Category: APO-OPA

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, April 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Tigo Tanzania (http://www.tigo.co.tz) announced today a partnership with Facebook in which all its customers in the country will get free access to Facebook services in English and a new Kiswahili version through their mobile handsets.

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Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1020 (It’s thumps up by Tigo Tanzania General Manager, Diego Gutierrez (L), and Facebook representative, Nicola D’Elia, during the launch of a historic partnership between their two companies today in Dar es Salaam)

It is the first time that Facebook will be free on any mobile network in East Africa, according to Tigo General Manager Diego Gutierrez.

Speaking at the launch of the partnership in Dar es Salaam, Gutierrez said: “What this partnership means is that Tigo customers can, for the first time, access Facebook through their handsets without incurring any data charges and connect with the social media network’s two millions of users in Tanzania and its 1.2 billion users worldwide.

Gutierrez added: “It is the first time any major social media company has made a version in Kiswahili the national language spoken by Tanzanians and majority of the people in East, Central and Southern African region.

“Facebook has been a fantastic driver of data on mobile networks. With this unique partnership, we are making Tigo stand out from the crowd and giving many customers their first taste of the internet and social media, including in Kiswahili. That’s what creating the digital lifestyle is all about, and it reinforces our strategy to encourage more Tigo customers to use data as part of their daily communications activity.”

The strategic partnership is part of Facebook’s recent Internet.org initiative launched by the company’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg.

Guttierrez said “The new service will open new frontiers to Tanzanians and to other Kiswahili speakers by offering them new business, educational and other socio-economic opportunities across the world.”

Apart from the five East African Community (EAC) member states, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, Kiswahili is also spoken in parts of Malawi, Somali, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique.

With this launch Tanzania, a country recognized for being the cradle of Kiswahili language, becomes the first in the region the region to showcase this language globally, a breakthrough that that Tigo, its parent company Millicom and Facebook takes credit for.

This is the second time that Facebook and Millicom have partnered following the joint launch of free mobile access to Facebook with Tigo Paraguay in December 2013 and the service’s launch in the historical native Guarani language there.

Nicola D’ Elia, Facebook Director for International Growth and Partnerships commented “We’re excited to be working with Tigo again to give more people in Tanzania the ability to share and connect free of data charges across Facebook apps and mobile website, and now in the traditional language of Kiswahili.”

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

For further information visit: www.tigo.co.tz or contact:

John Wanyancha – Corporate Communications Manager

Mobile: 0658 123 089

john.wanyancha@tigo.co.tz

About Tigo:

Tigo (http://www.tigo.co.tz) started operations in 1994 as the first cellular network in Tanzania. It now covers 30 regions in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. Tigo strives to be Tanzania’s most innovative mobile phone operator, offering services ranging from affordable mobile voice communications to high speed Internet access and mobile financial services through Tigo Pesa.

Tigo is part of Millicom which provides affordable, widely accessible and readily available cellular telephone services to more than 50 million customers in 13 emerging markets in Africa and Latin America.

The success of Tigo is based on the “Triple A” strategy, which stands for Affordability, Accessibility and Availability. We create a world where mobile services are affordable, accessible and available everywhere and to all. This guarantees that our subscribers experience the best services at the most affordable rates throughout all 30 regions in both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar.

“SMILE, YOU’RE WITH TIGO”

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, April 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Burundi President, His Excellency Pierre Nkurunziza, today, made a historic visit to Somalia to check on his forces serving under the African Union peacekeeping mission, as well as pay a courtesy call to Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahamud.

During his visit to Somalia, the Burundian President expressed optimism about Somalia’s future, and reaffirmed his Government commitment to work in partnership with the Somali Government to promote peace and security.

“I am delighted to have visited Somalia at a crucial time for the Federal Government in their fight against Al Shabaab and terrorism. Burundi Government now has appointed its first Ambassador to Somalia, we also have our troops serving with AMISOM who have been in Somalia since 2007, and the relationship between the two countries is excellent”, said President Nkurunziza.

