Oseyiza Oogbodo Blog

Working with Big Win Philanthropy and Aliko Dangote Foundation, the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has unveiled a new Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Action Plan (https://bit.ly/2E4d3vW) that aims at raising investments towards reducing stunting by 40% in African children aged under 5 by 2025.

Kenyatta Kenya President, Uhuru Kenyatta, has launched the Huduma Halisi Public Service Campaign, an initiative of the Economic Commission for Africa.

The United States’ Global AIDS Coordinator & Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, M.D, and South Africa’s Minister of Health, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, have announced U.S., through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (U.S. PEPFAR), is investing $1.2bn (more than 16 billion rands) over two years to support SA efforts to reach HIV epidemic control by 2020.

Respected female entrepreneur, Gloria Serobe, has said she doesn’t want other women to go through what she did.

Kelej Merck Foundation CEO, Dr. Rasha Kelej, together with H.E. Madam Brigitte Touadera, The First Lady of Central African Republic – C.A.R. & Merck more than a Mother Ambassador, conducted a special meeting with more than 100 infertile women who have been enrolled in Empowering Berna to establish small businesses for them.

AC Hotels by Marriott (ACHotels.Marriott.com), Marriott International’s (www.Marriott.com) European-inspired lifestyle brand, has announced the opening of AC Hotel Cape Town Waterfront marking the debut of the brand in Middle East and Africa.

The EU Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa is a flexible tool for providing assistance in areas such as food, education, health, security and sustainable development, according to a new report by the European Court of Auditors ( www.ECA.Europa.eu ).

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Accenture have announced the launch of YAS! (Youth for Africa and Sustainable Development Goals) (www.YASDG.com), a pan-African entrepreneurship portal-platform which addresses four main pillars of the entrepreneurship ecosystem: information, mentorship, funding and network.

The Ebola epidemic continues to spread through the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s North Kivu province.

Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary, Economic Commission for Africa, has said ECA’s management is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities have the right support to access all services, technologies and systems at the institution and that their rights are fully realized.

Germany has announced new contributions of $4m to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in support of refugees from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Trump, left, and main trade foe, China President Xi Jinping The world, especially in the area of trade, is no longer the same since Donald Trump became America’s President.

Vantage Capital (www.VantageCapital.co.za), Africa’s largest mezzanine fund manager, has announced that it has provided €19 million of mezzanine funding to Pétro Ivoire, a leading distributor of oil & gas products in Côte d’Ivoire.

A Forum on Artificial Intelligence in Africa, organized by UNESCO and Mohamed VI Polytechnic University from 12 to 13 December in Benguérir (Morocco), will explore the opportunities and challenges of technological innovations relating to artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa.

The World Bank, the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution have come together to support the Government of Tanzania in the organization of the Lake Victoria Challenge, an initiative that aims to explore drones as a new mobility model for the hard-to-reach, rural communities of the Lake Victoria region.

At the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, HP (NYSE: HPQ) announced a new commitment to reach 100,000 learners across Africa over the next three years through the HP Foundation’s HP LIFE (https://bit.ly/2QuAzsD) program, and kicked off the commitment by opening a new tech-enabled HP LIFE Center in South Africa.  

In line with its commitment to growing Africa’s technology startup ecosystem and its passion for developing diverse, young talent, Facebook (www.Facebook.com) is returning as the headline sponsor of TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 (https://tcrn.ch/2uxSylb).

Reina APO Group (www.apo-opa.com), the leading media relations consultancy and press release distribution service in Africa and the Middle East, has announced the appointment of Lionel Reina as its chief executive officer (CEO).

Bachelet UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, has said the Tunisian cabinet’s approval of a draft law that provides for equal inheritance rights for women is a significant step towards gender equality in the country, and sets an example for the region.

Family Bank Limited (FamilyBank.co.ke), a leading bank in Kenya, has partnered with London-based financial technology firm, SimbaPay (www.SimbaPay.com), to launch an instant money transfer service from Kenya to China through WeChat – a service that will help boost Kenya-China trade.

The South Africa Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Bulelani Magwanishe, and the MEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) in Eastern Cape, Oscar Mabuyane, have welcomed the R502 million investment into the East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ) announced by two local investors, Meek Mines South Africa, and Nulatex Condoms South Africa, which will create 450 local jobs, according to the Chief Executive Officer, ELIDZ, Simphiwe Kondlo.

Nigerians once again dominate this year’s New African magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential Africans, followed by Kenyans.

Human trafficking drama, Nona , is set to open in New York on December 7 and then Los Angeles on the 14 th .