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Orange inaugurates the 5th Orange Digital Center in Africa and the Middle East with the German Development Cooperation and collaborates with Amazon Web Services to support youth employability, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Orange has committed to creating an Orange Digital Center in each country where it operates to support the start-ups by 2025 as part of its Engage 2025 strategy
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, October 12, 2021/ -- Today, Orange (www.Orange.com) and the German Development Cooperation are inaugurating an “Orange Digital Center” in Abidjan, an ecosystem entirely dedicated to the development of digital skills and innovation, attended by the highest political and administrative authorities from Côte d’Ivoire, the Ambassador of Germany in Côte d'Ivoire, GIZ and members of the board and Orange Group Executive Committee led by its Chairman and CEO Stéphane Richard.

Spread over 1200 sq.m for Côte d’Ivoire, the Orange Digital Center brings together the four strategic programs of the Orange group, namely: a coding school Orange Digital Academy, a FabLab Solidaire – part of the Orange Foundation's digital manufacturing spaces–, an Orange Fab start-up accelerator and Orange Ventures Africa, the Orange Group investment fund. All these programmes provided are free-of charge and open to all. They range from digital training for young people, 90% of which are practical, start-up acceleration, guidance for project bearers and investment.

Orange and the German Development Cooperation through GIZ are working together to fulfil their shared vision: fostering youth employability - and access to ICT jobs for women and girls - while supporting sustainable growth and the Côte d’Ivoire’s digital transformation.

Orange has committed to creating an Orange Digital Center in each country where it operates to support the start-ups by 2025 as part of its Engage 2025 strategy. Together, Orange and Amazon Web Services (AWS) re/Start, will offer a free and certified, 12-week, full time cloud skills training program for unemployed and underemployed individuals to launch their cloud careers in 18 countries through Orange Digital Centers in Africa and the Middle East. These include Tunisia, Senegal, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Jordan, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Morocco, Egypt, Madagascar, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Botswana, and the Central African Republic.

AWS re/Start is a skills-based training program that covers fundamental AWS Cloud skills and practical career skills, such as interviewing and resume writing, to help prepare individuals for an entry-level cloud position. The program also prepares and covers the cost for participants to take the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Certification exam, validating their cloud skills with an industry-recognized credential. After the completion of the program, Orange and AWS will help connect graduates with employers.

So far, eight Orange Digital Centers have already opened in the region: Tunisia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Jordan, Morocco, and Mali. This means other inaugurations are still to come in 2021 and 2022.

Stéphane Richard, Chairman and CEO of Orange, says: “Orange acts as a responsible company across its activities. This sense of responsibility is a central value that has been placed at the heart of the Group’s strategic plan, Engage 2025. To promote digital services as a vector for inclusion and to ensure they are available to the widest possible audience, we aim to open an Orange Digital Center in every country in which we are present by 2025. This ambition clearly demonstrates our determination to harness the positive power of digital innovation.”

Alioune Ndiaye, Chairman and CEO of Orange Africa and the Middle East, says: “I am very proud to inaugurate with GIZ the fifth Orange Digital Center in Africa today in Côte d’Ivoire, which is part of the network of 32 Orange Digital Centers, including 18 in Africa and Middle East. Our main objective is to democratize access to new technologies and in particular through technological collaborators such as the one we have just signed with AWS to improve the employability of young African people.”

Ingo Herbert, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Côte d’Ivoire says: “The future of Côte d’Ivoire is its youth - and digital is the future of the world. This initiative aims to strengthen young people's access to the labor market as well as to entrepreneurship so that they can fully contribute to a better future for their generation and Côte d’Ivoire as a whole.”

Elizabeth Tchoungui, Executive Director of CSR, Diversity and Philanthropy at Orange, Deputy Chair of the Orange Foundation, adds: "This great project is a key step in our societal responsibility for digital inclusion, especially for young people and women. The FabLab Solidaire, a key program of the Orange Foundation, is an essential building block of this socially useful action, by allowing beneficiaries without access to digital tools to reconnect with the professional world: the beginning of a beautiful journey that, through the development of technical skills and through the complementarity of the systems deployed, goes up to the creation of businesses."

Mamadou Bamba, CEO of Orange Côte d’Ivoire, says: “Discussions are underway between Orange Côte d’Ivoire and the Ministry of Higher Education for the digital transformation of universities in Côte d’Ivoire. An Orange Digital Center Club will be installed in universities in the region, thus completing the system to give as many people possible access to new technologies and support in using them to their full extent.”

Tejas Vashi, Global Team Lead of the AWS re/Start program, adds: “AWS re/Start is successful when our program graduates launch their careers in the cloud. Through real-world, scenario-based learning, labs, and coursework, learners can gain the skills they need for an entry-level cloud role. Additionally, AWS re/Start provides employability skills training such as resume writing and interview coaching to prepare learners for employer meetings and interviews, as well as communication and presentation skills, which are all a part of a holistic development experience that prepares individuals for employment.”

