using our fast, efficient and reliable trading technology.
We are committed to providing our clients with outstanding service, and offer a dedicated multi-lingual support team that’s available 24 hours a day 5 days a week. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced trader, INFINOX provides the relevant tools to help you get started and improve your trading strategies. We offer instant funding options and the ability to withdraw your money swiftly.
INFINOX Capital Ltd SA is an authorized Financial Services Provider and is regulated by the Financial Services Conduct Authority under FSP No 50506 (INFINOX Capital Ltd SA acts as an intermediary for INFINOX Capital, which is Authorised and Regulated by the Securities Commission of the Bahamas).
INFINOX Capital is a registered trading name of IX Capital Group Limited, authorised and regulated by the Securities Commission of The Bahamas (‘the SCB’) under Registration Number SIA F-188.
INFINOX Limited is authorised and regulated as an Investment Dealer by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) of Mauritius under License Number GB20025832.
INFINOX is a trademark belonging to INFINOX Capital Ltd, a registered company in the United Kingdom under company number 06854853. INFINOX Capital Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under Registration Number 501057.

Forex cryptocurrency: How to choose what to trade

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Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the Republic of Senegal H.E Ambassador Melaku Legesse discussed with Cabo- Verde Ambassador H.E Inacio Felino Rosa de Carvalho.

Ambassador Melaku briefed the Ambassador about the current situation in Ethiopia, the Ethio-Sudanes border issue, the upcoming 6th national election and the trilateral negotiations on the GERD and other related issues of mutual concerns.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Dakar, Senegal.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the Republic of Senegal H.E Ambassador Melaku Legesse discussed with Cabo- Verde Ambassador H.E Inacio Felino Rosa de Carvalho

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Spain’s Carlos Barbero has been called up as a replacement for Fabio Aru in the Team Qhubeka ASSOS (www.TeamQhubeka.com) line-up to tackle the 108th Tour de France.

Barbero (30) will join three other riders on our roster who will make their first appearances at the race: Nicholas Dlamini, Sean Bennett and Victor Campenaerts. His selection will further compliment the team’s ambitions to race aggressively, a style which saw him net two top-10 stage finishes at the recent completed Criterium du Dauphine.
Barbero has twice raced the Vuelta a Espana, and has 12 career victories as a professional on his palmares.
Revised Team Qhubeka ASSOS line-up [squad numbers]:
 	Simon Clarke – Australia [09] 	Michael Gogl – Austria [07] 	Victor Campenaerts – Belgium [55] 	Max Walscheid – Germany [13] 	Sean Bennett – USA [31] 	Nic Dlamini – South Africa [17] 	Sergio Henao – Colombia [10] 	Carlos Barbero – Spain [91] 
Carlos Barbero I am very excited to start my first-ever Tour de France. It was not on my initial plan for the season but in cycling, as in life, there can be changes and you have to be prepared for when those happy.  
I am incredibly happy and will look to continue the way in which the team have raced this year as we look to be as successful as possible. Ubuntu – I am because we are.
Fabio Aru I know what it takes to compete at the Tour and I felt that, with the physical problems that I had over the weekend, my body is just not where it needs to be for me to be at my very best for the Grande Depart.
After discussing the situation with the team I decided that it in was our best interests to withdraw from the selection.
I want to wish the team, who have given me such great support all the very best, and I’ll be cheering along with the fans as we compete in the true spirit of Ubuntu.
Our team races to continue to raise the awareness of how bicycles can change lives and I know that during the Tour de France this message will continue to make a huge difference in the world.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka ASSOS.
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 ASSOS: Team Qhubeka ASSOS 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.

Barbero replaces Aru in Team Qhubeka ASSOS line-up for Tour de France

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The establishment of the North American Camel Ranches Owners Association (NACROA) is an important step in the development of the camel sector, Sheikh Fahd Hithleen, founder and president of the International Camel Organization (ICO), said on Thursday.

NACROA aims to support and promote the camel industry in North America and advocate for best practices surrounding the welfare and health of camels. The organization was created under the supervision of the ICO.

Camel ranch owners in North America first held meetings in September last year to explore the development of an association under the ICO, before establishing the group later that month. Hithleen had previously campaigned for the creation of NACROA, as well as other international organizations, such as the European Camel Ranch Owners Association. On Thursday, the ICO founder said that the establishment of the new North American group will help to develop the overall camel sector, before later thanking camel ranch owners for their effort in setting NACROA up as quickly as possible.

The number of camel ranches has grown in North America in recent years, a fact Aaron Wendell, president of NACROA, pointed to on Thursday as the reasoning behind the establishment of the group. Wendell added that the initiative was accelerated due to support by the ICO with the aim of better serving the camel sector.

Wendell went on to thank Hithleen for his efforts and encouragement in the leadup to the establishment of NACROA.

The ICO is a non-profit organization based in Riyadh, founded by Hithleen in March 2019. The group currently counts about 105 member countries from around the world and aims to develop and serve the camel sector.

The Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB Group) will also promote this association through the IsDB Group Business Forum (THIQAH).
Camel racing and camel polo are both popular sports, particularly in the Middle East. Last year, Saudi Arabia opened the largest camel hospital in the world in Riyadh (https://bit.ly/3vPkqi6) at a cost of $36.5 million. The hospital will provide basic medical care to camels but also treat chronic and infectious diseases, in addition to focusing on the research and development of camel breeding and fertilization.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB Group).

Creation of North American camel association important for the sector: International Camel Organization (ICO) President

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The Council appointed three new EU special representatives (EUSRs) as follows:

 	Emanuela Claudia Del Re has been appointed EUSR for the Sahel from 1 July 2021 until 30 August 2022. Ms. Del Re is an Italian national with a long academic career, having conducted extensive research in conflict areas in the Middle East, Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. She is a member of the Italian Parliament and she served as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy. 	 		CV of Emanuela Claudia Del Re 	 	 
 	Terhi Hakala has been appointed EUSR for Central Asia from 1 July 2021 until 28 February 2023. Ms. Hakala is a Finnish career diplomat with extensive experience in the EU&#39;s Eastern neighbourhood and Central Asia, including in the context of OSCE. She served in various diplomatic postings abroad, including at Ambassador level, among others in Russia, South and South-East Asia, and Geneva. She was most recently Ambassador of Hybrid Affairs, Technology and Security in the Foreign Ministry of Finland. 	 		CV of Terhi Hakala 	 	 
 	Annette Weber has been appointed EUSR for the Horn of Africa from 1 July 2021 until 30 August 2022. Ms. Weber is a German national with over 25 years of experience in the region having facilitated peace talks at the highest political levels. She has an established track record of advising the UN, the EU and the German government on the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region. She is also a speaker at the Munich Security Conference on regional issues. 	 		CV of Annette Weber 	 	 

EUSRs promote EU policies and interests in specific regions and countries, as well as on issues of particular concern or interest for the European Union. They play an active role in efforts to consolidate peace, stability and the rule of law. The first EUSRs were appointed in 1996. Currently, nine EUSRs support the work of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Council of the European Union.

