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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria have launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Investor Maps, as part of the Global UNDP SDG Impact Initiative, with the objective of driving greater and more diverse volume of capital to accelerate progress towards achieving the United Nations (UN) 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The SDG Investor Maps is a digital tool that will provide market intelligence on investment opportunities and related impact data to identify and increase SDG-aligned actionable investments in Nigeria.

Facilitated by the Business for Peace Foundation (BfP), the virtual launch event paired investors with companies operating in Nigeria to build investment relationships and catalyze solutions across the Renewable Resources and Alternative Energy, Agriculture and Healthcare sectors to support acceleration of progress towards sustainable development in the country. The H.E Minster of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Ms. Zainab Ahmed, Regional Director, Minister of Power, Ms. Mamman Kwagyang Saleh, and Minister of State of Health, Dr. Olorunnimbre Mamora, Senior Special Assistant to the Preseident on SDG’s Nigeria and UNDP Resident Representative, Mohammed Yahya and BfP Managing Director, Marius, Døcker, all spoke at the event to officially launch the initiative.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development articulates the UN’s universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity, yet it is estimated that achieving the SDGs requires overcoming a critical financing gap of $ 5-7 trillion (USD) per year globally and an estimated $83trillion (N125trillion) nationally in Nigeria. This will require a greater role for the private sector and significant transformation in how economic growth and investment opportunities are generated. Currently, the level of private sector investment that supports SDG achievement is low, with only a fraction of globally invested assets of banks, pension funds, insurers, and transnational corporations contributing to sustainable progress. 

H.E Minster of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Ms. Zainab Ahmed reiterated that successful implementation of Nigeria’s sustainable development agenda requires innovative financing, meaningful private sector engagement, and the strategic deployment of development funds. “We must foster collaboration at the national and regional levels, between government, civil society, and the private sector and with international development and financial partner institutions. This is especially true given the challenging fiscal space and increasingly low domestic revenues post-COVID 19” she said. “Tools such as the SDG Investor Maps, therefore, ensure that investors are empowered with accurate, country-specific information regarding investment opportunity areas” she said.

To ensure that key sectors, unaddressed priorities and investment opportunities are accurately identified in Nigeria, the involvement of governmental strategic actors, international development and financial institutions, as well as experts working in these areas are essential. The UNDP Nigeria is taking the lead to leverage its development expertise, local knowledge and presence on ground, to serve as a broker between the government and investors in realizing SDG targeted investments.

During the event, the UNDP Nigeria Representative, Mohammed Yahya, encouraged greater SDG-aligned investments from institutional investors and corporations, using the 2030 Agenda as a proactive roadmap for capital deployment, “The 2030 Agenda recognizes that the private sector has a fundamental role to play if the world is to achieve the SDGs and ensure economic growth and poverty reduction that does not come at the expense of environmental damage, climate change and social and income inequalities” he said. “Filling this gap with readily available data about investment opportunities, approaches and practical investment enablers is critical in helping to bring in new investors and market-shapers to the table” he added. 

Marius, Døcker, Managing Director of Business for Peace, highlighted during the event, &#8220;The Sustainable Development Goals serve both as input to corporate strategy and as a societal roadmap for economic growth, improved social justice, environmental stewardship and enhanced governance,” he commented. “Business for Peace is proud to partner with UNDP Nigeria in facilitating this important discussion and explore how various sustainability challenges can translate into investment opportunities across the country.&#8221; 

Developing an SDG Investor Map follows an 8-step methodology to identify the most appropriate business and investment opportunities aligned with the SDGs. The process involves extensive research as well as consultations and validation exercises with key stakeholders – domestic public stakeholders, international development and financial institutions as well as private sector actors.

In Nigeria, the process began with reviews to identify national policy priorities, critical sectors and subsectors as well as development needs across different subregions. These were then synthesized to derive at 21 specific Investment Opportunity Areas (IOAs) and business models relevant for each sector.
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United Nations Development Programme Nigeria launches Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Investor Maps Initiative to empower investors with data and insights to accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

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4,670 laboratory tests have confirmed that 441 people have been infected with the corona virus. In all, 127,227 people have been infected so far.