The President had a message to Somali people: “My message to Somalia is that of hope and peace. I encourage the people of Somalia to have hope. Burundi was once ravaged by civil war; however, thanks to the political goodwill of all Burundians, we now live in peace. There is a time for everything – a time for war and a time for peace and development, and now it’s a good time for Somalis to think about peace and stability”.

During his time in Somalia, President Nkurunziza also addressed AMISOM troops and thanked them for the contribution they have made to the security and stability of Somalia. “We are deeply grateful to AMISOM forces for the sacrifices you have made to help our Somali brothers.”

ROME, Italy, April 25, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Scientists have cracked the genetic code of the bloodsucking tsetse fly, prompting hope that the breakthrough will help future efforts to control one of the most devastating livestock diseases in sub-Saharan Africa spread by the insect.

The tsetse genome was sequenced and annotated during a 10-year international collaborative effort that involved the Insect Pest Control Laboratory run jointly by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. The achievement allows scientists to better study the fly’s genes and their functions, knowledge that should open the door for researching ways to control the insect.

Found only in Africa, tsetse flies are vectors for the single-cell parasites that cause trypanosomiasis, or nagana, an often-lethal disease that affects some 3 million animals in the region each year at massive costs to farmers’ livelihoods and food security.

The disease leads to a debilitating chronic condition that reduces fertility, weight gain, meat and milk production, and makes livestock too weak to be used for ploughing or transport, which in turn affects crop production.

Humans bitten by carrier flies can develop African sleeping sickness, which can be fatal without treatment.

No vaccine against the disease exists for livestock or humans because the parasite is able to evade mammalian immune systems, so control methods primarily involve targeting tsetse flies through trapping, pesticide treatments and sterile male release strategies.

“Decoding the tsetse fly’s DNA is a major scientific breakthrough that opens the way for more effective control of trypanosomiasis, which is good news for millions of herders and farmers in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Kostas Bourtzis of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture.

“Detection and treatment of trypanosomiasis is currently expensive, difficult and dangerous for the livestock as it often involves toxic drugs, but this new knowledge will accelerate research on tsetse control methods and help scientists develop new and complementary strategies to reduce the use of costly drugs and insecticides,” he said.

Unique biology

In their contribution to decoding the genome, scientists from the FAO/IAEA Insect Pest Control Laboratory focused on the tsetse fly’s relationship with a symbiotic bacterium, Wolbachia, which in many insect species affects its host’s biology and physiology, including reproduction, mating behaviour and capacity as a vector.

“Our group was involved in the discovery of the horizontal transfer of large stretches of genomic sequence from the Wolbachia bacteria into the tsetse genome,” Bourtzis said. “How these gene insertions affect the biology of the tsetse is currently being investigated.”

The tsetse fly’s complex relationship with Wolbachia and two other symbiotic bacteria are part of its unique biology, which also involves feeding exclusively on vertebrate blood, giving birth to live young, and feeding young by lactation.

A first set of findings on the tsetse fly genome will be published in the journal Science on Friday in a paper entitled ‘Genome Sequence of the Tsetse Fly (Glossina morsitans): Vector of African Trypanosomiasis’.

Sterile insect technique

The Joint FAO/IAEA Division is currently supporting 14 African nations in their efforts to tackle the trypanosomiasis problem by controlling tsetse fly populations by integrating the sterile insect technique with other control methods.

A form of insect birth control, the sterile insect technique involves releasing mass-bred male flies that have been sterilized by low doses of radiation into infested areas, where they mate with wild females. These do not produce offspring and, as a result, the technique can suppress and, if applied systematically on an area-wide basis, eventually eradicate populations of wild flies.

Tsetse flies were successfully eradicated from the island of Zanzibar using the sterile insect technique and are currently being suppressed in parts of southern Ethiopia. In January, Senegal reported that it was making significant progress in infested areas in the Niayes with the same method.