Council appoints three new EU special representatives for the Sahel, Central Asia and the Horn of Africa

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MainOne (www.MainOne.net), the leading provider of connectivity, cloud and data center solutions in West Africa is set to launch the  Appolonia Data Center of its subsidiary, MDXi.

The new facility which is located 20 kilometers from the center of Accra, Ghana will expand MainOne’s already robust infrastructure and service profile in West Africa. It was built to cater to the increasing demand for colocation and interconnection services by multinationals and businesses seeking shared services for their ICT resources in a world-class facility.

Speaking on the upcoming launch, Gbenga Adegbiji, Chief Operating Officer, MDXi stated that “Appolonia Data Center is a state of the art facility that is being built to the highest standards required for todays digital infrastructure and consistent with the MainOne brand. With the assurance of high quality of service designed to meet business requirements for digital colocation and cloud infrastructure, the Appolonia (Accra) Data Centre will provide a highly secured,resilient and scalable solution for our customers’’. Adegbiji further said “the operations of the Uptime Tier III certified Appolonia data center will be based on the global MDXI Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) which have been proven with 100% facility uptime of the Lekki Data Centre since its launch in 2015.&#8221;

Set for launch in June 2021, the 100-rack Appolonia Data Center offers customers the opportunity to host infrastructure in a facility guaranteed to provide high levels of availability and rich connectivity with a global network of customers, partners and suppliers thus ensuring 24&#215;7 online delivery of services to businesses.

&#8220;We established this Data Center in Ghana to bring the highly sought services which MainOne is known for closer to institutions in the country,” Emmanuel Kwarteng, Country Manager, MainOne Ghana noted. &#8220;We are confident that the Data Center will not only deliver state-of-the-art services, but also create jobs and ultimately contribute to the economic growth of Ghana.” All data center staff are directly employed by the company and are trained on the latest technology deployed to keep the data center running smoothly. There are staff dedicated to monitoring all critical systems in the data center to ensure that proactive actions are taken to guarantee availability on 24X7X365 basis.

The Appolonia Data Center has also been fitted with high-definition CCTV motion detection cameras, laser-based perimeter intrusion detection systems, and three levels of security barriers before access to computer rooms. Access to the data center is restricted to pre-authorized individuals with identification only and there is an access management system to record access history for audit purposes.

A dedicated service delivery team assists customers with onboarding and ongoing service management. Remote Hands and Eyes Support services are available for customers to troubleshoot or perform various maintenance activities to ensure their equipment operates as expected while allowing our customers focus on their core business.

The Data Center will be unveiled in the coming weeks and open to multi sector businesses and industries across Ghana.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MainOne.
About MDXi: MDXi is West Africa’s leading commercial data centre provider. Our business focuses on high availability, security, and open access connectivity data centre services.
MDXi operates a network of data centre campuses across West Africa, poised to meet the rapidly expanding global demand for certified data centre facilities. Our facilities have operated with 100% uptime since inception.

MainOne, West Africa’s Leading Carrier-neutral data center provider to unveil data center in Appolonia City, Accra

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“We have a view or a mission to be Africa&#39;s most valued digital platform for financial services which then means we are seeking to move to not just identify ourselves as abank but actlally identify ourselves as a marketplace upon which financial services are offered, upon which customers can then find innovations that impact positively their daily life. So that also was a primary motivation for the investment we made with HUAWEI (e.Huawei.com) and the continued collaboration with them.” &#8211; Eric Muriuki Njagi, Group Director for Digital Business, NCBA.