Daily: Laboratory Test: 4,670 Severe Cases: 226 New Recovered: 47 New Deaths: 1 New Cases: 441

Total: Laboratory Test: 1,836,527 Active Cases: 12,238 Total Recovered: 113,021 Total Deaths: 1,966 Total Cases: 127,227
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Coronavirus – Ethiopia: COVID-19 update (7th January 2021)

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1565 new cases of COVID-19 Nigeria;

Lagos-807 FCT-236 Kaduna-79 Oyo-57 Plateau-47 Rivers-37 Katsina-35 Edo-30 Sokoto-30 Delta-26 Kebbi-23 Ondo-20 Enugu-18 Abia-17 Ogun-17 Benue-16 Bayelsa-15 Bauchi-14 Niger-13 Kano-10 Borno-6 Imo-5 Ekiti-4 Osun-2 Jigawa-1

Discharges include 314 community recoveries in Lagos State, 158 in Kaduna State and 84 in Plateau State managed in line with guidelines.
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Coronavirus – Nigeria: COVID-19 update (7th January 2021)

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Active cases: 36 New cases: 5 New tests: 232 Total confirmed: 3,838 Recovered: 3,677 (+0) Deaths: 125 (+0)
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Coronavirus – Gambia: COVID-19 update (7th January 2021)

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Total cases: 9,225 (+167) Recovered: 6,940 (+0) | 75.2% Active cases: 2,172 Tests: 756,051 (+5,970) Deaths: 113 (+1) | 1.2% Test positivity rate: 2.8%
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Coronavirus – Rwanda: COVID-19 update (7th January 2021)

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Fresh capital to develop existing portfolio of mining assets and roll-up new ones; Renewed focus on tier-one jurisdictions, including its highly accretive Europe business.

The Board of Directors of SunMirror AG (&#8220;SunMirror&#8221;; XETRA Wien: ROR1; ISIN CH0396131929), the mining and exploration firm specialising in raw materials powering the technological future such as gold, lithium and other metals and minerals, has resolved a capital increase excluding the subscription rights of the existing shareholders.
SunMirror intends to carry out a capital increase in the volume of up to CHF 70,000,000 by issuing of up to 1,000,000 new shares at a price of CHF 70 per share. The new shares will be offered to select, institutional strategic investors for subscription in a private placement. SunMirror is already experiencing brisk demand from institutional investors. The company plans to use the funds from the capital increase to expand its portfolio and business activities in tier-one jurisdictions, such as Australia and highly accretive Europe. The capital increase, lead by Opus Capital Switzerland AG, is expected to be closed in February 2021 when the shares shall also be admitted to the regulated markets of the Dusseldorf Stock Exchange followed by inclusion into trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on Xetra. An introduction onto the London Stock Exchange is planned for the 2nd Quarter 2021.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of SunMirror AG.
Media Contact: edicto GmbH Doron Kaufmann/Axel Mühlhaus Phone: +49 69 905505-53 sunmirror@edicto.de Eschersheimer Landstrasse 42 &#8211; 44 60322 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Explanatory Part The creation of new authorized capital in the nominal amount of CHF 837,500 to CHF 1,000,000 was approved at SunMirror&#39;s Annual General Meeting, held in Zug on 29 December 2020. The creation of new conditional capital of CHF 837,500 to CHF 1,000,000 was also approved. In addition, the Company decided to carry-forward the Balance Sheet result for the fiscal year (1 January 2020 to 30 June 2020) in full.
Strong tailwind from high iron ore and gold prices as indicator for sustainable demand Dr Heinz Rudolf Kubli, Director of SunMirror AG, recently commented: &#39;Battery technology is expected to evolve from the current lithium-ion battery (LIB) to next-generation high-capacity LIBs, all solid-state batteries, and lithium metal-based batteries, resulting in improvements in energy density, safety, and battery lifespan, as well as reduction in cost. We currently own or are planning to acquire prized sites in Australia that shall be developed with the potential to help enable this transformation. In addition, we would like to see SunMirror expand its strategic metal and mineral portfolio in Europe to provide traceable metals for an increasingly sustainability driven European batteries market for electric vehicles and others powering next-gen consumer and industrial technology products. Together, these markets continue to grow significantly. The outlook for the future metals and minerals SunMirror is aiming to market remains very attractive; Meanwhile, iron-ore prices are trading at record-highs, and gold is climbing again.&#39;
About SunMirror AG: SunMirror (www.SunMirror.com) is a natural-resources holding company with a strategic focus around gold and other critical resources &#8211; those metals and minerals powering demand for next-generation sustainable technology. The company&#39;s shares (ISIN CH0396131929) are listed on the electronic Stock Exchange Xetra in Vienna (ticker: ROR1) and on the Dusseldorf Stock Exchange. For more information please visit: www.SunMirror.com.
About Opus Group: Opus Capital Switzerland AG and Opus Capital Asset Management AG (&#39;Opus Group&#39;) (www.Opus-capital.ch) specializes in bringing-to-market tomorrow&#39;s next-generation natural resources firms, today, by combining its strong industry expertise together with one of Switzerland&#39;s leading independent financial services firms. For more information please visit: www.Opus-capital.ch.

