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1,301 new cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria;

Lagos &#8211; 551 FCT &#8211; 209 Oyo &#8211; 83 Plateau &#8211; 65 Kaduna &#8211; 64 Enugu &#8211; 61 Rivers &#8211; 44 Ondo &#8211; 39 Benue &#8211; 37 Akwa Ibom &#8211; 31 Kano &#8211; 19 Delta &#8211; 18 Gombe &#8211; 18 Ogun &#8211; 16 Edo &#8211; 15 Kebbi &#8211; 10 Ebonyi &#8211; 9 Jigawa &#8211; 4 Osun &#8211; 3 Zamfara &#8211; 3 Borno &#8211; 1 Nasarawa &#8211; 1
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Coronavirus – Nigeria: COVID-19 update (19 January 2021)

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UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, regained access to two refugee camps in Tigray and found Eritrean refugees in desperate need of supplies and services two months after conflict forced humanitarian workers to withdraw from the region.

UNHCR led the first humanitarian mission to Mai Aini and Adi Harush refugee camps since the start of the conflict in November, after being granted one-time access by the Ethiopian authorities to conduct a needs assessment.

The assessment, which concluded last week, found help is urgently needed for the tens of thousands of Eritrean refugees in northern Ethiopia. Refugees were cut off from any supplies and services for more than two months. Wells were not functional without fuel for the pumps – leaving refugees to use water from a nearby creek for washing, cooking and drinking, resulting in diarrhea like illnesses.

The only assistance refugees received since the start of the conflict was a one-time food distribution conducted by the World Food Programme (WFP) almost a month ago. Plans are underway for a second distribution.

Thankfully, teams found that in both Mai Aini and Adi Harush camps, buildings and structures remain intact, including refugee homes, schools and clinics, with little damage observed.

However, refugees told our staff that while they were not impacted directly from the fighting, they were threatened and harassed by various armed groups. The refugees told us they continue to have safety concerns, reporting that armed gangs roam the camps at night stealing and looting.

UNHCR is working with the government and partners to re-establish a regular presence at the camps and launch a response based on the information collected. We have called on the government to strengthen security in both camps.

Further north in Tigray, we have not had any access to the Shimelba and Hitsats refugee camps since November. As highlighted in the High Commissioner’s statement last week, we continue to receive a number of reports of significant damage to those camps and indications that many refugees have fled in search of safety and food. We remain deeply concerned about them.

Some 5,000 Eritrean refugees have made their way to the town of Shire and are living in dire conditions, many sleeping in an open field on the outskirts of the town, with no water and no food. 

UNHCR reiterates the UN wide call for full and unimpeded access to all refugees in the Tigray region and remains committed to work with the Ethiopian government to seek solutions together. We stress again that swift action to restore safe access are needed now to save thousands of lives at risk.
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UNHCR finds dire need in Eritrean refugee camps cut off in Tigray conflict

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Over 3.2 million confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent &#8211; with more than 2.7 million recoveries &#038; 79,000 deaths cumulatively. View country figures &#038; more with the WHO African Region COVID-19 Dashboard: http://arcg.is/XvuSX.
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Coronavirus – Africa: COVID-19 update (19 January 2021)

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Daily: Laboratory Test: 3,633 Severe Cases: 231 New Recovered: 57 New Deaths: 4 New Cases: 181

Total: Laboratory Test: 1,895,552 Active Cases: 13,296 Total Recovered: 116,392 Total Deaths: 2,037 Total Cases: 131,727
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Coronavirus – Ethiopia: COVID-19 update (19 January 2021)

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Action to control unprecedented desert locust infestations in the Horn of Africa last year has protected crops and livelihoods, but funding is needed to sustain operations against new incursions, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Tuesday.