Orange is present in 18 countries in Africa and the Middle East and has more than 130 million customers at of 30 June 2020. With 5.8 billion euros of revenues in 2020, Orange MEA is the first growth area in the Orange group. Orange Money, its flagship mobile-based money transfer and financial services offer is available in 17 countries and has more than 50 million customers. Orange, multi-services operator, key partner of the digital transformation provides its expertise to support the development of new digital services in Africa and the Middle East.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Orange.

Press contacts:
Orange Côte d’Ivoire :
Aboubakar Kamagaté
aboubakar.kamagate@orange.com
+225 07 08 08 38 81

Orange Middle East and Africa
Khadija Komara
khadija.komara@orange.com
+33 6 76 45 96 18

GIZ Côte d’Ivoire
Roseline Fischer
Project Manager GIZ (DeveloPPP)
roseline.fischer@giz.de ; giz-cote-ivoire@giz.de  

GIZ Germany
Toni Kaatz-Dubberke
Project lead “Strategic Alliance Orange Digital Center”
toni.kaatz-dubberke@giz.de

Amazon :
Sthe Shabangu
PR Manager Afrique Sub-Saharienne
sthems@amazon.com

About Orange:
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications carriers with a turnover of €42.3 billion in 2020 and 139,000 employees as at June 30, 2021, of whom 80,000 are in France. The Group had a total customer base of 263 million customers as of June 30, 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.

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.

About GIZ, develoPPP and Invest for Jobs:
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federal enterprise operating worldwide. It supports the German government in the fields of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education. GIZ helps people and societies to shape their own future and improve their living conditions. www.giz.de/en    

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has set up the develoPPP programme to foster private sector participation to the point where business opportunities and development policy initiatives overlap. To this end, BMZ offers financial and technical support to companies that want to do business or have already started operating in developing and emerging countries. GIZ acts as one of the two official partners implementing the programme on behalf of BMZ. www.Developpp.de

In Côte d’Ivoire, the Orange Digital Center is supported by BMZ's Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation. The Special Initiative, which operates under the brand Invest for Jobs, supports German, European and African companies in investment activities that have a high impact on employment in Africa. The objective is to create good jobs and training opportunities and to improve working conditions in the following African partner countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia. www.invest-for-jobs.com/en

About Amazon Web Services:
For almost 15 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. AWS has been continually expanding its services to support virtually any cloud workload, and it now has more than 200 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security, hybrid, virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), media, and application development, deployment, and management from 77 Availability Zones (AZs) within 24 geographic regions, with announced plans for 18 more Availability Zones and eight more AWS Regions in Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Spain, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Millions of customers—including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—trust AWS to power their infrastructure, become more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit AWS.amazon.com.
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 Lagos, Nigeria; 16 August 2021: ZwartTech, a social impact startup that connects businesses with vetted software experts in Africa, has launched a cybersecurity arm to provide comprehensive digital protection to entities including businesses, startups and governments.



Tagged Zwart Cyber, the new arm will offer safety and upkeep of prospective clients enterprise networks, systems connected devices, clouds and databases.


Cybersecurity is now on the front burner in today's digital world as more and more organisations are experiencing breaches and expending billions of dollars to protect their network.


Worldwide spending on information security and risk management technology and services is forecast to grow 12.4% to reach $150.4 billion in 2021, according to the latest forecast from Gartner, Inc. Security and risk management spending grew 6.4% in 2020.


Gartner pegged growth in spending across all areas of security, including applications, the cloud, data, identity access management, infrastructure protection, integrated risk management, network security equipment, security services and consumer security software. But the largest beneficiary will be security services with spending on hardware support, implementation, and outsourced services reaching almost $72.5 billion this year.


Commenting on the launch of ZwartCyber, the CEO/founder of ZwartTech, Nelson Tosin Ajulo said: "Data breaches and third-party cyber risks have become prevalent. 300,000 thousand new pieces of malware are created every day. These are designed to steal data and include spyware, adware, Trojans and viruses. 


"Additionally, with many people working remotely, it further increases the risks of any organisation's security apparatus being compromised. This is why we are launching a cybersecurity arm to offer the best digital security for startups, businesses and government at the most affordable price."


Ajulo adds: "We are already running a pilot in the Netherlands and we are looking to launch in Nigeria and other parts of Africa early next year. The feedback has been encouraging so far and we hope that ZwartCyber will become the go-to cybersecurity firm soon."


About us


Zwart Tech is a social impact-driven business with offices in the USA, UK, France, Nigeria with headquarters based in the Netherlands. We help companies across the globe by building distributed IT teams with Africa’s most talented software engineers. With our carefully vetted talent pool across Africa, we enable our customers to scale their IT teams with the finest talents in a cost effective way and with less than 5 days of hiring time.

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Minister Cina Lawson of Togo and Admassu Tadesse, President of Trade and Development Bank (TDB), Join Keynote Lineup at Africa Fintech Summit 2020



The Summit will conclude on November 12 with a headline fireside chat with Jack Dorsey, Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Square

WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, November 3, 2020/ -- Dedalus Global (https://DedalusGlobal.com) and Ibex Frontier (www.IbexFrontier.com) are pleased to announce Honorable Cina Lawson, Minister of Digital Economy and Digital Transformation of Togo, and Mr. Admassu Tadesse, President and CEO of Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as keynote speakers for Africa Fintech Summit 2020 (https://AfricaFintechSummit.com). Mr. Tadesse and Minister Lawson will deliver the opening keynote addresses on November 9 and 10, respectively. The Summit will conclude on November 12  with a headline fireside chat with Jack Dorsey, Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Square.