Mobile technology has stood out as a key driver with over 1.1 billion out of the 1.7 billion persons without access to a bank account owning a mobile phone.
Access to financial services is an integral part of the global drive towards an inclusive financial system that empowers all. Global statistics report that over 1.7 billion adults worldwide still don’t have access to traditional modes of banking or a bank account. With technology becoming an integral part of day to day life, more organizations are looking to it to bridge the financial services gap. Mobile technology has stood out as a key driver with over 1.1 billion out of the 1.7 billion persons without access to a bank account owning a mobile phone.
Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, has stood out as a hub for innovation and strategic use of mobile technology. People from all walks of life can access traditional banking services such as savings and credit using their mobile phones on the M-Shwari platform. Established eight years ago by NCBA Bank and Safaricom, M-Shwari has empowered millions of customers across Kenya by enabling real-time access to financial services for its over 35 million users. The service builds on mobile penetration to enhance access to financial services across the country.
With the tremendous growth observed and increased customer needs, M-Shwari needed to further enhance its capabilities as well as position itself for growth.
Digital Transformation Is a Key Enabler
Digital transformation has increasingly became a key enabler. However, there were still a few challenges that needed to be addressed:
 	Live network performance was increasingly unable to support the bank&#39;s rapid business development or cope with high traffic stemming from customers&#39; mobile financial interactions, due to the fast growth of mobile savings and loan services. 	There was increased need for fast technical support for new services and features. 	User experience was greatly impacted due to slow response from the system. 
The challenge to design and build a next generation core banking system was given to Huawei and its partner MuRong Technology.
A Next Generation Core Banking System
NCBA Bank took on an ambitious project with Huawei through its partner, MuRong Technology, which would see it build a next generation core banking system designed to suit its unique business needs.
Huawei has served more than 2000 financial customers in over 60 countries and regions, including 47 of the world&#39;s top 100 banks. It strategically cooperates with 20 large banks, insurers, and securities companies around the world, and has grown into a trusted strategic partner for financial institutions in digital transformation. Huawei has adopted an open collaboration approach in the finance field, developing more than 1200 solution partners, 4200 service partners, and more than 20,000 sales partners worldwide.
MuRong Technology, one of Huawei&#39;s solution partners, is a leading provider of new digital core banking systems and Information Technology (IT) solutions for scenario-specific finance. MuRong can offer professional business experience, advanced technical advantages, and excellent cross-border service delivery capabilities.
Amid the pandemic, Huawei and MuRong Technology focused on NCBA Bank&#39;s needs by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the bank&#39;s services and designing a rigorous digitalization solution.
After extensive testing over a year, MuRong delivered a next generation digital core banking system in November 2020. The solution included migrating the services of 80 million small deposit and loan accounts as well as consumer loan accounts, which allowed the new system to provide better services with increased capabilities and performance. This is Kenya&#39;s first core banking system that uses distributed architecture, which is slated to support the bank&#39;s business development over the next decade.
Built on a distributed Development and Operations (DevOps) framework, the next generation digital core banking system provides agile and robust technical support for NCBA Bank&#39;s digital financial services. On the first day of operations, the system migrated data from 60 million accounts all at once, reaching 420 Transactions Per Second (TPS) at the peak of system performance.
Ensuring stable systems running is the underlying private cloud platform and distributed financial service system. Huawei&#39;s private cloud platform facilitates centralized resource management and flexible provisioning; while Gauss Database (GaussDB) supports night reports and complex queries, cutting the expenditure of traditional databases. High-reliability and high-performance OceanStor Dorado all-flash storage helps customers quickly roll out services. At the same time, the distributed financial services system can scale horizontally, process highly concurrent requests, and eliminate any Single Point Of Failure (SPOF). Ultimately, this makes the system less complex, reduces the cost of middleware overheads, while also supporting future e-banking system migration and rapid financial service innovation.
The New Core System
 	Higher transaction capability: System performance increases from 60 TPS to 420 TPS, supporting the bank&#39;s rapid business growth. 	Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): There are fewer costly databases and Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) requirements. The number of databases has dropped from 108 to 56 by introducing new architectures and technologies. More flexible Application Programming Interface (API) gateways are used to replace ESBs, improving system flexibility and slashing the five-year system TCO by more than 50%. 	Enhanced system flexibility and reliability: A multi-cluster design increases system reliability to 99.99%. The new architecture at the software layer enables horizontal system expansion and can support fast service rollout in the future. 
Digital Transformation, Reshaping the Future of NCBA Bank
The new M-Shwari core banking system opens up a world of possibilities for NCBA, enabling the bank to deliver its promise to customers. At the heart of NCBA Bank is a drive to empower customers with the right financial solutions to enable them to achieve more.
The cooperation between NCBA Bank and Huawei has laid a foundation for the bank&#39;s long-term sustainable development. Indeed, NCBA Bank has reshaped its position as an innovator in the financial services sector by building a next generation digital core banking system.
In the coming years, Financial Technology (FinTech) will continue to grow, Bank 4.0 will become a reality, and new banking services will emerge. NCBA Bank is addressing current bottlenecks while accelerating digital transformation to become a leader in African financial services and embrace Bank 4.0.
Thanks for your reading. For more info about Huawei’s financial ICT solution and how we help banks around the world succeed, please click here: https://bit.ly/3qeGgdH.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Huawei Enterprise.

NCBA Bank: Investing in Technology to Offer Inclusive Financial Services

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VC4A Venture Showcase (www.VC4A.com), an exclusive program of choice for Africa-focused early-stage investors and hand-picked startups looking to raise their Seed ($250K-$1,5M) and Series A ($1,5M-$10M) rounds, is back in its 5th edition as part of the annual Africa Early Stage Investor Summit #AESIS2021. Applications are now open, with 8 spots available for each of the two tracks for companies operating in Africa, showing solid traction and gearing for expansion.

The Showcase has run successfully every year since 2017, with over 120 partnering venture funds and angel groups actively involved in the vetting and selection process, and with the 80 startups showcased to date having jointly raised over $180M. The program receives consistently high ratings from participating founders, with over 90% reporting to be in ongoing conversations with investors they met through the Showcase in the weeks following the program.
“The secret of such positive outcomes for the fundraising founders is in the process design”, explains Alina Vinogradova, Programs and Partnerships Lead at VC4A. “What many applicants don’t realize is that the Showcase begins the moment they submit their application. The selection is fully carried out by investors, and due to our track record there’s unprecedented interest from investors to join. Each application gets reviewed by 5-6 investors, followed by interviews with yet more investors. This way we guarantee not only ultimate selection quality, but also ultimate investor exposure.”
While this way the investors are also taking note of the companies not making the cut, the ultimate cherry on the cake for the finalists remains an exclusive feature as part of the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit. In addition to the pitch, they get to participate in a DealRoom with 200+ investor organizations (www.investors.VC4A.com) jointly responsible for over 90% of funds deployed on the continent in the past 5 years. This remains one of a kind opportunity for selected entrepreneurs to introduce their companies at once to everyone who’s anyone in Africa’s early-stage investment space.
Among its many success stories, the Showcase has also seen mentorship engagement translate into an investment. It’s hardly a surprise, considering that also all mentorship is done by partnering investors.
“Following my time as a mentor to Kais for the VC4A Venture Showcase Series A, we have concluded a transaction, and Newtown Partners is now an investor in Fulfilment Bridge. After I had spent a few thoroughly enjoyable weeks working with Kais, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity not to invest myself”, comments Llew Claasen, Managing Partner at Newtown Partners.
“Newtown Partners was our lead investor and the first to join our pre-series A round. I would add that this relationship/transaction went 100% online from the beginning of the mentorship program until we closed the deal, and was a direct result of the VC4A exposure and mentorship program”, adds Kais Khadhraoui, the founder of Fulfillment Bridge.
VC4A works closely with Africa&#39;s investment community to refer and vet candidates to the showcase. Participating investors work with the selected companies to prepare their participation in the showcase, and to ensure the companies are representative of the best investment opportunities coming up from across the continent. The showcase sets the stage for deal making with Africa’s leading entrepreneurs and investors coming together to scale up the best companies.
The 16 companies selected for the 2021 Seed and Series A tracks will get:
 	Participation in the VC4A Venture Showcase deal room, including 200+ VC investment firms 	Professionally edited virtual pitch featured at the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit (https://bit.ly/35CmjEi) 	Closed-door deep-dive sessions with investors 	Mentorship and technical support by partner VC investors 	Exclusive access to industry events and fundraising opportunities as part of the Showcase alumni network 
Interested entrepreneurs are invited to apply for Series A (https://bit.ly/3qgozdC) and Seed (https://bit.ly/2UrAPMV) tracks before July 24th, 2021. Investors who wish to refer to a company can contact Alina Vinogradova at alina@vc4a.com.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Venture Capital for Africa (VC4A).
For more images: https://bit.ly/35DEnxV
Media contact: Boyewa Abiodun-Adepoju boyewa@vc4a.com

VC4A Venture Showcase alumni raise $180 million, applications for the 2021 program now open

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.
Qatar National Library (QNL) donated more than 4,000 books in various fields of knowledge, culture and scientific research to the Somali National Library (SNL), and this comes within the framework of cooperation between the two countries in the educational and cultural fields.

