Category: APO-OPA

NEW YORK, October 9, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointments of Marcel Rudasingwa of Rwanda as Ebola Crisis Manager for Guinea, Peter Jan Graaff of the Netherlands as Ebol…

VATICAN, Holy See, October 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The general debate continued during the fourth general Congregation, following the order of the Instrumentum Laboris. The theme was “The Pastoral Program for the Family: Various Proposals Underway” (Part II, Chapter 1).

Firstly, the link between the crisis of faith and the crisis of the family was underlined: it was said that the first generates the second. This is because faith is seen mostly as a set of doctrinal mores, whereas it is primarily a free act by which one entrusts oneself to God. This gave rise, among other things, to the suggestion of devising a “Vademecum” dedicated to the catechesis of the family, so as to strengthen its evangelising mission. Furthermore, the weakness of the faith of many baptised persons was underlined; this often leads to the marriage of couples who do are not appropriately aware of what they are undertaking.

Secondly, a great challenge facing families today was mentioned: that of the “dictatorship of unitary thought” that aims to introduce into society those countervalues that distort the vision of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The crisis of values, atheist secularism, hedonism, and the ambition of power destroy families today, distorting it, weakening people and consequently rendering society fragile. It is therefore important to recover in the faithful the awareness of belonging to the Church, as the Church grows by attraction and the families of the Church attract other families.

For its part, the Church, an expert in humanity, must underline the beauty and the need everyone has for the family, as it is indispensable. It is necessary to reawaken in humanity the sense of belonging to the family unit. In addition, as a reflection of God’s love, which is never an isolated love, the family opens one to relationships and bonds with others, thus becoming the foundation for society.

Mention was also made of the link between priests and families: they accompany families in all the most important stages of their lives, sharing in their joys and difficulties; families, in turn, help priests to experience celibacy as a full and balanced emotional life, rather than as a sacrifice. In addition, the family was defined as the “cradle of vocations” as it is precisely within the domestic walls, in common prayer, that the call to the priesthood is frequently heard.

A further link that was underlined is that between baptism and marriage: without a serious and in-depth Christian initiation, the meaning of the sacrament of marriage is diminished. Therefore, it is to be emphasised that Christian marriage cannot be seen solely as a cultural tradition or a social need, but rather must be understood as a vocational decision, undertaken with suitable preparation that cannot be improvised in a few meetings, but must be carried out over a period of time.

Attention then turned to how work affects the dynamics of the family: these are two dimensions that must be reconciled, through increasingly flexible working hours, new contractual models, and attention to geographical distances between home and work. Furthermore, technology can lead to work being brought home, making family dialogue difficult.

Numerous interventions, especially in relation to Africa, drew attention to the many challenges the family must face in this continent: polygamy, levirate marriage, sects, war, poverty, the painful crisis of migration, international pressure for birth control, and so on. These are problems that undermine family stability, placing it in crisis. In the face of such challenges, it is necessary to respond with in-depth evangelisation, able to promote the values of peace, justice and love, an adequate promotion of the role of women in society, thorough education of children and the protection of rights for all victims of violence.

In the hour dedicated to open discussion – from 6 to 7 p.m. – attention returned to the need for a new language in the proclamation of the Gospel, with particular reference to the new media technologies. With regard to the indissolubility of marriage, it was highlighted that today it would appear that the law is opposed to the good of the person. In reality, the truth of the conjugal bond and its stability is inscribed within the person, and therefore it is not a question of setting the law and the person in opposition to each other, but rather of understanding how to help the person not to betray his or her own truth.

Further reflection was proposed in relation to families who have not received the gift of children despite wishing for them, and those in regions affected by the Ebola virus.

Finally, the image of the Church as light was recalled, in the hope that this may be not only the light of a beacon, that remains constant and illuminates from afar, but also a torch, or rather a “soft light” that accompanies humanity on its path, step by step.

The Pontifical Council for the Family donated to the members of the Synod a copy of the extensive Enchiridion on the family.

BISSAU, Guinea Bissau, October 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The European Union Delegation, in agreement with the Heads of Mission of the
Embassies of Spain, France and Portugal in Bissau, warmly welcomes the ratification by
Guinea-Biss…

YOKOHAMA, Japan, October 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Nissan (http://www.nissan-global.com) is proud to announce Yaya Touré, three-time African Footballer of the Year and UEFA Champions League winner, as its newest global ambassador. The Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfielder has agreed to a deal which will see him work alongside Nissan’s global UEFA Champions League and Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015 partnerships.