Established in 1964, the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture uses the talents and resources of both organizations to broaden cooperation among their member countries in applying nuclear technology and related biotechnologies to improve sustainable food security.

NEW YORK, April 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The World Bank’s Connect4Climate initiative (http://www.facebook.com/connect4climate) is partnering with Sony Picture Television’s (http://www.sonypictures.com/green) multi-platform entertainment network Crackle (http://bit.ly/1lK4dRM) and Fluminense Federal University (UFF) (http://www.uff.br) in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, to launch the Cinema Green Project, a series of five short films airing exclusively on Crackle’s platforms in Brazil. With the aim to nurture the talent of Brazilian cinema students and raise awareness about environmental sustainability, Crackle funded five short films presented by UFF film students. This is a first step towards a global initiative.

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A committee composed of Crackle’s programming team and recognized international figures in the film industry, featuring filmmaker Fernando Meirelles, and actors Alessandra Negrini and Rodrigo Santoro, selected the scripts for the short films. According to Academy Award nominee Fernando Meirelles, “The Cinema Green Project is an exciting opportunity for young filmmakers to engage in environmental defense and help change the usual production practices of the film industry.”

Crackle’s seed initiative, Cinema Green Project, strives to motivate the public to take a more conscious attitude towards the environment. There are three documentaries and two fiction works that address issues such as responsible consumer practices, environmental preservation, and sustainable transport.

“Crackle sits at the intersection of media, entertainment, and premium, original content. We are elated to partner with Fluminense Federal University, the World Bank Group’s Connect4Climate initiative and Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Sustainability Department in the launch of an environmental awareness initiative that converges film, education and technology for the greater good,” says Jose Rivera Font, GM & VP, Digital Networks Latin America at Sony Pictures Television. “Crackle serves as the perfect medium to convey a powerful message through more than fifteen different platforms to the Brazilian audience, inviting them to partake in our efforts and together make a difference.”

“In the words of our President Jim Yong Kim, ‘We will never end poverty if we don’t tackle climate change’ – says Lucia Grenna, Connect4Climate Program Manager. “Connect4Climate aims to ignite a discussion that calls for strong action on climate change, and for a global climate change movement. With over 200 partners across the world working together to reach the most diverse audiences and to achieve tangible outcomes Connect4Climate fits perfectly into this exciting initiative, and we look forward to giving maximum exposure to the films and bring local voices to a global audience.”

Crackle’s ubiquitous presence and free applications facilitate access to the Brazilian audience across mobile devices, connected televisions, and web via http://www.crackle.com.br. The platforms include Google Chrome, Google TV, Sony Bravia TV, Samsung TV, LG TV and their Blu-Ray Streamers, Apple TV, PS3, PS4, XBOX 360, XBOX One, Windows 8, Blackberry, iOS, Android and Kindle Fire.

Below is a summary of the five short films that comprise Crackle’s Cinema Green Project:

“Operação Chorume” by Amanda Kadobayashi and Leonardo Khuriyeh

Carlos Eduardo (ECO-92) exhibits anti-sustainable behavior throughout his daily life. One day he is approached by the BOPA (Battalion for Environmental Operations) and taken to a training center where he is subjected to an arduous learning process and starts to act in a sustainable way.

“Adenor” by Ricardo Soares

Adenor is a senior citizen of 72 years who worked in the farm and eventually became rich. He started smoking early and had always seen the cigarette as something that would keep him company. In the monotony of the rural area, time passes very slowly. Life is inert. By intuition, he knew his time was running out and that the finish line would soon come. Since that epiphany, Adenor transformed cigarettes into organic fertilizer and began planting. Also, as a ritual, he prepares his cross and his grave alongside his wife.

“My vehicle, the Bike” by Guilherme Farkas

The documentary presents the bicycle as an important mean of urban transportation. The film follows the life of three characters who roam the streets of Niterói city: a university professor, a drugstore delivery guy and a mechanic.

