Day: August 17, 2021

Posted on

Nigeria Says Taliban Victory Puts Africa in Terror Spotlight

ABUJA, NIGERIA – With the Taliban’s swift takeover in Afghanistan, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari this week warned that the “war on terror” is not over but is shifting to Africa.  Writing in the Financial Times newspaper, Buhari said Africa needs more than U.S. military assistance to defeat terrorism – it needs investment.

The Nigerian president warned in his opinion piece that the U.S. departure from Afghanistan did not mean the so-called war on terror was winding down.  He said said the threat is merely shifting to a new frontline – in Africa.

He cited the rising threat of terrorist groups in Africa, from Boko Haram in Nigeria and the Sahel region to al-Shabab in Somalia and a rising insurgency in Mozambique.

But Buhari lamented that Western allies, “bruised by their Middle East and Afghan experiences,” were not prioritizing Africa.

The president’s spokespeople could not be immediately reached for comment.

But expert Kabiru Adamu of Beacon Security agrees with the president’s opinion.

“It is very likely that the developments in Afghanistan could definitely spur terrorist groups within Africa.  It will embolden them, it will make them look at the bigger picture, which is the fact that resilience and a continuation of their efforts could lead to victory,” Adamu said.

But while Buhari praised U.S. airstrikes in July against al-Shabab in Somalia, he emphasized that U.S. military forces on the ground in Africa is not what is needed. He said what Africa needs most is U.S. investment in infrastructure to help provide jobs and economic opportunities for the rapidly growing population.

The Nigerian president said that Africa’s population has nearly doubled since 2001, the start of the U.S.-led war on terror.
And he conceded that Nigeria’s own home-grown terror group, Boko Haram, was first agitated by lack of opportunities.

Buhari also noted the recent attacks in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado region are centered around a profitable natural gas project that provided few jobs for locals.

But founder of the Global Sentinel security magazine, Senator Iroegbu, says that Africa’s terrorist groups are not driven by economics alone.

“You know, there’s a subtle competition among these jihadist groups to outdo each other. Since Taliban has recorded this success, other like the al-Qaida, ISIS, may try to also show their own hands,” Iroegbu said.

In his opinion piece, Buhari wrote if Afghanistan taught us a lesson, it was that although sheer force can blunt terror, removal of that force can cause the threat to return.

Nigeria has been fighting Boko Haram since 2009, with the conflict spilling into neighboring Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.
More than 30,000 people are estimated to have been killed and millions displaced in the conflict.

African nations have been working together more to fight insurgents, from the G-5 Sahel to the Southern African Development Community’s troops sent, for the first time in July, to Mozambique.

But ultimately, wrote Buhari, Africans need not swords but plowshares to defeat terror.

The boots they need on the ground, he said, are those of constructors, not the military.

 

Source: Voice of America

Posted on

Uganda to Host 2,000 Afghan Refugees at US Request

KAMPALA – Uganda has agreed to temporarily host 2,000 Afghan refugees at the request of the United States.  

Esther Anyakun, Uganda’s state minister for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees, says President Yoweri Museveni told her to make preparations to host 2,000 refugees from Afghanistan. 

She says Uganda acted at the request of the United States government. 

“They have requested us to host 2,000 refugees. We are expecting them to be brought in shifts of 500. So, UNHCR secured Imperial hotels in Entebbe as a transit center for them to first of all arrive and be screened,” she said.   

U.N. High Commission for Refugees Uganda representative Joel Boutroue also confirms the decision to receive the Afghan refugees. 

“We welcome that of course. And again, the generosity of the Ugandan government. And what we are doing, is we are preparing in terms of, with the office of the Prime Minister receiving them at the airport, lodging them. And then there will be all this, screening, testing. And then we see the next step, depending on what, for example Ugandan government and maybe other governments, in particular the U.S. government want to do, if ever they want to resettle them,” he said.   

Thousands of Afghans are fleeing the country after Taliban fighters announced Sunday they had entered Kabul and took control of the presidential palace. President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan, reportedly saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed, signaling the end of a 20-year conflict.   

The Taliban fighters declared the war in Afghanistan over, prompting tens of thousands to flee the fighters’ hard line Islamist rule. 