A three-day virtual event held this November 9, 10, and 12, Africa Fintech Summit 2020 will open with a keynote address by Mr. Tadesse. As TDB’s President and CEO he has been the recipient of several distinctions, including being recognized as the 2019 African Banker of the Year. Since he joined TDB in 2012, Mr. Tadesse has launched new business operations and spearheaded critical reforms that have fueled a US$5 billion increase in the bank’s assets.  Over the past eight years under Mr. Tadesse’s leadership, the Bank’s capital and funding have multiplied five-fold and has seen significant growth in its shareholder base, and its portfolio. In 2020, TDB was recognized by African Banker Awards as the ‘African Bank of the Year’. TDB is the first DFI in Africa to use blockchain technology to carry out a trade finance transaction on dltledgers, enabling a $22 million white cane sugar trade from Asia to Africa.

Day two of the Summit will launch with a keynote address by Honorable Cina Lawson, Minister of Digital Economy and Digital Transformation for Togo. Minister Lawson is leading Togo through a profound transition to an inclusive digital economy. Her initiatives as Minister have included diversifying private participation in the telecommunications sector, spearheading regulatory reforms for data protection and electronic transactions, setting up an innovation hub, and driving initiatives to deploy high-speed fiber broadband that links key institutions, including all public universities in the country. In 2012, Forbes magazine ranked her among the 20 most powerful young women in Africa and in 2019, she became the first African woman political figure to receive the Harvard Alumni Public Service Award. She is a fervent advocate of innovative solutions to Africa’s developmental challenges and sits on the advisory board of the Digital Identity, Trade and Economy Initiative of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. 

Jack Dorsey headlines the concluding fireside chat on November 12 with a discussion on decentralized finance, cryptocurrency, and financial inclusion in Africa.  

The Summit’s keynotes join an esteemed list of panelists – 60 senior level executives from companies like MFS Africa, Jumia, DPO Group, Y-Combinator, Yoco, AMOLE, DHL Logistics, Citigroup, Flutterwave, EFG Hermes, and Citigroup. 

The Summit is held with the support of its partners, U.S. State Department’s Office of Global Partnerships and APO Group, and premier sponsors MFS Africa, Flutterwave, and AMOLE.

Register for the event by visiting www.AfricaFintechSummit.com


Media & Sponsor Contact:
Andrew W. Barden
Analyst, Dedalus Global
Communications Lead, Africa Fintech Summit
andrew@dedalusglobal.com

Africa Fintech Summit
info@africafintechsummit.com
https://africafintechsummit.com/
TW: @AfriFintech
FB: @FintechAfrica18
Washington, D.C. | New York | Lagos

About Dedalus Global and Africa Fintech Summit:
Dedalus Global (https://DedalusGlobal.com) is a go-to-market strategic advisory focused on emerging tech in emerging markets and is the founding organizer of Africa Fintech Summit (AFTS) (https://AfricaFintechSummit.com). As the first fintech event to be held annually in the USA and Africa, AFTS boasts the largest network of African fintech stakeholders from across the globe. In addition to its advisory business, since 2018, Dedalus has organized four fintech summits and a series of policy roundtables, virtual workshops, and startup bootcamps under the AFTS brand. AFTS events have hosted more than 1500 attendees, representing each of the top stakeholder segments, from 51 countries and 6 continents.

About Ibex Frontier:
Ibex (www.IbexFrontier.com) is an investment advisory & route-to-Ethiopia-market advisory firm headquartered in Washington D.C. and with a presence in London and Addis Ababa. Through insights and access that spans three continents and 20+ years of experience by its Founding team, Ibex provides premier investment, market entry, and business development advisory services for Eastern Africa with a focus on Ethiopia. Since June 2019, Ibex has been a co-organizer of AFTS events.

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Vape juice or e-juice refers to the watery substance found in vaporizers and e-cigarettes that help in creating vapor. These products usually contain nicotine. The component needs to heat up to specific temperatures, such as between 200oF and 400oF, to take the form of vapor so that you can vape. In essence, e-juice consists of water, food-grade flavor, nicotine, and other such elements. The flavors are safe to consume as they are the same as used in any edible items. You can find them even tasty.
However, the question is – how do you buy it? A lot of people want to use this, but the lack of awareness doesn’t allow them to indulge in it. If you don’t want to face this situation, then here are some tips that you can refer to while shopping for this type of CBD product.


Tips for buying vape juice
Check the taste
You get e-liquids in many flavors, including food, cocktails, fruity, and tobacco blends. If you are new to this, you can pick tobacco blends because the taste can seem familiar with the cigarette you smoke. Its popularity has encouraged manufacturers to experiment with all the types of taste that you get from famous brands. Once you become comfortable, you can move on to other varieties of the blend. So, it will be better to choose a safe flavor first before trying anything else.
In this context, it is essential to know that some companies offer blends and some single flavors. Both these can be exciting choices for you. However, single flavors can feel monotonous after some time, while blends that contain a mix of unique flavors can taste delicious and appealing. If you don't feel confident enough to go with any particular choice, you can choose a small 15ml bottle for an experience.