“Staying and Resisting” by Daniel Soares

This documentary aims to address the issue of traditional communities and their role on preserving the environment in which they live. Through interviews and images of everyday life at the Itaipu traditional fishermen “caiçara” community and the descendants of former slaves, the film traces a parallel between the creation of the Park of Serra da Tiririca and the endurance of traditional inhabitants, as well as the speculation in the region that deprive fishermen of their activity.

“Sitiê” by Filipe Tomassini and Rafael Andreoni

In the Alto Vidigal’s favela region is the Sitiê Ecological Park, a conservation area created by locals. With the testimony of the founders, the film demonstrates how the park can be a sustainable model for urban space, and an alternate path to the “civilizing” process that accompanies the pacification of the favelas.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of The World Bank.

About Crackle, Inc.

Crackle, Inc., a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, is a multi-platform next-generation video entertainment network that distributes digital content including original short form series and full-length traditional television programming and feature films from Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems and others. Crackle is one of the fastest growing entertainment destinations on the Internet today, offering audiences quality programming in a variety of genres, including comedy, action, sci-fi, horror, music and reality.Crackle reaches an impressive audience through its diverse online and mobile distribution network. Crackle is available in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Latin America and Brazil. Visit Crackle at crackle.com.

About Connect4Climate

Connect4Climate (http://www.connect4climate.org) is a campaign, a coalition and a community dedicated to driving global action on climate change, connecting and amplifying climate initiatives and activities, and creating social currency and political capital for climate action. It works with more than 180 partner organizations around the world, and is funded by the World Bank, the Italian Ministry of the Environment. http://www.connect4climate.org – http://facebook.com/connect4climate – http://twitter.com/connect4climate

OTTAWA, Canada, April 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Honourable Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights, today issued the following statement:

“Canada deplores the atrocious targeted attacks against civilians committed in Bor and Bentiu, South Sudan, by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition. Early reports indicate that hundreds of people, including women and children, were killed in Bentiu alone. Of these, approximately 200 civilians were encouraged to shelter in a mosque by Opposition forces and then deliberately targeted and killed.

“Canada condemns the perpetrators of these terrible attacks and calls on the leaders of the Opposition forces to undertake an immediate and thorough investigation, to hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure that their troops never again commit ethnicity-based atrocities. It appears that individuals associated with the Opposition used radio broadcasts to encourage targeted ethnic killings and the rape of civilians, tactics that are similar to those used 20 years ago in Rwanda, a sign that these crimes are increasingly driven by hate. Canada encourages South Sudan to facilitate the work of the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan and looks forward to its report on human rights abuses.

“The events of the past week in South Sudan demonstrate the crucial importance of the mediation efforts led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. Canada encourages the parties to respect the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement and return to the negotiating table.”

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme) (http://http://www.merck.com) reiterates today its support to the World Immunization Week, an annual initiative launched by World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners to celebrate and promote immunization through acts of raising awareness, education and communication.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/msd.jpg

Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1017 (Dr. Soren Bo Christiansen, President of MSD’s Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region)

This year, the African Vaccination Week will be celebrated from 22 to 27 April under the theme –“Vaccination – a shared responsibility”. . It aims at highlighting the role and importance of everyone to fight against the vaccine-preventable diseases such as pertussis, measles, tetanus, diphtheria, influenza, rotavirus diarrhea, pneumonia, viral hepatitis and cancers associated with HPV (cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancers). .

The efficacy of vaccines and their impact on public health are no longer questioned. They have contributed to the prevention of more than 25 circulating infectious diseases and have allowed avoiding a large number of long-term handicaps1. Likewise, the number of spared deaths each year is estimated at about 2 to 3 millions every year2 thanks to immunization. However, despite the progress in Africa, many challenges remain. The advantages of vaccination should be extended beyond children to include teenagers and adults, hence to provide protection against deadly diseases such as , meningitis, diarrhea or even cancers associated with HPV (cervical cancer and ano-genital cancers). In Africa, a woman dies every 8 hours because of cancer, deaths that we can avoid today thanks to early immunization3.