 

Source: Voice of America

Posted on

Micro Insurance Company and Hava Net Limited Partner to Provide Digital Insurance Solutions to Hava’s Corporate Riders

NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hava Net Limited and Micro Insurance Company (MIC) have entered into a strategic partnership with the aim of providing digital insurance solutions to Hava’s corporate riders.

Hava is a technology-driven transportation solutions provider that offers online ride-hailing and delivery services in Kenya. Made by Kenyans, for Kenyans, Hava strives to balance both sides of the transportation equation – offering drivers a way to earn money and providing customers with access to an affordable transportation service. Under this arrangement, MIC and Hava will work together to provide need-based insurance and protection plans to safeguard riders from risks who use Hava’s platform. Such risks include loss of life, disability, incurred medical expenses, and loss of personal belongings while riding with Hava.

This partnership provides end-to-end enrollment, coverage, and claims settlement support, which reduces paperwork for customers and speeds up the entire process.

Ms. Wairimu Njoki, Country Manager, Micro Insurance Company, says:

“Hava is simplifying and improving the lives of the majority of Kenyans by providing easy and quick access to taxi services through the Hava ride-hailing platform. Micro Insurance Company is pleased to be their chosen partner to further drive this mission and add value by providing access to insurance for customers who choose Hava as their preferred ride-hailing platform. Through this partnership, users of Hava can travel and go about their day-to-day life with peace of mind, knowing they are covered.”

Also speaking on the Launch, Mohamed Nuur, Director at Hava, says:

“We are proud to provide trip insurance for Hava customers. Hava is a local ride-hailing platform made for Kenyans by Kenyans, and our top priority is the well-being, safety, and comfort of our clients and drivers. Our partnership with MicroEnsure (now part of Micro Insurance Company) gives both us and our clients the assurance that they are always covered and protected. We will have their backs every time they choose to ride with Hava.”

About Hava:

Hava is a modern, sustainable and fast-growing online ride-hailing company based in Kenya with an aim of balancing a Driver’s need to earn a livelihood with that of a Rider, affordable transportation across major cities and towns. With a wide range of options to choose from; vehicle types to drivers nearby, we are the panacea to all your conveyance ills. Riders can quickly request a ride from their mobile phone using the Hava app. Our drivers are at least 21 years of age, have a smartphone, with a courteous and a friendly persona. Their vehicles are in superb condition, clean and well maintained in addition to being fully certified and licensed.

For more information, please contact: mohamed@hava.bz or visit: https://www.hava.bz/

About Micro Insurance Company:

Micro Insurance Company (MIC) is a global insurance platform delivering technology, underwriting, policy management, and distribution. MIC provides insurance to platforms, micro & small businesses, and to the 4 billion people on the planet that are currently unserved. Whereas most insurtechs seek to improve existing monoline products and markets, we follow the concept of straight through processing. We do this in order to create highly relevant insurance products that we can offer globally at a very low cost via our platform to support people in their local communities. Micro Insurance Company is the world’s first global end-to-end digital microinsurance platform that combines reinsurance capacity, in-country insurance licenses, world class distribution, and market leading AI functionality.

For more information, please contact: wairimu.njoki@microinsurance.com or visit: https://microinsurance.com/

Posted on

New Branches for the 2Africa Subsea Cable System

MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The 2Africa consortium, comprised of China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC, announced today the addition of four new branches to the 2Africa cable. The branches will extend 2Africa’s connectivity to the Seychelles, the Comoros Islands, and Angola, and bring a new landing to south-east Nigeria. The new branches join the recently announced extension to the Canary Islands.

2Africa, which will be the largest subsea cable project in the world, will deliver faster, more reliable internet service to each country where it lands. Communities that rely on the internet for services from education to healthcare, and business will experience the economic and social benefits that come from this increased connectivity.

Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) has been selected to deploy the new branches, which will increase the number of 2Africa landings to 35 in 26 countries, further improving connectivity into and around Africa. As with other 2Africa cable landings, capacity will be available to service providers at carrier-neutral data centres or open-access cable landing stations on a fair and equitable basis, encouraging and supporting the development of a healthy internet ecosystem.

