Morant received NBA All-Rookie First Team votes on all 100 ballots from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters

<p style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gQnNvBgQdVKahWlNCq4i2PXZobdr2u2ovzDyVZ_POUN0nzIgY_-AIn-ppUpCGjOw50lw7l37dJzjQj-i8ZnfYYsomYGkv63RUQ-sw9C7HVjogWBJCvRQssqcQTZdJhTXVzZwcVAJxpHT/s936/nba.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="936" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gQnNvBgQdVKahWlNCq4i2PXZobdr2u2ovzDyVZ_POUN0nzIgY_-AIn-ppUpCGjOw50lw7l37dJzjQj-i8ZnfYYsomYGkv63RUQ-sw9C7HVjogWBJCvRQssqcQTZdJhTXVzZwcVAJxpHT/s320/nba.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.NBA.com">NBA </a> All-Rookie First Team: Morant, Kendrick Nunn, Brandon Clarke, Zion Williamson and Eric Paschall; NBA All-Rookie Second Team; Tyler Herro, Terence Davis II, Coby White, P.J. Washington Jr. and Rui Hachimura.</span></strong><p></p><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, the 2019-20 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, has been unanimously selected to the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced today. As the lone unanimous selection, Morant received NBA All-Rookie First Team votes on all 100 ballots from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Joining Morant (200 points) on the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie First Team are Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn (197 points; 98 First Team votes), Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke (189 points; 92 First Team votes), New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (176 points; 87 First Team votes) and Golden State Warriors forward Eric Paschall (116 points; 28 First Team votes).</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">With the selection of Morant and Clarke, the Grizzlies have multiple players on the NBA All-Rookie First Team for the first time since the 2001-02 season (Pau Gasol and Shane Battier). Nunn, who played in the NBA G League last season, is the first Heat player named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team since the 2008-09 season (Michael Beasley). Williamson and Paschall complete the NBA All-Rookie First Team as the first and 41^st overall picks in NBA Draft 2019 presented by State Farm, respectively.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of Heat guard Tyler Herro (115 points), Toronto Raptors guard Terence Davis II (96), Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (90), Charlotte Hornets forward P.J. Washington Jr. (88) and Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura (74).</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The media panel selected five players for the NBA All-Rookie First Team and five players for the NBA All-Rookie Second Team at any position. Players received two points for each First Team vote and one point for each Second Team vote.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The voting was conducted based on regular-season games played through March 11. The seeding games, which were played July 30 – Aug. 14 as part of the 2019-20 season restart, did not count toward voting for the NBA All-Rookie Team or the league’s other traditional end-of-season awards.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The voting results for the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie Team are below. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP. Complete ballots for each voter will be <a href="https://on.nba.com/38ERy0S" style="color: #1d2228;">posted </a>and after the announcement of all end-of-season awards.</div></span></span><p></p><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="yiv3807015223MsoNormalTable" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify; width: 616px;"><tbody><tr style="min-height: 13.5pt;"><td colspan="4" style="min-height: 13.5pt; padding: 0cm; width: 432.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="577"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">2019-20 NBA ALL-ROOKIE FIRST TEAM</span></span></strong></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 3.75pt;"><td colspan="4" style="min-height: 3.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 432.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="577"></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 12.75pt;"><td style="min-height: 12.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 170.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="227"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Player (Team)</span></span></strong></p></td><td style="min-height: 12.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">First Team Votes</span></span></strong></p><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">(2 Points)</span></span></strong></p></td><td style="min-height: 12.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Second Team Votes</span></span></strong></p><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">(1 Point)</span></span></strong></p></td><td style="min-height: 12.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81pt; word-break: normal;" width="108"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Total</span></span></strong></p><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Points</span></span></strong></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 0.75pt;"><td colspan="4" style="min-height: 0.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 432.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="577"></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 170.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="227"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ja Morant (Memphis)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">100</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">0</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81pt; word-break: normal;" width="108"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">200</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 170.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="227"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kendrick Nunn (Miami)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">98</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">1</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81pt; word-break: normal;" width="108"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">197</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 170.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="227"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Brandon Clarke (Memphis)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">92</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81pt; word-break: normal;" width="108"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">189</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 170.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="227"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Zion Williamson (New Orleans)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">87</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">2</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81pt; word-break: normal;" width="108"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">176</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 170.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="227"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Eric Paschall (Golden State)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">28</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">60</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81pt; word-break: normal;" width="108"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">116</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"></p><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="yiv3807015223MsoNormalTable" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify; width: 616px;"><tbody><tr style="min-height: 13.5pt;"><td colspan="4" style="min-height: 13.5pt; padding: 0cm; width: 462pt; word-break: normal;" width="616"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">2019-20 NBA ALL-ROOKIE SECOND TEAM</span></span></strong></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 3.75pt;"><td colspan="4" style="min-height: 3.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 462pt; word-break: normal;" width="616"></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 12.75pt;"><td style="min-height: 12.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 184pt; word-break: normal;" width="245"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Player (Team)</span></span></strong></p></td><td style="min-height: 12.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 90.05pt; word-break: normal;" width="120"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">First Team Votes</span></span></strong></p><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">(2 Points)</span></span></strong></p></td><td style="min-height: 12.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 100.3pt; word-break: normal;" width="134"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Second Team Votes (1 Point)</span></span></strong></p></td><td style="min-height: 12.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 87.65pt; word-break: normal;" width="117"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Total</span></span></strong></p><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Points</span></span></strong></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 3.75pt;"><td colspan="4" style="min-height: 3.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 462pt; word-break: normal;" width="616"></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 184pt; word-break: normal;" width="245"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tyler Herro (Miami)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 90.05pt; word-break: normal;" width="120"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">23</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 100.3pt; word-break: normal;" width="134"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">69</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 87.65pt; word-break: normal;" width="117"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">115</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 184pt; word-break: normal;" width="245"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Terence Davis II (Toronto)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 90.05pt; word-break: normal;" width="120"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">30</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 100.3pt; word-break: normal;" width="134"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">36</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 87.65pt; word-break: normal;" width="117"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">96</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 184pt; word-break: normal;" width="245"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Coby White (Chicago)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 90.05pt; word-break: normal;" width="120"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">8</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 100.3pt; word-break: normal;" width="134"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">74</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 87.65pt; word-break: normal;" width="117"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">90</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 184pt; word-break: normal;" width="245"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">P.J. Washington Jr. (Charlotte)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 90.05pt; word-break: normal;" width="120"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">8</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 100.3pt; word-break: normal;" width="134"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">72</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 87.65pt; word-break: normal;" width="117"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">88</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 184pt; word-break: normal;" width="245"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rui Hachimura (Washington)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 90.05pt; word-break: normal;" width="120"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">10</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 100.3pt; word-break: normal;" width="134"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">54</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 87.65pt; word-break: normal;" width="117"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">74</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Below are the other players who received votes for the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie Team.</span></div></span><p></p><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="yiv3807015223MsoNormalTable" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify; width: 616px;"><tbody><tr style="min-height: 13.5pt;"><td colspan="4" style="min-height: 13.5pt; padding: 0cm; width: 438.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="585"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">OTHER PLAYERS RECEIVING VOTES</span></b></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 3.75pt;"><td colspan="4" style="min-height: 3.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 438.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="585"></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 12.75pt;"><td style="min-height: 12.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 174.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="233"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Player (Team)</span></b></p></td><td style="min-height: 12.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">First Team Votes</span></b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">(2 Points)</span></b></p></td><td style="min-height: 12.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Second Team Votes (1 Point)</span></b></p></td><td style="min-height: 12.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="109"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Total</span></b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Points</span></b></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 3.75pt;"><td colspan="4" style="min-height: 3.75pt; padding: 0cm; width: 438.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="585"></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 174.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="233"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">RJ Barrett (New York)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">10</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">41</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="109"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">61</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 174.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="233"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Matisse Thybulle (Philadelphia)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">6</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">43</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="109"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">55</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 174.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="233"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Darius Garland (Cleveland)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">0</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">14</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="109"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">14</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 174.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="233"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">De'Andre Hunter (Atlanta)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">0</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">11</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="109"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">11</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 174.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="233"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Michael Porter Jr. (Denver)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">0</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">9</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="109"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">9</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 174.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="233"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jaxson Hayes (New Orleans)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">0</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="109"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 174.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="233"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cameron Johnson (Phoenix)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">0</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">3</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="109"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">3</span></p></td></tr><tr style="min-height: 14.25pt;"><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 174.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="233"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cody Martin (Charlotte)</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 85.5pt; word-break: normal;" width="114"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">0</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 95.25pt; word-break: normal;" width="127"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">1</span></p></td><td style="min-height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm; width: 81.75pt; word-break: normal;" width="109"><p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">1</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv3807015223MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA).</span></span></i></p></div>