The UN agency is seeking $38 million to continue work in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan.  
Without this support, 28 aircraft that patrol the skies to spot and spray swarms could be grounded as early as March. 
No time for complacency 
Dominique Burgeon, FAO’s Director of Emergencies and Resilience, said the huge desert locust swarms in 2020, some as wide as 60 kilometres, had not been seen in decades, threatening food security in a region where many were already going hungry. 
Surveillance and response led to 1.6 million hectares of land being treated. As a result, more than three million tonnes of cereals, valued at approximately $940 million, were protected: enough to feed 21 million people for a year. 
“We can say that huge progress has been made, capacities of the countries have been tremendously augmented…but yet the situation is not over”, he told journalists.  
“We have made a huge effort, we are much better prepared, but we should not be complacent. We should not relax.”  
Swarms arriving ‘nearly every day’  
Keith Cressman, FAO’s Senior Locust Forecasting Officer, said Cyclone Gati in December brought heavy rains, creating the conditions for new swarms to form in eastern Ethiopia and central Somalia.   
Locusts began migrating south to northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia when the waters dried up, as experts had predicted. 
“We had forecasted this in October. We had provided early warning to both countries to expect this shortly after mid-December, and that’s indeed what happened”, he said. “And since then, they have been arriving nearly every day.”  
The locusts are young now but will mature, and reproduce, in the coming months. FAO anticipates a new generation will emerge in early April, coinciding with seasonal rains and the planting period in Kenya and southern Ethiopia. 
Desert locusts are also breeding further north, on Somalia’s coastline on the Gulf of Aden, with new swarms likely to begin forming in late February. 
“This is a cause of concern, and this is also why it’s extremely important that the control operations…are not disrupted”, said Mr. Cressman.
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East African countries better prepared, but desert locust threat ‘not over’

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ayoba (www.ayoba.me), the African messaging app, has reiterated its focus on protecting their users’ privacy and security. In the past few days, the global community has spoken, and it&#39;s clear that these are critical issues. Across the world, users have taken to social media to express their opinions, and ayoba is listening.

The company has reassured its users that it&#39;s not possible for messages in the app to be read by anyone, or shared to any third parties. The app features peer-to-peer private messaging which are end-to-end encrypted. A user’s contacts and location are only available to other users if explicitly shared by the account owner. Users can feel confident that their private data will remain private, and is treated with the utmost care and respect by ayoba via our Privacy Policy.
Family Friendly
Ayoba also points out a unique feature of their app. &#39;All the content is curated,&#39; says Interim CEO Richard Cimardi. &#39;We have a team of editors who check every post on our content channels before it goes live. This includes our music and entertainment channels. So it&#39;s 100% family friendly and safe for our younger users&#39;.
Another unique feature is its availability in 22 languages : English, isiXhosa, isiZulu, French, Arabic, Dari, Pashtu, Hausa, Afrikaans, Igbo, Jula, Kinyarwanda, Luganda, Pidin [Cameroon], Pidgin [Nigeria], Portguese, Sesotho, Setswana, Swahili, Twi, and Yoruba. Content channels are predominantly English and French, but the app offers content across all the languages as well, in Dari, Pashto, isiZulu, isiXhosa and more.
Ayoba has recently launched an in-app assistant, Aya, to guide new users on how to use an instant messaging app. Aya appears automatically in everyone’s Chats and can run a variety of interactive tutorials for key features within ayoba.
Free data for MTN Users
In partnership with MTN, MTN customers are automatically allocated free data to use ayoba features. Allowances range from 50MB daily to unlimited usage, depending on the country (with the exception of Benin).  Free data allocations can be used for all activities available in the app &#8211; including messaging, browsing, gaming and listening to music.
Ayoba was awarded the Africa Digital Award for Best Mobile Application in November 2020, in a voting process involving both industry judges and the public. Ayoba offers Group Chat, Status updates, MicroApps and over 100 content channels bringing news, fashion, beauty, sports, education and music listening to the users. Ayoba has also an extensive game selection of more than 120 games currently available.
Ayoba is looking forward to a busy 2021, upgrading the already extensive list of features &#8211; including exciting new content in Channels and local MicroApps from across Africa, and also introducing new functionality, including in-app VoIP voice and video calls. 
10 Reasons to use ayoba:
 	FREE TO USE: ayoba is free to use. You need data to send messages and files to your contacts, but if you are on the MTN network, you will get free data every day to use the app.  	CHAT NOW: Instantly send and receive text and voice messages with any of your contacts. 	SECURE: End-to-end encryption means that messages in a conversation cannot be read by anyone else. 	QUICK CONNECT: Use your existing address book to quickly and easily connect you with your contacts. 	CHAT WITH EVERYONE: Send SMS text messages with anyone in your contact list, regardless of whether they&#39;ve installed ayoba or not. If the friend you send to does not have the app, the message will be delivered by SMS. They can respond by SMS and it will come back into your app.  This is a unique technology. 	GROUP CHAT: The more the merrier! Set up group chats to easily communicate with friends and family in a single chat. 	SHARING IS CARING: Share videos, images, audio, and other files with your contacts. 	LET’S MEET: Share your real-time location with your ayoba contacts. 	CHANNELS: Consume all content across various categories ranging from news, sports, music to entertainment and much more, all within the ayoba app. We have over 30 content channels live in Nigeria including Pulse [for entertainment], and the MTN YelloStar competition. 	LISTEN AND PLAY We have a free music service in the app so you can listen to trending songs in our fantastic playlists. We have games that you can play as well, such as BattleShip, Pinball, Solitaire and more. New content is added every day. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of SIMFY Africa.
Media Contact: Olivier Prentout Email address: pr@ayoba.me