HE Minister of Information Culture and Tourism for the Federal Government Osman Abukar Dubbe, thanked in his speech the government and people of Qatar for their generous support, stressing that Somalia is grateful for the permanent and fraternal support from the State of Qatar, noting that books are among the most precious gifts and that whoever gave you a book has contributed to increasing your knowledge and culture.
In turn, HE Minister of State for Education, Culture and Higher Education in Somalia Abdullah AbuBakr Hajji, thanked the government and the State of Qatar for the continuous support of Somalia and the dedication of more than 4,000 books from Qatar National Library to the Somali National Library, pointing out that Qatar&#39;s giving is not strange because it is a pioneer in providing support to Somalia, adding that the State of Qatar has previously funded a number of humanitarian and infrastructure projects, such as the Mogadishu-Afgoye road, in addition to the construction of some government headquarters.
In his speech, Director of the Somali National Library Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Sheil said that the books donated by Qatar National Library are of scientific value and help enrich the National Library with reference books, indicating that this is the beginning of the relationship between the two libraries in exchanging experiences and archaeological materials, and thanked the government and people of Qatar for their efforts in supporting Somalia and standing by it in difficult times.
For his part, HE Qatar&#39;s Ambassador to Somalia Hassan bin Hamza Hashem, said in his speech that QNL&#39;s donation of 4,000 books to the SNL comes within the framework of cooperation between the two countries in the fields of education, culture and scientific research, and comes within the framework of continuous support of brothers from Qatar to their brothers in the Republic of Somalia, in support of stability and progress, and to achieve the mission of Qatar Library in preserving heritage and creating a reliable information environment, because it aspires to be one of the world&#39;s distinguished centers in the fields of learning, research and culture, adding that these achievements would not have been achieved without the depth of strong fraternal relations under the leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and HE President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, as well as between the peoples of the two countries.
The record of handing over books to the Somali side was signed, as the State of Qatar was represented by the state&#39;s Ambassador to Somalia, and the Federal Republic of Somalia was represented by the Director of the National Library.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The State of Qatar.

Qatar National Library Donates More Than 4,000 Books to Somali National Library

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The Special Envoy for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Angelina Jolie, is in Burkina Faso for World Refugee Day to bring attention to the fastest growing emergency in the world today. Displacement doubled in the last year alone.

Burkina Faso is acutely affected by the current displacement crisis in the Sahel region of West and Central Africa. More than 1.2 million people have been forced to flee their homes since 2019. Just two weeks ago, 138 people from one village were executed when gunmen raided their village, Solhaln, in the middle of the night. It was the deadliest attack in the country in more than six years. Funding for UNHCR’s response in Burkina Faso remains critically low, with only 22 per cent of the funding required being met.
In Kaya, the Special Envoy met people displaced internally within Burkina Faso. She marked World Refugee Day with refugees from Mali in Goudoubo camp.
Speaking from the camp, the Special Envoy paid tribute to the strength and resilience of refugees. She warned of the stark implications of the ninth consecutive year in which the numbers of displaced people globally have risen. In her twenty years with the UN Refugee Agency, she said, she had “never been as worried” about the state of human displacement.
“We have to wake up to the track we are on globally”, the Special Envoy said, “with so many conflicts raging and the very real possibility that climate change will force tens if not hundreds of millions of people to have to leave their homes in the future, with no possibility of return.”
“The way the international community tries to address conflict and insecurity is broken”, the Special Envoy stated. “It is erratic, it is unequal, it is built on inherited privilege, it is subject to the whim of political leaders, and it is geared towards the interests of powerful countries.”
She called for the international community to focus on finding solutions to reduce refugee numbers globally, saying: “The truth is we are not doing half of what we could and should do to find solutions to enable refugees to return home &#8211; or to support host countries, like Burkina Faso.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Angelina Jolie marks World Refugee Day with refugees in Burkina Faso

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In its newest chapter in Egypt, the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (www.ITFC-idb.org), a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, launched the “SheTrades” initiative in Egypt, which is implemented by the International Trade Center (ITC) within the framework of the Aid for Trade Initiative for Arab States (AfTIAS) program.

The launch took place in the presence of H.E Dr. Hala El Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development and the Governor of Egypt at the Islamic Development Bank, H.E Mrs. Nevin Gamea, Minister of Trade and Industry, H.E Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, CEO ITFC, H.E Dr. Maya Morsi, President of the National Council for Women, and Ms. Elena Panova, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt. H.E Dr. Pamela Cook Hamilton, Executive Director of the International Trade Center, and May Ali Babiker, Manager, Regional Hub in Cairo, Islamic Development Bank also attended the launch via video conference.
H.E Dr. Hala El Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, noted that “Egypt’s total cooperation portfolio with the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation amounts to US$12.5 billion, underscoring the value of this partnership.  ITFC backs a number of distinguished projects and programs, particularly the Aid for Trade Initiative for Arab States, that support trade facilitation, youth employment, capacity support, addressing non-tariff measures, and skills development for Egyptian exporters. To help women contribute to the well-being of their families and the overall society, the SheTrades Egypt project was specifically designed to achieve the strategic goal of empowering women economically by focusing on supporting entrepreneurs in the handicraft sector.  This sector is an extremely important target, as one out of every five Egyptian companies in the handicraft sector is owned by a woman.”
The new chapter launched in Egypt will build on the experiences and network of the ITC&#39;s SheTrades Program, which aims to connect three million women entrepreneurs to markets by the end of 2021 in the areas of export capacity building, export readiness and market access.  Supported by ITFC under the AfTIAS framework, the SheTrades initiative in Egypt is designed to help women access new markets and improve competitiveness through digital technologies to grow their businesses.
ITFC CEO Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol commenting on the program said: “Trade plays a substantial role in expanding women’s role in the economy, decreasing inequality and the associated costs on the global economy. SheTrades Initiative will help Egyptian women entrepreneurs reap the benefits of trade.  According to a McKinsey Global Institute report, US$28 trillion could be added to global GDP by 2025 by advancing women’s equality. Placing women at the heart of ITFC’s priorities through the SheTrades initiative, works beyond than just connecting women entrepreneurs to markets, but more importantly to identify rising global trends and exploit new technologies and environments, such as the digital economy and virtual learning, to open up important economic opportunities for women.”