Morant received NBA All-Rookie First Team votes on all 100 ballots from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters

    NBA  All-Rookie First Team: Morant, Kendrick Nunn, Brandon Clarke, Zion Williamson and Eric Paschall; NBA All-Rookie Second Team; Tyler ...

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Africa’s post-pandemic recovery

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERjA00E5DqCAId37XaDfxE4tsA25WaQxjMB1eZ5hyphenhyphen6rRfBihjjaUj1KauVGmp16k4unhiKnuhA-pvdj1tLsNcY4ApVl7VmmpAgQPa3nkyChz6_OjF5LnCAWHtyfFiNvr93Mqo9qtgXWxg/s582/Economi.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="122" data-original-width="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERjA00E5DqCAId37XaDfxE4tsA25WaQxjMB1eZ5hyphenhyphen6rRfBihjjaUj1KauVGmp16k4unhiKnuhA-pvdj1tLsNcY4ApVl7VmmpAgQPa3nkyChz6_OjF5LnCAWHtyfFiNvr93Mqo9qtgXWxg/s320/Economi.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Specialist risk consultancy <a href="www.ControlRisks.com">Control Risks</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="www.ControlRisks.com"> </a>and independent global advisory NKC African Economics, the Africa-focused subsidiary of Oxford Economics, have today launched the fifth edition of the Africa Risk-Reward Index.</span></span><p></p><p class="yiv2761271909MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The index offers a comparative snapshot of market opportunities and risks across the continent. It provides a grounded, longer-term outlook of key trends shaping the investment landscape in major African economies, which should inform the strategies of organisations looking to invest in or grow their business in Africa. Investors seeking to minimise risks and maximise rewards are cautioned not to focus on headlines, but rather on specific country, sector and project contexts.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly eroded the overall improvement in risk-reward scores seen across the African continent in recent years, but this should not deter investors. Africa’s recovery may be prolonged and uneven, but it could also be transformative.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The pandemic’s huge economic cost has triggered a universal drop in our reward scores, but the impact on risk scores has been more varied. Ethiopia has seen the largest ratings drops as COVID-19-induced challenges combine with escalating ethnic tensions in the context of a delayed election. Egypt’s risk score has remained relatively steady, but its reward score has been badly hit by the triple blow of the pandemic, low oil prices and plummeting tourism revenues. Algeria’s risk score has improved since the mass protests and landmark elections of 2019, but challenges for its oil-dependent economy have still dragged down its overall score.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><em style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>“The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis, but Africa’s recovery will be slower and more uneven than most,” warns Barnaby Fletcher, Associate Director at Control Risks. “However, this recovery will be an opportunity for governments across the continent to address structural constraints and promote new solutions. We are already seeing signs that they are doing so, and for investors this opens up some interesting opportunities.”</em></div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">This 2020 edition of the Africa Risk-Reward Index examines the longer-term implications of COVID-19 on Africa. <strong>The first</strong> <strong>article</strong> looks at the longer-term impact of COVID-19 and imagines a post-pandemic landscape, while <strong>the second </strong>explores the role that African tech can play in revitalising more traditional industries. <strong>The</strong> <strong>last article </strong>covers the growing efforts by both external and domestic actors to manipulate the public debate in Africa through influence operations and disinformation campaigns, and the risks these efforts pose to commercial companies.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Post-pandemic: The impact of COVID-19 and outlooks for Africa’s recovery</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The immediate impact of COVID-19 will see Africa experience its first recession in 25 years, but more worrying is the lack of fiscal headroom available to African governments to engage in stimulus spending. For many countries, economic recovery will have to be driven by their private sectors, which were already weak and have only become weaker during the pandemic.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><em style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>“The economic impact of COVID-19 will be varied but the recovery will be even more so” says Jacques Nel, Head of Africa Macro at NKC African Economics. “The optimists will hope to see a race to the top as governments undertake desperately needed reforms, while the pessimists will see a continent set back more than a decade. The reality will be somewhere in between, with each country finding a unique spot on this spectrum.”</em></div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">However, there are already indications that the scale of this crisis is prompting some welcome reforms. Faced with a volatile global landscape, African governments have a pressing need to develop downstream manufacturing, regional supply chains and domestic capital markets. There are also indications that large portions of the workforce are entering the formal economy to access government financial support and cope with pandemic containment measures. Some of these trends were set in motion before its outbreak, but COVID-19 seems to have accelerated them. Investors who stay with Africa despite the current downturn will not only have an important role to play in its recovery, but will also see some exciting changes and opportunities.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><em style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><b>The great enabler:</b></em><strong> </strong><em><b>How Africa is using new digital solutions to revitalise old industries</b></em></div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Investment into African tech has reached record levels in recent years. These are likely to fall in 2020, a consequence of both recent high-profile sector struggles and the impact of COVID-19 on external finance. However, any such decline should be viewed as an opportunity to reset expectations and approaches, not as an indication that the affected sectors are becoming less attractive.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">COVID-19 has served to emphasise the need for tech and digital solutions across the continent. It has sparked the development of healthcare apps to help fight the pandemic, e-commerce platforms to facilitate life under lockdown, and new payment and microinsurance systems.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Digital and tech is set to play a far greater role in post-pandemic Africa than it ever did before. The wave of informal workers and companies entering the formal economy will need access to basic financial and legal services, which are likely to be provided through online or mobile platforms. Digital solutions may also help facilitate the growing push to build regional supply chains.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><em style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><b>Hostile narratives: Reputation and African geopolitics in the age of influence operations</b></em></div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Africa has always struggled to set its own narrative and get past generalisations that cast the entire continent as beyond redemption or the next economic powerhouse. This struggle is becoming more acute as internal and external actors actively push false narratives through influence operations and disinformation campaigns.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Foreign powers engaged in such tactics are motivated the geopolitical competition over Africa, which has steadily intensified over the past decade. African governments are also building their own capacity to mount such campaigns.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Investors should not assume that such activities impact only governments. Foreign investment is frequently the subject of political debate in African countries, and when that debate is distorted by external actors, individual companies face significant reputational risks. Not only that, but disinformation campaigns have been used by militant groups for recruitment and to cause peaceful protests to escalate into violence, posing security threats to commercial operations.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The risk posed by influence operations in Africa should not be overstated, though the trend is growing as social media is adopted more widely across the continent. Just as grasping the political and business landscape can help investors avoid pitfalls and maximise their chances of success, understanding the information landscape – what the narrative is and who is seeking to influence it – will become increasingly important.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methodology</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The <em>Africa Risk-Reward Index</em> is defined by the combination of risk and reward scores, integrating economic and political risk analysis by Control Risks and NKC African Economics, the Africa-focused subsidiary of Oxford Economics.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Risk scores from each country originate from the Economic and Political Risk Evaluator (EPRE), while the reward scores incorporate medium-term economic growth forecasts, economic size, economic structure and demographics.</div></span></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv2761271909MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Control Risks Group Holdings Ltd.</span></span></i></p></div>

Africa’s post-pandemic recovery

  Specialist risk consultancy Control Risks   and independent global advisory NKC African Economics, the Africa-focused subsidiary of Oxford...