SunMirror AG Plans CHF 70 Million Raise to Fuel Growth

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A Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) ambulance transporting patients between Douentza and Sévaré, in central Mali, was violently stopped by armed men for hours on Tuesday 5 January, resulting in the death of one of the patients onboard. MSF strongly condemns this serious obstruction of medical aid, and calls on all parties to the conflict to respect humanitarian and medical action and the civilian population.

The ambulance, clearly identified by the MSF logo, was on its way to the general hospital in Sévaré with three patients who has been seriously injured in the bombing of 3 January in Douentza region. A nurse from the Ministry of Health, a caretaker and a driver were also in the vehicle. The armed men tied them up, assaulted them and left them in the harsh sun for several hours before finally releasing them. One of the patients, a man in his sixties, died during his detention.
&#8220;We condemn in the strongest possible terms all forms of violence against our patients, our staff and medical aid workers in general,&#8221; said Juan Carlos Cano, MSF’s head of mission in Mali. &#8220;We are very shocked and call on the parties to the conflict to respect the ambulances, medical staff, patients and their carers. Medical vehicles must be allowed to transport patients safely.”
On Wednesday 6 January, the MSF ambulance finally reached the hospital in Sévaré. The other two patients in the vehicle are currently under medical care.
Earlier this week, MSF teams had treated several seriously injured patients at the Douentza referral health centre, following bomb attack in the Douentza and Sévaré villages, in the north-east of Douentza. The patients, mostly elderly men, had injuries from explosions, shards of metal and gunshot wounds. MSF was not present in the area at the time of the events and is not in a position to confirm the exact circumstances of these incidents, around which there is still a lot of confusion.
Following the violent detention of its ambulance and the deterioration of the security situation in central Mali, MSF once again calls on all parties to the conflict to respect medical and humanitarian aid, medical facilities and the civilian population.
Médecins Sans Frontières has been working in Mali since 1985. Currently MSF runs medical and humanitarian projects in the regions of Kidal, Gao (Ansongo), Mopti (Ténenkou, Douentza, Bandiagara, Bankass and Koro), Ségou (Niono) and Sikasso (Koutiala), and also in the capital, Bamako.
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Mali: A patient dies after an MSF ambulance is violently detained

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TradeTech innovator, Ovamba Solutions (www.Ovamba.com) and financial services provider, Singularity Finance (www.Singularity.finance) have partnered to deliver financial inclusion and growth capital to small and growing businesses in Egypt. Singularity are the first to sign a Reseller Agreement with Ovamba in the region. This new partnership gives Singularity the rights to sell Ovamba’s digital solutions to banks, microfinance institutions and other alternative providers of trade finance to small and medium enterprises in Egypt.

For enterprises who wish to originate and invest in trade finance transactions independently, there is Pamoja™.  Pamoja™ showcases the same capabilities found in BankPartner™ and streamlines the work flows for investor and portfolio management, and financing transactions of any kind.  
Mohamed Taysir, CEO &#038; Co-Founder of Singularity said, “With this partnership we at Singularity have been able to expand our financial eco-system offering; by adding a set of bank grade products that are tailored for our part of the world. Even more so we are empowered to start offering this tool to other Banks and MFIs to start rolling out their own platforms; this allows for a true disruption in how we as a country can reach financial inclusion”. He went on to add, “Singularity&#39;s ability to contribute to such an important national directive is enhanced by our partnership with Ovamba which will allow for even more disruption on the Pan-African level.”
Co-Founder &#038; President of Ovamba, Viola Llewellyn said, “we are really excited about this partnership. Ovamba has invested significantly in BankPartner™, Pamoja™ and Jasmeera™. Embedding Islamic finance elements into our technologies and business systems has proven to be very effective at de-risking small business finance. Egypt is an important market, and Singularity are well positioned to pioneer in an era of business growth for small businesses and digital engagement for Financial Institutions.”
Both Ovamba and Singularity, in responding to the near future outlook, said that they expect to be fully engaging banks and serving businesses in Q1 2021.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ovamba Solutions.
Media Contact: Mohamed Taysir m.taysir@singularity.finance
Ciana Hamlett ciana.h@Ovamba.com
About Ovamba: Ovamba Solutions, Inc. (www.Ovamba.com), is an award winning ‘TradeTech’ innovator of digital and ecosystem solutions for emerging and frontier markets. The company was founded in 2013 by Marvin R. R. Cole and Viola A. Llewellyn. Ovamba launched in Cameroon in 2013 and now has operations and partnerships in Ivory Coast, India, Mauritius and Egypt. Ovamba’s innovations provide enterprises with digital tools to securely serve and finance high risk sectors and businesses whilst driving performance improvement and financial inclusion. For more information go to: www.Ovamba.com.
About Singularity: Singularity (www.Singularity.finance) is a new type of Fintech; with the aim to be a full financial ecosystem that revolves and prioritizes the users&#39; needs and wants. Singularity caters to any businesses&#39; needs. The Fintech offers account management, payroll, payments, and with the partnership with Ovamba, trade-tech, focusing on giving a personalized procurement experience for SMBs.
About BankPartner™ &#038; Pamoja™ BankPartner™, Pamoja™ and Jasmeera™ are the Intellectual property and protected licensed products created by Ovamba Solutions, Inc. All three are available as white label solutions to end users and financial institutions.  For more information contact your local Authorized Reseller or contact Ovamba Solutions, Inc.