About ayoba: Since its launch in May 2019, ayoba (www.ayoba.me) has reached millions monthly active users. It offers users free access to an ecosystem of digital and rich media services through channels, micro-apps and payment solutions, embedded within an African super-app.
Ayoba is highly localised and tailored for African and Middle East consumer needs, supporting 22 relevant languages. Users can send and receive encrypted messages, share photos, videos, files and voice notes and can also subscribe to live channels. Localised content is available through curated channels aimed at entertaining, educating and empowering communities as well as a range of games. Ayoba is available for Android users on the Google Store, via its website (www.ayoba.me).

Information at the Award can be found at www.AfricaDigitalAwards.com
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African messaging app ayoba assures users of full privacy and security protection, safe for younger users

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Total cases: 11,548 (+289) Recovered: 7,580 (+168) | 65.6% Active cases: 3,820 Tests: 804,337 (+4,520) Deaths: 148 (+2) | 1.3% Test positivity rate: 6.4%
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Coronavirus – Rwanda: COVID-19 update (19 January 2021)

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Active cases: 111 New cases: 5 New tests: 250 Total confirmed: 3,938 Recovered: 3,697 (+0) Deaths: 128 (+0)
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Coronavirus – Gambia: COVID-19 update (19 January 2021)

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New cases: 853 Total active cases: 7207 Lost to follow-up: 134 Total number of tests conducted: 112736 (2568 new) Total confirmed cases: 13880 Total recovered: 6127 (47 new) Outcome under investigation: 76 Total deaths: 336 (15 new)
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Coronavirus – Malawi: COVID-19 update (19 January 2021)

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MSGBC Oil, Gas and Power 2021, organized by Africa Oil &#038; Power (www.AfricaOilandPower.com) under the auspices of H.E. President Macky Sall, will be held on 26-27 October 2021, in Dakar; This event will be the leading investment platform for West Africa’s oil, gas and power industries. It will showcase the region’s investment appeal as one of the most exciting energy hotspots in Africa, with major hydrocarbons discoveries and vast renewable potential; MSGBC Oil, Gas and Power 2021 is held in partnership with the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, COS Petrogaz, Petrosen and various US and Canadian energy industry associations, and it will gather all stakeholders and investors to promote the development and expansion of West Africa’s energy sector and open a dialogue on the African Energy Transition.

Africa Oil &#038; Power is proud to announce that, under the auspices of H.E. President Macky Sall and in partnership with the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, COS Petrogaz, Petrosen and various US and Canadian energy industry associations, it will organize the first MSGBC Oil, Gas &#038; Power 2021 conference and exhibition. The event covers the entire region from Mauritania to Guinea, and also invites other important players in the region such as Algeria, Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire to hold talks with investor delegations from the United States, Australia, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. 

MSGBC Oil, Gas &#038; Power 2021 will be held on 26-27 October, 2021 in Dakar and will be the elite energy gathering for one of Africa’s most compelling energy investment destinations. The US-Africa Committee of the African Energy Chamber has provided its full support and endorsement. “Senegal and the region have historically welcomed US investment. This is now more important than ever. Looking ahead, American firms have a critical role in financing and providing technology to drive gas developments and the energy transition,” said Jude Kearney, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Service Industries and Finance at the US Department of Commerce and currently President of Kearney Africa Advisors.

Senegal has succeeded in fast-tracking its oil and gas developments, despite recent uncertainty caused by COVID-19, and has attracted investment in wind and solar, establishing itself as West Africa’s leader in the energy transition. The government of Senegal is keen to expand this narrative to encompass neighboring countries, with the goal of generating cross-border business and collaboration, and improving quality of life for potentially hundreds of millions of people.

Within West Africa, Senegal has gained most attention with the Sangomar field development – a $4.2 billion investment with production potential of up to 100,000 barrels per day – as well as the Great Tortue Ahmeyim development led by BP and Kosmos, that is estimated to hold 100 million barrels of oil equivalent in natural gas reserves. Looking beyond Senegal, the massive 50 trillion cubic feet natural gas discovery made by Kosmos in Mauritania in 2019, the nearly 5 billion barrels of oil estimated to be present in Gambia’s blocks A1, A2, A4 and A5, and new entries and drilling programs in Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry and elsewhere in the region, show that opportunities abound.

