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Total cases: 10,122 (+172) Recovered: 6974 (+0) | 68.8% Active cases: 3,020 Tests: 773,448 (+2,173) Deaths: 128 (+3) | 1.3% Test positivity rate: 8%

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Coronavirus – Rwanda: COVID-19 update (13 January 2021)

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1398 new cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria;

Lagos-542 FCT-131 Oyo-120 Rivers-113 Plateau-111 Kaduna-71 Kwara-71 Akwa Ibom-34 Sokoto-31 Benue-28 Ogun-27 Kano-26 Kebbi-17 Osun-12 Nasarawa-11 Delta-10 Gombe-10 Bayelsa-9 Borno-9 Edo-8 Ekiti-3 Jigawa-2 Katsina-2
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Coronavirus – Nigeria: COVID-19 update (13 January 2021)

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Talking about oil &#038; gas isn’t easy, especially at a time of widespread anxiety about the link between fossil fuels and climate change. But NJ Ayuk, the experienced oil and gas dealmaker who heads the Pan-African legal conglomerate Centurion Law Group (https://CenturionLG.com) and serves as Executive Chairman of the, African Energy Chamber (www.EnergyChamber.org) has never been one to shy away from difficult conversations. Instead, he embraces opportunities to approach thorny questions head-on, with a spirit of optimism about the future.

Following the widely acclaimed release of his second book, Billions At Play: The Future of African Energy and Making Deals, Nj Ayuk has now released a 2nd edition of the best-seller that takes into account new market realities in a post-Covid19 era. Loyal to his upbeat approach and straightforwardness, he offers pragmatic answers and solutions to the historic challenges the industry has faced throughout 2020, detailing how a recovery can rely on better gas monetization, wider energy cooperation, stronger capacity building, an a more sustainable development of African natural resources.
This second edition opens once again on a foreword by H.E. Mohamed Sanusi Barkindo, Secretary General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and features a new chapter dedicated to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on African oil markets. It is now available on Amazon (https://amzn.to/2KcX5Fh) and has for the first time been narrated by Adera Gandy and Boet Schouwinck as an audiobook also available on Audible (https://amzn.to/3oLmiFR) and Barnes and Noble’s Nook (https://bit.ly/2LAjb5p).
The book is also available through leading retailers including Exclusivebooks.com (https://bit.ly/3qirIZo), TakeAlot.com (https://bit.ly/3oW8Kr2), Google Books (https://bit.ly/3ib0dyb), eBooks.com (https://bit.ly/39ATxVY), Kindle (https://amzn.to/3ieBSY1) and many more!
In Billions At Play, Ayuk places the energy sector at the center of the continent’s economic growth and argues that the oil and gas sector is well-positioned to turn the African narrative around. Billions At Play became number one on Amazon in several categories only a few days after its initial release in 2019, making it one of Africa’s energy best-seller.
The book’s critical solutions to key issues such as investment deals negotiations, electricity shortage or technology have earned it the support and praise of several leading industry executives from North America, Europe and Africa. At a time when the continent tries to position itself within the global energy transition debate, this second edition will be offering a comprehensive road map for Africa to do a better job at using its vast natural resources to fuel economic growth and improve the lives of hundreds of millions of Africans.
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OUT NOW! 2nd Edition of “Billions At Play” charts recovery path for African Oil & Gas Sector

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123 people have tested positive to the coronavirus disease, out of a sample size of 4,948.

412 patients have recovered but unfortunately 4 patients have succumbed to the disease.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Kenya.

Coronavirus – Kenya: COVID-19 update (13 January 2021)

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As part of support of World Health Organization Eritrea to Ministry of Health for the continuity of essential health services on Maternal and Newborn health, WHO Eritrea handed over essential supplies that valued at 824,300.00 Nakfa to strengthen Eritrean Maternity Waiting Homes. 