Ovamba & Singularity launch TradeTech partnership in Egypt

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After Cyclone Gati struck Puntland State of Somalia on 22 November 2020, heavy rains and floods washed away homes, livestock, crops, and fishing boats. In its wake, the cyclone destroyed health facilities and safe sanitation systems in the area, leaving thousands of vulnerable people exposed without any shelter and livelihoods, as it hit districts in the midst of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, further affecting communities’ economic recovery.

Twenty-nine-year-old Aamino Ahmed and her family were among the people who were forced to flee to internally displaced people (IDP) camps following the cyclone. Along with her husband and nine children, Aamino moved to the Isnino IDP camp in Bossaso, where they are currently struggling to have a means to earn a living and access to basic needs like food, water, sanitation and health care, which have been totally destroyed.
Understanding urgent needs of afflicted populations By the end of December, the storm had killed 9 people and over 63 000 livestock (sheep and goats), and affected around 183 000 people.
Overall, the districts affected most by the cyclone include Alula, Benderbayla, Bosasso, Iskushuban and Qandala in Puntland, as well as Erigavo and Laasqoray in Somaliland. In these locations, afflicted communities, including families like those of Aamino Ahmed’s, and local authorities have appealed for support and increased interventions to support livelihoods, particularly targeting affected nomadic pastoralists, fishermen and traders. They have also requested for support in the repair of damaged infrastructure and basic social amenities such as schools, health facilities and water points.
In efforts to understand the humanitarian impact of Cyclone Gati and determine the most urgent needs of the population, the Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Agency (HADMA) and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other humanitarian agencies to conduct a rapid inter-agency assessment in the affected areas, from 24-30 November 2020. The WHO team comprised health experts knowledgeable with the localities, and included regional polio officers, district polio officers and public health emergency officers.
The assessment also determined the available resources and capacities within districts affected, and will guide an effective response to the storm. The most immediate humanitarian needs of affected populations include food, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), emergency shelter and the prevention of waterborne, vector-borne and communicable diseases. These include cholera, malaria, dysentery, diarrhoea, and skin diseases due to families being inundated with contaminated water. Stagnant water in some areas also threatens to serve as ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The situation is already resulting in an increase in malnutrition due to lost livelihoods and assets, and a potential increase in COVID-19 and other airborne diseases due to crowded living conditions.
Support provided so far Since the cyclone struck, humanitarian partners and Somali authorities reached over 78 000 affected people with relief assistance as of 13 December. This support ranged from food, emergency shelter, nutrition, health, protection, Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) services and WASH interventions.
Partners and organizations in the food security, livelihood and health and nutrition clusters have reached an estimated 72 000 affected people among those targeted. Shelter and WASH cluster partners have reached 25 000 and 38 000 people respectively, while the CCCM cluster is assisting about 26 000 people affected by the cyclone floods in Bossaso, one of the worst-hit cities.
As part of the response to the storm, on 10 December 2020, the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Somalia commissioned a special flight at the request of the WHO in Somalia to airlift 3.1 tonnes of life-saving medicine and other emergency hospital supplies to Garowe. This joint operation remains part of the bilateral technical coordination mechanism established between WHO and the EU in Somalia, which aims to strengthen operational response activities, including for COVID-19.
The supplies, which were handed over to the Ministry of Health on 14 December 2020 for further distribution to communities in need, include 10 inter-agency emergency health kits containing various medicines for providing primary health care services, 11 cholera treatment modules, 2 outbreak investigation kits, 100 malaria testing kits. These materials should cover the medical needs of 2200 people over a period of three months and will be adequate in the management of waterborne and vector-borne diseases among 10 000 people for 3 months.
Humanitarian response plans to avert further suffering Further to the damage already caused, there are additional potential risks of more rainfall and flooding; contamination of water; and severe malnutrition. With the affected people having no access to basic health care needs, and limited sanitation, this could result in an increase in diseases such as vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, and waterborne diseases, and diarrhoea.
Some of Aamino’s family members, for instance, have already been suffering from diarrhoea as a result of consuming unsafe water after the cyclone destroyed water systems. In efforts to support families like Aamino’s, and to stop the spread of waterborne and vector-borne diseases, WHO will provide medical supplies for the management of diseases spread by contaminated water; establish a water quality surveillance system in cyclone-affected districts; and support sample collection and analysis for alerts of epidemic-prone diseases reported in affected districts. WHO will also support the deployment of 2 integrated emergency response teams (IERTs) for 4 weeks for the cyclone response. As additional support, the organization plans to deploy 9 district-based rapid response teams (RRTs) and 300 community health workers (CHWs) that were deployed to support COVID-19 activities in the cyclone-affected districts.
WHO will also provide airtime to health facilities in cyclone affected districts to submit timely reports for epidemic-prone diseases reported in the affected districts through the early warning and response network (EWARN) to strengthen surveillance, timely detection and response to alerts. The organization will further reinforce the coordination, supervision and surveillance activities through the existing health system, in cooperation with the health, WASH and nutrition cluster partners. Additionally, WHO will conduct fogging in 9000 households in Somaliland and Puntland to prevent the spread of malaria and other vector-borne diseases.
As long-term measures to provide sustainable solutions to emergencies, WHO will support the building of resilient health systems that can cope with the multiple hazards and be able to protect vulnerable communities from health emergencies. This will be done through capacity building of existing health workforce, strengthening coordination and leadership with affected communities and their leaders, and other clusters.
In response to the cyclone, humanitarian partners are collaborating with the Government to reach 101 000 people (about 84% of those affected by the cyclone) and are finalizing a response plan that outlines additional financial support they need to avert any additional suffering in the cyclone-affected areas. Overall, WHO requires US$ 1.23 m to continue to implement a timely intervention to prevent deaths and help Somalia overcome the negative consequences of the cyclone.
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Responding to Cyclone Gati in Puntland: Immediate assistance needed for prevention of waterborne diseases