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Senegalese President Macky Sall is right about African Debt Relief

<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRhBzbLWbkiryUVdtZgWW7of8VQkOgUUpgsHt_KmjNmtDV3KoVcs4tCY-5ZRR1ez85iH2-N0iBwDQbXZiRe62IlO9r85qYtRx8J71HRMkyaGYhw7VKZhZRjHJvcfOpXkdPZ3tvzA1VrQ6/s250/Afri+energe.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRhBzbLWbkiryUVdtZgWW7of8VQkOgUUpgsHt_KmjNmtDV3KoVcs4tCY-5ZRR1ez85iH2-N0iBwDQbXZiRe62IlO9r85qYtRx8J71HRMkyaGYhw7VKZhZRjHJvcfOpXkdPZ3tvzA1VrQ6/s0/Afri+energe.png" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">By NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman<a href="www.EnergyChamber.org">, African Energy Chamber</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.</span></span><p></p><p class="yiv7180137631MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">“Flatten the curve.” Do you remember that phrase? It was on everyone’s lips back in the spring, when the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began rampaging across the world in earnest.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;">At the time, the idea was that the best way to combat the germ known as SARS CoV-2 was to go home and stay there long enough for hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities to build up the capacity needed to handle the expected flood of new patients. Most of us expected that this departure from routine would be a temporary thing. We hoped it wouldn’t last long — that we’d be able to return to our normal routines after a brief disruption, with confidence that all necessary safeguards were in place.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course, it didn’t turn out that way. We spent far more time than we expected sheltering in place, unable to visit friends and family, attend school, or go to work in the usual manner. Many of us lost our jobs and saw our businesses fail, and the cumulative result of all these individual disasters was that the global economy took a sharp downward turn.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>We Still Need To ‘Flatten the Curve’ … But How?</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Along the way, of course, we’ve learned quite a bit more about SARS CoV-2 — how it makes people sick, how to treat it more effectively, what kind of resources our medical providers need most, and so on. But we’ve also stopped talking about “flattening the curve.” Even in places where hospitals and clinics have been able to build up their stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, and other necessities, we’ve moved on to other topics.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">In my view, this is a mistake. I’d like to explain why I think so.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s not because our understanding of the virus has changed over time.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s not because we’ve seen infection rates rise after the lifting of lockdown orders.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s not because we don’t have a vaccine yet.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s not because the idea of “flattening the curve” seems callous when more than 900,000 people out the nearly 28 million infected around the world have already died of COVID-19.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s because we need to rethink the idea of what “flattening the curve” means.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">And I believe President Macky Sall’s call for African debt relief is a good place to start that rethinking.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The President’s Perspective</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">First, let’s look at what President Sall has to say.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">In late August, the Senegalese leader urged members of the G20 group of countries to continue helping African nations balance their obligations to creditors with their obligations to their own citizens in the face of a deadly pandemic. Speaking to a group of business leaders at the French Entrepreneurs’ Conference, he noted that the group had taken up his call for a moratorium on the collection of debt from impoverished countries in Africa and elsewhere in April. He suggested that this moratorium be extended into 2021 rather than allowed to expire at the end of 2020.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“For the most part, and for all African countries, internal efforts will not be enough to lessen the shock of COVID and revive economic growth,” he said. “We need more financial capacity, which is why, with other colleagues, I have made a plea for substantial relief of Africa’s public debt and private debt on terms to be agreed upon.”</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What the President’s Words Mean</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Sall’s statements reflect the fact that the emergence of SARS CoV-2 was not a one-off event that sparked a short-term crisis, but rather the start of a struggle that will take a long time to resolve. They recognize that the outbreak is likely to be a drag on the world economy for years to come — and that the countries battling COVID-19 outbreaks need time to build up their capacity to fight back.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">What’s more, the president’s words advance the idea that African states will be in a better position to meet their financial obligations in the future if they take the time and the trouble to address the public health situation first. Indeed, he made a point of stressing that Africa takes its financial commitments seriously, since he mentioned debt relief and not debt forgiveness. (He also suggested that members of the G20 group offer debtors the same kind of breathing room they have granted themselves, such as temporary exemption from rules limiting debt to 3% of GDP or less.)</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">In other words, Sall is asking the G20 group to give Africa time and space to flatten the curve. He may not have used those exact words, but that appears to be his goal. He is hoping creditors will agree to suspend business as usual so that African states can build up their capacity for economic growth, just as regular citizens of many countries around the world agreed to disrupt their usual routines of work and school and leisure activities so that hospitals could build up their capacity for patient care.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Sall also understands that this flattening of the economic curve is not a simple process. He knows it will take more than one round of deferred payments to compensate for the economic consequences of the pandemic, and that is why he has now asked the G20 to extend the debt moratorium, which was originally due to expire at the end of 2020, into next year.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Compensating for the Setbacks of the Last Six Months</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">And make no mistake: Africa needs that extra time. The continent has suffered enormously over the last six months.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">On the economic front, the pandemic has triggered a global recession that has caused millions of salaried African workers to lose their jobs. Meanwhile, many more millions have seen their livelihoods dwindle or disappear because restrictions on movement have stifled the informal sector and forced the closure of small businesses. Additionally, the continent has experienced shortages of fuel and other essential goods as a result of disruptions in the supply chain.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Some parts of Africa have also weathered political disruptions. Mali suffered a coup in mid-August, following more than two months of anti-government demonstrations. Libya’s civil war, pitting the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli against Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), has continued to grind on, effectively crippling the country’s lucrative oil industry. Investors in liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in Mozambique have grown more nervous since a militia with ties to the Islamic State group, also known as Daesh, seized control of a key port in Cabo Delgado state.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Under other circumstances, African fossil fuel producers might have been able to use their reserves to help build up the cash needed to cope with the consequences of COVID-19. After all, as I explained in my latest book, <em>Billions at Play: The Future of African Energy and Doing Deals, the oil and gas industry has the potential to serve as a springboard, amplifying and accelerating economic growth. It can create opportunities for economic diversification and — through petroleum companies’ research and investments — help pave the way to the creation of a renewable energy sector.</em></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><em style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>Unfortunately, though, world oil prices crashed earlier this year, partly because of the competition between Russia and Saudi Arabia for market share and partly because the pandemic undercut energy demand. Prices hit historic lows in late April. And since they have yet to recover completely, African producers will need more than oil and gas to compensate for the setbacks they have experienced this year.</em></div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>A Necessary Step: Debt Relief</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">That’s where debt relief comes in.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Debt relief will help African states weather the storms caused by the pandemic.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Debt relief will help African states take the steps needed to help people go back to work or build up their businesses.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Debt relief will help African states re-establish stability following political disruptions.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Debt relief will help African states make up for the sharp decline in oil and gas revenues and begin building renewable energy sectors.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Debt relief is necessary to flatten the curve. It’s what will give Africa time and space to start carving out a path towards recovery — to take the steps necessary to bring new investment to the oil and gas industry, to build Africa’s sustainable energy sector, to expand business and residential consumers’ access to electric power, to revive small businesses, to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, to foster job creation, and to remove red tape and regulatory obstacles.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Asking for More: Debt Forgiveness</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Senegal’s president understands this — and I hope the leaders of the G20 group’s members do, too. I hope they can see how reasonable it is for impoverished countries in Africa and other regions to ask for what they need to flatten the curve.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">But I’d also like to take it a step further. I’m going to ask for more.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I’m going to ask for debt forgiveness.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I’m going to suggest that members of the G20 group agree to forego payments from African debtors — specifically, from <em>eligible</em> African debtors. And by eligible debtors, I mean countries that commit themselves to a forward-looking agenda that includes wide-ranging and market-oriented reforms, as well as safeguards for economic freedom, good governance, free trade, and investment in education.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">All of these points are in line with the ideals that have helped most G20 member states achieve so much with respect to economic growth. What’s more, they are exactly the sort of things that African states ought to do in order to maximize their chances of building up the momentum lost as a result of the pandemic — and to extend their recovery far into the future, beyond the point when vaccines, cures, and more effective treatments remove the threat of COVID-19.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I hope that G20 lenders to Africa will see it my way. I hope they will agree to help Africa do as much as it can to flatten the curve.</div></span></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv7180137631MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.</span></span></i></p></div>