Maternity waiting homes are residential facilities where women living remotely stays before giving birth at health facilities and were introduced as a strategy in 2007 in hard to reach regions of Southern Red Sea supported by WHO. This is to strengthen the capacity to increase facility delivery for women living in remote geographic areas.
The essential supplies included maternal pajamas, baby cover and baby kits and handing over to the Ministry of Health took place on 13 January 2021 and will be distributed to all maternity waiting homes in the country.
On behalf of the Ministry of Health, Dr Berhana Haile, Director of Family and Community Health expressed her deep appreciation and gratitude for the essential supplies which was extended to the ministry. Noting the best practices of Eritrea in reducing maternal and child mortality rate, the provision will play role in maintaining the remarkable achievements.
In the previous years, WHO in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and partners has increased support maternal waiting homes in the country.
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WHO Eritrea supports the Ministry of Health maternity waiting homes in remote areas with essential supplies

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800,000 people in Africa reached with over 100,000 registered users; digital learning enables Africa’s youth to reach their personal potential.

atingi (www.atingi.org), the digital learning platform of The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has exceeded expectations in its first year. Within twelve months, atingi has reached almost a million people in Africa and already enabled 100,000 of them to access vocational education and self-development courses for free.
atingi means &#8220;to achieve&#8221; in Esperanto, and the platform strives to improve the employability of young people through modern digital learning opportunities. With a large network of strategic cooperation partners – from politics and business to science and civil society – educational content which meets the needs of African audiences is made available, free of charge, via the atingi platform.
Although atingi is developed for people in all German Development Cooperation partner countries, the current focus is specifically on facilitating African economic growth. BMZ has chosen four pilot countries for a more intensive engagement, recognizing that each is in a very different stage of digital transformation &#8211; and is therefore suited as a test case to identify opportunities for pan-African scaling. The close cooperation with the pilot countries Togo, Niger, Rwanda and Benin, enables atingi&#39;s learning proposition to be dynamically evaluated, adapted and targeted to local needs.
atingi is an innovative digital pioneer focused on helping African&#39;s unlock their potential
Africa is recognized as a potential global workforce hub for the rest of the world because of its high youth population. In fact, by 2030, Africa will be home to more than a quarter of the world’s population of under 25s, and 15% of the world’s working population. To date, the lack of access to high quality education for its working-age citizens has been a critical inhibitor of African countries ability to compete effectively in the international labour market. There is an urgent need, therefore, for the continent to expand its pool of highly-skilled employees through the development of relevant, vocational skill sets.
This is where the role of digital transformation becomes significant. Digital technologies open up new avenues for rapid economic growth, innovation, job creation and access to services that would have been unimaginable a decade ago. In this context, online learning and orientation opportunities are essential to enabling people in Africa to keep pace with the digital transformation beyond their borders.  This not only ensures they are well qualified for the jobs of the future, it can also ensure a more integrated knowledge economy that moves Africa, and its citizens, closer to realizing their economic and personal potential.
Furthermore, it can often be challenging for local educational institutions to reach people in rural and sparsely populated areas in Africa’s emerging markets. The reality is that there is a high demand for learning opportunities and vocational skills, but there are often geographic and infrastructure barriers, which can be addressed through online learning offers. atingi enables users to access high-quality, locally-relevant, digital learning materials anytime and anywhere. Recognizing the barrier of internet connectivity, atingi also offers low-tech and offline solutions.  
Partnering for growth
The atingi development cooperation framework builds on existing local and global partnerships. Alongside the four pilot countries, a growing network of strategic cooperation partners has emerged for the development and distribution of the learning content. Renowned international partners such as Smart Africa (an alliance of 30 African digital ministries), UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank, the Siemens Foundation are the cornerstones of the successful scaling of atingi. And that is precisely the long-term goal of the project: to scale the platform in all partner countries of the German Development Cooperation globally.
atingi project leader Jan-Gerrit Groeneveld is encouraged by the development and first stage results of the atingi initiative. He notes, &#8220;eLearning is ideal for the digital transfer of knowledge and improvement of the living conditions for many people in African countries. The Corona pandemic once again incontravertibly demonstrated to us how important it is to digitalise education, thereby facilitating access for all&#8221;.
He added that atingi has succeeded in enabling people on the ground to receive education and training via the latest technology; both ensuring people access skills development easily and that digital transformation in Africa is advanced substantially too. &#8220;Early user acceptance of the learning platform has exceeded initial expectations, which strengthens our belief that investing in digital education infrastructure on the African continent is the right way for us to contribute to unlocking the enormous local economic potential.&#8221;
Groeneveld also noted that for the next year, the aim for atingi is to grow exponentially in terms of user numbers, to scale approaches that have proven successful in the four pilot countries in other African markets, and to steadily expand cooperation with companies and learning content contributors.
Versatile, locally-relevant content certifies African youth for jobs of the future 
Young people, women and people in rural regions are the target beneficiaries of the atingi platform. The courses offered cover a wide range of topics, such as vocational orientation, health, entrepreneurship and agriculture – all of which are aimed at increasing employability and skills. These modules are expanded and developed in a targeted manner with the help of local, strategic cooperation partners. Successful learners who complete the courses receive free digital certificates to provide evidence of the skills acquired that can be added to their CVs. In addition to English and French, some learning content is now also available in other languages, such as Spanish, Arabic and some local African languages.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Instinctif.
Media contact: GIZ Johannes Pohlmann Phone: +49 152 90007250 Email: johannes.pohlmann@giz.de or atingi@giz.de