The region has very strong economic ties to North America, having a long legacy of welcoming US investment as well as US private companies operating in the energy sector. This strong connection was further reinforced in 2020 with the signing of an MoU between Senegal’s national utility Senelec and national sovereign fund FONSIS with General Electric for investments in health and power infrastructure worth $200 million. This connection is expected to be further reinforced in the coming years and will be at the very center of MSGBC Oil, Gas &#038; Power 2021.

“There is no better time to be in West Africa than now, and Senegal is at the heart of the opportunities. The projects are there, many investors have already succeeded, but viable projects across the value-chain still need FDI. The regional market is full of opportunity for the right investor, particularly those with a holistic view of the energy sector and a long-term eye on the energy transition,” said Renée Montez-Avinir, Managing Director at Africa Oil &#038; Power.

“MSGBC Oil, Gas &#038; Power 2021 will provide just the place for the right investors to discover deals, partners and clients that will not only benefit their companies, but the energy sector and the region’s economy at large”, added Montez-Avinir.

MSGBC Oil, Gas &#038; Power 2021 is the sole event in Senegal with full government support that opens up national and regional opportunities across the scope of the energy transition. The 2021 program will unite leaders and projects representing the full spectrum of energy activities, from oil and gas exploration to renewable energy developments, local goods and service provision, infrastructure, finance and power production and distribution. The organizer will work with all actors in the MSGBC region and international delegations in oil, gas and power sectors, from government officials to private sector players, to define opportunities and help new and existing investors find success in the market.

Find out more about Senegal’s energy industry and about the event at www.AfricaOilandPower.com.
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Senegal, Home of West African Gas Megaprojects, Hosts Major Energy Transition Event

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1,617 new cases of COVID-19 Nigeria;

Lagos-776 Kaduna-147 Kwara-131 FCT-102 Plateau-78 Edo-59 Ogun-53 Osun-45 Rivers-37 Taraba-36 Nasarawa-34 Adamawa-33 Kano-26 Delta-20 Ebonyi-16 Bayelsa-11 Gombe-11 Borno-2

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Coronavirus – Nigeria: COVID-19 update (18 January 2021)

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A combined total of €7.6 million in funding from the European Union (EU) is helping the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) address the growing food needs in Mozambique driven by climate change, insecurity, displacement and the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, while also strengthening national capacity to respond to natural disasters.

Thanks to generous donors like the EU, WFP has been providing vital food assistance to nearly 323,000 people affected by the crisis in Cabo Delgado where escalating violence has displaced over 565,000 people.
“Despite challenging and unprecedented developments over the last few months, our partnership with WFP has ensured uninterrupted assistance to many vulnerable families in Mozambique, and especially to the increased number of persons displaced in Cabo Delgado,” said Annabelle Vasseur, EU Humanitarian Aid Technical Assistant in Mozambique. 
The EU is also one of the partners of WFP’s lean season response in Sofala, Manica, Tete, Gaza, Maputo-Province, and Inhambane. Thanks to donations such as the one from the EU, WFP plans to provide food assistance to nearly 470,000 people, while also helping the National Disaster Management Institute (INGC) strengthen its capacity to prepare for and respond to disasters using unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, which efficiently gather essential data.
“The needs in Mozambique have been growing every day. We are grateful to the EU for the continued support that allows us to reach those who need the most”, said Antonella D’Aprile, WFP’s Representative and Country Director for Mozambique. “The EU’s continuous investments in innovative technologies have also played a key role in national preparedness efforts enabling to save lives and conduct assessments in the immediate aftermath of sudden-onset natural disasters”.
Funding from the EU is also allowing WFP to develop life-changing innovations for longer-term climate resilience of communities in drought-prone districts of Gaza and Tete. One of these innovations is the development of an early warning system, which helps farmers prepare for prolonged dry spells. When fully operational, this system will improve farmers’ resilience to natural hazards and reduce the potential damage to the livelihoods and of smallholder farmers.
The European Union is a long-standing partner to WFP, contributing over €32.8 million towards WFP’s activities across Mozambique over the past five years
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EU funding helps WFP address hunger challenges in Mozambique

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According to media reports, at least 83 people, including children, have been killed and more than 160 wounded in inter-communal violence in Darfur, Sudan over the weekend.