Senegalese President Macky Sall is right about African Debt Relief

  By NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman , African Energy Chamber . “Flatten the curve.” Do you remember that phrase? It was on everyone’s lips back...

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ASECNA, NIGCOMSAT Ltd and Thales Alenia Space take a crucial step towards the provision of satellite navigation services in the Africa & Indian Ocean region

<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5_-aXNrPx8Btfy2s5JA5YaCP5w7_0YRxLThmlUrGPsLH9DegbpXMfVPYOvBPWzTcOs8QCd4FPkka-LVHYIFtwq9zKcaoADW-uSARYN2lPlpFyt1Fib3R0Mxj1pX4VftDWzZAI7gLFNR5/s835/asena.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="835" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5_-aXNrPx8Btfy2s5JA5YaCP5w7_0YRxLThmlUrGPsLH9DegbpXMfVPYOvBPWzTcOs8QCd4FPkka-LVHYIFtwq9zKcaoADW-uSARYN2lPlpFyt1Fib3R0Mxj1pX4VftDWzZAI7gLFNR5/s320/asena.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar, <a href="https://ASECNAonline.asecna.aero">ASECNA </a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, has started to broadcast a SBAS (Satellite-Based Augmentation System) signal over Africa & Indian Ocean (AFI) region, providing the first SBAS open service in this part of the world via NIGCOMSAT-1R Satellite managed and operated by Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd under Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy of Nigeria.</span></span><p></p><p class="yiv2767274019MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">This early open service is provided as part of the « SBAS for Africa & Indian Ocean » programme which pursues the autonomous provision over the continent of SBAS services, to augment the performances of the satellite navigation constellations GPS and Galileo. With improved accuracy to within a meter, and boosted integrity, availability and continuity of safety-related applications, these SBAS services will improve flight safety and efficiency in Africa, and also benefit to the economy in many areas as land, sea and rail transport, as well as mass market applications, supporting user safety, cost-effectiveness and sustainable development.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;">The launched open service essentially aims to carry-out technical trials, and to undertake with partner airlines field demonstrations for aircraft and rotorcraft, to demonstrate the benefits of the future operational safety-of-life SBAS services, expected from 2024. It will also include early Precise Point Positioning (PPP) and emergency warning service to populations, which performance will be proven through other demonstrations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The signal-in-space is generated by a dedicated system testbed, developed as part of the “SBAS for Africa and Indian Ocean” preliminary design phase, financed by the European Union and awarded to Thales Alenia Space, Joint Venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%). The “SBAS for Africa and Indian Ocean” is based on the European EGNOS [1] developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) acting under delegation of the European Commission and operated by the European GNSS Agency GSA.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The system prototype uses as reference stations network the SAGAIE network deployed by CNES and ASECNA with the support of Thales Alenia Space.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The signal is broadcasted via the SBAS payload on NigComSat 1R GEO satellite of the Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd and an uplink station deployed in Abuja (Nigeria). It is compliant to the Standards and Recommended Practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, and the Minimum Operational Performance Standard developed by the RTCA (Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics) organisation. It will be visible in the whole Africa and Indian Ocean, up to the West Australian coast, and also in Europe.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“<em>We are proud to be part of this ambitious program to provide satellite navigation services in the Africa and Indian Ocean region. The use of our geostationary communication satellite NIGCOMSAT-1R navigation payload to broadcast the first signal will be Africa’s premier contribution to SBAS as a regional satellite-based augmentation system for the continent</em>” declared Dr. Abimbola Alale, MD/CEO of NIGCOMSAT Ltd.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“<em>Our longstanding expertise acquired with the development of EGNOS¹ SBAS in Europe and KASS SBAS in Korea combined with our new leading-edge satellite positioning technologies makes Thales Alenia Space the ideal partner to best support countries to implement their own SBAS efficiently. The equatorial region represents also a key engineering challenge for such a system due to difficult ionosphere conditions, for which Thales Alenia Space has developed a proven solution</em>”, declared Benoit Broudy, Vice President of the Navigation business at Thales Alenia Space in France.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“<em>The provision of the first African SBAS early service is a crucial major step forward in the development of satellite navigation in the AFI Region, and in the deployment of the “SBAS for Africa and Indian Ocean” system, the navigation solution for Africa by Africa. It demonstrates the ambition and commitment of ASECNA to enhance air navigation safety for the benefit of the whole continent, in line with my vision for the unification of the African Sky</em>”, stated Mohamed Moussa, Director General of ASECNA.</div></span></span><p></p><div class="yiv2767274019MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><hr size="2" style="text-align: center;" width="100%" /></span></span></div><p class="yiv2767274019MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">[1] European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System</span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv2767274019MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Agence pour la Sécurité de la Navigation Aérienne en Afrique et à Madagascar (ASECNA).</span></span></i></p><p class="yiv2767274019MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></p></div>

ASECNA, NIGCOMSAT Ltd and Thales Alenia Space take a crucial step towards the provision of satellite navigation services in the Africa & Indian Ocean region

    The Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar, ASECNA , has started to broadcast a SBAS (Satellite-Based Augmentation Sy...