Instinctif Partners Thandeka Ngqeleni Tel.: ++27 82 325 1810 Email: Thandeka.Ngqeleni@instinctif.com

About atingi: The platform atingi (www.atingi.org), Esperanto for &#8220;to achieve something&#8221;, is part of an international cooperation of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Smart Africa Alliance and the German Corporation for International Cooperation GmbH (GIZ). atingi aims to qualify the population in Africa for the jobs of the future. To this end, atingi offers people in Africa free access to high-quality digital learning content tailored to local needs and markets. The platform was developed by a team of education and digital experts and works closely with partners at national level as well as partners from politics, business, civil society and academia.

atingi eLearning platform reaches nearly 1 Million African youth in 1st year

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As COVID-19 cumulative cases in Africa top 3 million and daily case numbers exceed the first wave peak, the continent is now confronted with emerging variants of the virus. Revamped public health measures are ever more critical to avert a runaway surge in infections that could stretch health facilities to the breaking point.

An average of 25, 223 cases were reported each day between 28 December 2020 and 10 January 2021 in Africa, which is nearly 39% higher than the July 2020 two-week peak of 18 104 daily average cases. Yet numbers may rise further in the coming days in the wake of travelling, gathering and festivities over Christmas and New Year holidays.
Overall cases in the region have risen steadily since mid-September 2020, with a steeper rise from late November. In addition, a new variant of the virus called 501Y.V2 is circulating widely in South Africa, accounting for most of the new infections during the second wave.
Mutations of the virus are unsurprising as the more the pandemic spreads the higher the likelihood of changes. However, preliminary analysis finds the 501Y.V2 variation to be more transmissible. Genomic sequencing has found the variant present in Botswana, the Gambia and Zambia.
Deeper investigations are underway to fully understand the epidemiological implications, but at present there are no indications the new variant increases the severity of the disease.
“Even if the new variant is not more virulent, a virus that can spread more easily will put further strain on hospitals and health workers who are in many cases already overstretched,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa. “This is a stark reminder that the virus is relentless, that it still presents a manifest threat, and that our war is far from won.”
Nigeria is also carrying out more investigations on a variant identified in samples collected in August and October. While for now there are no reports of the COVID-19 variant circulating in the United Kingdom cropping up in the African region, further investigation is needed.
With WHO support, African countries are reinforcing genome sequencing efforts, which are key to finding and understanding new variants as they emerge and to help blunt their impact. 
WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention network of genome sequencing laboratories in Africa is supporting governments with training and data analysis on genome sequencing, bioinformatics and technical expertise. WHO has also developed guidance on containing new variants and is assisting countries to manage and safely transport samples for sequencing and analysis.
While much progress is being made in building genome sequencing capacity, the more than 5000 sequences which have been conducted so far in the region account for just 2% of global sequencing data.
“We call on all countries to increase testing and sequencing of the virus to swiftly spot, track and tackle new COVID-19 variants as soon as they appear. To defeat an agile, adaptive and relentless enemy, we must know and understand its every move, and double down on what we know works best against all variants of the virus,” said Dr Moeti. “We must not become complacent. We must persist with the proven public health measures that helped stop the spread of the virus during the first wave – that’s physical distancing, constant handwashing and wearing masks in public spaces.”
Dr Moeti spoke during a virtual press conference today facilitated by APO Group. She was joined by Prof Francisca Mutapi, Professor in Global Health Infection and Immunity, University of Edinburgh, UK, and Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.

