UCT GSB Solution Space e-Track Programme 2022 for entrepreneurs and early-stage startups UCT GSB Solution Space

 Application Deadline: April 29th 2022 https://bit.ly/3EmM1NG

Run in partnership with ayoba, the e-Track Programme is a three-phase early stage venture acceleration and a capacity building programme for high impact entrepreneurs in South Africa and beyond. Taking a high-touch scale-up approach, the programme is designed to support teams build scalable businesses with international potential. Individual participants can either explore their own business idea or join an existing venture. The programme also serves as a platform for corporate partners to engage and collaborate on specific research and development agendas.

Requirements

HIGH IMPACT INDIVIDUALS & SCALE-UPS
e-track is looking for both high impact individuals and teams. Individual participants can either explore their own business idea or join an existing venture.

Benefits

AYOBA INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP
CAPACITY BUILDING
ADVISORY SERVICES
FEEDBACK & GUIDANCE
CO-WORKING & COMMUNITY

Click here to apply: https://www.opportunitiesforafricans.com/uct-gsb-solution-space-e-track-programme-2022/

Angola shows potential at Madrid Fair

 Luanda -Angola's potential in agriculture, industry and trade will be on show, between 18 and 22 of this month, in Madrid, at the international business and foreign trade fair in Spain, known as IMEX.

For that purpose Angola took a delegation to the event made up of businesspeople from different sectors, such as industry, trade, agriculture, tourism, construction, oil and gas, technology, amongst other areas, to fill the country's stand.

According to a statement from the Angolan embassy to Spain, the delegation's programme includes visits, participation in round tables and conferences.

The diplomatic mission said that Angola is one of the special guests, with national companies taking advantage of the fair to announce innovations and business opportunities in the country, as well as ensuring the internationalisation of companies, new markets with technological innovation and diversification.

The fair will also serve as an opportunity for Angola to publicise the reforms underway and to improve the business environment, especially in the context of the priorities set by the government to boost and diversify the economy, for the country to be, effectively, "a great destination for foreign direct investment.

Angola is a partner of Spain, whose strategic bilateral relations were reinforced and strengthened, in 2021, with the signing of agreements at the highest level and reciprocal visits by the heads of the two governments.

Angola's presence is being coordinated by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, with the support of the Angolan Private Investment and Export Promotion Agency (AIPEX) and the Embassy in Spain, in addition to other entities.

IMEX is organised by the International Business Journal Moeda Única, with the main aim of improving the competitiveness of companies, with an efficient and innovative offer of products and services needed to promote the internationalisation of companies.

During the event, the current challenges of the export sector will be reviewed, highlighting the importance of incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals in the fabric of companies, to make a sustainable internationalisation route, as well as addressing contents on the current situation of Ibero-America for trade and business investment, concepts of the financial, logistics, tourism, digitalisation and digital transformation sectors, European funds and business partnership for internationalisation.

Angolan President expresses solidarity with South Africa flood victims

 Luanda - The President of the Republic of Angola, João Lourenço, on Sunday expressed solidarity with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, for the human and material losses caused by the floods in South Africa, particularly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

In a message sent to President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Angolan Head of State said it was with "deep regret and consternation" that he was following the "dramatic situation" in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

The Angolan leader noted in his message that the "intense rains and resulting floods" had already caused "around four hundred deaths, with dozens of people still missing, under the rubble.

In the message, the Angolan Head of State said that this situation, together with the extent of the destruction of public and private property, was a painful loss for all the people of South Africa and for the country's authorities.

President João Lourenço also expressed the solidarity of the people and the Angolan government and sent his "heartfelt condolences" to the bereaved families.

Heavy rains and floods hit the east coast of South Africa on Wednesday (13), claiming so far, the lives of more than 400 people, besides damaging roads and destroying houses, particularly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

US approves arms sale to Nigeria despite human rights concerns

 The approval comes after years of concerns about human rights abuses by Nigerian security forces.

The United States has approved a nearly $1bn weapons sale to Nigeria after legislators had put a hold on the deal over concerns about possible human rights abuses by the Nigerian government.

In July, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee put a hold on the sale of 12 AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopters made by Bell.

On Thursday, the US Department of State made the determination that it would approve the sale of the attack helicopters worth $997m.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a strategic partner in Sub-Saharan Africa,” a statement about the sale said.

Nigeria has been battling rising armed robberies and kidnappings for ransom in places where thinly deployed security forces have struggled to contain the influence of armed gangs.

Analysts have also said that the continuing invasion of Ukraine could lead to Nigeria sourcing arms imports from China due to sanctions on Russia and Belarus, which have had military partnerships with the West African state previously.

US officials have complained of “excessive force” by Nigerian military forces on unarmed civilians and called for restraint after soldiers in October 2020 opened fire on protesters demonstrating against police brutality in Lagos.

SOURCE: REUTERS

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Safaricom Finally Offers Portal To Self Update Sim Details Ahead Of Deadline

 NAIROBI, Kenya, April 15 – Telco service provider, Safaricom has finally provided an online portal where its customers can update their sim card details, a relief for many who risked having their sim cards switched off

The Communication Authority of Kenya had set April 15 as the deadline for the ongoing exercise it says seeks to enforce the SIM card registration regulations of 2015 and subsequently combat cybercrime and fraud in the digital space.

Long queues have been witnessed at Safaricom shops across the country as Kenyans rushed to beat the deadline.

CA Director General Ezra Chiloba said the Communication Authority will not extend the ongoing SIM card registration deadline and urged unregistered mobile subscribers to do so in the remaining days.

He asked all mobile network operators to speed up the data cleanup exercise and said that no more time will be added upon the expiry of the grace period noting that unregistered sim cards have security implications.