Look at the nicotine content
Usually, e-juices contain nicotine in varying degrees. The options can differ from brand to brand. However, with most of them, you can find an opportunity to choose a nicotine level in your favorite flavor. The vape juice bottles generally mention the nicotine levels on the label, or you can go through product descriptions online. If you want to reduce your nicotine consumption, then vape juice can be an ideal solution.
As a starter, you can pick the one that has higher nicotine content, and eventually settle down with the lower levels. A bottle containing 6 mg/mL or lesser levels of nicotine is a milder version compared to something that features 12 mg/mL (medium) or 24 mg/mL (high). Based on your personal preference for nicotine, you can choose your vape.
Other than that, you can study the PG/VG Ratio and use of different compounds in the e-liquid before deciding flavor. As far as the choice of the store goes, if you search for e-juice on Google, you are likely to come across scores of online stores. This online store provides a variety of vape juice in different sizes of bottles. You can explore its range and pricing to find the best CBD product for yourself.
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The starter packs consist of medical consumables to ensure the protection of frontline workers
ABUJA, Nigeria, April 25, 2020/ -- The Honorable Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire has disclosed that COVID-19 starter packs had been deployed to all tertiary health institutions and Federal Medical Centers, to complement what had earlier been sent to States. The starter packs he said consist of medical consumables to ensure the protection of frontline workers.

The Honorable Minister made this known today 24th April, 2020, at the Presidential Task Force briefing where he revealed that 981 people in 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had been confirmed to have had COVID-19. The 108 additional confirmations are as follows: 78 in Lagos, 14 in FCT, 5 in Ogun, 4 in Gombe, 3 in Borno, 2 in Akwa Ibom and 1 each in Kwara and Plateau. 197 persons had been treated for COVID-19 and discharged, while 31 deaths were recorded.

Dr. Ehanire said that the high number of cases was as a result of ongoing community transmission and active case search. The Minister said , “The most affected age group from statistics of test carried out are 31-40 years, while the highest COVID-19 fatality is among older generation above 50 years of age.

Presently, the Minister said that there are 13 laboratories that have the capacity to test 1,500 samples per day across the country. However, “we are testing an average of about 600 samples per day being the samples received at the centers”. He added that “efforts are on to increase the number of laboratories in the country, however, we need to improve surveillance, sample collection strategies and transport logistics to laboratories and also reduce the turnaround time for tests”.

The Minister informed that testing positive is followed by isolation and treatment as needed. He said those who required no treatment still need to be in isolation in the interest of the public and their household. He urged all persons who test positive to comply.

He applauded the frontline health workers in the COVID-19 pandemic and urged they protect themselves as prescribed and use their PPE judiciously while treating COVID-19 patients. He appealed to citizens to adhere to advisory on hand and respiratory hygiene as well as the social distancing directives. He also advised that they use their mask or face covering when leaving their residence and avoid mass gathering.

“As we join the rest of the global community to commemorate World Immunization Week, with the team “vaccines work for all”, the Honorable Minister reminded that, it is dedicated to promoting the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against diseases and death. He added that while waiting for the vaccine for COVID-19, “let us collectively adhere to all public health advisories.

Dr. Ehanire advised that if anyone had been suspected of been exposed to COVID-19 then there is need to call the toll-free NCDC number 112 or 0800 9700 0010. He reminded also that resources and real-time information on COVID-19 could be found on the social media handles of FMoH and NCDc, and FMoH website and the NCDC COVID-19 microsite https://bit.ly/2wjr7Aq, adding also that citizens stay home, stay safe and take precautions.

The Secretary General of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, informed that at the ECOWAS Heads of States summit, H E Muhammadu Buhari, Federal Republic of Nigeria was appointed as CHAMPION, to coordinate the COVID-19 response and eradication process. He said the implication of this assignment is that the PTF must factor the West African Sub-region into its plans and activities to support Mr President in his new role. He added that the Summit also set up Ministerial Coordination Committees on Health, Finance, and Transport to coordinate Regional efforts, under the supervision of the CHAMPION.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria.
SOURCE
Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria
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Join Top African Business Leaders Online for Four-Part Webinar Series

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 15, 2020/ -- As COVID-19 takes hold of African economies, African business leaders are challenged with new risks and uncertainty. Africa.com has partnered with faculty of Harvard Business to lead a four week webinar series, “Crisis Management for African Business Leaders.”