Africa COVID-19 cases top 3 million, first wave peak surpassed

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Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/mEy7S5uJlGU
WHO Africa Online Press Briefing on COVID-19 in Africa.
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WHO Africa Online Press Briefing on COVID-19 in Africa

The spectacular rise of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) under Ahmed Sultan Bin Sulayem

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Active cases: 81 New cases: 5 New tests: 388 Total confirmed: 3,890 Recovered: 3,681 (+2) Deaths 126 (+1)
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Coronavirus – Gambia: COVID-19 update (13 January 2021)

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WHO Africa Online Press Briefing on COVID-19 in Africa.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.

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AS it appeared the curtains were abruptly coming down the scandal-laden reign of Confederation of African Football (CAF) leader, Ahmad Ahmad, the presidency of the continental mother body has lurched into more controversy as the race to find his successor intensifies.

CAF is synonymous with tumult but the commotion stakes have been escalated as the elections to choose the new leader in place of the beleaguered Ahmad administration draw closer.

Ineligible for the elections set for March 12 during the CAF 43rd Elective Ordinary General Assembly in Rabat, Morroco, Madagascan Ahmad is bowing out in disgrace.

Ahmad (aged 61) was the seventh president at the helm of CAF since its founding in 1957 in Sudan.

His presidency of the 56-member football mother body headquartered in Egypt ended last November after FIFA handed him a five-year ban for financial misconduct.

This brought to an abrupt end to a presidency that at its beginning in 2017 promised so much in terms of reforms after more than 29 years of authoritarian rule by the Cameroonian, Issa Hayatou.

Taken at face value, the “examination of candidatures” for the CAF presidency is aimed at having an incorruptible individual for the position yet in essence it is a strategy aimed at keeping the status quo by retaining members already in the CAF executive committee or other structures by virtue of heading their football associations.

The CAF Governance Committee, led by its President, Michel Kizito Brizoua-Bi, is spearheading the exercise and met in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on January 5 and 6 to “carry out the eligibility checks” of the candidates for the most powerful position in African football and members of CAF Executive Committee.

“These checks are still ongoing, and their results will be communicated usefully,” Abdelmounaim Bah, the CAF Acting General Secretary, stated.

There apparently is more to the so-called eligibility checks than meets the eye.

While five individuals are vying for the presidency (oddly, Ahmad was interested in another term), two have been approved. These are Augustin Emmanuel Senghor (55), the Senegal Football Federation president and Jacques Bernard Daniel Anouma (69), the honorary President of the Ivorian Football Federation.

Senghor has been member of the CAF executive committee since February 2018.

Fellow aspirants, Ahmed Yahya (44) President of the Mauritanian Football Federation and Patrice Tlhopane Motsepe, President of South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns (58), have their candidatures hanging in the balance with CAF classifying them as “candidates for the Presidency requiring additional checks.”

Motsepe and Yahya are more prominent as businessman, raising speculation by some critics that the checks are a ploy to sideline them.

They have to wait until the end of January to know of their fate. A hearing of these two candidates will be organised in Cairo on January 28.

Apparently, the endorsement of the old guard in Anouma and Senghor and continued scrutiny of the other two candidates, amounting to barring of fresh ides, would ensure there is no change at CAF setup.

The fact that these are additional checks indicates that an earlier process, in this case the checks led by Brizoua-Bi committee on January 5 and 6.

This raises questions around the necessity of the additional process. CAF raises eyebrows by announcing publicly that the other candidates are to be checked thoroughly and cleared.

In addition, Yahya is a Member of the Executive Committee which under normal circumstances must be valid enough to endorse his candidature.

Yahya was named the continent’s best football administrator at the 2017 CAF Awards in Accra, Ghana. This itself ought to be another plus for his candidature. He has also received praise from FIFA.