Over 50,000 people have been displaced from Krinding IDP camp and nearby villages and towns in El Geneina, West Darfur, with reports suggesting the number displaced could be even higher.
“We are deeply concerned about this latest upswing in violence, which has led to a mass displacement of families from their homes. Dozens of people have lost their lives, some of them children, and many others have been injured. In the chaos, we fear many children will have been separated from their parents, and will now be at risk of exploitation,” said Arshad Malik, Country Director of Save the Children in Sudan.
“We are particularly concerned about the state of health facilities in the area. We have seen disturbing photos of injured and dying people on the floors and corridors of hospitals, and have heard reports of large numbers of injured people arriving at health facilities with few medical staff to attend to them.
“We call on all parties to the violence in West Darfur to lay down their arms immediately, before the situation gets out of control. The Government of Sudan needs to ensure children and their families are protected, as without specific controls, more innocent people will lose their lives.
“We are asking donors to please dig deep to meet the needs of displaced children, many of whom are now living in damaged, cramped and dirty conditions. In particular, funds are needed so we can rapidly roll out mobile health services to replace those that have been damaged or destroyed, so no child misses out on essential health care if they need it. We need also funds to provide hygiene kits and to dig wells and toilets, in order to avoid the spread of disease. And we need support to be able to provide child protection services to children who are separated from their families, so they can reunite with loved ones as soon as possible,” said Mr. Malik.
Save the Children has worked in Sudan since 1984, and operates across 10 states including west, north and central Darfur. The organization is positioned to rapidly respond to humanitarian crises in its operational areas whenever they occur as well as other areas where there is a need.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.

Children must be protected in Sudan amid surge in violence

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Under the patronage of HRH Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Governor of the Madinah Province, the Madinah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), in cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDBG), the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) (www.ITFC-IDB.org) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), will organize, in the period 6-8/6/1442 (19-21/1/2021), the &#8220;International Virtual Exhibition for Madinah Dates&#8221; under the Aid for Trade Initiative for Arab States (AfTIAS), which is supervised by ITFC.

The virtual exhibition aims to promote trade and investment in the Madinah dates sector as a contribution to the enhancement and advancement of local product, increase the province’s GDP by developing exports and establish trade relations with the external markets in the dates sector. The exhibition will include booths for exhibitors, date export companies and government agencies. Additionally, workshops and panel discussions will be held as well as matchmaking meetings between exhibitors and potential buyers from targeted international date markets as identified by the exhibition organisers.

MCCI Chairman, Mr. Munir Mohammed Nasser bin Saad noted that organising this exhibition is an outcome of a cooperation MOU between IsDBG and MCCI towards enhancing the commercial and economic environment in Madinah, building on the province’s dates sector development project, as well as actively participating in realising the objectives of the Saudi 2030 Vision.

Mr. Saad added that implementing the MOU on the project started in 2018 under the supervision of ITFC, in the framework of the AfTIAS programme, in cooperation with ITC (the UN agency for private sector development), with a number of workshops that were held in Madinah. The project aims to increase internal and external demand for the province’s dates and enhance its competitiveness, with a view to reaching global markets and providing a large portion of the Madinah population of farmers and private sector institutions with more stable income. The project will also generate better returns for farmers and increase jobs, in addition to contributing to the enhancement of the national and religious character of Madinah dates, which rank third in the Kingdom in terms of the number of producing palm trees with 4.75 million trees, i.e. 15.2%. The produce represents 14%, and there are 900,000 Ajwah palm trees.

On his part, IsDBG Chairman, H.E. Dr. Bandar bin Muhammad Hamzah Hajjar, emphasized in the opening session of the exhibition the particular attention given by IsDBG to developing the agricultural sector in its 57 member countries, as the sector contributes to achieving food security, increasing national income, and attracting large numbers of workers. It was in that context that the Madinah dates sector development project was designed. As a follow up to the results achieved, IsDB signed on 4/3/2019 a second agreement with the Madinah Province to establish a comprehensive centre for dates in Madinah so as to improve the types of dates produced, support the sector&#39;s competitiveness and process fresh dates into other products by promoting relevant manufacturing.

On the occasion, Dr. Hajjar announced that IsDBG plans to design a new project in the near future, under the second phase of AfTIAS, to enhance the competitiveness of the dates sector production chains, and hence increase its exports and jobs, particularly for the youth. This in turn will contribute to realising the objectives of the Saudi 2030 Vision.

ITFC CEO, Engineer Hani Salem Sonbol, recalled in this context the efforts exerted by ITFC, on behalf of IsDBG since 2016, harnessing its experience and expertise to support activities that contribute to developing the Madinah dates sector under the MOU signed between ITFC and MCCI on 16/6/2017 towards enhancing the sector’s exports.

