MAPUTO, Mozambique, June 11, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In the signing session of the 40th IDB Group Annual Meeting, the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (“ICD”) (http://www.icd-idb.com), the private sector arm of the Islamic Development Bank Group (“IDB”) and The Banque Commerciale du Chari (BCC) sign an agreement for the establishment of an “Islamic window”. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/icd.jpgPhoto: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=2161On behalf of Mr. Khaled Al Aboodi, the CEO and General Manager of ICD, Mr Juanito Juan Limandibhratha, the Director of Risk Management Department in ICD and Mr. Cherif tom Kasser, the Commcercial and Branches Network Director on…
Author: apofeed
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, June 11, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The European Union is increasing its support for Burkina Faso’s transitional government today with the signing of a €120 million budget support agreement covering a period of 18 months, financed under the 11th European Development Fund. This budget support has been quickly put in place to consolidate the country’s democratic gains following the popular uprising at the end of October 2014. Its aim is to promote much-needed political, economic and social stability.The support will guarantee additional funding for the state budget, which is in deficit in 2015 and has…
GENEVA, Switzerland, June 11, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The executive committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) discussed at their meeting 8-13 June the alarming situation in South Sudan where people continue to be killed, raped, displaced and tortured. The humanitarian situation is reported to be deteriorating.The tragic conflict in South Sudan has moved into its 18th month, and the World Council of Churches (WCC) has pledged its support of the church leaders in the country making a commitment to work for peace.Twenty-five leaders and representatives from the member churches of the South Sudan Council of Churches gathered…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, June 11, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Speaking during a visit to Mombasa, Dr. Turner drew the link between security and prosperity, and said that a community-centred approach was required to tackle the causes of radicalisation. Providing employment training and opportunities for Kenya’s youth would allow them to make a positive contribution to society, and help drive Kenyan growth and stability. The High Commissioner was speaking at an awards ceremony held to recognise the achievements of graduates of the Mombasa County Youth Employment programme (Kuza Project). The event was also attended by Mombasa County Governor, H.E. Ali Hassan…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, June 10, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Office Minister for the Middles East and North Africa Tobias Ellwood comments on this morning’s terrorist attack in Luxor, Egypt which has left five people injured.Mr Ellwood said:“I strongly condemn the appalling terrorist attack today in Luxor in Egypt.My thoughts are with those injured in this terrible attack. “The UK continues to stand with the Egyptian government and people in their fight against terrorist violence.”
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, June 10, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Today, the European Union and its partners – the Hargeisa Group Hospital, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and Terre Solidali – have launched an Automated Patient Registration System for the Hargeisa Group of Hospitals.The purpose of the project worth EUR 1.5 million is to improve the health status of the catchment population by increasing the efficiency, quality and sustainability of services provided by the Hargeisa Group Hospital (HGH). The use of the new fingerprint recognition system will allow keeping track of the therapeutic pathway (diagnosis, laboratory tests,…
MONROVIA, Liberia, June 10, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — One month after being declared free of Ebola Virus transmission by the World Health Organization, Liberia is cautiously celebrating. Liberians and Ebola response workers alike continue to advocate and exercise vigilance, as the virus remains active in neighbouring Guinea and Sierra Leone. “With Liberia we have reached a milestone,” says Peter Graaff, Acting Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). “This is exciting progress, and certainly we congratulate Liberia on its hard work, but we cannot forget that the country remains at risk.”In the…
KINSHASA, Dem. Rep. of Congo (DRC) June 9, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — At a press conference held in Kinshasa, Mr. Jules Bondombe Assango, Vice Governor of the Central Bank of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) made a ground breaking announcement that will bring a competitive advantage to their banking industry. In partnership with the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) (http://www.ati-aca.org), the Vice Governor announced that banks would receive up to 50% capital relief on any transaction that is secured with a credit risk guarantee supplied by ATI. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/ati-aca.pngThe announcement also places ATI in the unique position of…
HARGEISA, Somaliland, June 9, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Dubai-based flydubai’s inaugural flight to Hargeisa landed today at Hargeisa Egal International Airport marking the launch of a direct four times weekly service to Hargeisa. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/flydubai.jpgPhoto 1: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=2138 (From Left to Right: Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, H.E Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismail, Vice-President of Somaliland)Photo 2: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=2137 (From Left to Right: Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, H.E Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismail, Vice-President of Somaliland, H.E Mohamud Hashi Abdi, Minister of Civil Aviation and Air Transport of Somaliland, Omar Said, Founder and CEO of Safeway Travel Agency)Photo…
WINDHOEK, Namibia, June 9, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Namibian cancer patients requiring specialised radiation therapy will no longer have to travel to South Africa for their treatment, with the opening of the new Namibian Oncology Centre equipped with the country’s first Elekta digital linear accelerator (http://www.elekta.com).Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/elekta.jpgPhotos: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?searchterms=Elekta&level=searchThe private Namibian Oncology Centre is set to open in Windhoek later this year. Built and equipped with funding from Spitz Healthcare Investments, the centre will have chemotherapy, laboratory, pharmacy and in-patient facilities as well as the first digital linear accelerator radiation treatment in Namibia. The centre’s radiation unit, with the capacity…