While he is not in the top echelons of CAF, Motsepe is a world-renowned entrepreneur who sits on boards at blue chip companies, which indicates he has gone through such checks before.

The pair thus is widely believed to be corrupt-free.

A school of thought suggests inequality of selection of candidates is part of maneuvers to elbow the candidate from Southern Africa out of the race and shift influence to the West.

Ironically, the south catapulted Ahmad to the presidency in 2017.

The Council of Southern African football Association (COSAFA) is the second-largest CAF regional federation (14 members) behind the West African Football Union (WAFU).

“All these so-called additional checks at the moment have Anouma and Senghor as favourites. Should they remain the two eligible candidates, wither way the race for the election goes, the presidency will head to West Africa,” according to Youssef Kamel, the Cairo-based analyst.

Alexandre Siewe, the CAF Director of Communications, said, “Their (Motsepe’s and Yahya’s) candidatures were deemed admissible. However, the committee considered that further checks are necessary before a final decision.”

He said the Governance Committee “scrupulously” analysed the candidatures received on the basis of the report drawn up by an international and independent company of investigation services, specialised in the controls of integrity.

By stating to the world that the two candidates are to be subjected to more scrutiny, CAF has created inequality among the candidates and ultimately cast doubt on the credibility of the upcoming election.

This evokes memories of the dark sides of the Ahmad presidency, which the football mother body purportedly is eager to banish.

Thus, with an election process already dubious, the dream of a new, clean CAF for now remains a pipe dream.

– CAJ News (from AHMED MOOLA in Cairo, Egypt)

Read the article: https://bit.ly/3qoKKxn
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of CAJ News Africa.

Underhand tactics suspected in race for Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidency

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On 1 January 2021, at the launch of the start of trading on the basis of the AfCFTA, the Pan-African Private Sector, under the umbrella body of the African Business Council (AfBC), issued a press statement in support of this initiative. In it, the AfBC acknowledged that the start of trading under the AfCFTA presents enormous business opportunities for the Pan-African Private Sector, SMEs, Women and Youths as the continent takes this bold move towards Boosting Intra-African Trade. 

The launch of start of trading on the basis of the AfCFTA on follows the African Union Assembly decision made on 5 December 2020 at the 13th Extra Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union on the AfCFTA. The African Business Council thus took the opportunity in its statement to reiterate its support to the political leaders in this endeavour. It also highlighted the AfCFTA as an opportunity for the Pan-African Private Sector to build Africa through manufacturing, distribution, transportation, health eco-systems, among others.
“The AfCFTA gives us an opportunity to drive our agenda. For many years, the African business community has been individualistic in driving the continent’s agenda. It is an opportunity for us as the African Business Council to come together and support the implementation of the AfCFTA. We are a united voice, and we can do this together”, Dr. Amany Asfour, Interim Chair Person of the African Business Council.
“It is a new year, and new opportunities are emerging. As manufacturers, traders, farmers, transporters, shippers, Women Business Associations and Youths, here is our time. Let us go out there and grab the opportunities. It is time to feed Africa through agriculture, manufacturing and promoting value chains. It is only through a united voice that we can have transformation in Africa”, Dr. Ahmed Mansur, Interim Vice-Chair Person of the African Business Council. 
“The proliferation of Non-Tariff Barriers in Africa has often hindered intra-Africa trade. It is difficult to move cargo among African countries, and the online system on the Monitoring, Reporting and Elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers will assist in the implementation of the AfCFTA”, Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, Secretary General of the United Nations.
“As the African Export and Import Bank, we are ready to support the implementation of the AfCFTA, through the Pan-African Payments and Settlement System (PAPSS). The PAPSS is one of the greases that will oil the engines of the AfCFTA”, President and Chair of AFREXIMBANK, Professor Benedict Oramah.
“Reliable trade information is central to the implementation of the AfCFTA, and the African Trade Observatory is available for the Business community to make use of it. It will provide real time market information on the AfCFTA, as well as assist policymakers in making informed decisions”, Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director for the International Trade Centre.
“Promotion of cross border trading is central to the African Women Business Community. As ITC-SheTrades, the implementation of the AfCFTA should witness smooth cross border trade”, Ms. Vanessa Erogbogbo, Head of ITC-SheTrade.
With the commencement of the start of trading, the AfBC is working earnestly to constitute greater support of the AfCFTA by the continental private sector while actively engaging African policy makers on any recommendations and concerns expressed by the sector. It is expected to hold its first general assembly in 2021.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).