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Active cases: 31 New cases: 21 New tests: 265 Total confirmed: 3,833 Recovered: 3,677 (+0) Deaths: 125 (+0)
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Coronavirus – Gambia: COVID-19 update (6 January 2021)

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335 people have tested positive for the virus, from a sample size of 5,424 tested in the last 24 hours, bringing to 97,733 the number of confirmed positive cases in the country. The cumulative tests are now 1,075,673.

The new cases are from; Nairobi 102, Meru 46, Makueni 40, Nyeri 19, Kajiado 14, Embu 13, Mombasa 12, Kiambu 11, Nakuru 9, Migori 9, Nyandarua 9, Busia 9, Samburu 8, Kirinyaga 6, Machakos 5, Kitui 4, Turkana 4, Laikipia. Uasin Gishu &#038; Siaya 3 cases each. Kilifi 2, Marsabit, Narok, Murang’a &#038; Taita Taveta 1 case each.

340 patients have recovered from the disease, 261 being from the Home-Based Care Program, while 79 have been discharged from various hospitals. The total recoveries now stand at 80,306.

8 patients have succumbed to the disease, pushing the cumulative fatalities to 1,702. Our condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their loved ones.

Currently, there are 536 patients admitted in various health facilities countrywide and 2,498 on Home Based Isolation and Care.  29 patients are in Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 18 of whom are on ventilatory support and 9 on supplemental oxygen. 2 are on observation.

10 other patients are separately on supplementary oxygen and are in the general wards. No patient is in the High Dependency Unit.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Kenya.

Coronavirus – Kenya: COVID-19 update (07 January 2021)

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The United Nations Secretary-General has expressed shock at the massacre of civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and called on the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. 

At least 25 villagers are reported to have been killed in recent attacks attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia in the villages of Tingwe, Mwenda and Nzenga, near Beni territory, in North Kivu province.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson on Wednesday, Secretary-General António Guterres “strongly condemned the violence against the civilian population and calls for the perpetrators of these atrocities to be swiftly brought to justice.” 

Silence the guns  Mr. Guterres reiterated his call for a global ceasefire and urged all armed groups to lay down their weapons. 

The UN chief also urged the DRC authorities to take concrete steps to address the drivers of conflict in the east of the country. 

He also stressed the determination of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (known by its French acronym, MONUSCO) “to continue to do its utmost to ensure the protection of civilians in accordance with its mandate and to support national efforts to consolidate peace and stability in the country.” 

Highly volatile region  Roughly the size of western Europe and rich in natural resources, DRC has been plagued by violence and insecurity for years, resulting in widespread poverty and hunger. It has also suffered frequent outbreaks of deadly diseases, including waves of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), now complicated by the coronavirus pandemic. 

The situation in eastern DRC, particularly in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri, is highly volatile, with clashes between armed groups over control of territory and natural resources. Civilians have borne the brunt of the conflict, with thousands losing their lives in the last few years. 