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ARSO to Facilitate Intra-African Trade in Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FgEpmvD-90YIyfEEPp-qgiHXGVINwIYVOSpg78DoL5P-qL7risvktv0yvEQR6ig6NZkXEHchclCeB1nmv9BtYeJgHLSE3AP4y-CgzNgEhbHbSwAK779fXStGyk7DamutCW2gK2mMj20U/s482/arosa.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FgEpmvD-90YIyfEEPp-qgiHXGVINwIYVOSpg78DoL5P-qL7risvktv0yvEQR6ig6NZkXEHchclCeB1nmv9BtYeJgHLSE3AP4y-CgzNgEhbHbSwAK779fXStGyk7DamutCW2gK2mMj20U/s320/arosa.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the International Islamic Trade Finance <a href="www.ITFC-IDB.org">Corporation</a> (ITFC)</span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, have partnered with the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), to launch a new Arab-Africa Trade Bridges Program (AATB) initiative called the <em>Harmonisation of Standards for Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices</em> <em>in Africa, </em>aimed at promoting the quality and safety of medicines and medical devices imported or produced on the continent.</span></span><p></p><p class="yiv7728747055MsoNormal" style="background-color: white;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Harmonized product standards are critical to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), ensuring that producers of goods on the continent comply with one shared set of minimum regulatory and customer quality requirements, in turn allowing them to supply the continental market and beyond with goods that meet those standards. The harmonisation of standards also serves to enhance the quality of African manufacturing and boost intra-African and Arab-African trade and investment – one of the AATB’s key objectives.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The initiative, which will be implemented in a phased manner over three years, begins immediately with the harmonisation of standards for pharmaceutical products and medical devices for use in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The second phase will analyse and assess existing international, regional, and national standards for their suitability in meeting the unique challenges faced by African healthcare industries before achieving the 3^rd phase, which is the harmonization of the related African Standards and their adoption on the continent.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Commenting on the initiative, <strong>ITFC CEO, Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol</strong> said, “From a trade development standpoint, harmonizing the standards of pharmaceutical products and medical devices in Africa is a crucial first step in facilitating local production and trade within sector. Such standards provide a necessary baseline from which to regulate the sector more effectively, raising the quality of locally produced life-saving drugs and related products, and ensuring timely access to appropriate and affordable medicines, vaccines, and other health services for those who need them most. It will also act as a catalyst for Africa to benefit from a burgeoning pharmaceutical sector, expanding trade opportunities locally and beyond borders thus creating long term sustainable socio-economic impact on the continent”.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The initiative will also serve to enhance trade and investment within Africa’s healthcare industry by boosting the manufacture of high-quality homegrown products and services – objectives laid out within the AfCFTA.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Welcoming the initiative, <strong>Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Afreximbank’s Managing Director of the Intra-African Trade Initiative</strong> said, <em>“At a time when the demand for quality medicines and medical devices is increasing, Africa needs to reinforce regional value chains to scale-up the supply of quality medical products. This would also contribute to building the continent’s resilience against pandemics like COVID-19 in the future. Furthermore, leveraging on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, this joint initiative will also facilitate increased intra-African trade in pharmaceuticals and medical consumables.”</em></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">As part of a COVID-19 response, the harmonization of standards will facilitate the development of equivalent technical regulations among African countries. Therefore, distribution of medical supplies and equipment from one country to another can be fast-tracked.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">A long-term outcome of the initiative will be the emergence of regional supply chains for pharmaceutical and medical devices, which will foster an ecosystem of innovation, local production and the development of medical products for diseases that are currently neglected.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Commenting on the initiative, ARSO’s Secretary General, Dr Hermogene Nsengimana</strong>, said “<em>While on one hand COVID-19 has created social distancing as a new norm, on another hand it has brought Africa together by opening our eyes to the need for industrialisation. Standards circulated by ARSO and other standards organisations related to face masks, and hand sanitizers have been used widely by African SMEs to develop locally made personal protective equipment thereby shedding light on the role of standards in industrialization, safety, and trade. This Initiative with Afreximbank and ITFC, will not only help in increasing local production but will also create trust and enable cross border trade and investment for pharmaceutical products and medical devices.”</em></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) will play a key role in the development of standardization policies, applying existing principles and procedures that are already set out in the African Standards Harmonisation Model (ASHAM). ARSO’s involvement will be supported by its Council, in addition to a Joint Advisory Group comprised of Regional Economic Communities, and a series of technical committees, which will carry out the harmonisation work with the resources provided under this grant from AFREXIMBANK and ITFC.</div></span></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv7728747055MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC).</span></span></i></p></div>

ARSO to Facilitate Intra-African Trade in Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices

  The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) , have partnered with the Afr...

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Africa still a prime investment destination

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OdkyKbJ8g5qWoxUuvo6DCQ3DTmgw6Aq6R9PuQ_IHFx8TltmDS5lKZT_s5WNu76FEoF8XJyK08L6VjiVStia5jXHg61mkLFqlAk89BKPhXBK8wRQAIGdN9FTPNJ7ZQ6uW_PoLpm9RDsQW/s250/africa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="68" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OdkyKbJ8g5qWoxUuvo6DCQ3DTmgw6Aq6R9PuQ_IHFx8TltmDS5lKZT_s5WNu76FEoF8XJyK08L6VjiVStia5jXHg61mkLFqlAk89BKPhXBK8wRQAIGdN9FTPNJ7ZQ6uW_PoLpm9RDsQW/s0/africa.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Participants at a webinar to present the African<a href="www.AfDB.org"> Development</a> Bank’s </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.afdb.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/afdb20-04_aeo_supplement_full_report_for_web_0705.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">African Economic Outlook Supplement</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> to Asian audiences on Monday have endorsed the report as critical for post-COVID-19 Africa.</span></span><p></p><p class="yiv1115457459MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The supplement revises the growth projections and outlook for Africa for 2020 and 2021 and highlights the impact of COVID–19 on Africa’s socio-economic landscape. It recommends policy responses to safely reopen economies and accelerate growth recovery.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, investment opportunities still abound in Africa,” said Tetsushi Sonobe, the Dean of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). “Global markets are shifting to South Asia and Africa. In a sense, Africa is not very far for Asian investors who might be interested in the investment opportunities on the continent.”</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Around 350 participants attended the virtual event, which was co-hosted by the Asia External Representation Office of the African Development Bank. The audience included government officials, representatives from the African diplomatic corps in Asia, development professionals, representatives of civil society, academics and think tanks, students, journalists, and the general public</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Sonobe observed that Africa’s GDP growth is projected to quickly rebound in 2021 following steady growth before COVID-19.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Sonobe identified some of the potential opportunities highlighted in the African Economic Outlook Supplement: “A large market with a very talented youthful population; a three-trillion-dollar market opportunity through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreements; greater manufacturing potential as low-cost manufacturing opportunities continue to move to Africa; improved business environment; and improving  macroeconomic governance.”</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Khaled Sherif, the African Development Bank’s Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery said despite the pandemic affecting all African economies, its magnitude will vary considerably from country to country, depending on the economic characteristics and initial conditions of the countries.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“This urges us to avoid the one-size-fits-all solution to address the effects of COVID-19 in Africa. For that, the AEO Supplement notes that the continent will need the support and expertise of all. This is an opportunity to enrich the debate on what appropriate measures are needed to support African countries to recover from the pandemic, drawing particularly from Asian experience,” Sherif said.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The webinar noted that the policy recommendations of the African Economic Outlook Supplement could be regarded as important opportunities for investments. Participants also observed that although Africa is human-resource-rich, Africa will need to work on closing its infrastructure gap – an issue the African Development Bank has made one of its top priorities.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The African Economic Outlook Supplement underlines the urgency to build the resilience of Africa’s healthcare systems and economies to improve countries’ preparedness for future shocks. This means that African countries will need to rethink their current development strategies and priorities, which have clearly shown their limitations.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“Policymakers must seize the new and real opportunities for participation in global value chains, particularly with Asia and within Africa and build the infrastructure needed to encourage large-scale teleworking, e-health, and distance learning architectures for a rapid, resilient, and sustainable recovery in a post-COVID-19 digital world,” said Chuku Chuku, Officer in Charge of the Bank’s Macroeconomic Policy, Debt Sustainability and Forecasting Division.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“The pandemic notwithstanding, Africa is open to business and we look forward to working with our Asian partners.”</div></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Released annually since 2003, the African Economic Outlook provides compelling up-to-date evidence and analytics to inform and support African decision-makers.<br /></span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv1115457459MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 11.25pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).</span></span></i></p></div>

Africa still a prime investment destination

  Participants at a webinar to present the African Development Bank’s   African Economic Outlook Supplement  to Asian audiences on Monday ...