The webinar series will feature panel discussions led by the faculty, in conversation with African business leaders including:

  • Kuseni Dlamini, Chair, Massmart
  • Kunle Elebute, Chairman, KPMG Africa
  • Foluso Philips, Chair, Philips Consulting
  • Jay Ireland, Former President and CEO, GE Africa
  • Admassu Tadesse, Chief Executive, Trade and Development Bank
  • Fred Swaniker, Founder & CEO, African Leadership Group
  • Sim Tshabalala, Chief Executive, Standard Bank Group

The four webinars are as follows:

April 15

Leadership in Times of Crisis, led by Linda Hill, Ph.D., Harvard Business School Professor of Business Administration, Faculty Chair, Leadership Initiative

April 22

Liquidity - Managing Cash Flow When Revenue & Funding Dry Up, led by Kunle Elebute, Chair of KPMG Africa

April 29:

This Isn’t the West - How Africa’s Informal Sector Reacts to COVID-19, led by Hakeem Belo-Osagie, Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer of Business Administration

May 6:

Strategic Planning in the Face of Uncertainty, led by Andy Zelleke, Ph.D., Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer of Business Administration

All webinars take place on Wednesdays, for 1.5 hours, commencing at:

9:00 EDT (New York) | 14:00 WAT (Nigeria/UK)

15:00 CAT (South Africa) | 16:00 EAT (Kenya)

Teresa Clarke, Chair and Executive Editor of Africa.com, said “We are moved beyond words with the generosity shown by African business leaders and Harvard faculty to set aside their own tremendous challenges today, in order to share their best thinking with other African business leaders on how they are taking companies forward and protecting the communities they serve.

Registration is free at virtualconferenceafrica.com.
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With no reliable data for COVID-19 available yet, it is always best to be extra cautious

LAGOS, Nigeria, April 7, 2020/ -- The lockdown that countries all over the world are currently experiencing is putting a renewed focus on personal hygiene. But despite people being advised to wash their hands often, how many apply the same rigour to their smartphones? Kaspersky (www.Kaspersky.co.za) provides a few tips on keeping mobile devices ‘virus-free’.

“Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, it is frightening to think how much bacteria lives on our personal mobile devices. And with the Coronavirus able to survive at room temperature and remain infectious on metal, glass, ceramic, and plastic for several days, it becomes essential to follow effective disinfection protocol,” says Maher Yamout, Senior Security Researcher for the Global Research and Analysis Team at Kaspersky.

The virus can get onto a phone or tablet in two ways: either in tiny droplets when an infected person coughs nearby, or from your own hands after touching door handles, ATM buttons, and the like.
Fortunately, unless a person hands their mobile device to someone who is infected to cough and splutter all over it, the probability of infection by airborne route is low. Transmission by hand depends on the duration of contact and varies for different microorganisms. But with no reliable data for COVID-19 available yet, it is always best to be extra cautious.

“If you must go to the shop for essential goods, it is imperative to disinfect your phone when you return home. There are several common household products that can deal with the Coronavirus effectively - ethanol (C2H5OH), isopropyl alcohol (C3H7OH), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO),” adds Yamout.

Isopropyl alcohol is considered the least harmful to the oleophobic coating that allows fingers to slide over the screen without covering it in fingerprints. So, use it if you can (as spray or wet wipes).
Ethanol and hydrogen peroxide should be considered a backup if nothing else is available. With frequent use, these products can easily ruin the oleophobic coating. Even once might be enough, it depends on the coating.

As for concentration, the optimal to go for is approximately 70-80%. Purer alcohol evaporates too quickly for best results. The disinfecting solution must sit on the surface for about a minute. A lower concentration is less efficient in killing viruses.

People should therefore not rely on vodka for example instead of ethyl alcohol. Even glass cleaner is not as effective as isopropyl alcohol given it has a considerably lower alcohol content. It is also critical to not pour the disinfectant into the connectors, speakers, and other openings in the smartphone, even if it is waterproof. Rather, take a cotton pad, soak it in the liquid, and apply it to all sides of the device. There is no need to press hard, just carefully and thoroughly wipe the whole surface.

People should apply the same disinfection regiment to any other gadgets they use in public places. These can include tablets, laptops, smartwatches, bracelets, headphones, and so on. However, always check the product Website whether the manufacturer has any recommendations as to which substances are best suited for the device cleaning and how to apply them.

For further information please contact:
Nicole Allman | INK&Co.
Cell: +27 83 251 2769
Email: nicole@inkandco.co.za

 About Kaspersky:
Kaspersky (www.Kaspersky.co.za) is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.Kaspersky.co.za

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Rapid Response offer gives organisations free cloud contact centre solution deployed in 48 hours, plus no premiums for volume spikes and comprehensive training and support
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 7, 2020/ -- As the world adapts to the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations of all sizes are struggling to manage increased demand while working to keep employees safe. To help navigate these challenges, Genesys® (www.Genesys.com), the global leader in cloud customer experience and contact centre solutions, has launched a new Rapid Response offer to give any organisation free access to Genesys Cloud so they can provide mission-critical support and enable remote teams fast, with deployment in just 48 hours.

In response to COVID-19, more than 700 organisations from all over the world, including Arise-Europe, City of Helsinki, eFinancial, FMI Call Centre, Gleaners Food Bank, Home Credit, JPIMedia, Ly.com, Lenovo, Ping-An Insurance and Tokyo Individualised Educational Institute, Inc., have requested assistance from Genesys to support remote capabilities, shift their geographic operations or manage unexpected surges in customer inquiries. In fact, the Genesys Rapid Response offer has already allowed more than 500,000 contact centre employees to continue serving consumers from the safety of their homes since February. Examples include:

A major financial services company transitioned nearly 10,000 in-office contact centre agents to remote work within days. The company plans to enable another 5,000 to work from home. In addition, the company doubled its record for customer transactions, jumping to 3 million during this period.