In this regard, he noted the outstanding work carried out under this project during the year 2020 to classify Madinah dates to highlight their excellence compared to other dates in the Kingdom, and to also highlight the comparative advantages of Madinah dates in terms of nutrition, trade and spirituality. He also stressed ITFC&#39;s willingness to continue to provide the Madinah dates sector with technical support over the coming years.

So far, the event has received 100 international registrations, with 30 exhibition stands from companies, dates factories, agricultural associations and more than (13) pavilions for partners, sponsors, and supporters. The 3-day event will see the conclusion of agreements and sales deals, and the provision of logistical services (shipping, transportation, etc.), in addition to (9) workshops and accompanying meetings.

To join exhibition, kindly click here https://vmd.vfairs.com
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC).
Media Contact: Tel: +966 12 646 8337 Fax: +966 12 637 1064 E-mail: ITFC@itfc-idb.org Twitter: @ITFCCORP Facebook: @ITFCCORP LinkedIn: International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)

About the International Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC): The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) (www.ITFC-IDB.org) is a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group. It was set up with the primary goal of advancing trade among OIC member countries, which would ultimately contribute to the principal goal of improving the socio-economic conditions of the people across the world. Commencing operations in January 2008, ITFC has supplied more than US$51 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.
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Hajjar: New project to be designed for enhanced dates sector production chain competitiveness and hence increased exports and jobs

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The corona pandemic is causing turmoil worldwide and has had a massive impact on economic activity. Internal legal departments are therefore facing new challenges. On the one hand, companies are cutting their budgets for legal services, and on the other hand, the complexity and amount of legal issues is increasing. In-house lawyers have to minimize their costs while also reducing the work pressure on their teams.

Especially in times of crisis, legal departments question their cooperation with external law firms and look for flexible, efficient and timely solutions for legal issues. In the following, we will discuss the criteria companies might use to select external legal advisors, how outsourcing of legal services can be more cost-efficient and how corporate lawyers and law firms are developing a common agenda. 
Changes on the corporate side
In general, the last few years have seen an increase in legal work and complex new issues for in-house counsel. This is mainly due to general corporate growth. In order to deal with this additional workload, corporate lawyers rely on the in-depth expertise of external law firms. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that companies are now under even greater pressure to deal with growing legal risks while at the same time increasing their efficiency. Complex legal requirements also stress the need for legal advice.
The constantly increasing cost pressure within companies requires effective cost management when hiring external law firms. This means that legal departments have to deliver a higher performance with reduced budgets. Law firms are therefore challenged to produce better, faster and cheaper solutions to complex legal issues. In order to achieve this, legal departments are forced to constantly optimize their operational framework when cooperating with law firms.
As a result, the purchasing departments of large companies have recently been more involved in the processes of cooperation with external law firms. They support the General Counsel in operational tasks such as the selection and purchase of legal services as well as the subsequent management of the commissioned law firms. Overall, these processes have become more professional, as companies have become more demanding and attach great importance to increased efficiency.
The higher expectations towards external legal services are mainly a result of the positioning of the General Counsel within the company. His role has continuously gained in importance, as he reports directly to the management and is seen as a businessman with legal expertise. In addition to legal assessment, he is also expected to make economic decisions. One of his numerous tasks is to increase the efficiency of the legal department and at the same time minimize the costs of external legal services.
Selection criteria of companies 
The procurement of legal services by companies has changed in various ways in recent years and will probably continue to do so. In particular, the selection process has become more differentiated and professional. Companies not only select on the basis of professional competence, reference, recommendation and reputation but also include many other service criteria in their decision such as communication skills, soft skills and the use of project management expertise. Companies attach great importance to continuous training in these areas. Additionally, they expect law firms to integrate their knowledge in these areas into their daily work while collaborating with companies in order to deliver the best possible result for the client. 
The use of new technologies, such as legal tech tools, to increase efficiency is also very welcomed by companies. In addition, it is especially important for internationally operating companies that the firm brings global expertise and recognizes economic connections between several countries. In the context of selecting a law firm, many General Counsel emphasize that the diversity factor in terms of cultural diversity and gender as well as the issue of ethical standards also play a major role. In general, other criteria such as creativity in the context of alternative legal solutions and flexibility in dealing with short-term problems are also important when selecting external legal advice. 
Cost-efficient outsourcing of legal services 
The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the pressure on corporate legal departments to offer external mandates at lower costs while maintaining high quality. In addition to the selection criteria explained above, the core aspect of mandate allocation is the remuneration for legal services, as legal departments are increasingly struggling with budget cuts on the one hand and increased demand for legal expertise within the company on the other hand.
For this reason, companies are increasingly preferring alternative remuneration methods such as installments, fixed flat rates per project or per month for legal work. These billing models give companies greater planning security.
Often these offers are more favorable than billing via hourly fees. The preliminary cost estimate varies depending on the volume of the assignment and is worked out in a dialogue between the company and the law firm. In many companies, the purchasing department is involved in these rate negotiations, the scheduling of projects and invoicing. The purchasing department also supports the general counsel in controlling the projects and monitoring the costs.
For law firms it is important that the task descriptions and the project volume are clearly defined by the company in order to provide a realistic cost estimate. This enables external legal advisors to calculate more accurately even for complex mandates, which increases overall efficiency and benefits both sides.
Expectation management 
During the cooperation between the internal legal department and the external law firm, a common agenda, a constant exchange and a clearly communicated expectation management is important. Even before the start of the project, the company must express its ideas about the handling process, reaction times and the urgency of its request and, above all, clearly state its expectations to the external consultants. The respective contact persons and representatives are also determined in advance to ensure transparency with regard to the responsibilities and organizational structures on the firm as well as the company side.  
During the collaboration process, constant communication between the two parties is important, This can be ensured by means of fixed jour fixe appointments. Effective communication also includes continuous updates on workload and project progress. Companies also expect external lawyers to proactively provide their clients with additional information on relevant legal issues beyond the project. With these or similar initiatives, external consultants can secure long-term cooperation. A regular evaluation of the cooperation leads to a more efficient work process, which provides added value for both the company and the external consultants. In conclusion, it can be said that incentives for working as efficiently as possible are provided, especially in the case of performance-related remuneration or installment payments per project phase. 
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Centurion Plus.
About Centurion Plus: Centurion Plus Germany (www.CenturionlgPlus.com) has taken the new requirements and challenges for in-house legal departments into account and offers a flexible, efficient, cost-effective, and timely new approach to legal issues with the Centurion Plus model. Modern billing models, on a project basis, smart technologies, and a pool of first-class lawyers enable high-quality and cost-efficient legal advice. 
Contact us (https://bit.ly/2XUYe7G) today for an initial consultation.
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Efficient cooperation between companies and external law firms