GENEVA, Switzerland, June 9, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM has provided assistance to 897 vulnerable Yemeni families (2,768 individuals) stranded in Egypt as a result of the protracted conflict in Yemen and the subsequent closure of Yemeni air space and land border crossings with neighbouring countries.In coordination with the Embassy of Yemen in Egypt, IOM caseworkers prioritized the most vulnerable cases, in particular female-headed households and families with children, as well as those with medical conditions.Following a request from the Yemeni Embassy in Cairo, which had received thousands of calls for help, IOM, with support from the US State…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, June 9, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, has expressed deep concern over the recent events in Galgadud Region. On 7 June, Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a (ASWJ) militia overran Dhusamareb town and took control of government installations.“I am very concerned about the developments in Dhusamareb,” said SRSG Kay.“All parties must respect the ceasefire agreement signed in Guricel on 5 March 2015, refrain from violent actions and make immediate efforts to de-escalate the situation. The Adaado state formation conference is crucial for strengthening peace in the Central Regions…
JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, June 8, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — NEPAD Heads of State and Government Summit & Presidential Press Briefing Chaired by President Macky Sall WHAT: Media is invited to attend the official opening of the 33th NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) meeting at the 25th African Union Summit in Sandton, South Africa. The HSGOC meeting will be followed by a press after the closing ceremony chaired by President of Senegal, H.E. Macky Sall. WHEN: Saturday, 13 June 2015Opening of HSGOC meeting: 10:00 – 10:40Press Briefing: 12:00 – 12:30 WHO: • Opening – H.E. Macky SALL,…
NAIROBI, Kenya, June 8, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — SimbaPay (http://www.simbapay.com) – a leading digital money transfer provider – today announced the launch of the first product in the world that allows Kenyans living abroad to make M-Pesa PayBill payments. This is a new addition to the existing SimbaPay platform.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/simbapay.pngPhoto: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/150608si.png (Screenshot of one of the Pay Bill wizard screens in the SimbaPay iOS app)M-Pesa PayBill is an M-Pesa service that has previously only been available to Safaricom M-Pesa subscribers in Kenya and allows the subscribers to pay hunderds of vendors via M-Pesa. By SimbaPay granting PayBill access to…
GENEVA, Switzerland, June 8, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Democratic Republic of Congo authorities should promptly and properly exhume a mass grave that may contain the bodies of people forcibly disappeared or executed by Congolese security forces, Human Rights Watch said today. On June 5, 2015, the families of 34 victims filed a public complaint with Congo’s national prosecutor requesting justice and the exhumation of the mass grave in Maluku, a rural area about 80 kilometers from the capital, Kinshasa.Local residents, opposition leaders, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo (MONUSCO), and human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have…
LOME, Togo, June 8, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (“Ecobank”) (http://www.ecobank.com), parent company of the Ecobank Group, the leading pan-African bank with operations in 36 countries across the continent, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ade Ayeyemi as its new Group Chief Executive Officer. His appointment is effective from 1 September 2015.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/ecobank.pngMr Ayeyemi will replace Albert Essien, who retires on 30 June, 2015 after 25 years of meritorious service with the Group. An interim arrangement will be made by the Ecobank Board for the management of the Group during the period 1 July through 31…
BERLIN, Germany, June 8, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Christoph Strässer, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid issued the following statement on 5 June 2015 on the expulsion of Toby Lanzer, the UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator of the UN Mission in South Sudan:The humanitarian situation in South Sudan has worsened further as a result of the fighting. Those affected by the hostilities need the assistance of the international community. Mr Lanzer’s expulsion is contrary to South Sudan’s obligations to allow the provision of humanitarian assistance and is unacceptable. To ensure that those…
OTTAWA, Canada, June 8, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments:Rosemary McCarney becomes Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the Office of the United Nations and to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.Pierre Giroux becomes High Commissioner to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.Vincent Le Pape becomes Ambassador to Burkina Faso.
ACCRA, Ghana, June 5, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations System in Ghana is saddened by the loss of more than 100 lives, homes, properties and livelihoods as a result of the floods in Accra and other parts of the country, and the explosion at the fuel station at Kwame Nkrumah Circle on Wednesday, 3 June 2015. On behalf of the United Nations in Ghana, the Resident Coordinator Ms. Christine Evans-Klock extends condolences to the flood victims and bereaved families and friends. The UN will work with partners to support the efforts of the National Disaster Management Organization…
GENEVA, Switzerland, June 5, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — UNHCR is concerned to have learned of an abduction of 14 Eritrean asylum-seekers by unknown armed elements in eastern Sudan on Thursday 4 June 2015.The incident happened when an armed group in a pickup truck opened fire on a convoy organized by the Sudanese Commissioner for Refugees (COR), which was transporting 49 Eritrean asylum-seekers from Wad Sharifey reception centre near Kassala to Shagarab refugee camp. Fourteen asylum-seekers were kidnapped: seven unaccompanied children (six boys and one girl), five women and two men. In addition, six asylum-seekers suffered from minor injuries when…