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia, one of several armed groups in the region, has been active since the 1990’s. It has carried out several attacks against security forces and MONUSCO, including an attack in December 2017, in which 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers lost their lives and 44 others were wounded.
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Guterres ‘shocked’ at massacre of civilians in eastern DR Congo

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Thousands are at risk from serious hunger and malnutrition in Cabo Delgado as humanitarian operations face shortage of US $108 million and the number of people forced to leave their homes has risen to 565,000, according to the Government of Mozambique.

WFP is currently assisting up to 400,000 people in Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa provinces with an in-kind monthly family food basket of 50 kg of cereals, 5 liters of oil and 10 kg of dried beans and lentils. WFP also provides cash-based assistance where local markets are functioning, allowing families to choose which basic needs to meet (food items and hygiene kits) through redeeming value vouchers of 3600 MZN (equivalent to about 50 US $) per month. This food basket ensures least 81% of the daily kilocalorie needs of displaced families, and contributes to preventing already traumatized and vulnerable families from falling victim to exploitation or employing negative coping mechanisms for survival.
WFP resources are stretched and may be forced to reduce or halt vital food assistance to conflict-affected people in Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa over the next three months. This not only raises concerns around food security and health risks resulting from malnutrition but also could create tensions within host communities.
“Internally displaced persons are especially vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19 because they are crowded together in camps, host families’ backyards and outdoors with no or inadequate shelter, health services and access to clean water and sanitation. Thousands of children and adolescents who lost their parents and close family need our protection and care”, said WFP Country Representative in Mozambique, Antonella D’Aprile.
WFP currently requires US $10.5 million per month to provide food assistance to 750,000 people (500,000 IDPs and 250,000 from host communities) affected by the conflict in northern Mozambique. To ensure humanitarian food assistance for the next 12 months, WFP needs US $ 132,4 million, of which only US $24,4 million have been secured as of late December 2020. Without sufficient funding, the food supply will be compromised.
With resources more than ever needed to help us save lives, “It is incredibly timely to join efforts now and protect the food and nutrition security and livelihood of Mozambicans &#8211; men, women, adolescents, and children &#8211; impacted by armed attacks, Cyclone Kenneth and the COVID-19 pandemic”, said Antonella D’Aprile.
If resources are available and access is granted, WFP is able to move cargo and its humanitarian workforce, by road, sea and air, to provide humanitarian life-saving assistance assist to at least 750,000 IDPs and host community members per month.
The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.  We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).

WFP provides food assistance for four hundred thousand affected by conflict in Cabo Delgado despite increased insecurity and limited funding

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Team Qhubeka ASSOS (www.TeamQhubeka.com) has confirmed that Gabriele Missaglia and Aart Vierhouten will take on directeur sportif roles’ for the upcoming season, and in the process complete the makeup of our performance team.

Former professional, Missaglia (50), rode for 14 years and immediately made the enormously successful switch to the car in the role of Sports Director. His riding career included stage wins at Pais Vasco, Giro d’Italia, Tour de Suisse, Volta Catalunya, Grand Prix Hamburgo World Cup, the Tour de Langkawi GC, Tour of Quinghai Lake GC as well as placing third at the Amstel Gold Race (’99).
His most recent role saw him spend nine years with the CCC team playing a crucial part in the development phase of the team right up to WorldTour level.
Vierhouten (50) brings a unique skill set that includes the role of Sports Director as well as an exceptional ability as a coach.
A prominent career on the road for the Dutchman with among others Rabobank, Skil-Shimano and Lotto, saw him feature as a leadout man for Robbie McEwen for a large portion. His role as road captain at the Spring Classics as well as multiple participations at all the Grand Tours are testament to his leadership abilities that will be crucially important to our goals in 2021.
Gabriele Missaglia For me, working with Team Qhubeka Assos will be fantastic, and I’m so grateful for this new opportunity. So for this, I want to express my thanks to Doug and all of the team management.
I look forward to finding a new family with whom to share many beautiful things in a project that I believe in. I’m sure we’ll be the surprise team next season!
Of course, experience tells me that there will be difficult moments but I’m prepared and ready for anything.
When I have free time I love to ride my bike for many kilometers just like when I was rider but now, of course, with different goals!
Aart Vierhouten I am really looking forward to being on the road again and to help young sportsmen to fulfil their dreams, even through the tough times with Team Qhubeka ASSOS.
I am excited to share my experience as a former race captain with the aim; to build a strong, committed team where passion and “Go-For-It” are the keywords. Together with the Qhubeka Charity, we also have a story to tell! I would like to contribute to this 100%.
I still love to ride my bike and every year I have a + 400 km ride with some friends and former professionals. It is called &#39;the Longest Day ride&#39; &#8211; normally around June 21st &#8211; so I’ll have to ask the team for that day off!
Lars Michaelsen In Gabriele we have someone who has a wealth of experience both from his career as a rider together with that as a sports director. I think he has a great approach and way of thinking and he will be an important part of our setup with his experience across the board including the ability to lead us at Grand Tours.
Aart will bring a very varied skill set that will be very valuable for our squad. His coaching expertise and guidance on offer to some of the young signings this year including the likes of Karel Vacek and Mauro Schmid will be very important. That, together with his upcoming ability as a director, is something that we are excited about to go with his wider experience and great network within the sport.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka ASSOS.
About Team Qhubeka ASSOS: Team Qhubeka ASSOS (www.TeamQhubeka.com) is a purpose-led, high-performance team, fighting to win on the world&#39;s biggest stage, to inspire hope and create opportunity. Founded in 2007, Team Qhubeka ASSOS (formerly NTT Pro Cycling) became the first-ever African cycling team to gain a UCI WorldTour license, in 2016.
We achieved our first major win in 2013 when Gerald Ciolek won Milan-San Remo, one of the five Monuments of cycling. We have competed in six Tour de France’s and notched up 7 stage wins, with Mark Cavendish wearing the coveted Yellow Jersey at the 2016 Tour de France.
We are a multicultural, diverse team with bases in South Africa, the Netherlands and Italy. There are 19 nationalities represented across our World Tour and continental feeder team rosters. Our focus on developing African cycling has resulted in more than 55 riders from the African continent be given the opportunity to race on the world stage, since the team&#39;s inception.
We race to help people to move forward with bicycles through our relationship with Qhubeka Charity. Through our work with Qhubeka, we have contributed to the distribution of over 30 000 bicycles in communities in South Africa.
About Qhubeka: Qhubeka (www.Qhubeka.org) is a charity that moves people forward with bicycles. People earn bicycles through our programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs.
A bicycle is a tool that helps people to travel faster and further, and to carry more. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socioeconomic challenges at the most basic level – helping people to get where they need to go. 
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Missaglia and Vierhouten complete Team Qhubeka ASSOS performance team