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Yaya joins Nissan’s star-studded team of UEFA Champions League ambassadors, which includes the recently announced Barcelona and Spain midfielder, Andrés Iniesta and PSG and Brazil defender, Thiago Silva. The UEFA Champions League ambassadors will work with the company as part of the Engineers of Excitement program, which aims to enhance the experience of football fans through a range of activities including the exclusive Goal of the Week competition. Touré will also star in a series of new television and print advertisements for the UEFA Champions League due to premiere in February 2015.

Yaya Toure said, “I’m proud to be partnering with Nissan across its UEFA Champions League and Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015 sponsorships. I have been fortunate enough to win lots of trophies in my career, but the Orange Africa Cup of Nations has always been my target as an African, so I am really looking forward to it and to working with Nissan to help bring the excitement around both of these fantastic tournaments to fans around Africa and the rest of the world.”

As the face of Nissan’s advertising campaign in Africa, Yaya Touré will play a key role around Nissan’s Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015 sponsorship, further connecting football fans with the brand and helping increase excitement around its innovative range of products.

“Nissan is delighted that Yaya Touré has joined our team as a global ambassador,” said Roel de-Vries, Corporate Vice President, Global Head of Marketing, Communications and Brand – Nissan. “As one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, Yaya Touré is the perfect ambassador for our brand as he possesses great all round skills combining pace, power and high technical ability – features Nissan incorporates into its vehicles.”

As well as being named African Footballer of the Year on three occasions, Yaya Touré has also won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona and five league titles across four countries including England and Spain. With over 80 caps for Ivory Coast, Yaya Touré was recently named captain of the national team and will lead his country in qualification to reach his sixth Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015 in January.

Takashi Hata, Senior Vice President, Africa, Middle East and India – Nissan added, “As a three-time African Footballer of the Year, Yaya Touré is an icon to millions of people across the continent. As Nissan looks to further increase its market presence in the region, our partnership with Yaya Touré will help bring Nissan closer to the fans around Africa’s biggest football tournament and further strengthen our brand in a region to which we have been committed for over four decades.”

Nissan is the official global automotive sponsor of the UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Champions League, with a four season deal that will cover the period 2014/2015 to 2017/2018. Nissan is the official global automotive supplier to the Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015. The tournament is now in its 30th year and kicks off in Morocco on January 17, 2015.

In July 2014, Nissan extended its connections in world football by agreeing a global partnership to become the Official Automotive Partner of City Football Group (CFG). The five-year deal represents a first for CFG, with Nissan becoming the first global partner of the football network, an organisation including Nissan majority owned Yokohama F. Marinos alongside Barclays Premier League Champions, Manchester City FC, Manchester City Women’s FC, New York City FC and Melbourne City FC.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Katherine Zachary, Corporate Communications, Nissan Europe

Telephone: +41 79 701 85 16

Email: kzachary@nissan-europe.com

Sara Jenkins, Corporate Communications, Nissan Europe

Telephone: +41 79 808 33 97

Email: sjenkins@nissan-europe.com

Roland Buerk, Communications, Africa, Middle East and India

Telephone: +971(0)48032667

Email: roland@nissan-me.ae

Ikue Matsuura, Communications, Africa, Middle East and India

Telephone: +81(0)455235652

Email: i-matsuura@mail.nissan.co.jp

About Nissan Motor Co.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (http://www.nissan-global.com), Japan’s second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 244,500 employees globally, Nissan sold almost 5.2 million vehicles and generated revenue of 10.5 trillion yen (USD 105 billion) in fiscal 2013. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/

About Nissan in Europe

Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 14,500 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 635,000 vehicles including mini-MPVs, award-winning crossovers, SUVs, commercial vehicles and the Nissan LEAF, the world’s most popular Electric Vehicle with 97% performance satisfaction and 95% of customers willing to recommend the car to friends. Nissan now offers 24 diverse and innovative products for sale in Europe today, and is positioned to become the number one Asian brand in Europe.

