We are pleased to announce the launch of our new brand campaign "She codes Africa" - IBM Robot Automation for the Common Good. The tech show with Sofonie Dala

 She Codes Africa - IBM RPA Solution to Address Climate change

Digital transformation has become the key for processes involving people and companies. 

Good morning ladies and gentlemen!

My name is Sofonie Dala, I am from Angola. I'm happy to see you again in this fantastic program!

In today's program we will be building a bot with IBM RPA that makes a difference in the world and contributes to society. We will combine technology with solutions to social challenges already developed on our platform. We will be developing code to meet today's and future needs.

Artificial inteligence: Supporting and inspiring women and girls to address tomorrow's needs and aspirations

By using opportunities offered by IBM, we will create a space that gives rural and vulnerable urban women and girls a chance to learn programming in an environment that makes them feel safe, empowered and inspired.

How does it work?

Practical exercise 1 – Starting the browser “Climax” on IBM RPA Studio

We created our own browser and named it climax-  The bot opens our medium digital platform enabling women and young people to navigate the range of available positive climate action resources and not only.

As you can see a new Chrome Browser window opened and the non-profit Talentos Multiplus page also opened.

Nice! Our first run with IBM RPA. Let's keep on going!

 

Practical exercise 2 – Interactive chatbot

This hands-on lab we used RPA Automation Studio to create and deploy our own chatbot. This RPA interactive chatbot educates ladies and young people to reduce their carbon footprints in the environment by avoiding plastic items which cannot be reusable.

Saving the Chatbot, then successfully running the bot

Bot asking users to send their emails to receive monthly newsletter

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At the end bot asks users to send their emails to receive newsletter and subscribe to our YouTube channel

THIS COMPLETES THIS HANDS-ON LAB

As the world continues to move dramatically towards online channels, the nature of how and why we use the internet is evoluting. That evolution will not stop, which is why it is critical for us to focus on the future and invest in what people and companies will need years from now, not simply what they are desperate for today.

Leaving No One Behind in a Digital World

"Being able to use a mobile phone and being able to access the internet requires certain skills, including literacy, as well as digital skills." And if you look at education on the continent, many women fall behind men in terms of literacy levels. Some 200 million Africans are still offline — either voluntarily or involuntarily.

Therefore, this project is for those marginalized group who lack access to digital technologies and knowledge, skills and competencies required to navigate them.

Conclusions

To conclude, the IBM RPA bots represent opportunities for positive social impact. Chatbots can make needed services more accessible, available, and affordable. They can strengthen users' autonomy, competence, and (possibly counter-intuitively) social relatedness.

The project will have a positive environmental impact because it will decrease the amount of waste dumped in rivers and on land by replacing disposable items and plastic sanitary pads with washable, reusable pads in millions homes.

We make the delivery of occupational education and skills training, employment of women and young people, special benefits for the employees. Looking at the social issues our communities currently facing, we are solving it by providing skills development for empowerment.

By empowering young ladies to learn coding, we are creating leaders who will build applications that will positively impact people's lives in Angola as well as reduce illiteracy and unemployment rates.

There’s no doubt that with this IBM RPA technology we will help end period poverty in Africa. Our work built on a culture of smart strategic thinking and creative innovation, will inspire and guide youth action for both individual and systems change that enables sustainable lifestyles.

What does IBM technology do?

Workplace Improvement Solution - Bots that automate processes within your organization

Automation for a Social Challenge: Bots that automate process for climate issues, Covid vaccinations or testing, food bank management, education, child marriage, health and human services, etc.

Click here to stay connected

Sources: https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2021/12/live-congratulations-we-are-celebrating.html

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2021/10/key-take-away-from-aoa-for-sustainable.html

WE Empower UN SDG Challenge 2022 for Women Entrepreneurs (All-expenses-paid trip to the UN Global Goals week in New York City, USA)

 Application Deadline: April 15, 2022. 

The WE Empower UN SDG Challenge is the first-of-its-kind global competition for social entrepreneurs who are advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals and inspiring entire communities to act to create the world we want by 2030.The WE Empower Challenge honors innovative women leaders from around the world who are pushing the SDGs forward through sustainable business practices and inspiring others to follow suit.

The opportunity recognizes their innovative work and provides Awardees with capacity-building training sessions and opportunities to connect with an unparalleled global network to advance their enterprises.

Requirements

I am a woman entrepreneur with lead decision making ability in a business or organization
My business/organization has been in operation for more than three years
I employ at least three full time staff (or full time equivalent)
My business/organization generates at least $100,000 USD in annual sales or revenue
I am proficient in spoken and written English
I am at least 21 years old
I am available to travel to New York, NY and participate in all events from Friday, September 17 through Saturday, September 25 2021 (COVID-19 travel restrictions permitting) AND if necessary, I am able participate in a virtual program from August through October 2021.