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Here&#39;s a sneak preview of what you can expect from BizTrends2021 &#8211; Towards New Norths &#038; New Narratives on Thursday, 28 January 2021. We invite you to join us as trend &#39;rockstars&#39; point to new &#39;north stars&#39;.

1. Dion Chang 
South Africa’s world renowned trend doyen and founder of the Flux Trends consultancy, Dion Chang, will host and present a keynote address at BizTrends2021. Like the two-faced Roman god, Janus, after whom the month of January is named, Chang will aptly be looking backward to go forward with his presentation 20/20 Hindsight &#8211; Lessons from the Great Staggering, inviting us to rethink, reassess and recalibrate. His annual highly anticipated Flux Trends briefing, The State We’re In &#8211; offering six key trend pillars for the business year ahead under the acronym TRENDS: Technology, Retail, Economy, the Natural world, Diplomacy (and Democracy) and Socio-cultural &#8211; will also be revealed.
2. Ndeye Diagne 
One of the highlights of BizTrend2020, recently appointed MD of Kantar Nigeria and Ghana, Ndeye Diagne is back this year, beaming at us live from Lagos on the topic of Gen-Zers as the continent’s number one influencers, who neither brands nor governments can overlook.
”Digital natives, impassioned activists, yet still very young, Gen Zs around the world and in Africa are leveraging increasing influence. Across the continent, they are striving to materialise their ambitions for Africa. Whether in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda or South Africa, we’ve seen them challenge governments to build more equal societies and call out brands to be more inclusive.” Diagne’s session, Africa’s potential is human first. Are you ready for Africa’s Gen Z? will uncover three unmissable trends about Africa’s youth potential and its impact in the coming years.
We’re ready for Africa’s Gen Z and this wonderful opportunity to connect, share and strategise pan-African futures!
3. Luzuko Tena 
Continuing the trend towards youth matters is the newly appointed head of IAB SA&#39;s Youth Action Council, Luzuko Tena, who is also a paid social exec at global edutechGetSmarter. We eagerly anticipate the dynamic and eloquent Tena’s perspectives on industry leadership structures via his presentation All Animals Are Equal, But Some Animals…, which will unpack his views on what Gen Z promises to bring to the hard won seats at the table, they have been asking for for so long, focusing on key themes of accountability, assurance and ownership! Exciting times!
4. Musa Kalenga 
Keynote speaker, entrepreneur, tech solution provider and author, Musa Kalenga’s expertise lies in the practical arenas of technological innovation, data and connectivity. His book Ladders and Trampolines explains the tools and time frames that Africa might embrace to close technological divides. At BizTrends2021, during his presentation The API Humanity &#8211; New Ways For New Days, Kalenga will clarify how APIs (application programming interfaces) will increase information, interoperability and the scale of progressive changes that will give Africa a fighting chance of playing technological catch up in the world!
5. Bronwyn Williams 
Are we telling each other the right stories? A true futurist, Bronwyn Williams’s BizTrends2020 presentation entitled Unreal Estate, which looked at the trend towards virtual assets, all but brought audiences to their feet. Fast talking and sweeping in scope with the academic credentials to back up her predictions, BizTrends2021 will see her focus on the narrative itself, ‘how situations and events can promote newsets of values that mutate throughout society in much the same way as viruses do and how an understanding of these narrative trajectories can help us predict the behaviours of markets and nations.’ 
Her presentation From small words to big ideas will show how recent examples &#8211; such as ‘flatten the curve’, ‘build back better’, ‘the great reset’ &#8211; have informed collective societal changes or actions. Standby to also be enlightened about trends in MMT, UBI, degrowth, the ‘end of work’, transhumanism, consensus and viral matters!
6. Boniswa Pezisa 