About Nissan in Africa

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. supplies innovative and exciting cars across the hatchback, SUV, sedan and pickup segments in Africa and is targeting significant growth in the continent. Nissan has two operational hubs in Egypt and South Africa with long established factories, and is developing manufacturing in Nigeria as a third hub. In April Nissan, together with local partner Stallion Group, became the first automaker to build cars in Nigeria after the Government introduced new policies to stimulate the local industry. Nissan is revitalizing its sales network and expanding its product range in many countries with launches of new vehicles like the award-winning Qashqai and X-Trail. The Nissan LEAF is Africa’s first electric vehicle, bringing zero emissions motoring to the continent. In 2014 the Datsun brand is returning to Africa with the launch of the Datsun GO in South Africa. In fiscal year 2013 Nissan sold nearly 110,000 units in Africa.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, October 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — APO (African Press Organization) (http://www.apo-opa.com) today, releases 2 videos on press conference services helping you deliver more for your budget: 1) Online press conference and 2) Interactive Webcast ; both of which are considered as the future for media relations in Africa.

Watch the video infographic on Online press conferencing: http://goo.gl/iu945x

Watch the video infographic on Interactive webcast: http://goo.gl/BVCzuE

Fifty percent of budget dedicated to press conferences are usually allocated towards travel expenses and venue rentals. Venue costs obviously also incur other unexpected extra costs such as beverages, audio sound equipments and most often, it is not usual to be required to pay journalists transportation fees and per diem for each.

Over the past five years, APO’s online press conferencing and interactive webcast solutions have been used by some of the world’s largest companies, institutions and organizations, out of which Western Union, Ernst & Young, the European Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the African Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Union, and the GAVI Alliance to name a few.

These press events have brought together hundreds of media worldwide, including Thomson Reuters, Associated Press, Bloomberg News, BBC World News, XINHUA News, Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA), South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Agence France Presse (AFP), Panafrican News Agency (PANA), along with many more local and international media corporations.

“PR professionals are facing budget reductions, and therefore are unable to have face-time with journalists from all 54 African countries. Most African journalists cannot afford air tickets and accommodation to attend an international press conference. With online press conferencing and interactive webcast, journalists now can participate to a press conference without having to leave their desk! That is the reason why Online Press Conference and Interactive Webcast can save 50% of your costs when doing a press conference”, says Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and CEO of APO (African Press Organization).

Online press conferencing makes possible for a large number of journalists from different countries to participate in a press conference without travelling. It’s cost and time-effective, climate friendly, and a unique way to disseminate messages across a large number of countries, in real-time.

Interactive webcast allows journalists based remotely to interact in a press conference held anywhere in the world. Not only journalists are able to attend the press conference in real-time, from any country and any computer connected to the internet, but they also are able to interact by asking questions.

APO is the creator of Africa Wire®, the newswire service for press release distribution and monitoring in Africa. This reaches over 50,000 media outlets, bloggers and social networks, and redistributes content to more than 50 African websites, as well as to Bloomberg Terminal, Thomson Reuters, Lexis Nexis, Dow Jones Factiva, 250 million mobile subscribers in 30 countries, and more.

Used by some of the world’s top companies, PR agencies, institutions and organizations, APO Africa Wire® has a potential reach of 600 million and guarantees the most extensive outreach in Africa, where clients can directly target audiences in all corners of the continent and to the world.

Download brochure: http://www.apo-mail.org/apo-brochure.pdf

About APO media reach: www.apo-opa.com/Press_Release_Distribution.pdf

More information: http://www.apo-opa.com/services.php

Contact:

Aïssatou Diallo

bdm@apo-opa.org

+41 22 534 96 97

About APO

APO (African Press Organization) (http://www.apo-opa.com) is the sole press release newswire in Africa and is a global leader in media relations relating to Africa.

With offices in Senegal, Switzerland, Dubai, Hong Kong, India, and Seychelles, APO owns a media database of over 100,000 contacts and is the main online community for Africa-related news.

It offers a complete range of services, including press release distribution and monitoring, online press conferences, interactive webcasts, media interactions, strategic advice, public diplomacy, government relations and events promotion. To find out more, please visit http://www.apo-opa.com.