Marine surveys completed for most of the cable and Cable manufacturing is underway

Since launching the 2Africa cable in May 2020, the 2Africa consortium has made considerable progress in planning and preparing for the deployment of the cable, which is expected to ‘go live’ late 2023. Most of the subsea route survey activity is now complete. ASN has started manufacturing the cable and building repeater units in its factories in Calais and Greenwich to deploy the first segments in 2022.

Egypt terrestrial crossing already completed

One of 2Africa’s key segments, the Egypt terrestrial crossing that interconnects landing sites on the Red and the Mediterranean Seas via two completely diverse terrestrial routes, has been completed ahead of schedule. A third diverse marine path will complement this segment via the Red Sea.

About China Mobile International Limited

China Mobile International Limited (CMI) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Mobile, mainly responsible for the operation of China Mobile’s international business. In order to provide better services to meet the growing demand in the international telecommunications market, China Mobile established a subsidiary, CMI, in December 2010. CMI currently has over 70 terrestrial and submarine cable resources worldwide, with a total international transmission bandwidth of 98T, and more than 180 PoPs. With Hong Kong, China as its launchpad, CMI has significantly accelerated global IDC development, creating a strong network for data centre cloudification.

Leveraging the strong support by China Mobile, CMI is a trusted partner that provides comprehensive international information services and solutions to international enterprises, carriers and mobile users. Headquartered in Hong Kong, China, CMI has expanded its footprint in 37 countries and regions. For more information, please visit www.cmi.chinamobile.com.

About Facebook

Founded in 2004, Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Over 2 billion people use Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Messenger every month to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what is going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them. Facebook is defined by its unique culture – one that rewards impact. The company encourages people to be bold and solve the problems they care most about. The phrase “this journey is 1% finished” reminds the company’s teams that they have only begun to fulfill Facebook’s mission. As the company evolves its journey to bring the world closer together, it stays true to the same core values to guide the way it works and the decisions it makes every step of the way: be open, be bold, move fast, focus on impact, and build social value. For more information, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/facebook/about/.

About MTN GlobalConnect

GlobalConnect is a Pan-African digital wholesale and infrastructure services company, and an operating company in the MTN Group. GlobalConnect manages MTN’s international and national major wholesale activities, in addition to offering reliable wholesale and infrastructure solutions for fixed connectivity and wholesale mobility solutions that include international mobile services, Voice, SMS, signalling, roaming and interconnect. The MTN Group launched in 1994 is a leading emerging market operator with a clear vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world and is inspired by the belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life. Embracing the Ambition 2025 strategy, MTN is anchored on building the largest and most valuable platform business, with a clear focus on Africa. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code “MTN”.

For more information, please visit www.globalconnect.solutions – https://www.mtn.com

About Orange

Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 42.3 billion euros in 2020 and 139,000 employees worldwide at 30 June 2021, including 80,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 263 million customers worldwide at 30 June 2021, including 218 million mobile customers and 22 million fixed broadband customers. The Group is present in 26 countries. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the brand Orange Business Services. In December 2019, the Group presented its new “Engage 2025” strategic plan, which, guided by social and environmental accountability, aims to reinvent its operator model. While accelerating in growth areas and placing data and AI at the heart of its innovation model, the Group will be an attractive and responsible employer, adapted to emerging professions.

Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).

For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com or to follow us on Twitter: @orangegrouppr.

About stc

With its headquarter in Riyadh, stc group is the largest in the Middle East and North Africa based on market cap. stc’s revenue for 2020 amounted to 58,953 million SAR (15,721 million US dollars) and the net profit amounted to 10,995 million SAR (2,932 million US dollars). stc was established in 1998 and currently has customers around the globe. It is ranking among the world’s top 50 digital companies and the first in the Middle East and North Africa according to Forbes. It focuses on providing services to enterprise and consumer customers through a fiber-optic network that spans 217,000 kilometers. stc group was among the first in MENA region to launch 5G networks and was considered one of the fastest globally in deploying 5G network as stc already deployed around 4,000 5G towers as end of 2020. stc group has 14 subsidiaries in the Kingdom, gulf and around the world, and its own 100% of stc Bahrain, 51.8% stake in stc Kuwait and 25% stake in Binariang GSM Holding in Malaysia which owns 62% of Maxis in Malaysia.