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Africa’s post-pandemic recovery is likely to be prolonged and uneven

<p style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="www.ControlRisks.com">Specialist</a> risk consultancy Control Risks </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> and independent global advisory NKC African Economics, the Africa-focused subsidiary of Oxford Economics, have today launched the fifth edition of the Africa Risk-Reward Index.</span></span></p><p class="yiv9807869860MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">The index offers a comparative snapshot of market opportunities and risks across the continent. It provides a grounded, longer-term outlook of key trends shaping the investment landscape in major African economies, which should inform the strategies of organisations looking to invest in or grow their business in Africa. Investors seeking to minimise risks and maximise rewards are cautioned not to focus on headlines, but rather on specific country, sector and project contexts.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;">The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly eroded the overall improvement in risk-reward scores seen across the African continent in recent years, but this should not deter investors. Africa’s recovery may be prolonged and uneven, but it could also be transformative.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The pandemic’s huge economic cost has triggered a universal drop in our reward scores, but the impact on risk scores has been more varied. Ethiopia has seen the largest ratings drops as COVID-19-induced challenges combine with escalating ethnic tensions in the context of a delayed election. Egypt’s risk score has remained relatively steady, but its reward score has been badly hit by the triple blow of the pandemic, low oil prices and plummeting tourism revenues. Algeria’s risk score has improved since the mass protests and landmark elections of 2019, but challenges for its oil-dependent economy have still dragged down its overall score.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><em style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>“The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis, but Africa’s recovery will be slower and more uneven than most,” warns Barnaby Fletcher, Associate Director at Control Risks. “However, this recovery will be an opportunity for governments across the continent to address structural constraints and promote new solutions. We are already seeing signs that they are doing so, and for investors this opens up some interesting opportunities.”</em></div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">This 2020 edition of the Africa Risk-Reward Index examines the longer-term implications of COVID-19 on Africa. <strong>The first</strong> <strong>article</strong> looks at the longer-term impact of COVID-19 and imagines a post-pandemic landscape, while <strong>the second </strong>explores the role that African tech can play in revitalising more traditional industries. <strong>The</strong> <strong>last article </strong>covers the growing efforts by both external and domestic actors to manipulate the public debate in Africa through influence operations and disinformation campaigns, and the risks these efforts pose to commercial companies.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Post-pandemic: The impact of COVID-19 and outlooks for Africa’s recovery</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The immediate impact of COVID-19 will see Africa experience its first recession in 25 years, but more worrying is the lack of fiscal headroom available to African governments to engage in stimulus spending. For many countries, economic recovery will have to be driven by their private sectors, which were already weak and have only become weaker during the pandemic.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><em style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>“The economic impact of COVID-19 will be varied but the recovery will be even more so” says Jacques Nel, Head of Africa Macro at NKC African Economics. “The optimists will hope to see a race to the top as governments undertake desperately needed reforms, while the pessimists will see a continent set back more than a decade. The reality will be somewhere in between, with each country finding a unique spot on this spectrum.”</em></div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">However, there are already indications that the scale of this crisis is prompting some welcome reforms. Faced with a volatile global landscape, African governments have a pressing need to develop downstream manufacturing, regional supply chains and domestic capital markets. There are also indications that large portions of the workforce are entering the formal economy to access government financial support and cope with pandemic containment measures. Some of these trends were set in motion before its outbreak, but COVID-19 seems to have accelerated them. Investors who stay with Africa despite the current downturn will not only have an important role to play in its recovery, but will also see some exciting changes and opportunities.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><em style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><b>The great enabler:</b></em><strong> </strong><em><b>How Africa is using new digital solutions to revitalise old industries</b></em></div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Investment into African tech has reached record levels in recent years. These are likely to fall in 2020, a consequence of both recent high-profile sector struggles and the impact of COVID-19 on external finance. However, any such decline should be viewed as an opportunity to reset expectations and approaches, not as an indication that the affected sectors are becoming less attractive.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">COVID-19 has served to emphasise the need for tech and digital solutions across the continent. It has sparked the development of healthcare apps to help fight the pandemic, e-commerce platforms to facilitate life under lockdown, and new payment and microinsurance systems.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Digital and tech is set to play a far greater role in post-pandemic Africa than it ever did before. The wave of informal workers and companies entering the formal economy will need access to basic financial and legal services, which are likely to be provided through online or mobile platforms. Digital solutions may also help facilitate the growing push to build regional supply chains.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><em style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><b>Hostile narratives: Reputation and African geopolitics in the age of influence operations</b></em></div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Africa has always struggled to set its own narrative and get past generalisations that cast the entire continent as beyond redemption or the next economic powerhouse. This struggle is becoming more acute as internal and external actors actively push false narratives through influence operations and disinformation campaigns.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Foreign powers engaged in such tactics are motivated the geopolitical competition over Africa, which has steadily intensified over the past decade. African governments are also building their own capacity to mount such campaigns.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Investors should not assume that such activities impact only governments. Foreign investment is frequently the subject of political debate in African countries, and when that debate is distorted by external actors, individual companies face significant reputational risks. Not only that, but disinformation campaigns have been used by militant groups for recruitment and to cause peaceful protests to escalate into violence, posing security threats to commercial operations.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The risk posed by influence operations in Africa should not be overstated, though the trend is growing as social media is adopted more widely across the continent. Just as grasping the political and business landscape can help investors avoid pitfalls and maximise their chances of success, understanding the information landscape – what the narrative is and who is seeking to influence it – will become increasingly important.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methodology</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The <em>Africa Risk-Reward Index</em> is defined by the combination of risk and reward scores, integrating economic and political risk analysis by Control Risks and NKC African Economics, the Africa-focused subsidiary of Oxford Economics.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Risk scores from each country originate from the Economic and Political Risk Evaluator (EPRE), while the reward scores incorporate medium-term economic growth forecasts, economic size, economic structure and demographics.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv9807869860MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Control Risks Group Holdings Ltd.</span></span></i></p></div>

Africa’s post-pandemic recovery is likely to be prolonged and uneven

  Specialist risk consultancy Control Risks  and independent global advisory NKC African Economics, the Africa-focused subsidiary of Oxford...

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WAUMINI WA DINI WATAKIWA KUENDELEA KUMTANGULIZA MUNGU WAKATI UCHAGUZI