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apo_source

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Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/africanpressorganization

PARIS, France, October 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Uhuru Kenyatta’s presence at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 8 October 2014, as ordered by the Trial Chamber Judges, must be seen as the opportunity to place victims’ right to truth and justice at the center of the ongoing debates on the fate of this case, our organizations said today. The Kenyan authorities must ensure full cooperation with the ICC and conduct genuine investigations and prosecutions at the national level so that the victims of the 2007/2008 post-election violence get justice and redress.

On 7 and 8 October 2014, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is holding two status conferences concerning the case against Kenya’s acting President Uhuru Kenyatta. These hearings will discuss the status of cooperation between the Prosecution and the Kenyan Government and are intended to enable the ICC Trial Chamber to decide on the future of the case.

The ICC Office of the Prosecutor claims that Kenyan authorities are not entirely complying with their obligation to cooperate by withholding requested material that would be necessary to establish Kenyatta’s culpability in crimes committed during the post-election violence as alleged in the case instituted against him.

“These conferences are not about the determination of the guilt or innocence of Uhuru Kenyatta, but about hearing all parties on specific issues relating to the extent of cooperation of Kenya with the ICC Office of the Prosecutor, which has a direct and considerable impact on the ICC proceedings” , stated our organizations. “While President Uhuru Kenyatta has thus far appeared to abide by his obligations to the Court, he has in parallel engaged in a series of diplomatic and judicial strategies aimed at questioning both the legitimacy and credibility of the Court’s process and which have had the effect of undermining the ultimate objective of justice for victims” , they added.

FIDH and KHRC further recall that “the intervention of the ICC is all the more crucial in light of the fact that victims of the crimes committed during the post-election violence in Kenya have not obtained adequate and holistic redress at the national level. The current developments in the proceedings before the ICC also demonstrate that no-one, not even a sitting Head of State, is above the law” .

Despite the start of a national judicial process, the 2007/2008 post elections crimes have to a large extent remained unpunished. There have been few prosecutions of mid-level perpetrators of the violence and most of them have ended in acquittals on account of poor investigations, which have failed to yield credible and sufficient evidence to sustain convictions.

Background information

Following a challenged electoral result, Kenya erupted into violence in December 2007. In the ensuing period, Kenya witnessed unprecedented violence that resulted in at least 1133 deaths, 900 cases of sexual and gender based violence, over 350,000 displaced persons, numerous victims of grievous harm and destruction of property.

In the past year, there have been almost no efforts by the government to establish a credible or effective process for investigating and prosecuting the crimes or for securing meaningful justice for victims. Due to the lack of credible local processes, the ICC has continued to receive notable support by Kenyans as the only accountability process that can effectively deliver justice for victims.

For further information, see in particular FIDH-KHRC report “Kenya: One Year in Office for Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto; Human Rights Record Marred by Abuses”, April 2014.

ROME, Italy, October 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — FAO today launched a new programme to urgently assist 90 000 vulnerable households in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone whose food supplies and livelihoods are threatened by the disruptive effect the Ebola epidemic is having on rural economies, agricultural activities and markets.

Error! Filename not specified.The Regional Response Programme for West Africa will scale-up the work FAO is currently doing with governments, United Nations partners and local networks of agriculture, veterinary and forestry workers, to help stop the spread of the disease, meet immediate and long-term food and nutrition security needs and build resilience.

FAO is urgently calling for $30 million to support activities linked to the programme over the next 12 months. Programme activities are organized around four key objectives:

• contribute to saving lives by stopping the spread of the disease through social mobilization, training and awareness raising;

• boost incomes and agricultural production to safeguard livelihoods;

• build resilience of communities to disease threats; and

• strengthen coordination for improved response.

“Our comprehensive response is part of overall United Nations efforts to save lives and protect livelihoods,” said Vincent Martin, Head of FAO’s Dakar-based Subregional Resilience Hub, the office coordinating FAO’s response. “We’re following a twin-track approach to help our United Nations partners halt the tragic loss of life while at the same time protecting incomes, nutrition levels and food security.”

Activities include mobilizing communities to reduce their risk of infection through awareness campaigns; boosting food and cash crops, livestock and fisheries production, introducing microfinance strategies to safeguard rural incomes; and setting up early warning and response systems to reduce Ebola risks at the human-animal interface. The programme will also ensure countries are coordinated and resourced by filling gaps in expertise, increasing knowledge sharing on best-practices and building collaborative networks.