Benefits

In 2022, the WE Empower Challenge Awardees will participate in events surrounding the 77th UN General Assembly as well as will connect with renowned business experts from around the world.

Awardees will also participate in a dynamic pitch competition, hosted by fashion designer, activist and Vital Voices Board Member Diane von Furstenberg, to present their business for the opportunity to receive a $20,000 grant

Click here to apply;https://bit.ly/3hykw9h

UNESCO Kulturweit Tandem Exchange Program 2022 for young Africans (Fully Funded to Germany

 Application Deadline: March 18th 2022 

kulturweit tandem - the new exchange programme tandem invites people from african countries and germany to explore the history of colonialism from different perspectives and to engage with our postcolonial present. you will develop projects in the fields of culture, education and sustainability that you can implement together in germany.

In the kulturweit Tandem project, two participants – one from an African country and one from Germany – reappraise the history of colonialism and its effects on the present. Together you develop anti-racism projects that you can implement in theatres, museums and schools, in charities, initiatives or companies in Germany.

Requirements

You can apply for the first round of kulturweit’s Tandem programme if you are of age and live in Germany, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia or Togo.
You must have a basic knowledge of German as well as French or English. You should have excellent knowledge of one of the three languages.

Benefits

Coverage of the international and national travel costs for flights or trains to the seminar location and the placement centre and subsidy for the two-month language course
Accommodation and meals during the international seminar (2022 in Kenya)
A full-time job for three months in an institution in the cultural, educational or sustainability sector in Germany including monthly pocket money of €750
International health, liability and accident insurance
Organisation and implementation of the accompanying educational program
A contact person at the placement centre
A contact person for questions about application, selection and placement, visa and security at the German Commission for UNESCO
Quality assurance and evaluation

Click here to apply: https://bit.ly/3pDD7oO

Tech4Dev Women Techsters Fellowship Program 2023 for young girls and women

 Application Deadline: March 22nd, 2022

The Women Techsters program is a FREE experiential learning technology upskilling program for young girls and women between the ages of 16 and 40 years across Africa. The program aims to bridge the digital and technology knowledge divide between men and women in the technology ecosystem and ensure equal access to technological opportunities for women and girls.

Requirements

The Fellowship is open to women and girls across the following countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Algeria, South Sudan, Morocco, Angola, Mozambique, Madagascar and Egypt.

The learning pathways for this training are:
1. Blockchain
2. Cybersecurity
3. Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Engineering
4. Mixed Reality / 3D Animation
5. Mobile Applications Development
6. Product Design (UI/UX)
7. Product Management
8. Software Development

Click here to apply:  https://bit.ly/3MgNlVP

Second attempt to evacuate Ukrainian city halted due to Russian attack, Ukraine says

 A second attempt to evacuate civilians from a southern Ukrainian port city where supplies are running short was stopped due to a Russian assault, a Ukrainian official said.

The planned evacuations in Mariupol through humanitarian corridors were halted because of an ongoing assault, interior ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said.

"There can be no ‘green corridors’ because only the sick brain of the Russians decides when to start shooting and at whom," Gerashchenko wrote on Telegram.

Russian and Ukrainian forces had agreed to a cease-fire to allow civilians to be evacuated from the port city where food and medicine are in short supply. There have been increasing calls for humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to escape as the death toll rises.

The UN human rights office said on Sunday that 364 Ukrainian civilians have died since the beginning of the Russian invasion and a further 759 people have been injured.

Around 1.5 million Ukrainians have fled the country in the same amount of time, as a refugee crisis develops on the EU's border.

• Ukraine war: Distraught Ukrainians arrive in Polish border town of Przemysl

Pavlo Kirilenko, governor of the Donetsk Oblast region said on Facebook that people in Vuglehdar and Berdyansk would be left without gas "as the occupiers have damaged the Donetsk Mariupol main line."

He also said that Russian shelling on a residential building in Kramatorsk, north of Mariupol, has resulted in "at least two casualties."

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the Ukrainian side, stating that the "pause in hostilities was again used only to build up forces and means in (Ukrainian) positions", according to the Kremlin's readout of Putin's call with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Meanwhile, officials in northeastern Ukraine said on Sunday morning that they were waiting to evacuate civilians as fights were waged in Kharkiv.

"We are waiting for the opening of the so-called "green corridors" to evacuate the population and deliver humanitarian goods. Organisationally, we are completely ready," said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the Kharkiv regional state administration.

He also said that "every day about 30,000 people leave Kharkiv railway station to safe places."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a new appeal for a no-fly zone over Ukraine after a Russian missile strike on an airport in Vinnitsya.

While Russian forces have advanced in Ukraine, they have met fierce resistance. Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday that since the beginning of the conflict, some 11,000 Russian troops have lost their lives.

In its daily intelligence assessment, the UK ministry of defence said Russia was targeting populated areas such as Kharkiv and Mariupol to break Ukrainian morale. It said that Russia has been surprised by "the scale and strength of Ukrainian resistance" and slowed down by Ukraine targeting its supply lines.