A Fortune 50 software company shut down its contact centres in a COVID-19 outbreak area and shifted all calls to other countries. The company updated its IVR and rebalanced its routing to accommodate this change while transitioning thousands of agents around the world to virtual work within days.

A large state government entity was able to convert 3,000 agents to remote work in a single day. It also onboarded 400 new agents in just three days.

Genesys Rapid Response

The company's Rapid Response offer allows organisations to launch a secure cloud contact centre with the fundamental capabilities needed to engage effectively with customers and colleagues from anywhere. This includes support for automation and self-service, voice and email routing, interaction recording and employee collaboration tools. To make the transition easier for employees and supervisors, on-demand training and education is also included. In addition, Genesys is assisting organisations in controlling costs by waiving overage premiums resulting from unexpected spikes in customer inquiries.

"At Genesys, we have a responsibility to help however we can during this difficult time," said Tony Bates, chief executive officer of Genesys. "No matter what challenges organisations face, Genesys is committed to partnering with them to protect their employees, serve consumers and help contain the COVID-19 outbreak. Every action we take to stop the spread matters, but we can't do it alone. Across every function and with support from our partners, the Genesys community is coming together to help organisations through this unprecedented situation."

Broader support for COVID-19 response

The Genesys ecosystem is instrumental in this effort with many providing services and guidance to facilitate business continuity during the COVID-19 crisis. The company is also exploring solutions with Google Cloud and others, as well as implementation partners, including Avtex, ConvergeOne and NTT, Ltd., which are critical in helping expedite deployments of Genesys Cloud. In addition, several Genesys AppFoundry® partners are also extending their free trial period to align with Genesys Rapid Response.

"Genesys is doing more than giving away technology," said Ken Landoline, principal analyst, Customer Engagement, Omdia. "The company is delivering a holistic solution and providing access to a community that delivers services, support, training, guidance and best practices so organisations are truly equipped to help employees and customers through this difficult time. I believe this is right on target and is the best course of action given the complexity of what businesses are up against."

Customer comments on Genesys Rapid Response:

The City of Helsinki partnered with the local Evangelical Lutheran parishes, and many charities, to contact proactively more than 80,000 elderly residents to ensure their well-being amid the COVID-19 crisis. Genesys Cloud serves as the technology foundation for this service and enables 500 volunteers to support these citizens. "The cooperation with Genesys to launch the Helsinki Helpline has already been amazing. In just a couple of days, we launched a fully functioning contact centre and trained our team, including citizen volunteers with many different backgrounds," commented Tiina Hörkkö, director of the Helsinki Helpline, City of Helsinki.

eFinancial, the second largest direct-to-consumer life insurance brokerage in the nation, deployed Genesys Cloud for use by its eSales department three weeks earlier than planned due to COVID-19. "Employees from all three of our call centres are working remotely now and we are maintaining production levels," said Paul Bourdeux, vice president of Information Technology for eFinancial. "Without Genesys Cloud this could have been disastrous. The added investment for the solution has already paid off."

Since mid-March, Gleaners Food Bank has tripled the number of households it is feeding per day. Part of the spike was from individuals requesting food delivery services, which the organisation did not provide previously. Gleaners Food Bank President and Chief Executive Officer John Elliott commented, "Within seven days, we went from not being able to handle the surge of calls to being able to manage them effectively via Genesys Cloud. We now have an automated qualification process so we can identify eligible households and deliver food to those in need."

JPIMedia is one of the largest national, regional and local multimedia organisations in the UK. "We successfully transitioned 450 users to a temporary remote working model within 5 days following government advice. This allows our commercial teams to stay connected with our customers," said Rebekah Avill, head of Commercial Systems at JPIMedia.

Ly.com, China's leading high-tech travel provider of transportation and hotel reservations serving more than 300 million people, has leveraged support from Genesys to ensure its customer service operations during the COVID-19 outbreak holiday period. Yuchi Xiao, CEO of Customers Service Centre of Ly.com, said, "With the help of Genesys, thousands of remote agent services were successfully deployed in only two days. As always, the Genesys China team was standing together with us to overcome challenges and deliver excellent customer experience."

Learn more about Genesys Rapid Response, which is available for any organisation, including existing Genesys customers as well as other businesses, government agencies and non-profits. Local restrictions may apply, and organisations must sign up by April 30, 2020.

About Genesys:
Every year, Genesys® (www.Genesys.com) delivers more than 70 billion remarkable customer experiences for organisations in over 100 countries. Through the power of the cloud and AI, our technology connects every customer moment across marketing, sales and service on any channel, while also improving employee experiences. Genesys pioneered Experience as a ServiceSM so organisations of any size can provide true personalisation at scale, interact with empathy, and foster customer trust and loyalty. This is enabled by Genesys Cloud™, an all-in-one solution and the world's leading public cloud contact centre platform, designed for rapid innovation, scalability and flexibility. Visit www.Genesys.com
SOURCE
Genesys
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Centurion Law Group has launched a series of legal updates where it will be providing the latest updates and insights on in-country changes in legislations and regulations
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 8, 2020/ -- The series will provide an overview of the current state of affairs in Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, Mauritius, Ghana, Cameroon, Angola, Nigeria and Zambia; Centurion (https://CenturionLG.com) continues to push its on demand legal service, Centurion Plus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Centurion Law Group has launched a series of legal updates where it will be providing the latest updates and insights on in-country changes in legislations and regulations.