African Business Council applauds the start of trading on the basis of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

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Bank of Khyber (“BoK”) (http://BoK.com.pk) which is a leading bank in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, with 175 branches, successfully went live with Temenos Transact (www.Temenos.com) the next generation core banking, Temenos Infinity digital banking platform, Financial Crime Mitigation and Analytics. The implementation was carried out by Temenos’ Middle East implementation partner based in Pakistan, National Data Consultant (“NdcTech”) (https://www.NdcTech.net).

Temenos’ technology will support the bank in offering differentiated retail, SME and corporate banking products, including accounts, time deposits and loans for both Islamic and conventional banking. Temenos’ agile and fully integrated architecture enables Bank of Khyber to quickly roll out new functionality and services. NdcTech’s expertise in the Pakistan market helped to comply with local requirements and best practices. Temenos’ digital banking platform supports Bank of Khyber’s strategic objectives to increase its market share and drive sustainable growth by optimizing its banking operations and reducing operational costs. Temenos open API technology will help Bank of Khyber to provide digital experiences to its customers.
Bank of Khyber selected Temenos and NdcTech as its partners for its strategic initiatives to accelerate its digital transformation process. Temenos’ and NdcTech expertise in Pakistan Model Bank approach delivers pre-configured, localized functionality and best practices, reducing the need for customization and decreasing timescales for delivery.
Temenos partner NdcTech worked closely with Bank of Khyber to deliver a hybrid onsite/remote implementation, providing expert support and consultation to ensure a smooth implementation and successful go live for the bank despite the Covid-19 emergency. The implementation of Temenos core and digital platforms involved the integration of Bank of Khyber’s legacy systems and was concluded timely after a complex migration and thousands of functional tests had been carried out on the new system. The bank opted for a co-existence approach and migrated first 20 branches as part of the go live and will complete the migration for rest of the branches by the first half of the upcoming year.
Mr. Ihsan Ullah Ihsan, Managing Director, The Bank of Khyber remarked on the occasion, “We are delighted to have joined hands with Temenos / NDCTech for Digitalization of bank of Khyber. Temenos has a global reputation for providing robust, innovative financial software solutions and has an extensive presence in all over the world. This implementation will provide the leap forward we need to enhance our market share and deliver better services and products for our customers in the 21st century. Our partner NDCTech who also helped us to tailor the product to the specific requirements of our bank. The roll-out had been so well prepared beforehand that we were able to execute it entirely without any major incidents. I would also thank and appreciate my colleagues, staff and especially IT team for their dedication for working around the clock to complete the implementation with professionalism and excellence&#8221;. 
Mr. Azfar Latif CIO of Bank of Khyber added “We are proud that in less than 15 months with Global pandemic restrictions, Bank went live. We have demonstrated that commitment with reliable technology partner like NDCTech can overcome any challenge that comes along the way be it like COVID-19. We could not have achieved a go-live without the commitment and professionalism of Bank Management team and Technical Resources. Everyone knows that a core banking upgrade is always challenge especially in distributed environment, but we were confident of ourselves and NDCTech who carried it out seamlessly.”