Angola, El Salvador committed to bilateral cooperation

Luanda – Angola and El Salvador Saturday analysed the re-launch of cooperation relations at a meeting between the two countries’ diplomatic representatives based in the Kingdom of Morocco.

The Angolan ambassador to Morocco, Baltazar Diogo Cristóvão, and his El Salvador’s counterpart, Ignácio Pérez de Mendoza, talked on various issues, with stress to the sectors of agriculture, industry, tourism and sports.

 

A press release from the Angolan Embassy in Morocco states that the meeting also addressed issues related to the international development.

 

The parties also seized the opportunity to discuss the activities that mark the 2nd and 8th March, respectively, Angolan Women´s Day and International Women´s Day.

 

The ambassador Baltazar Diogo Cristóvão, who was speaking at a lecture attended by members of the diplomatic mission and the Angolan community residing in Morocco, praised the contribution of this group of society to the development of Angola and the world.

Ghanaians’ attitude towards military rule is softening – CDD report

A Political Scientist with the Centre for Democratic Development, Ghana (CDD-Ghana), Dr. John Osae-Kwapong, has revealed that per the findings of their Afrobaromter reports, Ghanaians seem to becoming more accepting of military regimes.

According to him, in a series of the Afrobaromter reports carried out over a number of years, the percentage of Ghanaians who seem to be agreeable or somewhat agreeable with a military regime have increased.

This he says is a matter of concern and should be critically looked at.

“So in the first round of Afro barometer, about 89% of Ghanaians said they strongly disapprove of military rule. But that has dropped by almost 20% so yes 69% in 2019 still reject military rule, but I’ve been a little concerned that you see some kind of softening in our attitudes towards that.

“In the Spring of 2017, the Pew Research Centre in their global attitude survey also asked about the different types of political systems and one of it was if the military came in to rule and about 40-something percent said it will be good or somewhat good. So for me those are the sour spots in our democratic dispensation,” he said

He further added that often, the support of Ghanaians towards democracy is driven by political variants.

“So if we trust in our democratic institutions and we perceive less incidences of corruption among our democratic institutions, our support for democracy grows,” he said.

He stated that Ghanaians also measure their satisfaction with democracy by looking at a government’s delivery of key social and economic goods like job creation, economic management etc.

“So I think for me, the bigger conversation now is how do we get our democracy to really deliver on the promise of democracy beyond just political goods like freedom of speech, the basic liberties that we are guaranteed.

“For me, I think most people will share the sentiment that it is a good thing that we’ve had a relatively stable democratic dispensation, our 4th republic has lasted since 1992, and I personally don’t think anybody wants to see a disruption to it. But I think what everyone will want to see is how is it delivering on the basic economic challenges that citizens face?” he said.

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NUGS Ukraine praises Ghana’s Foreign Minister for “Compassionate Leadership”

Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has been praised by Alfa Dawuda, Head of Integration NUGS Ukraine for her leadership during the crisis in Ukraine.

Global African Family Meeting

The praise came in Dawuda’s tweet in recognition of the minister’s restless campaign to get Ghanaian students caught up in the Ukraine invasion out of danger.

“Ho, Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey would wake you up with a phone call just to know the students in Summy(Ukraine City under a supposed siege)are safe,” Dawuda’s tweet read.

He goes on to call Hon. Ayorkor Botchwey “A Compassionate Leader you are.”

Indeed on Tuesday it came to light that 93 Ghanaians including three children had been stuck in Sumy City located between the Russian border to the east and Russian forces to the west.

The entire city had been encircled by Russian forces rendering the 93 Ghanaians and roughly 380 Nigerians trapped and unable to leave.

That information was forwarded to the Foreign minister. By Friday she had “been on it for four days,” DNT was told. And it appears the diplomacy had worked.

By Wednesday, the government of Russia had agreed to allow Ghanaians trapped in the Ukrainian cities of Sumy and Kharkiv safe passage.

Meanwhile before this diplomatic breakthrough can be actualized, the students are contending with blackouts and lack of water.

Most of them are living in Hostels now. And according to DNT’s contact, Hostels 4 nd 5 lost water and electricity so they “all moved, well, most of us have moved to hostel 3.”

Those leaving ahead of the Russia passage are having to pay the few drivers willing to dare a drive out of Sumy City as much as $500 just to get to Poltava, 175 kilometers south of Sumy City for onward journey to Hungary.

The most breathtaking aspect of this crisis is that Africans have banded together such that nationalities do not matter.

From Prague in the Czech Republic, Ghanaians are working with the South African Ambassador while in Budapest, Hungary, Ghanaians are working with Nigerians all to save the roughly 500 Africans trapped in Sumy City.

DNT News with correspondence reports from Kofi Nkrumah (Prague, Czech Republic), Magdalene Nonkwia (Budapest Hungary), and Erica Bempong (Sumy City, Ukraine)

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