Vaccination against Human Papilloma Virus infections (human papillomavirus)

Human Papillomaviruses (HPV) are viruses that are quite common as they may infect skin and mucous membranes 4. Researchers distinguish more than 100 genotypes of papillomavirus, of which 40 may infect genitals and 13 are recognized as oncogenes 4.

HPV infection is one of the most common4 Sexually Transmitted Infections

(STI): at least half of sexually active individuals encounter HPV during their lifetime4. Any sexual contact is associated with a risk of infection4. Having a cutaneous and mucosal transmissive nature, HPV infection might occur despite condom use; hence vaccination proves to be important 4.

Today, there are two vaccines against HPV:the bivalent vaccine targeting the two main oncogenes HPV types (16 and 18) and a the quadrivalent vaccine targeting HPV type 6 &11 (responsible for 90% of the cases of genital warts (1)) and HPV type 16 and 18 which cause 70% of cervical cancers, 40% to 50% of vulva cancer, 70% of vagina cancers (2) and 95% of anus cancers (3).

The World Immunization Week is the perfect occasion to shed light on the tremendous progress achieved in terms of immunization and to draw attention to cancers induced by viral infections such as HPV infections (uterus and vulva cancers) which can be henceforth prevented rather than cured. Likewise, it is an opportunity to stress the importance of integrating such type of vaccines in our national public health programs.

“MSD is proud to support World Immunization Week in Africa, which provides an important opportunity to raise awareness about the public health impact of vaccination,” said Dr. Soren Bo Christiansen, President of MSD’s Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Vaccines are one of the greatest public health stories in history, and MSD has played its part in that story. For more than 50 years, our scientists have helped prevent now-rare diseases such as measles and mumps, as well as diseases never thought preventable such as shingles and cervical cancer. Our commitment to protecting human health by ensuring availability and accessibility of vaccines is vital to our mission as a company.”

With the participation of more than 180 countries, territories and regions around the globe, the World Immunization Week aims at issuing a reminder that vaccines help fight a large number of infectious diseases and calls for action to improve immunization coverage for all age individuals.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme).

Media Contact:

MSD, Khalid Baddou

Email: Khalid.Baddou@Merck.com

About MSD

MSD (http://http://www.merck.com), today (known as Merck in the United States and Canada) is a global health leader, committed to help the world live better. MSD is a commercial name of Merck & Co., Inc., the headquarters of which are located in Whitehouse Station, NJ, United States. Thanks to our medicines, vaccines, biological therapeutics, consumer and animal health products, we collaborate with our clients and work in more than 140 countries to provide innovative health solutions. Likewise, we prove our determination to improve access to health care thanks to policies, programs and partnerships of high caliber.

To learn more, please visit http://http://www.merck.com

References

World Health Organization, UNICEF, World Bank. State of the world’s vaccines and immunization. 3rd edition. Geneva 2009. 2. World Health Organization. Immunization. Available at: http://www.who.int/gho/immunization/en/index.html – Accessed February 2013World Health Organization. The International Agency for Cancer Research. GLOBOCAN 2008 Fast Stats Factsheet – Summary of “Cancer incidence and mortality worldwide in 2008”. Available online on: http://globocan.iarc.fr/factsheets/cancers/cervix.asp

4. Eileen F. Dunne, Elizabeth R. Unger, Maya Sternberg, Geraldine McQuillan, David C. Swan, Sonya S. Patel, Lauri E. Markowitz. Prevalence of HPV infection among females in the United States, JAMA. 2007;297:813-819