The SheTrades initiative will focus on increasing the participation of 50 small and medium enterprises owned by Egyptian women in the export-oriented value chain. The project will enhance the capabilities of women-led small businesses through trainings in production, packaging, logistics, trade information, quality management, marketing, and sales for a specific sector. The selected medium, small and micro enterprises will also benefit from the best export practices and directly communicate with export markets and buyers.
The SheTrades initiative is also aligned with Egypt’s national vision to implement the UN Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and directly supports achieving three of the 17 SDGs:
 	Goal 5 &#8211; Gender Equality aims ‘to empower all women and girls’ 	Goal 8 &#8211; Decent Work and Economic Growth aims to ‘promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all’  	Goal 9 &#8211; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure aims to ‘build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation’ Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC).
Contact Us: Tel: +966 12 646 8337 Fax: +966 12 637 1064  E-mail: ITFC@itfc-idb.org
About the International Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC): The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) is a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group. It was established with the primary objective of advancing trade among OIC member countries, which would ultimately contribute to the overarching goal of improving socioeconomic conditions of the people across the world. Commencing operations in January 2008, ITFC has provided US$55 billion of financing to OIC member countries, making it the leading provider of trade solutions for these member countries’ needs. With a mission to become a catalyst for trade development for OIC member countries and beyond, the Corporation helps entities in member countries gain better access to trade finance and provides them with the necessary trade-related capacity building tools, which would enable them to successfully compete in the global market.
Twitter: @ITFCCORP  Facebook: @ITFCCORP  LinkedIn: International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)

International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) partners with International Trade Center (ITC) to launch the ‘Women in Global Trade: SheTrades’ Initiative in Egypt

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DHL Western Province reaffirmed their status as the favourites to defend their Women’s Premier Division crown as they earned their seventh win in a row in an exciting round featuring valuable wins for the Border Ladies and EP Queens.

DHL Western Province thumped the Boland Dames 56-10 in the Western Cape derby in Wellington, while the Border Ladies bounced back from successive defeats to outplay the Blue Bulls Women by 32-10 in Pretoria. The EP Queens, meanwhile, ground out a 15-10 win against the Cell C Sharks Women in Port Elizabeth.

The First Division was equally entertaining as the Valke secured their first win of the season in style with a comprehensive 80-5 victory against the Pumas in Standerton, while the Leopards continued their winning ways as they outplayed the Limpopo Blue Bulls by 50-12 in Potchefstroom.

Premier Division

DHL WP Women demolish Boland in Wellington

DHL Western Province overturned a 10-0 deficit against the Boland Dames in Wellington on Saturday to demolish their neighbours 56-10 in an action-packed Women’s Premier Division encounter.

The Capetonians were in fine form, scoring nine tries to add to a first-half penalty try, while they limited the hosts to a converted try and penalty goal by flyhalf Demi Nel to earn their seventh successive victory of the season.

The Boland Dames started the match strongly by applying consistent pressure on attack and their efforts paid off as Nel dashed through a hole in the defence to score, and she added the extra two before slotting a penalty goal to hand her side a 10-0 lead.

They found themselves under pressure soon after as two players were sent to the sin bin within minutes of one another, and the Capetonians capitalised on this with Springbok Women’s wing Veroeshka Grain touching down for their first points of the match.

They were awarded a penalty try soon after as a player was tackled off the ball denying them a sure try, and and Shaylin Simons (wing) added another five-pointer as she touched down in the corner on the stroke of halftime to hand the team a 17-10 lead.

Boland were dealt a massive blow soon after the restart as Theresa Ruiters (scrumhalf) received her second yellow card for a dangerous tackle, which saw her being sent off for the remainder of the match, and Simons took advantage of this to score her second try which Zintle Mpupha (centre) converted to increase their lead to 24-10.

The visitors continued to stamp their authority as the match progressed with Nomkhita Chuba (replacement prop) darting through the defence to touch down and Nopinky Mazwi (flank) followed after sustained pressure close to the tryline.

Alichia Arries (replacement wing) added her name to the scoresheet early in the fourth quarter using her speed to dash to the line, and Mazwi followed from a pick-and-go to secure her brace.

With their confidence up the defending champions kept the scoreboard ticking until the end, with Kimberley Karassellos (replacement back) and Nokubonga Siko (No 8) scoring further tries to secure a satisfying 56-10 victory.

Scorers:

Boland Dames 10 (10) – Try: Demi Nel. Conversion: Nel. Penalty Goal: Nel.

DHL Western Province 56 (17) – Tries: Veroeshka Grain, Penalty Try, Shaylin Simons (2), Nomkhita Chuba, Nopinky Mazwi (2), Alichia Arries, Kimberley Karassellos, Nokubonga Siko. Conversions: Zintle Mpupha (2).

Border Ladies back to winning ways in Pretoria

The Border Ladies put in a classy performance to return to winning ways in the Women&#39;s Premier Division as they outclassed the Blue Bulls Women by 32-10 in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon.

After losing their last two games, the women from East London hit back in style and outscored their hosts by five tries to one at Loftus Versfeld.

Border were firmly in control for most of the match, with two tries by Zintle Holofela (outside centre) putting them in the lead by 15-3 at the break.

The Blue Bulls Women were under pressure as they struggled in the set pieces, with Holofela&#39;s first try coming as a direct result of the home team losing a lineout on their tryline.

Border defended very well and also used their strong carriers to good effect, with Lusanda Dumke (No 8) yet again leading the charge. Credit also to the visitors for their positive attitude as Holofela&#39;s second try came in injury time, after they kept on hammering away after the hooter had sounded.

Two quick tries after half-time – by Asisipho Plaatjies (centre) and Unam Tose (scrumhalf) – meant the Ladies stretched their lead from 8-3 to 27-3 in five minutes either side of the break, which all but ended the Blue Bulls&#39; challenge.

Nqatyiswa Lufutha (left wing) rubbed salt into the home team&#39;s wounds with a superb fifth try 15 minutes from time, as Border looked to shift gears.

Rumandi Potgieter (scrumhalf) scored a consolation try for the Blue Bulls Women after they finally managed to hold onto the ball in the red zone.

Scorers:

Blue Bulls Women 10 (3) – Try: Rumandi Potgieter. Conversion: Libbie Janse van Rensburg. Penalty goal: Janse van Rensburg.

Border Ladies 32 (15) – Tries: Zintle Holofela (2), Asisipho Plaatjies, Unam Tose, Nqatyiswa Lufutha. Conversions: Yandisa Nobanda (2). Penalty goal: Snenhlanhla Shozi.

EP Queens reign supreme in East Coast derby

The EP Queens scored a second consecutive win at home on Saturday, this time edging the Cell C Sharks Women by 15-10 in a tight game, played at Wolfson Stadium in Zwide near Port Elizabeth.