<p><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: Old; text-align: justify;">Na Jumbe Ismailly -IKUNGI</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: Old; text-align: justify;"> </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.78px; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Old; line-height: 25.44px;"><span style="font-size: large;">WAUMINI wa madhehebu ya dini mbali mbali nchini wametakiwa kuendelea kumtanguliza Mungu wakati wakijiandaa na uchaguzi mkuu wa Rais,Wabunge pamoja na madiwani unaotarajiwa kufanyika Okt,28,mwaka huu.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.78px; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Old; line-height: 25.44px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Askofu Mkuu wa Kanisa la Internatinal Evangelism Church,Dkt Eliud Isanjya alitoa ushauri huo wakati wa ibada ya shukrani ya kutimiza miaka hamsini ya utumishi mtakatifu wa Askofu Jacob Nyika iliyofanyika katika kanisa hilo lililopo katika mji mdogo wa Ikungi,Mkoani Singida.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.78px; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Old; line-height: 25.44px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Aidha Dkt Isanjya alisisitiza kwamba kwa kuwa mwaka huu ni mwaka wa uchaguzi na kampeni zinaendelea hivyo waumini wa madhehebu yota hayana budi kutambua umuhimu wa uchaguzi huo kuwa ni jambo kubwa sana linaloikabili nchi yetu.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.78px; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Old; line-height: 25.44px;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Huu ni mwaka wa uchaguzi na kampeni zinaendelea na pia uchaguzi ni mwezi wa kumi tarehe 28,hili jambo ni  kubwa kwa nchi yetu na pia tungependa tumwambie mungu juu ya jambo hili lilivyo kubwa na pia umuhimu wake na jinsi ambavyo tusingependa tufanye wenyewe,bali tungependa tufanye na mungu.”alifafanua askofu mkuu huyo wa kanisa la Internatinal Evangelism Church.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.78px; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Old; line-height: 25.44px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hata hivyo askofu mkuu huyo aliweka bayana kuwa ili uchaguzi huo uweze kufanyika kwa amani,utulivu na upendo ni wakati muafaka sasa wa kumkaribisha Mungu katika uchaguzi wa mwaka huu kwa kuhakikisha wanadumisha amani,upendo,utulivu na mshikamano uliopo miongoni mwao.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.78px; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Old; line-height: 25.44px;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Na si tukijua kwamba kwa miaka mitano au zaidi kwa uongozi mwingine  tumeendelea katika nchi hii kwa amani,miaka hii mitano ambayo Mh Rais wetu Dkt John Pombe Magufuli ameongoza tumeona amani,tumeona pia maendeleo pamoja na mambo mazuri”alibainisha askofu Isanjya.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.78px; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Old; line-height: 25.44px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kwa mujibu wa askofu mkuu huyo katika kipindi cha miaka mitano ambayo Mh Rais,Dkt John Pombe Magufuli aliyoongoza wameona amani,wameona pia maendeleo,wameona mambo mazuri,kwa hali hiyo wangependa uzuri huo na amani hiyo iendelee.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.78px; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Old; line-height: 25.44px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Akisoma wasifu wa askofu John Nyika,askofu Moses Mapunda kutoka Dar-es-Salaam aliyataja madhdumuni ya jubilee ni kutokana na utumishi mzuri uliotukuka wa askofu huyo katika kanisa la Internatinal Evangelism Church,hivyo kanisa likaona ni vyema kumpongeza kwa kutimiza miaka hamsini katika utumishi wake uliotukuka.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.78px; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Old; line-height: 25.44px;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Kutokana na hekima na busara alizonazo  Baba Askofu Jacobo Nyika ushauri wake bado unahitajika kwenye kazi ya mungu kwa hiyo tunamuomba mungu ampe maisha marefu katika kumtumikia mungu na kutimiza kusudi lake hapa duniani.”alisisitiza.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.78px; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Old; line-height: 25.44px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Akizungumza na waumini wa kanisa hilo,Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Singida,Dkt Rehema Nchimbi alitumia fursa hiyo kukema suala la ukabila  na makabila kwa kuwataka waumini hao kuondokana na dhana hiyo isiyofaa kwa wakati huu wa kampeni za uchaguzi mkuu unaotarajia kufanyika Okt,28,mwaka huu.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13.78px; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Old; line-height: 25.44px;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Suala la ukabila na makabila uondoke ninasema hivi kwa sababu hata katika suala la uchaguzi huu watu wanaenda na ukabila,suala hapa siyo ukabila hapa ni Mungu aliyehai,na nathubutu kusema Mungu wa Magufuli..kama kuna mungu wa Elia,mungu wa Yakobo,mungu wa isaka,ni mungu wa Magufuli.”alisisitiza huku akishangiliwa kwa vigelegele na waumuni waliohudhuria ibada hiyo.  </span></span></p>

WAUMINI WA DINI WATAKIWA KUENDELEA KUMTANGULIZA MUNGU WAKATI UCHAGUZI

  Na Jumbe Ismailly -IKUNGI   WAUMINI wa madhehebu ya dini mbali mbali nchini wametakiwa kuendelea kumtanguliza Mungu wakati wakijiandaa na ...

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Botswana First Lady joins Merck Foundation

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://www.Merck-Foundation.com">Merck Foundation</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany conducted their first</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Video Conference Summit of</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI). </strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">MFFLI VC Summit was attended by 13 African First Ladies</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">including the</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">First Lady of Botswana,</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">H.E. Mrs. NEO JANE MASISI, who is also the Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother, </strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">to discuss their joint efforts to build healthcare capacity and strengthen the response to COVID-19 in the country and Africa at large.</span></span></p><p class="yiv8112468626MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Congratulating Merck Foundation on the success of MFFLI VC Summit and their joint programs,</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><strong style="font-size: x-large;">H.E. Mrs. NEO JANE MASISI, The First Lady of Botswana</strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">expressed, “I am happy to be a part of this prestigious platform as an Ambassador of Merck More than a Mother; which is a valuable partnership which started in 2018. I also take this opportunity to appreciate Merck Foundation’s strategy of building healthcare capacity; it is relevant now more than ever given the challenges posed by the current pandemic. To date, 35 young doctors from Botswana have enrolled in one year diploma programmes across different medical specialities. This program will contribute to the transformation of the healthcare landscape of Botswana”.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“Let us focus on our joint efforts to fight against Gender Based Violence (GBV), in order to protect humanity, especially the girls and women. GBV destroys families and also takes us back in the achievement of development goals, both at national and international level. As First Ladies, the vulnerable are naturally looking up to us to make our contribution … to act, to speak louder as we use our advocacy stage”, <strong>Mrs. Neo Masisi</strong> added.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation</strong> emphasized, “I am proud of our partnership with The First Lady of Botswana. Together, we successfully implemented the first pilot project of Merck Foundation Diabetes Blue Points Program, with the aim to improve access to equitable and quality diabetes care nationwide by providing a One-year online Post Graduate Diploma in Diabetes Management from the University of South Wales. I am proud that 7 doctors from different districts, have already graduated from one-year Diabetes Diploma, out of which 2 candidates have been further enrolled in one-year master’s degree course. In addition to this, 9 candidates have been enrolled in the online Diabetes Master course accredited by Diabetes UK. These doctors will be able to establish a diabetes clinic in their Health Centre or Hospital with the aim to help prevent and manage the disease in their respective communities”.</div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Considering the limited number of Gynecologists across Botswana, together with The First Lady of Botswana, H.E. Neo Masisi and Ministry of Health, Merck Foundation enrolled 7 doctors to One Year Online Post Graduate Diploma and two-year master degree in Sexual and Reproductive Medicine from the University of South Wales, UK. This program will significantly improve women’s health, in particular reproductive health in Botswana.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Moreover, 2 Doctors were enrolled this year to One Year Online Post Graduate Diploma in Endocrinology & Preventive Cardiovascular medicines whereas, 6 Doctors were enrolled to One Year Online Post Graduate Diploma in Respiratory Medicines & One Year Online Post Graduate Diploma in Acute Medicine with the aim to advance their skills to better manage coronavirus patients and risk groups in the country”.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“Merck Foundation will continue to provide medical training to doctors from Botswana in various medical specialties” <strong>Dr. Kelej added.</strong></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">During the Summit, the First Ladies of Africa underscored the importance of Merck Foundation’s successful strategy of healthcare capacity building through providing training to young African doctors, since 2012, even before the pandemic started.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“Therefore, Merck Foundation has initiated the online medical training and I am delighted to announce that we have so far enrolled over <strong>420 African doctors</strong> to these courses with the aim to to build a strong medical army across Africa and global South” concluded <strong>Dr. Rasha Kelej, One of 100 Most Influential Africans (2019, 2020).</strong></div></span></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv8112468626MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.</span></span></i></p></div>

Botswana First Lady joins Merck Foundation

  Merck Foundation , the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany conducted their first   Video Conference Summit of   Merck Foundation First...