(1) aStudy Design: Six placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized phase 2 and 3 clinical studiesb evaluated the efficacy of GARDASIL in girls and women 16 to 45 years of age and boys and men 16 to 26 years of age at enrollment. Efficacy was measured after 1 month postdose 3, with median duration of follow-up from 3 to 4 years. Subjects received vaccine or placebo on the day of enrollment, and 2 and 6 months thereafter. Subjects received all 3 doses within 1 year of enrollment, had no major deviations from the study protocol, and were enrolled regardless of baseline HPV status, but were counted only in the analysis of the type(s) for which they were naïve at enrollment and through 1 month postdose 3.

bThe first phase 2 study evaluated the HPV 16 component of GARDASIL (n=2,391 girls and women), and the second evaluated all 4 components of GARDASIL (n=551 girls and women). Three phase 3 studies, called FUTURE, evaluated GARDASIL in 5,442 (FUTURE I), 12,157 (FUTURE II), and 3,817 (FUTURE III) girls and women. A fourth phase 3 study evaluated GARDASIL in 4,055 boys and men

(2) ~40% to 50% of vulvar cancer cases2,3

~70% of vaginal cancer cases3

2. Hampl M et al. Obstet Gynecol. 2006;108(6):1361–1368. 3. Insinga RP et al. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008;17(7):1611–1622.

(3) http://www.cdc.gov/hpv/cancer.html

Joseph DA, Miller JW, Wu X, et al. Understanding the burden of human papillomavirus-associated anal cancers in the US. Cancer.

2008;113(10 suppl):2892-2900

DAKAR, Sénégal, April 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — APO (African Press Organization) (http://www.apo-opa.com), the sole press release newswire in Africa and the global leader in media relations relating to Africa, today announced a multi-year strategic partnership with IMImobile (http://www.imimobile.com), a leading global provider of end-to-end mobile engagement software and solutions to telecom operators, enterprises and media companies, to provide mobile content to MTN Group, Airtel, Orange, Vodafone Group and Tigo in over 30 countries, with a total reach of 250 million users in Africa.

Logo APO: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/apo-african-press-organization-small.png

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Photo : http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=782 (Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and CEO of APO (African Press Organization)

The partnership with IMImobile and their connection to mobile network operators across the continent, will allow APO to deliver an exclusive feed of Africa-related news releases issued by governments, institutions, NGOs, companies, and United Nations agencies to over 250 million mobile subscribers, free of charge.

Thanks to IMImobile, APO content, which includes text, images, video, audio and documents, will be integrated into IMImobile’s award-winning DaVinci Evolved Service Platform (ESP) to guarantee multi-channel delivery and superior customer experience to mobile devices in Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, DRC, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

“According to the latest GSMA Intelligence data from the World Bank and UN, total mobile connections in the Sub Sahara region alone passed the 500 million mark in Q1 2013, increasing by about 20% year-on-year. Connections are expected to grow by a further 50% (250 million connections) over the next five years. The continent’s smartphone market is expected to double in the next four years. In Africa the most effective marketing tool is now the mobile as it reaches the broadest market. IMImobile excels in distributing mobile content in Africa, and we could not have found a better partner to deliver APO content to mobiles”, comments APO founder and CEO, Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard.

“This partnership between IMImobile and APO comes as a natural evolution of the population’s thirst for knowledge cross border and of international bodies looking more seriously at doing business in a new emerging and developing continent. At APO we are excited about being a leading contributor to changing the way business is done in Africa”, added Pompigne-Mognard.

“With smartphone penetration forecasted to reach 20% by 2017, mobile will become the central access point for news and information via the internet. The partnership between APO, a media specialist and IMImobile’s mobile expertise, will ensure that content is delivered to African mobile users in an optmised multi-channel format through our relationship with Africa’s mobile network operators,” comments Jay Patel, Chief Executive at IMImobile.