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Following clearance from the Ministry of Sport, Culture and Heritage, the 2021 Kenya Cup season will kick off on Saturday 27 February 2021 and will run for 11 match days with the top four teams qualifying for the semi finals on Saturday 22 May. The winners of the semi final encounters will play in the Kenya Cup final on Saturday 29 May.

The season will first be preceded by the Kenya Cup qualifiers involving the top six teams from the 2019/20 KRU Championship. These qualifiers will be played on Saturday 6 February and Saturday 13 February respectively.
This will then pave way for a league curtain raiser pitting the current holders of the Kenya Cup against the current Enterprise Cup champions. This encounter will be played on Saturday 20 February.
All fixtures will be played in adherence to existing COVID19 protocols with no spectators in attendance.
Download the 2021 Kenya Cup fixtures HERE (https://bit.ly/3bSTYOs).
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kenya Rugby Union (KRU).
Media contact: Rugby@APO-opa.com
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Top tier rugby action returns in February

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Following the announcement by the African Union (www.AU.int) Chairperson, President Cyril Ramaphosa on the 14th of January 2021 that the African Union has secured a provisional 270 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for Africa through its COVID-19 African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), the Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP) (www.AMSP.africa), on behalf of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) (www.AfricaCDC.org), today commences the COVID-19 vaccines pre-order programme for all African Union Member States. Afreximbank will facilitate payments by providing advance procurement commitment guarantees of up to US$2 billion to the manufacturers on behalf of the Member States.

While AVATT has secured a provisional 270 million COVID-19 vaccines doses from Pfizer, Johnson &#038; Johnson and AstraZeneca, AMSP – the single-source platform enabling faster, more transparent and cost-effective access to COVID-19 supplies – has opened today pre-orders, offering an equitable access of COVID-19 vaccines doses for 55 African Union member states.

“These are historical times. For the first time in history, Africa has secured access to millions of vaccine doses in the middle of a pandemic as most of Western countries,” said African Union Special Envoy Strive Masiyiwa. “There is still a huge shortage of vaccine doses and that is why this continental collaboration has designed a fair allocation coupled with timely and equitable access of COVID-19 vaccines across the continent.”  