While highlighting the business objectives of the deployment, Ammara Masood, President and CEO, National Data Consultant (NdcTech) said, “We are proud to work together with bank of Khyber. BOK is a very successful public/private partnership and through innovation will now be able to deliver hyper-personalized experiences to its customers. The team and management of the bank understands the power of technology, and the importance of leveraging the best practices and latest technological advances.  We are delighted to be there partner in this strategic digital transformation and will continue to help the bank achieves greater strides.”
Jean-Paul Mergeai, Managing Director – Middle-East &#038; Africa, Temenos, commented: “Congratulations to Bank of Khyber for its Temenos go live with NdcTech. Temenos has a strong presence in the Middle East and a track record of success in delivering digital banking transformation for banks in the region. We are delighted BOK has selected our platform and proud to support them as the bank seeks to leverage Temenos’ open and API-first technology to deliver world-class digital experiences for its customers and achieve market-leading cost-income ratio to drive sustainable growth and market-share.”
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Temenos.
About NdcTech: NdcTech (https://www.NdcTech.net/) is an award-winning partner of Temenos (the worlds #1 Banking Software) providing unmatched services and innovations to financial institutes and banks. The company delivers transformational services including Consulting on best practices, Implementation, Upgrade, Support and Training of Temenos and other Partner solutions. NdcTech collaborates with customers in Pakistan &#038; MEA to enhance their digital capabilities and solves their toughest challenges by driving innovations to create new products and business models. Their expertise and experience is in the areas of Conventional Banking, Islamic Banking, Central Banking, Microfinance Banking, Investment Banking and Non-Banking Financial Institutes. For more information please visit www.ndctech.net
About Temenos: Temenos AG (SIX: TEMN) (www.Temenos.com) is the world’s leader in banking software. Over 3,000 banks across the globe, including 41 of the top 50 banks, rely on Temenos to process both the daily transactions and client interactions of more than 1.2 billion banking customers. Temenos offers cloud-native, cloud-agnostic and AI-driven front office, core banking, payments and fund administration software enabling banks to deliver frictionless, omnichannel customer experiences and gain operational excellence.
Temenos software is proven to enable its top-performing clients to achieve cost-income ratios of 26.8% half the industry average and returns on equity of 29%, three times the industry average. These clients also invest 51% of their IT budget on growth and innovation versus maintenance, which is double the industry average, proving the banks’ IT investment is adding tangible value to their business.
About Bank of Khyber: The Bank of Khyber (http://BoK.com.pk) was established in 1991 through an Act passed by the Provincial Legislative Assembly. It was awarded status of a scheduled bank in September 1994. The Bank enjoys a unique position and stands out amidst other banks operating within Pakistan and has the privilege of being bracketed amongst the only four government banks in the country. The bank has long been associated with business and commercial circles and has been actively engaged in catering to the financial needs of all sectors. It has successfully been involved in extending funded and non-funded facilities to its customers for various business needs.
Today, BOK is operating across the country with a network of 169 branches and still expanding. The provincial government is the major stakeholder and during its 25 years history, the Bank has always played a vital role in the development of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and participated in the economic development of Pakistan in general. http://bok.com.pk