“These actions cannot wait,” said Bukar Tijani, Assistant Director-General/Regional Representative, Regional Office for Africa. “The outbreak is already reducing the purchasing power of vulnerable households, which means less food on their plates and increased nutritional risks for families already on subsistence diets. Fear and stigmatization also threaten to reduce agricultural activities, thereby placing food security at risk.”

Early results from rapid assessments point to a worrisome situation. In Sierra Leone, for example, 47 percent of the respondents said Ebola was considerably disrupting their farming activities. In Lofa county, the most affected rural county in Liberia, the prices of commodities, including food, increased from 30 to 75 percent just in August 2014.

If not addressed now, the current impact of the outbreak on livelihoods could lead to long-lasting impacts on farmers’ livelihoods and rural economies.

FAO mobilized its own funds to support United Nations’ and governments’ efforts. However, much more is needed and right away. FAO is calling for urgent support to enable the Organization to continue assisting vulnerable communities in affected and at-risk countries while also safeguarding their futures.

PARIS, France, October 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — France condemns the attack on 3 October which killed nine Nigerien soldiers from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali and wounded several others.
We extend our condolences…

CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, October 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Oracle Corporation (http://www.oracle.com) today announced an initiative designed to enrich and increase the skills capacity of IT practitioners in Africa. The four-pronged program was devised as a response to the rapid adoption of new technologies by governments and businesses in Africa, exacerbating the shortage of suitably skilled practitioners to use the systems to best advantage.

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According to Oracle, the dramatic advancement of technology over the past five years has resulted in a gap in IT competencies and skills availability. Organizations in Africa are adopting new technologies at a rate which is outstripping the availability of appropriately qualified staff.

“Today IT holds the promise to promote social inclusion, combat corruption, expand the digital economy and enable stronger links between citizens and governments, businesses and customers, NGOs and the communities they serve,” said Alfonso Di Ianni, Senior Vice President, Oracle East Central Europe, Middle East and Africa. “They can do this and at the same time dramatically reduce costs and improve efficiency. However for technology to support such transformation, organizations must have ready access to people capable of setting up and maintaining these systems.”

Consisting of four elements – employee readiness, ecosystem readiness, workforce readiness and youth readiness, Oracle is reaching out to governments, the private sector and non-profit organizations to implement a long term skills strategy that will help fulfill demand for relevant IT skills.

Supporting Quotes

• “Using the materials and manpower from Oracle University, Oracle Academy, Oracle Partner Enablement, Oracle Sales Consulting and the Public Sector Center of Excellence, Oracle will, in partnership with the organization or community, create programs addressing their skills need,” said Orfhlaith Ni Chorcora, Senior Director, Business Development at Oracle. “Two such partnerships are already underway with the Lagos State government in Nigeria and Equity Group Foundation in Kenya to jointly drive successful initiatives tailored to the local needs.

• “Building a competitive pool of IT-skilled youth in the state is a priority for Lagos State,” said Governor Babatunde Fashola(SAN). “To successfully achieve this goal, it takes multi-stakeholder support and long term collaboration with organizations such as Oracle who share our deepest commitment to building skills and creating exciting job opportunities for the youth of Lagos. We are off to a good start and look forward to increasing that impact in the coming months.”

• “In the emerging economic order, basic computer literacy means the ability not only to use software, but also to modify or create; in other words, to program,” said Dr. Helen Gichohi, Managing Director of Equity Group Foundation. “For them to compete internationally we must also raise their ICT competencies to global standards and keep them intellectually curious, creative and motivated to critically think about their surroundings.”

Supporting Resources

• Download Capacity-Building Program Infographic

• Video interview: Alphonso Di Ianni, Oracle Vice President, East Central Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Orfhlaith Ni Chorcora, Senior Director, Business Development, describe the components of the capacity-building programme and its importance for the Africa region.

• Oracle Academy: https://academy.oracle.com

• Oracle Workforce Development Program: https://workforce.oracle.com

• Oracle University: http://education.oracle.com

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Oracle Corporation.