Centurion will focus on categories including employment, tax, immigration, corporate and general matters in Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, Mauritius, Ghana, Cameroon, Angola, Nigeria and Zambia. The series which provides an overview of the current state of affairs in these countries can be accessed on the company’s website (www.CenturionLG.com) and is now available for free download in PDF format.

“While we continue to urge African governments to roll out measures that ensure that individuals and businesses are able to weather the Covic-19 pandemic with the least amount of distress, we have assumed the duty to progressively provide useful information on the potential impacts of this period, as well as the buffers that exist or are being deployed across the continent, said Zion Adeoye, Managing Director, Centurion Law Group. “We hope these updates will go some way in assisting businesses and individuals to prepare for the fallout of this pandemic and where necessary, our Centurion Plus lawyers are available to assist in real time,” he added

“In addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of African countries have made changes to operations in their key economic pillars,” said Anselmo Eworo, Partner, Centurion Law Group Equatorial Guinea. “As a pan-African law firm, it is our responsibility to ensure that beyond our clients and peers, the people on the ground are also aware and have access to this information. We hope this series can effectively communicate the latest developments in each sector.” He added.

About Centurion:
Centurion (https://CenturionLG.com) is a pan-African corporate law conglomerate. Operating at the cutting edge of business practices today, Centurion stands ready to provide outsourced legal representation and a full suite of legal services to new, expanding and established corporations.

Across Africa, Centurion provides a service tailored to your operating environment, the nature and structure of your business, your level of risk tolerance, and your overall objectives. Our alternative billing arrangements provide our clients with a greater degree of certainty about their legal costs.
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Centurion Law Group
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The submissions will be assessed by the support team responsible for coordinating the process, exclusively for the identified commodities

The analysis shows that COVID-19 will cost the region between $37 billion and $79 billion in output losses for 2020 due to a combination of effects WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, April 9, 2020/ -- Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa has been significantly impacted by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and is forecast to fall sharply from 2.4% in 2019 to -2.1 to -5.1% in 2020, the first recession in the region over the past 25 years, according to the latest Africa’s Pulse, the World Bank’s twice-yearly economic update for the region.  “The COVID-19 pandemic is testing the limits of societies and economies across the world, and African countries are likely to be hit particularly hard,” said Hafez Ghanem, World Bank Vice President for Africa. “We are rallying all possible resources to help countries meet people’s immediate health and survival needs while also safeguarding livelihoods and jobs in the longer term – including calling for a standstill on official bilateral debt service payments which would free up funds for strengthening health systems to deal with COVID-19 and save lives, social safety nets to save livelihoods and help workers who lose jobs, support to small and medium enterprises, and food security.”  The Pulse authors recommend that African policymakers focus on saving lives and protecting livelihoods by focusing on strengthening health systems and taking quick actions to minimize disruptions in food supply chains. They also recommend implementing social protection programs, including cash transfers, food distribution and fee waivers, to support citizens, especially those working in the informal sector.  The analysis shows that COVID-19 will cost the region between $37 billion and $79 billion in output losses for 2020 due to a combination of effects. They include trade and value chain disruption, which impacts commodity exporters and countries with strong value chain participation; reduced foreign financing flows from remittances, tourism, foreign direct investment, foreign aid, combined with capital flight; and through direct impacts on health systems, and disruptions caused by containment measures and the public response.  While most countries in the region have been affected to different degrees by the pandemic, real gross domestic product growth is projected to fall sharply particularly in the region’s three largest economies – Nigeria, Angola, and South Africa— as a result of persistently weak growth and investment. In general, oil exporting-countries will also be hard-hit; while growth is also expected to weaken substantially in the two fastest growing areas—the West African Economic and Monetary Union and the East African Community—due to weak external demand, disruptions to supply chains and domestic production. The region’s tourism sector is expected to contract sharply due to severe disruption to travel.  The COVID-19 crisis also has the potential to spark a food security crisis in Africa, with agricultural production potentially contracting between 2.6% in an optimistic scenario and up to 7% if there are trade blockages. Food imports would decline substantially (as much as 25% or as little as 13%) due to a combination of higher transaction costs and reduced domestic demand.  Several African countries have reacted quickly and decisively to curb the potential influx and spread of the coronavirus, very much in line with international guidelines. However, the report points out several factors that pose challenges to the containment and mitigation measures, in particular the large and densely populated urban informal settlements, poor access to safe water and sanitation facilities, and fragile health systems. Ultimately, the magnitude of the impact will depend on the public’s reaction within respective countries, the spread of the disease, and the policy response. And these factors together could lead to reduced labor market participation, capital underutilization, lower human capital accumulation, and long-term productivity effects.  “In addition to containment measures, we have seen that in responding to COVID-19, countries are opting for a combination of emergency fiscal and monetary policy actions with many central banks in the region taking important actions like cutting interest rates and providing extraordinary liquidity assistance,” said Albert Zeufack, Chief Economist for Africa at the World Bank. “However, it is important to ensure that fiscal policy builds in space for social protection interventions, especially targeting workers in the informal sector, and sows the seed for future resilience of our economies.”   The authors emphasize the need for a customized policy response to reflect the structure of African economies (especially the large informal sector) and the peculiar constraints policymakers currently face, particularly the deteriorating fiscal positions and heightened public debt vulnerabilities, and the overall low operational capacity to respond.  “The immediate measures are important but there is no doubt there will be need for some sort of debt relief from bilateral creditors to secure the resources urgently needed to fight COVID-19 and to help manage or maintain macroeconomic stability in the region,” said Cesar Calderon, Lead Economist and Lead author of the report.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, economic circumstances within countries and regions are fluid and change on a day-by-day basis. The macroeconomic analysis in the report is based on data available by the first quarter of March 2020.  The World Bank Group is taking broad, fast action to help developing countries strengthen their pandemic response, increase disease surveillance, improve public health interventions, and help the private sector continue to operate and sustain jobs. It is deploying up to $160 billion in financial support over the next 15 months to help countries protect the poor and vulnerable, support businesses, and bolster economic recovery.  Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The World Bank Group. SOURCE The World Bank Group
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 8, 2020/ -- Due to the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to curb the spread of COVID-19, the National Treasury in support of the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC) calls on all compliant, particularly local, suppliers providing commodities listed below to direct their offers to the PMO set up for this purpose. The submissions will be assessed by the support team responsible for coordinating the process, exclusively for the identified commodities.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) descriptions:

  1. Disposable aprons
  2. Protective surgical gowns
  3. Protective eyewear
  4. Surgical gloves
  5. Overshoes
  6. Protective hoods
  7. Biohazard bags
  8. Ventilators
  9. Alcohol-Cleaning, disinfectants – clinical
  10. Venturi mask
Detailed information should be provided for the above items and submitted directly to the email covid19supplies@businessresponsecovid19.co.za.

The submission should include the following information:

  • Supplier name,
  • Company registration,
  • Central Supplier Database number (CSD),
  • Indication of products that can be supplied.

National Treasury continues to advise suppliers to be vigilant during this time and not submit their information to would-be scammers. Suppliers are advised to always first verify with relevant departments before supplying any goods.

The submission through this process does not in any manner or form waive the requirements for compliance outlined in the Central Supplier Database (CSD).


Issued by: 
National Treasury
 
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Facebook users can opt in to follow the center to get notifications and see updates in their News Feed from official government health authorities

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 9, 2020/ -- Facebook is expanding its Coronavirus Information Center to 17 more countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The Information Centers form part of Facebook’s effort to help the global fight against COVID-19 by providing people with the latest news and information from trusted health authorities as well as resources and tips to stay healthy and support their family and community.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information Center is featured at the top of News Feed, that provides a central place for people to keep informed about the Coronavirus. It includes real-time updates from national health authorities and global organisations such as the World Health Organization, as well as helpful articles, videos and posts about social distancing and preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Facebook users can opt in to follow the center to get notifications and see updates in their News Feed from official government health authorities.

The center has already launched in South Africa, it will now be expanded to the following new sub - Saharan African markets:

  • Benin
  • Burkina Faso
  • Cameroon
  • Cape Verde
  • Chad
  • Côte d’Ivoire
  • Ethiopia
  • Gabon
  • Guinea
  • Kenya
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Nigeria
  • Senegal
  • Seychelles
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
  • Togo

 Facebook’s Head of Public Policy, Africa, Kojo Boakye comments about the expansion; “We’ve built the information centers, in collaboration with national health partners, to ensure that people can get access to information from trusted health sources. The launch of the COVID-19 Information Center on Facebook in more than 17 countries across sub-Saharan Africa aligns with our commitment to making accurate, timely information about the pandemic accessible to all communities.”
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Hospitals and clinics may directly procure these products as necessary to provide for the infants in their care
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 9, 2020/ -- The regulations published by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs under Government Notice 318 of 18 March 2020 were amended by regulations as published in Government Notice R398 of 25 March 2020 as well as by regulations in Government Notice R 419 of 26 March 2020.

The regulations published on 25 March 2020 included, under paragraph 6(a), the following inclusion as an essential good: “(iv) Products for the care of babies and toddlers.”

Following requests for clarification, we confirm that this provision includes baby clothes, blankets, towels and other essential accessories for new-borns, infants and toddlers up to 36 months old.

To ensure the effectiveness of the lockdown in containing the spread of COVID-19, all stores that are currently permitted to remain open for the sale of other essential goods, including supermarkets, may therefore sell these products. We have been in contact with the CEO’s of the large retailers, who have undertaken to sell these products at prices which simply cover their basic costs of production and distribution for the period of the lockdown.

Hospitals and clinics may directly procure these products as necessary to provide for the infants in their care.

Any further queries in this regard may be directed to the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.

Issued by: Department of Trade and Industry

SOURCE
South African Government
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