In Saudi Arabia (the group’s main operation site) stc operates the largest modern mobile network in the Middle East as it covers more than 99% of the country’s populated areas in addition to providing 4G mobile broadband to about 90% of the population across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In addition to the above-mentioned, stc is a strong regional player in IoT, managed services, system integration, cloud computing, information security, big data Analytics fintech and artificial intelligence.  For more information, please visit https://www.stc.com.sa; or to follow us on Twitter: @stc , @stc_ksa

About Telecom Egypt

Telecom Egypt is the first total telecom operator in Egypt providing all telecom services to its customers including fixed and mobile voice and data services. Telecom Egypt has a long history serving Egyptian customers for over 160 years maintaining a leadership position in the Egyptian telecom market by offering its enterprise and consumer customers the most advanced technology, reliable infrastructure solutions and the widest network of submarine cables.  Aside from its mobile operation “WE”, the company owns a 45% stake in Vodafone Egypt. Telecom Egypt’s shares and GDRs (Ticker: ETEL.CA; TEEG.LN) are traded on The Egyptian Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. Please refer to Telecom Egypt’s full financial disclosure on ir.te.eg

For more information, contact:

The investor relations team

Email: investor.relations@te.eg

About Vodafone

Vodafone is a leading telecommunications company in Europe and Africa. Our purpose is to “connect for a better future” enabling an inclusive and sustainable digital society.  Our expertise and scale gives us a unique opportunity to drive positive change for society. Our networks keep family, friends, businesses and governments connected and – as COVID-19 has clearly demonstrated – we play a vital role in keeping economies running and the functioning of critical sectors like education and healthcare.

Vodafone is the largest mobile and fixed network operator in Europe and a leading global IoT connectivity provider. Our M-Pesa technology platform in Africa enables 50m people to benefit from access to mobile payments and financial services. We operate mobile and fixed networks in 21 countries and partner with mobile networks in 49 more. As of 30 June 2021, we had over 300m mobile customers, more than 28m fixed broadband customers, over 22m TV customers and we connected 130m IoT devices.

We support diversity and inclusion through our maternity and parental leave policies, empowering women through connectivity and improving access to education and digital skills for women, girls, and society at large. We are respectful of all individuals, irrespective of race, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, belief, culture or religion.

Vodafone is also taking significant steps to reduce our impact on our planet by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2025 and becoming net zero by 2040, purchasing 100% of our electricity from renewable sources in Europe and across our entire operations by 2025 and reusing, reselling or recycling 100% of our redundant network equipment.

For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com, follow us on Twitter at @VodafoneGroup or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone.

About WIOCC

WIOCC is building Africa’s first, truly hyper-scale network infrastructure. With the ability to efficiently deliver 100Gbps capacity and an extensive investment programme to develop our pan-African solution even further, WIOCC is the natural partner for OTTs, content providers, telecom operators, and ISPs looking to take advantage of Africa’s opportunities. The company utilises more than 55,000km of terrestrial fibre and in excess of 75,000km of submarine cable assets to offer affordable, reliable, managed connectivity to over 550 locations across 30 African countries. WIOCC’s international reach extends to key commercial centres in Europe, Asia, and North America, providing a one-stop shop for fully-scalable international connectivity into, within, and out of Africa. Operating exclusively as a wholesaler, the company’s focus is on putting you, our client, first. Building and maintaining strong, long-term relationships means WIOCC can develop bespoke solutions to meet your current requirements, with the flexibility to match future demands for growth and extra resilience and geographical expansion. You will find that only WIOCC has the depth of experience, local expertise, capacity, flexibility, and scalability to take you where you want to be. For more information, please visit http://wiocc.net/.

About Alcatel Submarine Networks

Alcatel Submarine Networks, part of Nokia, leads the industry in terms of transmission capacity and installed base with more than 650,000 km of optical submarine systems deployed worldwide, enough to circumnavigate the globe 15 times. From traditional Telecom applications to Content and “Over The Top” Service Provider infrastructures, as well as to offshore Oil and Gas applications, ASN provides all elements of a turnkey global undersea transmission systems, tailored to individual customer’s needs. An extensive Services porLolio completes its comprehensive offering for the submarine business, including project management, installation and commissioning, along with marine and maintenance operations performed by ASN’s fully owned fleet of cable ships. For more information, please visit https://web.asn.com/en/.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1594630/Facebook_2Africa_Map.jpg

Proudly powered by WordPress