Like in last weekend&#39;s win over the Border Ladies, it was the clinical intervention from Zenay Jordaan that made the difference five minutes from time. With the scores tied at that time with the visitors having most of the possession, the Springbok Women&#39;s flyhalf set off on a lovely run for the winning try, stepping inside two defenders and then outside another.

The Cell C Sharks Women had the upper hand for a large part of the match, but in the end they made too many mistakes when in striking distance. They scored early after a good drive to the EP line, through Phatheka Dzanibe (flanker), but that momentum could not be sustained.

The home side responded well when Abongile Gcwememe scored. The left wing benefitted from a flowing backline move with decoy runners stopping defenders, allowing Gcwememe to go over in the corner to level the scores at 5-5, which is how it stayed until the break.

The second half was another physical and hard-fought affair. The visiting pack had the dominance and bustling No 8, Sizo Solontsi, scored following a number of good attacks for a 10-5 lead.

The Queens responded, this time through their pack, as Amahle Nyoba (prop) emerged under a heap of bodies following a forward maul.

Five minutes from time, Jordaan weaved her magic and much to the despair of the visitors, a final attack ended with a handling error and yet another close defeat.

Scorers:

EP Queens 15 (5) – Tries: Abongile Gcwememe, Amahle Nyoba, Zenay Jordaan.

Cell C Sharks Women 10 (5) – Tries: Phatheka Dzanibe, Sizo Solontsi.

Women’s First Division

Eight-try romp steers Leopards to second win

The Leopards were in top form at Olén Park against the Limpopo Blue Bulls as they racked up an impressive eight tries to defeat the Limpopo Blue Bulls by 50-12 in the Women’s First Division for their second win in a row.

Buhle Ngaliphi (wing) made a valuable contribution with her brace, while Jacomiena Cilliers (centre) also made her presence felt with a try and five conversions for a personal tally of 15 points.

The Limpopo Blue Bulls in turn were limited to two tries, which saw them having to settle for their second defeat of the season.

Scorers:

Leopards 50 (38) – Tries: Thembakazi Fulela, Ziyanda Makhwahla, Buhle Ngaliphi (2), Jacomiena Cilliers, Dineo Ntinaeng, Verana van Heerden, Keneilwe Molifi. Conversions: Cilliers (5).

Limpopo Blue Bulls 12 (5) – Tries: Tshepiso Lesudi, Reason Mabuza. Conversion: Valencia Mthembi.

Valke fire on all cylinders in Standerton

The Valke fired on all cylinders to score a whopping 14 tries against the Pumas in Standerton for a memorable 80-5 victory which marked their first win of the season.

Bodmas Sithole (left wing) was in burning form as she crossed the tryline four times, while Anelisiwe Mxabo (lock), Mosa Mphahlele (centre) and Lifters Moremi (right wing) each scored braces.

The team backed up their fine attacking form with a tenacious defensive effort leaking only one try in the first half.

Scorers:

Pumas 5 (5) – Try: Alucia Mathebula.

Valke 80 (32) – Tries: Maxine Engelbrecht, Anelisiwe Mxabo (2), Fortunate Sibiya, Juanine Jacobs, Bodmas Sithole (4), Mosa Mphahlele (2), Botle Mokoena, Lifters Moremi (2). Conversions: Juanine Jacobs (5).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Rugby Union.

Women’s Premier Division R7 and First Division R2 Review

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.
Radisson Hotel Group (www.RadissonHotels.com) is proud to announce the signing of Radisson Hotel Djibouti. The hotel marks the Group’s entry into the country and brings its East African portfolio to 18 hotels and over 2700 rooms in operation and under development, strengthening its strategic position in the region. This new signing further underscores the Group’ presence as the hotel company active in the most countries on the African continent with close to 100 hotels in operation and under development.

This new-build 144-room hotel, scheduled to open in 2024, will comprise not only of modern standard rooms and suites, but will also have accessible rooms, designed for wheelchair access. Dining options will include light snacks at the lobby café, international and local cuisine at the all-day-dining restaurant, and refreshing drinks at the poolside juice bar. Boasting an expansive meetings and events area, the hotel will offer a variety of versatile venues, including a ballroom, five meeting rooms, a pre-function area, as well as break out areas. The leisure facilities will include a spa, gym, and an outdoor swimming pool. 
Just 15 minutes away from Djibouti International Airport, Radisson Hotel Djibouti will be located in the heart of the city, surrounded by key infrastructures such as the Djibouti Port, Djibouti Free Zone, international headquarters, shopping malls and the seaside, providing the ideal base for business and leisure. 
Erwan Garnier, Senior Director, Development, Africa, Radisson Hotel Group said: “We are delighted to mark our entry into Djibouti with Radisson, currently our fastest growing upscale brand in Africa. With its existing limited branded hotel supply, we are confident that Radisson Hotel Djibouti will be the country’s leading internationally branded hotel. Along with our partners, Salaam Properties, we are proud to be contributing to the Djibouti Vision 2035 strategy for economic diversification which relies strongly on the growth of the tourism industry.”
Fatima Zahra, Manager, Salaam Properties, the hotel’s owning company, said: “We are thrilled to be contributing to the growth of the region&#39;s upscale tourism industry, together with our partners, Radisson Hotel Group. We are confident that Radisson Hotel Djibouti will help boost the capital’s economy through hundreds of jobs created both directly and indirectly, a significant achievement, especially during these challenging times the world is witnessing. The hotel is another great milestone in Salaam Properties’ successful investments within Djibouti’s burgeoning tourism sector. The country truly is a leading regional tourism and economic hub with significant potential to be further explored.”
Djibouti’s strength lies in its strategic location at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, forming a bridge between Africa and the Middle East. Djibouti is a key market in East Africa due to its port complex, considered one of the most sophisticated in the world at the intersection of major international shipping lanes connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Radisson Hotel Group’s top priority is the continued health, safety and security of its guests, team members, and business partners. The Group applies its Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol (https://bit.ly/3iYLusu) created in collaboration with SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, and recently unveiled its new comprehensive testing program as the first hotel group to roll out a rapid testing service for meeting and event attendees at properties across its EMEA portfolio.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Radisson Hotel Group.
Media contact: Saadiyah Hendricks Area PR&#038;Communications Manager, Middle East&#038;Africa Saadiyah.hendricks@radissonhotels.com
About Radisson Hotel Group: Radisson Hotel Group is one of the world&#39;s largest hotel groups with nine distinctive hotel brands, and more than 1,500 hotels in operation and under development in 120 countries. The Group’s overarching brand promise is Every Moment Matters with a signature Yes I Can! service ethos. 
The Radisson Hotel Group portfolio includes Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn&#038;Suites by Radisson, and prizeotel brought together under one commercial umbrella brand Radisson Hotels.  
Radisson Rewards (https://bit.ly/3dfX92D) is our global rewards program that delivers unique and personalized ways to create memorable moments that matter to our guests. Radisson Rewards offers exceptional loyalty benefits for our guests, meeting planners, travel agents and business partners.  
Radisson Meetings (https://bit.ly/3zHWzEb) provides tailored solutions for any event or meeting, including hybrid solutions placing guests and their needs at the heart of its offer. Radisson Meetings is built around three strong service commitments: Personal, Professional and Memorable, while delivering on the brilliant basics and being uniquely 100% Carbon Neutral.  
More than 100,000 team members work at Radisson Hotel Group and at the hotels licensed to operate in its systems. For more information, visit our corporate website (https://bit.ly/3gMXGtM). Or connect with Radisson Hotels on: 
LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/35CFL3x) Instagram (https://bit.ly/3zS26bw) Twitter (https://bit.ly/3h4K90T) Facebook (https://bit.ly/3gR9g6T) YouTube (https://bit.ly/3iXIE7g) 
About Radisson: Radisson is an upscale hotel brand that offers Scandinavian inspired hospitality, which enables guests to focus on a work/life balance and find harmony in their travel experience. With nature-inspired design, and unexpected delights, Radisson inspires the art of being in the moment. Committed to building meaningful relationships with guests, Radisson has a Yes I Can! service attitude to ensure the satisfaction of every guest. Radisson hotels can be found in suburban and city settings, near airports and leisure destinations. Guests and professional business partners can enhance their experience with Radisson by participating in Radisson Rewards, a global loyalty program offering exceptional benefits and rewards. 
Radisson is part of Radisson Hotel Group, which also includes Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn&#038;Suites by Radisson, and prizeotel brought together under one commercial umbrella brand Radisson Hotels.
For reservations and more information, visit our website (https://bit.ly/3iYM0Xs). Or connect with Radisson on: 
LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/3wKfcpc) Instagram (https://bit.ly/2SP3uuH) Twitter (https://bit.ly/3gGPtZ1) Facebook (https://bit.ly/3qbH8jo) YouTube (https://bit.ly/3qdt0pG)
About Salaam Properties: Salaam Properties Management is the real estate arm of Salaam Group, which is a diversified portfolio in Telecom, Banking, Energy, Mobile Money Services, Real Estate, Trade and Logistics that spans across the East African region. Salaam Properties is an EMEA AWARD winning organization which is the leader of the Real Estate industry in the Republic of Djibouti.
Salaam Properties develops and operates a rich and prestigious portfolio of real estate assets in the Republic of Djibouti and in the East African region, including land acquisition, project development and leasing, delivering excellence to its customers.
For more information, visit our corporate website (www.Salaam-group.com)