Contact APO:

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, India, and Seychelles, APO owns a media database of over 50,000 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 APO on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apo_source

Follow APO on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/african-press-organization

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

About IMImobile

IMImobile is a leading global provider of end-to-end mobile engagement software and solutions to mobile operators, enterprises and media companies with over 650 employees and a presence across Asia, Europe, America, the Middle East and Africa.

The IMImobile product and service portfolio is built on a core modular service platform called the DaVinci Evolved Service Platform hosted in the cloud. On top of the DaVinci platform sits a suite of consumer lifecycle solutions that allow operators and enterprises to drive revenue generation, self-care, customer acquisition, customer retention and audience engagement through the mobile device.

IMImobile is working with over 100 blue chip companies and its services reach over 1.2 billion subscribers in over 73 countries. IMImobile’s operator customers include Aircel, Airtel, BSNL, France Telecom, Meteor, Millicom, Mobitel, MTN, Reliance, Tata, Telefónica, Tigo, Zain and Vodafone. IMImobile’s media and enterprise customers include BBC, Centrica, E-ON, Ford, Mahindra & Mahindra, Star TV, Reuters, Yahoo, Google, EMI Music, Universal Music, Sony and Warner Music, The AA.

For more information visit www.imimobile.com

DELFT, The Netherlands, April 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The first class of five Rotary (http://www.rotary.org) sponsored scholars has graduated with Master of Science degrees in water education from the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education. The graduates now will apply their education to water and sanitation projects in their home countries of Argentina, Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Ghana.

Photos (see captions below): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9r5v2m62wfx6hli/74kxgXBLfK

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Established in 2011, the partnership between Rotary and UNESCO-IHE — the world’s largest graduate water education facility — addresses the global water and sanitation crisis by increasing the ranks of trained professionals critically needed to devise, plan and implement solutions in countries where communities lack access to clean water and safe sanitation. Rotary provides scholarship grants that enable local Rotary clubs and districts to select and sponsor eligible students to the program. Rotary members mentor the students throughout the program, building positive relationships that continue after graduation.

“We’re proud of the Rotary and UNESCO-IHE partnership and especially proud of our first class of Rotary water scholars, who will now use their expertise to develop sustainable water and sanitation solutions in their home countries,” said Rotary Foundation Trustee Stephen R. Brown. “The mentoring of the students by Rotary clubs and Rotary members – during their studies at UNESCO-IHE, as well as after they return home – is essential to the success of the scholarship program. These relationships and networks will enable students to effectively implement their skills in their own local communities. Their work to improve water and sanitation conditions will have a positive, lasting impact around the world.”

His sentiments are echoed by UNESCO-IHE Rector András Szöllösi-Nagy. “I am confident that as these young professionals return home, they will continue to play a vital role in managing our water systems in a sustainable way for future generations,” he said. “As alumni, they will remain part of the largest network of water professionals and become part of an extensive network of fellow Rotary scholarship recipients and Rotarians worldwide.”

For example, graduate Bernice Asamoah, of Ghana, plans a hygiene project that will use solar power to disinfect water for communal toilet facilities. Graduate Kenechukwu “Kaycee” Okoli, of Nigeria, knows the value of public education, especially to empower children to become change agents. “The objective is to visit schools and to teach children and adolescents basic sanitation habits,” he said.

Another graduate, Temesgen Adamu, of Ethiopia, points to the World Health Organization’s statistics indicating that about 2.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to improved sanitation, and over 783 million people lack access to clean drinking water. “In my home country, the water quality is poor, safe water and sanitation facilities are inaccessible and water based diseases widespread,” Adamu said.

Graduate Gonzalo Duró, of Argentina, said he learned the critical importance of “cooperation between partners, institutions and professionals” in developing solutions to water and sanitation issues, while Uganda’s Godfrey Baguma appreciated the practical nature of the studies. “I am now able to address water and sanitation issues in a more integrated and technical manner,” Baguma said, adding that his interactions with Rotary members helped make Delft “a home away from home.”