Bank of Khyber transforms to Temenos Core and Digital Banking Platform

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Minister of Planning and Economic Development: The total financing of ITFC (www.ITFC-IDB.org) reached US$ 11.2 billion, in favor of Egypt until 2020; Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources: We appreciate ITFC’s keenness and continuous support to contribute to the vital role of the petroleum sector; Minister of Supply and Internal Trade: We commend ITFC’s role in helping to provide basic food commodities, which contributed to strengthening strategic reserves; Minister of International Cooperation: The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation’s programs in Egypt reinforce national development plans; Minister of Trade and Industry: The government is keen to strengthen cooperation with global and regional financial institutions aimed at financing various development projects in the country.

Dr. Hala ElSaid, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Governor of Egypt at the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, Eng. Tariq Al-Mulla, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Dr. Ali Al-Moselhi, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation and Mrs. Nevin Gamea, Minister of Trade and Industry (via the video conference) witnessed the signing ceremony of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation&#39;s (ITFC) Program for 2021 to provide integrated trade solutions to Egypt for an amount of US$1.1 billion. The Program was signed between Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, CEO, ITFC, Mr. Ashraf Abd Allah, Deputy CEO, EGPC and Mr. Ahmed Youssif, Vice Chairman, GASC.
During her speech, Dr. Hala ElSaid said that the Program covers financing in addition to several programs aimed at facilitating trade, building capacities, providing institutional support, and enhancing the competitive capabilities of various sectors related to foreign trade. Examples include the Shetrades Program that promotes Women in Trade under the framework of the Aid for Trade Initiative for Arab States (AfTIAS).
Dr. ElSaid added that the signing of the Program within the umbrella of the strategic partnership between the Egypt and ITFC comes in light of the framework agreement that concluded between both parties in 2018, through which ITFC provided US$3 billion in favor of Egypt for a period of five years to provide basic food commodities, crude oil products and petroleum products, strengthen internal value chains, accelerate the growth of SMEs, and develop trade.
Dr. ElSaid also stressed on the successful partnership and cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank (Group) and ITFC, where the latter’s aggregate portfolio in 2020 reached US$11.2 billion. ITFC was committed to meeting the country’s need for food supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic by approving US$ 282 million of financing for GASC.
Eng. Tariq Al-Mulla, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, expressed his appreciation to ITFC for its keenness and continuous support of the country’s petroleum sector to meet the  need for crude oil, petroleum products and butane, as well as its commitment to achieve targeted development and modernization within the sector. ITFC played a vital and effective role, especially in light of the spread of COVID-19, by providing financing support to EGPC to meet the needs of the Egyptian refineries for energy consumption in the local markets.
Dr. Al-Moslehi, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, praised ITFC’s role in securing basic food commodities, which contributed to strengthening strategic reserves and is looking forward to continued collaboration between Egypt and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation.
Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, said that the programs provided by ITFC contribute to the enhancement of national development plans.
Mrs. Nevin Gamea, Minister of Trade and Industry, affirmed the government&#39;s keenness to strengthen cooperation with global and regional financial institutions such as ITFC, aimed at financing various development projects currently being implemented in Egypt.
Mrs. Gamea reflected on the Trade Finance and Trade Development Programs implemented this year with ITFC, which include the implementation of a number of projects in coordination with the relevant ministries and Egyptian authorities in the areas of integrated trade solutions. In 2021, collaboration will continue with the aim of providing institutional support and capacity building programs. Special focus will be on the priority sectors that will be identified by the Egyptian government, pointing out the commitment towards implementing the Arab Africa Trade Bridges (AATB) Program, in cooperation with the Export Development Authority and a number of relevant agencies, which was launched by ITFC last December. This Program, in addition to AfTIAS, aims to enhance the capacity of existing exporters, create a generation of new exporters, and encourage the development of new export products in existing and promising new African markets.
In his statement, the CEO of the ITFC, Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol said, “This latest financing holds special significance considering the calamities caused by COVID-19 on local trade ecosystem. Many businesses, including SMEs and exporters, have been badly affected. By securing the import of critical commodities, we can also focus on reviving trade. As part of this agreement, ITFC will support the Egyptian government to identify and grow key trade development areas including boosting its cotton sector value chain, driving female entrepreneurship, and boosting SME growth in general”.
What distinguishes the 2021 Program is its focus on integrated trade solutions, which aim to support the Egyptian entities through trade financing and development components. These projects and initiatives will provide institutional support and build their capacities focusing on the priority sectors to be identified by the Egyptian government.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of 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 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 more than US$51 billion of financing to OIC member countries, making it the leading provider of trade solutions for these member countries’ needs. With a mission to become a catalyst for trade development for OIC member countries and beyond, the Corporation helps entities in member countries gain better access to trade finance and provides them with the necessary trade-related capacity building tools, which would enable them to successfully compete in the global market.
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Within the Framework of Cooperation between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation: Five Ministers Witness the Signing of ITFC’s 2021 Program Totaling US$ 1.1 Billion Aimed at Providing Integrated Trade Solutions to Egypt

Content provided by APO Group. CNBC Africa provides content from APO Group as a service to its readers, but does not edit the articles it publishes. CNBC Africa is not responsible for the content provided by APO Group.
As at 12 January 2021, Zimbabwe had 23 239 confirmed cases, including 13 396 recoveries and 551 deaths.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health and Child Care, Zimbabwe.Media filesDownload logo

Coronavirus – Zimbabwe: COVID-19 Update (12th January 2021)

Content provided by APO Group. CNBC Africa provides content from APO Group as a service to its readers, but does not edit the articles it publishes. CNBC Africa is not responsible for the content provided by APO Group.
New cases: 373 Total active cases: 3,084 Lost to follow-up: 134 Total number of tests conducted: 98,864 (1,451 new) Total confirmed cases: 9,400 Total recovered: 5,852 (14 new) Outcome under investigation: 76 Total deaths: 254 (19 new)
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health and Population, Republic of Malawi.Media filesDownload logo

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