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African Leaders for Nutrition call on leaders to embed nutrition within the Covid-19

<p style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.afdb.org/en/topics-and-sectors/initiatives-partnerships/african-leaders-for-nutrition-initiative" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">African Leaders for Nutrition</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">(ALN) have unveiled a position paper calling upon African Heads of State and Governments to ensure that financing for nutrition is included in their country’s COVID-19 response and recovery plans. The position paper, titled “</span><em style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Embedding Nutrition within the COVID-19 Response and Recovery</b>,</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">” was sent to African member states by His Majesty King Letsie III of the Kingdom of Lesotho, an ALN “Nutrition Champion”.</span></span></p><p class="yiv3671734959MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><em style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Embedding Nutrition within the COVID-19 Response and Recovery</b></em><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">recommends that countries maintain and increase the level of funding allocated to nutrition to safeguard previous efforts to address malnutrition, and ensure there are no gaps within their multi-year nutrition programmes in immediate, medium-term and post-pandemic recovery COVID-19 responses.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The paper emphasizes the role of high-level political leadership, in particular Heads of State and Ministers of Finance, as Nutrition Champions. The Champions aim to ensure that actions and economic stimulus packages developed to combat the pandemic include plans to secure healthy and nutritious foods are made available and affordable to all.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The pandemic has created major global health and economic shocks, with unprecedented impacts on people’s health, nutrition and livelihoods. As a result, Africa is experiencing negative economic growth, primarily as a result of the sharp decline in productivity, jobs and revenues. At the same time, recent data shows that Africa has the highest prevalence of malnutrition and may soon overtake Asia as the region with the fastest-growing number of hungry and undernourished people [1]. Nutrition cannot be left behind in the COVID-19 response in Africa.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“As COVID-19 cases rise in Africa, the impact on nutrition and food systems cannot be denied. The threat of this new virus requires us to adopt new ways of looking and overcoming malnutrition,” said former President of Ghana John Kufuor, an ALN founding member and Nutrition Champion.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The COVID-19 pandemic is a chance for Africa’s leaders to reshape and spearhead high-level sensitization, advocacy and resource mobilization efforts towards securing increased investments in nutrition.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><em style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><b>Embedding Nutrition within the COVID-19 Response and Recovery</b></em> forms part of the African Development Bank’s COVID-19 Response Facility to deploy financial and technical measures to cushion African economies and livelihoods against the health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic.</div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The African Leaders for Nutrition Secretariat is hosted by the Bank to foster opportunities for high-level engagement to drive policy changes in Africa.</div></span></span><p></p><div class="yiv3671734959MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><hr size="1" style="text-align: center;" width="100%" /></span></span></div><p class="yiv3671734959MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">[1] FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO 2020 - The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020</span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv3671734959MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).</span></span></i></p></div>

African Leaders for Nutrition call on leaders to embed nutrition within the Covid-19

  The   African Leaders for Nutrition   (ALN) have unveiled a position paper calling upon African Heads of State and Governments to ensure t...

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Djibouti announces the official launch of the Djibouti Sovereign Fund

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIkNng-beMzYHlLjx2WXU5whl38Ij7xIos5IWh_2yRFNtUtJS5bhyphenhyphenJJhW76XJLuGBxzbRUxTllyO06wpIJ_WB-o0ZlTrlCIGjeIEG5hO6Z1BrXMoZqhaMoej0JPckspV3Pnh9HJ9XlOW6/s1200/Djbuti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIkNng-beMzYHlLjx2WXU5whl38Ij7xIos5IWh_2yRFNtUtJS5bhyphenhyphenJJhW76XJLuGBxzbRUxTllyO06wpIJ_WB-o0ZlTrlCIGjeIEG5hO6Z1BrXMoZqhaMoej0JPckspV3Pnh9HJ9XlOW6/s320/Djbuti.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti, September 15, 2020 - The activities of the Djibouti Sovereign Fund (Fonds Souverain de Djibouti - FSD) were officially launched on Monday, September 14 at the presidential palace in the capital. Following the implementation decrees promulgated on June 24, 2020, a special inter-ministerial committee was held under the high authority of President Ismaël Omar Guelleh, in the presence of the Prime Minister, members of the government and the Fund's administrators.</span></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Sovereign Fund presents itself as an ambitious and innovative financial instrument aimed at turbocharging the country's development. It will strive to modernize the country's economy, to boost the growth of a competitive private sector and to enhance the development of the public productive sector, one of the essential instruments of this transformation.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Among the personalities present were the co-chairmen of SouthBridge, Mr. Donald Kaberuka (in videoconference) and Lionel Zinsou, as well as Mr. William Ediko, partner, who advised the Republic of Djibouti in setting up the Fund. Also present, Mr. Amir Jahanguiri, partner at law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, who advised the government for this project.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The holding of the inter-ministerial committee was also an opportunity to formalize the appointment of the Managing Director of the FSD, the Senegalese Mamadou Mbaye. A seasoned professional, Mr. Mbaye is a graduate of École Polytechnique and École nationale de la statistique et de l'administration économique (ENSAE) in France. He brings with him an outstanding experience in both the private and public sectors. He was previously Vice-President of the Sovereign Fund for Strategic Investments of Senegal (Fonsis).</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The creation of the FSD is a flagship measure of the "Vision 2035", a long-term development strategy of the Republic of Djibouti which aims to position the country as a leading commercial, logistics, port and digital hub.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Established in the form of a private limited company whose sole shareholder is and will remain the State of Djibouti, the Fund aims to "collect" national wealth to leverage Djibouti's ability to invest quickly. The FSD will allow better control of projects while focusing on the national and strategic interests of the country. The FSD will play the role of a strong and committed partner sought by external and domestic investors.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Fund acts both for growth and for today's employment while working on creating a diversified economy and building reserves for new generations. It is an intergenerational instrument that brings together the requirements of the short term with those of the long term.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Finally, transparency and governance are key elements of the Fund's legitimacy and credibility. The FSD meets the highest international standards in terms of the independence and accountability of its management bodies, corporate governance, transparency and performance reporting, in accordance with Djibouti law and the Santiago Principles.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><em style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>Distributed by <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001g1jJZQ743HB0_RVlljIcy3dhlZ-pJVcsmIArB0hraS39X4_1DeeIi-BcRe5iHYVt6BOXwMPDnrcsueUmUwV-ZncGOCvj8OIXFHvPySMcgMZudQH4rj2rcvk_UfH0me_rnsHMtjR7SQOtbh6kWiWbGWAul5GFOT7bvgB-IwqhQ_9oA4MbVvr7mnzkZVnH4TmD&c=pzBgaUqkfQ84Wy9qOZwPxttkTynKN0BsndsT2iHKjwCjoo2qcOKHzA==&ch=YU2j-vVSiDnVCP0QWHjlSZiZwFHvavv_HWUCdyDpV1U_B1hIe-dh-g==" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">African Media Agency (AMA)</a> on behalf of Republic of Djibouti.</em></div></em></span></div>

Djibouti announces the official launch of the Djibouti Sovereign Fund

    Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti, September 15, 2020 - The activities of the Djibouti Sovereign Fund (Fonds Souverain de Djibouti - FSD) w...

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