Radisson Hotel Group debuts in a new African market with the signing of Radisson Hotel Djibouti, in partnership with Salaam Properties

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Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, in partnership with The First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More than a Mother, H.E. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA handed over 30,000 children storybooks to the Ministry of Primary&#038;Secondary Education for the school students of Zimbabwe. The storybooks are titled: “Tudu&#39;s Story”, “Educating Rujeko Story” and “Make the Right Choice Story”.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation&#038;President, Merck Foundation More Than A Mother expressed, “I am very happy and proud of our long term partner H.E. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA, The First Lady of Zimbabwe and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother. Donating 30,000 storybooks to young readers, school students of Zimbabwe which were handed over by Zimbabwe First Lady will make a great impact to create a culture shift and sensitize children and adolescence about Health and sensitive topics in their Communities.
Tudu&#39; story emphasizes strong family values of love and respect from a young age which will reflect on eliminating the stigma of infertility and resulted domestic violence in the future, while Make the Right Choice story aims to raise awareness about coronavirus prevention amongst children and youth as it provides facts about the pandemic and how to stay safe and healthy during the outbreak. It also promotes honesty, hard work, and the ability to make the right choices even during the most challenging times. Educating Rujeko story covers the importance of empowering girls through education. I hope this story will inspire every girl to fight for her right of education and encourage our communities to support education young underprivileged but brilliant girls so that they can reach their potential and pursue their dreams.”
H.E. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA, The First Lady of Zimbabwe and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More than a Mother emphasized “I am very happy to work closely with Merck Foundation and happy to hand over 30,000 storybooks to the Ministry of Primary&#038;Secondary Education for our young children. These storybooks convey important lessons of life, like supporting girls&#39; education; emphasize on the right family values of love and respect, to break infertility stigma; and raise awareness about Coronavirus and inspire hard work and honesty from a young age. Furthermore, these books will instill reading culture in young children”.
Merck Foundation, through their partnership with the Zimbabwe First Lady and Ministry of Health, has transformed the patient care landscape of the country by providing scholarships to more than 100 Zimbabwean doctors in various specialties like Fertility&#038;Embryology, Oncology, Diabetes, Cardiovascular, Endocrinology, Sexual&#038;Reproductive Medicine, Respiratory and  Acute Medicines. More doctors will benefit from more scholarships in different critical and underserved specialties in the next five years.
Moreover, together with Zimbabwe First Lady, Merck Foundation has introduced 6 Awards for Media, Fashion Film and Music fraternity.
Moreover, together with Zimbabwe First Lady, Merck Foundation has introduced 6 important Awards for Media, Fashion Film and Music fraternity after the huge success of the previous editions of the same awards in 2020 and announce the winners together.
“We recently celeberated 11 winners of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother Media Recognition Awards 2020, through an online Award Ceremony. We are now very excited to launch our new awards together with my dear sister Her Excellency”, said Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej.
“We recently celebrated 14 winners of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother Media Recognition Awards 2020 and Stay at Home Awards 2020, through an online Award Ceremony. We are now very excited to launch our new awards together with my dear sister Her Excellency”, said Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej.
Details of the awards:
1. Merck Foundation Africa Media Recognition Awards “More Than a Mother”: Media representatives are invited to showcase their work to raise awareness about Infertility Prevention, Breaking Infertility stigma, and Empowering Girls and Women through Education.
Submission deadline: 30th August 2021. Click here (https://bit.ly/2SFScsN) to view more details.
 2. Merck Foundation Film Awards “More Than a Mother” 2021: All African Filmmakers and Students are invited to create and share a FILM or a DOCUDRAMA to deliver strong and influential messages to break Infertility stigma, and /or Empowering Girls and Women through Education and at all levels.
Submission deadline: 30th August 2021. Click here (https://bit.ly/3xD7soU) to view more details.
3. Merck Foundation Fashion Awards “More Than a Mother” 2021: All African Fashion Students and Designers are invited to create and share designs to deliver strong and influential messages to raise awareness about Infertility Prevention, Breaking Infertility stigma, and/or Empowering Girls and Women through Education.
Submission deadline: 30th August 2021. Click here (https://bit.ly/2Sha256) to view more details.
4. Merck Foundation Song Awards “More Than a Mother” 2021: All African Singers and Musical Artists are invited to create and share a SONG with the aim to Empower Girls and Women through Education and at all levels.
Submission deadline: 30th August 2021. Click here (https://bit.ly/3wX6tAh) to view more details.
5. Merck Foundation “Mask Up With Care” Media Recognition Awards 2021: Media representatives are invited to showcase their work to raise awareness on how to adapt best protection measures such as wearing your masks to show you care and love your family&#038;community; to encourage your community to choose to vaccinate when it is available and to sensitize them to support healthcare workers who are at the forefront of COVID 19 pandemic.
Submission deadline: 30th September 2021. Click here (https://bit.ly/3vL7UQP) to view more details.
6. Merck Foundation “Make Your Own Mask” Fashion Awards 2021: All African Fashion Designers and Students are invited to create and share designs of masks and other clothing items that carry messages to encourage people to wear masks to show they care and at the same time make it creative and fun!
Submission deadline: 30th September 2021. Click here (https://bit.ly/3xBcaDB) to view more details.
Entries for all the awards to be submitted via email to submit@merck-foundation.com
Links to the storybooks:
Tudu’s Story: https://bit.ly/3iVXAT7
Educating Rujeko: https://bit.ly/3gLwkEh
Make the Right Choice: https://bit.ly/3vDAJi0
For more information on the awards, please visit our website: www.Merck-Foundation.com
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.
Join the conversation on our social media platforms below and let your voice be heard: Facebook: bit.ly/2LdbD8F Twitter: bit.ly/2LesKH8 YouTube: bit.ly/3sdHMxm Instagram: bit.ly/2LC26rm Flickr: bit.ly/2XqzQdU Website: Merck-Foundation.com Download Merck Foundation App: bit.ly/2MmNvAU
About ‘Merck Foundation More Than a Mother’ campaign: “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother” is a strong movement that aims to empower infertile women through access to information, education and change of mind-sets. This powerful campaign supports governments in defining policies to enhance access to regulated, safe, effective and equitable fertility care solutions. It defines interventions to break the stigma around infertile women and raises awareness about infertility prevention, management and male infertility. In partnership with African First Ladies, Ministries of Health, Information, Education&#038;Gender, academia, policymakers, International fertility societies, media and art, the initiative also provides training for fertility specialists and embryologists to build and advance fertility care capacity in Africa and developing countries.
With “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother”, we have initiated a cultural shift to de-stigmatize infertility at all levels: By improving awareness, training local experts in the fields of fertility care and media, building advocacy in cooperation with African First Ladies and women leaders and by supporting childless women in starting their own small businesses. It’s all about giving every woman the respect and the help she deserves to live a fulfilling life, with or without a child. 
The Ambassadors of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother” are:

H.E. NEO JANE MASISI, 			The First Lady of Botswana
H.E. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of The Gambia
H.E. MONICA GEINGOS, The First Lady of Namibia
H.E. SIKA KABORE, The First Lady of Burkina Faso
H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana

H.E. AISHA BUHARI, The First Lady of Nigeria
H.E. ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE,
The First Lady of Burundi
H.E. CONDÉ DJENE, The First Lady of Guinea Conakry
H.E FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of Sierra Leone
H.E. BRIGITTE TOUADERA, The First Lady of Central African Republic
H.E. CLAR WEAH, The First Lady of Liberia
H.E. ESTHER LUNGU, The First Lady of Zambia
H.E. ANTOINETTE SASSOU-NGUESSO, The First Lady of Congo Brazzaville
H.E. MONICA CHAKWERA, The First Lady of Malawi
H.E. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA, The First Lady of Zimbabwe
H.E. DENISE NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI, THE First Lady of Democratic Republic of Congo
H.E. ISAURA FERRÃO NYUSI, The First Lady of Mozambique

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.

Merck Foundation launched new innovative initiatives to sensitize local communities about infertility prevention, male infertility with the aim to break the stigma of infertility and empowering infertile women as part of Merck Foundation More than a Mother COMMUNITY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN, such as;
 • ‘Merck Foundation More than a Mother’ Africa Media Recognition Awards and Health Media Training • ‘Merck Foundation More than a Mother’ Fashion Awards • ‘Merck Foundation More than a Mother’ Film Awards • ‘Merck Foundation More than a Mother’ Song Awards • Local songs with local artists to address the cultural perception of infertility and how to change it • Children storybook, localized for each country

About Merck Foundation: The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to quality&#038;equitable healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare and scientific research capacity and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website.  Please visit Merck-Foundation.com to read more. To know more, reach out to our social media: Merck Foundation (Merck-Foundation.com); Facebook (bit.ly/2MU6Fht), Twitter (bit.ly/3scVf8t), Instagram (bit.ly/3boJ0jr), YouTube (bit.ly/3sf4aWX) and Flicker (bit.ly/3snPHZ8).

Merck Foundation and Zimbabwe First Lady donates 30,000 children storybooks to students in the country

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 are proud to be known as ‘BTE Renewables’ (www.BTERenewables.com), as of 1 June 2021, a re-brand that stands as an acknowledgement to our successes of the past with a clear focus on the future. 

BTE Renewables, then known as BioTherm Energy, was acquired by Actis, a global impact investor, in August 2019 with the intention of becoming the leading renewable energy development platform and independent power producer on the African continent.
Strategic business positioning sessions galvanised our intentions and facilitated the alignment of the leadership team around our mission. This is to responsibly deliver renewable energy to the people of Africa, with an ambitious vision to play a significant part in the realisation of Africa’s potential, which is now aligned and reflected in our new brand and name.
The new BTE Renewables logo, has a customised contemporary font complimented by the introduction of three colours inspired by the African horizon, sun and nature – Horizon Blue, African Sun Glow and Teal Nature. Sun, environment and wind icons complete our new logo.
A completely refreshed livery, to be found on our new website www.BTERenewables.com and marketing collateral supports our efforts to be recognized as the leading provider of renewable energy in Africa. BTE Renewables – unlocking potential.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of BTE Renewables.
Media Contact: Tina Meier 083 324 5553 tina@tmcommunications.co.za

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