About Oracle OpenWorld

Oracle OpenWorld San Francisco is the most important business and technology conference of the year for Oracle customers, prospective customers, and partners. This educational conference is dedicated to helping businesses optimize existing systems and understand upcoming industry trends and breakthroughs driven by technology. Oracle OpenWorld offers more than 2,500 educational sessions, hundreds of demos and hands-on labs, and exhibitions from more than 400 partners and customers from around the world showcasing applications, middleware, database, server and storage systems, industries, management, cloud, and infrastructure solutions—all engineered for innovation. Oracle OpenWorld 2014 is being held September 28 through October 2 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. For more information; to register; or to watch Oracle OpenWorld keynotes, sessions, and more, please visit www.oracle.com/openworld. Join the Oracle OpenWorld discussion on Twitter (https://twitter.com/oracleopenworld), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/OracleOpenWorld?ref=br_tf), and the Oracle OpenWorld blog (https://blogs.oracle.com/oracleopenworld).

About Oracle

Oracle engineers hardware and software to work together in the cloud and in your data center. For more information about Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), visit http://www.oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, October 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) (http://www.gemalto.com), the world leader in digital security, announces that Nedbank Ltd, a leading commercial bank in South Africa, is deploying its Ezio eBanking solution to provide their wholesale customers with unmatched online transaction security and superior convenience. Gemalto also provides Nedbank with consulting services, device fulfilment to the end users, and operates remote management of the tokens on behalf of Nedbank Ltd.

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With this fully outsourced solution, Nedbank users simply connect a USB key, which launches a “safe zone” that permits to securely review, approve and digitally sign all types of transactions in a protected online environment

The Ezio Corporate eBanking PKI solution requires no software installation, eliminating costly technical support while guaranteeing high user satisfaction. The user simply connects the USB key to their PC or Mac and the device launches a “safe zone” that permits to securely review, approve and digitally sign all types and amounts of banking transactions within a protected online environment. Ezio also ensures session integrity even if the connection platform is vulnerable. The upgradable, multi-application platform can be remotely managed, enabling the bank to update certificates and deploy new services without the need for new hardware.

“We have implemented and operated Gemalto’s PKI solutions for over ten years, with a very high level of success in providing secure electronic banking solutions,” said Fred Swanepoel, Chief Information Officer of Nedbank Ltd. “In an effort to offer best-in-class Wholesale Banking solutions to our business customers, we have deployed Gemalto’s brand new PKI solution, launched as the Plug and Transact TokenTM, to differentiate ourselves from our competitors by offering secure solutions with enhanced client usability as well improved tracking and business information.”

“There has always been high demand from Nedbank to pioneer our eBanking solutions, with each trial resulting in a full-scale deployment,” added said Håkan Nordfjell, Senior Vice President e-Banking and e-Commerce at Gemalto. “By outsourcing its entire token management system, Nedbank benefits from significant cost reduction in terms of initial investment and running expenses compared to an in-house solution.”

Nedbank’s solution is built on Gemalto’s field-proven Ezio technology, which is already implemented by over 200 financial institutions worldwide and used by over 100 million banking customers worldwide.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Gemalto.

Gemalto Media Contacts:

Kristel Teyras

Middle East & Africa

+33 1 55 01 57 89

kristel.teyras@gemalto.com

Contact Gemalto’s media relations in your region: http://www.gemalto.com/press/index.html

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) (http://www.gemalto.com) is the world leader in digital security (http://www.gemalto.com/companyinfo/digital_security.html) with 2013 annual revenues of €2.4 billion and more than 12,000 employees operating out of 85 offices and 25 research and software development centers, located in 44 countries.

We are at the heart of the rapidly evolving digital society. Billions of people worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain and work – anytime, everywhere – in ways that are enjoyable and safe. Gemalto delivers on their expanding needs for personal mobile services, payment security, authenticated cloud access, identity and privacy protection, eHealthcare and eGovernment efficiency, convenient ticketing and dependable machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. We develop secure embedded software and secure products which we design and personalize. Our platforms and services manage these products, the confidential data they contain and the trusted end-user services made possible.

Our innovations enable our clients to offer trusted and convenient digital services to billions of individuals. Gemalto thrives with the growing number of people using its solutions to interact with the digital and wireless world.

For more information visit http://www.gemalto.com, http://www.justaskgemalto.com, http://blog.gemalto.com, or follow @gemalto on Twitter.