Boniswa Pezisa’s reputation for her nurturing management style and commitment to the industry earned her entry into the Loeries Hall of Fame 2020 as inductee. Her name itself means ‘vision’ and the BizTrends2021 lineup is proud to include insights from the most recent Network #BBDO CEO, former chairperson of the Loeries and ACA boards and dedicated industry activist with experience in sectors from banking to broadcasting. Audiences can look forward to her new northstar ‘vision’ on leadership and new narratives.
7 and 8. Ann Nurock and Doug Place
We are honoured to announce a joint presentation, prepared exclusively for BizTrends2021, by two pillars of the industry. Doug Place, one of South Africa’s top-rated marketers, and Ann Nurock, a powerful leader and voice in the advertising/marketing industry for over 30 years, will be asking: ‘What if the swing from relative prosperity to utter chaos is a known cycle and, if so, what of 2020 are the seeds of a new and better world?’ 
These considerable insights will be drawn from their large body of trend work gleaned from numerous articles, ‘thousands of hours of webinars’, podcasts and conferences, including Cannes Lions, as well as studies on agency and client relationships performed in many countries over nine years. Combining Nurock’s sociological context with Nando’s trademark creativity to provide fresh perspectives on how the ‘new’ might not be ‘normal’ and how that’s probably a good thing for everyone.
Register now for BizTrends2021 &#8211; 28 January 2021 
The BizTrends2021 &#8211; Towards New Norths and New Narratives online event will be led by Dion Chang with Bronwyn Williams, Boniswa Peziza, Ann Nurock and Doug Place (who will deliver a joint presentation), Ndeye Diagne, Musa Kalenga, Luzuko Tena and other surprises on Thursday, 28 January 2021.
Register Now
On behalf of our valued sponsors, SAP Concur, partners Flux Trends, in association with IAB SA (Interactive Advertising Bureau), ACA (Association for Communications and Advertising) and MASA (Marketing Association of South Africa), we welcome you aboard BizTrends2021.
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8 reasons to book now for #BizTrends2021 online

The African Development Bank Appoints Directors General and Deputy Directors General in Regional Offices

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Test conducted: 6,898,207 Positive cases identified: 1,149,591 Total recoveries: 929,239 Total deaths: 31,368 New cases: 21,382
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Missaglia and Vierhouten complete Team Qhubeka ASSOS performance team

8 reasons to book now for #BizTrends2021 online

The African Development Bank Appoints Directors General and Deputy Directors General in Regional Offices

Coronavirus – South Africa: COVID-19 update (6 January 2021)

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United Nations Development Programme Nigeria launches Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Investor Maps Initiative to empower investors with data and insights to accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

Coronavirus – Ethiopia: COVID-19 update (7th January 2021)

Coronavirus – Nigeria: COVID-19 update (7th January 2021)

Coronavirus – Gambia: COVID-19 update (7th January 2021)

Coronavirus – Rwanda: COVID-19 update (7th January 2021)

SunMirror AG Plans CHF 70 Million Raise to Fuel Growth

Mali: A patient dies after an MSF ambulance is violently detained

Ovamba & Singularity launch TradeTech partnership in Egypt

Responding to Cyclone Gati in Puntland: Immediate assistance needed for prevention of waterborne diseases

Coronavirus – Gambia: COVID-19 update (6 January 2021)

Coronavirus – Kenya: COVID-19 update (07 January 2021)

Guterres ‘shocked’ at massacre of civilians in eastern DR Congo

WFP provides food assistance for four hundred thousand affected by conflict in Cabo Delgado despite increased insecurity and limited funding

Missaglia and Vierhouten complete Team Qhubeka ASSOS performance team

8 reasons to book now for #BizTrends2021 online

The African Development Bank Appoints Directors General and Deputy Directors General in Regional Offices

Coronavirus – South Africa: COVID-19 update (6 January 2021)

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