“Afreximbank is proud to expand its support to African economies in their bid to contain the pandemic. Our vaccine financing facility builds on the success of our Pandemic Trade Impact Mitigation Facility (PATIMFA) to open access to COVID 19 vaccines to African states based on a whole-of-Africa approach favoured by the African Union”, said Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). “By providing advance procurement commitment guarantees of up to US$2 billion to candidate vaccine manufacturers, Afreximbank will ensure that African States are able to rapidly access COVID-19 vaccines, at competitive prices and in a timely manner thereby contributing to saving lives and livelihoods&#8221;, he added.

To support vaccination operations, the Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP) (www.AMSP.africa) has also launched a new category on vaccine accessories which will help Member States to procure products such as ultra-low temperature freezers, personal protection equipment, cotton wool rolls, syringes and needles.

“The biggest challenges to COVID-19 vaccine access in Africa have been financing of the vaccines and the logistics of vaccinating at scale, but we are glad that this gap is being filled by the Afreximbank financing facility. The critical decision now is how to get started so that once we start there will be no disruptions and this is where AMSP will play a very big role,” said Dr John Nkengasong, Director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

“From today onwards African Union Member States will be able to start placing online pre orders for their vaccines allocation through the Africa Medical Supplies Platform (www.AMSP.africa),” said Fatoumata Bâ, Founder &#038; Executive Chair of Janngo (www.Janngo.africa) and Managing Partner of Janngo Capital. “We are proud to participate in giving direct access to cutting edge COVID-19 vaccines through Africa; This is essential to protect our people and reopen our economies.”
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Medical Supplies Platform.
Media Contact: Janngo &#038; AMSP Antonia Gleizes +336-23-13-71-72 media@janngo.africa
AVATT George Sibotshiwe +27-71-467-7689 george@nubiconafrica.co.za
Africa CDC James Ayodele +252-953-912-454 ayodelej@africa-union.org
Afreximbank Amadou Labba Sall +20-120-532-0254 asall@afreximbank.com
About Afreximbank: The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution with the mandate of financing and promoting intra-and extra-African trade. Afreximbank was established in October 1993 and owned by African governments, the African Development Bank and other African multilateral financial institutions as well as African and non-African public and private investors. The Bank was established under two constitutive documents, an Agreement signed by member states, which confers on the Bank the status of an international organization, and a Charter signed by all Shareholders, which governs its corporate structure and operations. Afreximbank deploys innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that are supporting the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialization and intra-regional trade, thereby sustaining economic expansion in Africa. At the end of 2019, the Bank’s total assets and guarantees stood at USD$15.5 billion and its shareholders funds amounted to US$2.8 billion. Voted “African Bank of the Year” in 2019, the Bank disbursed more than US$38 billion between 2016 and 2020. Afreximbank has ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A-), Moody’s (Baa1) and Fitch (BBB-). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt. For more information, visit: www.Afreximbank.com.
Follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/afreximbank), Facebook (www.facebook.com/Afreximbank), LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2KroNye), Instagram (www.instagram.com/afreximbankofficial).
About Africa CDC: Africa CDC (www.AfricaCDC.org) is a specialized technical institution of the African Union that strengthens the capacity and capability of Africa’s public health institutions as well as partnerships to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats and outbreaks, based on data-driven interventions and programmes. Learn more at: www.AfricaCDC.org.
About AMSP: The Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP) (www.AMSP.africa) is a non-profit initiative launched by the African Union as an immediate, integrated and practical response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The online platform was developed under the leadership of the African Union Special Envoy, Strive Masiyiwa and powered by Janngo on behalf of the African Union’s Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and in partnership with African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) with the support of leading African &#038; international Institutions, Foundations &#038; Corporations as well as Governments of China, Canada &#038; France. For more information visit: www.AMSP.africa.
About Janngo: Janngo (www.Janngo.africa) builds, grows and invests in pan-African digital champions with proven business models and inclusive social impact. It builds digital ecosystems in high growth sectors by providing business support and digital platforms allowing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to scale and contribute to the economic empowerment of youth and women through job creation and capacity building. For more information visit: www.Janngo.africa.
About AVATT: African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) established by the African Union (www.AU.int) chairperson, President Cyril Ramaphosa as a component in support of the Africa Vaccine Strategy that was endorsed by the AU Bureau of Heads of State and Government on 20th of August, 2020. The AVATT will be chaired by President Ramaphosa and will include Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, Dr. Zweli Lawrence Mkhize, Mr. Strive Masiyiwa, Dr. Donald Kaberuka, Professor Benedict Oramah, H.E Amira Elfadi, Dr. John Nkengasong and others, as to be nominated by the Chair of the African Union and the Chairperson of the Commission.
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