 

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A second “Adomi Bridge” – for trains – nearing completion

 A 300-meter “suspension bridge” across the Volta Lake which is part of the Tema/Mpakadan eastern rail line is nearing completion according to Yaw Owusu, CEO of Ghana Railway Development Authority.

Overall, the 97 kilometer Tema/Mpakadan stretch estimated to cost almost “half a billion dollars” forms part of an ambitious railway network planned by the Nana Addo administration and projected to be 500 kilometers in all by the end of 2024.

In an interview on Diaspora Weekly on DNT that aired on Saturday, Yaw Owusu also revealed that this is the first time since independence that a concerted rail revolution has been embarked upon by any administration.

“During the colonial times, the rail industry was thriving,” said Yaw Owusu. “But post colonial times, Ghana put the brakes on maintenance an investment” in the railway industry leading to its demise.

Owusu further pointed out that “throughout history, railway is the bedrock of any socio-economic transformation anywhere you go.”

But beginning from independence, that sector had been ignored by virtually all governments until 2017 when the Ghana Railway Development Authority under the auspices of the recreated Ministry of Railway Development was empowered and resourced to begin what promises to be a railway revolution with a 3,840 kilometer master plan to touch all of Ghana’s 16 regions.

DNT News, Accra.

 

 

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Russia loses iconic warship in the Black Sea

 Ukraine says, its missile sunk it; Russians says an on board fire cause the sinking

A Russian warship that was damaged by an explosion on Wednesday has sunk, Russia’s defence ministry has said.

Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, was being towed to port when “stormy seas” caused it to sink, according to a ministry message.

The 510-crew missile cruiser was a symbol of Russia’s military power, leading its naval assault on Ukraine.

Kyiv says its missiles hit the warship. Moscow has not reported any attack – it says the vessel sank after a fire.

The blaze caused the explosion of the warship’s ammunition, Russia says, adding that the entire crew were later evacuated to nearby Russian vessels in the Black Sea.

After saying initially the warship was afloat, late on Thursday the Russian defence ministry announced that the Moskva had been lost.

The 12,490-tonne vessel is the biggest Russian warship to be sunk in action since World War Two.

“While being towed… towards the destined port, the vessel lost its balance due to damage sustained in the hull as fire broke out after ammunition exploded. Given the choppy seas, the vessel sank,” the Russian defence ministry said.

Ukrainian military officials said they struck the Moskva with Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles – a weapon designed after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the naval threat to Ukraine in the Black Sea grew.

The ship’s sinking was described by the US as a “big blow”, but American officials were unable to confirm whether Ukrainian Neptune missiles were responsible.

“It’s certainly plausible and possible that [Ukraine] did in fact hit this with a Neptune missile or maybe more,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said to CNN.

A senior Ukrainian official said as many as 510 crew could have been on board the Moskva.

On the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, the Moskva gained notoriety after calling on a small garrison of Ukrainian border troops defending Snake Island in the Black Sea to surrender – to which they memorably radioed an expletive-laden message of refusal.

Originally built in the Soviet-era, the Moskva entered service in the early 1980s. The vessel was actually laid down in Ukraine’s southern city of Mykolaiv, which has been heavily bombed by Russia in recent days.

Sinking of Moskva a blow to national pride

By Jenny Hill, BBC News, Moscow

This is a significant and humiliating loss for Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly insisted that his “special military operation” in Ukraine is going according to plan.

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Russian state media are not dwelling on the loss of the pride of the Black Sea fleet.

Morning TV bulletins limited themselves to briefly reporting the statement issued by the authorities, who claim the ship sank in stormy seas after fire and explosions on board caused significant damage to its hull.

Some newspaper commentators appeared to support that, arguing that the fire extinguishing systems on board the forty-year-old warship were out of date and inefficient but several writers agree that the development won’t change the course of war.

It is however a blow to national pride; the Moskva, once a symbol of Russian might and ambition, now lies at the bottom of the sea.

While one TV talk show host didn’t speculate on Ukraine’s claims that it had struck the ship, a clearly emotional studio guest – film director and ex-MP Vladimir Bortko – said the fate of the Moskva was grounds for war.

Operational impact

“It’s more about psychological damage than material damage,” Mykola Bielieskov from Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies told the BBC.

“It won’t remove Russia’s naval blockade on Ukraine completely,” he said. “But it’s a powerful symbol that we can employ sophisticated weaponry effectively.”

But Mr Bielieskov, who advises the Ukrainian government on military strategy, did predict that “Russian ships will now be forced to move further from the Ukrainian shore, where they can no longer feel secure.”

The Moskva didn’t itself fire missiles at Ukrainian land targets, but military experts told the BBC that it offered crucial support to other vessels that did.

The remaining vessels in Russia’s Black Sea fleet will now be more vulnerable to aerial attacks – although it’s not clear that Ukraine’s depleted forces have the resources to take advantage of this.

“The Moskva was the only ship in the fleet which had long-range air defences on board,” said Sidharth Kaushal, a sea power expert at the Royal United Services Institute.

“While smaller vessels were conducting bombardments of Ukrainian cities, the Moskva was providing them with wide-area air cover.”

Moskva’s battle record

The guided missile cruiser was previously deployed by Moscow in the Syria conflict where it supplied Russian forces in the country with naval protection.

It is the second major vessel Russia has lost since the start of its invasion.

Admiral Lord West, former First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, said that as well as being a military blow the vessel’s loss was “very embarrassing”.

“This has a huge impact,” Lord West said, speaking to BBC Radio 4’s PM before confirmation that the Moskva had sunk.

“Putin loves the navy. When he came into power, the first bit of the old Soviet forces that he put effort into was the navy. He’s always had a soft spot for it.”

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