Building on the success of the first class, the second class of students – 16 in total – began graduate studies in October 2013 and will graduate in 2015. Applications for the scholarship program can be found here: http://www.unesco-ihe.org/node/15630

The UNESCO-IHE graduates become part of a vast network of Rotary Foundation alumni, consisting of 120,000 leaders and change agents around the world. Since 1947, more than 43,000 students and fellows have received Rotary scholarships supporting studies in a variety of disciplines representing a total investment of more than US$557 million.

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

Contacts:

Rotary: Stéphanie Tobler, +41 387 71 16, stephanie.tobler@rotary.org

UNESCO-IHE: Alida Pham, +31 15 21 51 722, a.pham@unesco-ihe.org

About UNESCO-IHE

UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education is the largest international graduate water education facility in the world and is based in Delft, the Netherlands. The Institute confers fully accredited MSc degrees, and PhD degrees in collaboration with partners in the Netherlands. Since 1957 the Institute has provided graduate education to more than 14,500 water professionals from over 160 countries, the vast majority from the developing world. A unique combination of applied, scientific and participatory research in water engineering is offered combined with natural sciences and management sciences. More information: http://www.unesco-ihe.org.

About Rotary

Rotary (http://www.rotary.org) brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit http://www.rotary.org. For images, visit Rotary’s Media Center: https://www.rotary.org/en/news-features/media-center.

Note to editors:

First class:

• Temesgen Adamu (Ethiopia), thesis: “Impact of Climate change, land use changes and water resource management on the hydrology of Rib-Gumera Catchment, Ethiopia”,

• Godfrey Peterson Baguma (Uganda), thesis: “Pathogen removal in a low-coast Anammox Dwonflow Hanging Sponge reactor”,

• Kenechukwu “Kaycee” Okoli (Nigeria), thesis: “Hydraulic Modelling: Uncertainty Estimation and Comparison”,

• Bernice Asamoah (Ghana), thesis: “Disinfection of greywater from communal toilets using UVA enhanced with TiO2 after pre-treatment with slow sand filter” and

• Gonzalo Duró (Argentina), thesis: “Bar formation in channels with varying width: numerical analysis and practical engineering implications”.

The graduation ceremony will begin at 15:00, 24 April, at the “Oude Kerk”, Heilige Geestkerkhof 25, Delft.

Speakers include:

• Professor András Szöllösi-Nagy, Rector of UNESCO-IHE

• Dr. Fritz Holzwarth, Chairman of the Governing Board of UNESCO-IHE

• Paul Knyff, Rotary International Director 2011-2013

• UNESCO-IHE Honorary Fellow 2014, Em. Professor Brian Moss, University of Liverpool

PHOTO CAPTIONS

PHOTO 1 (with hat):

Who: Gonzalo Duró of Argentina

Date: 30/05/2013

Location: Basin of La Bléone River near Digne les Bains, France

Description: Topographic survey of river cross-sections during field work for the Hydraulic Engineering and River Basin Development program.

PHOTO 2 (blue coat):

Who: Gonzalo Duró of Argentina

Date: 28/05/2013

Location: Basin of La Bléone River near Digne les Bains, France

Description: Discharge measurement with a propeller flow meter during the field work for the Hydraulic Engineering and River Basin Development program.

PHOTO – Bernice 2

Who: Bernice Asamoah of Ghana

Description: Bernice in a sanitary engineering class, at UNESCO-IHE, Delft, The Netherlands. MSc in Municipal Water and Infrastructure.

PHOTO: Godfrey 4 –

Who: Godfrey Baguma of Uganda

Description: Godfrey in a sanitary engineering class at UNESCO-IHE, Delft, The Netherlands. MSc in Municipal Water and Infrastructure.

PHOTO: Kaycee 2

Who: Kenechukwu “Kaycee” Okoli of Nigeria

Date: May 2013

Location: Basin of La Bléone River near Digne les Bains, France

Description: Estimating the water flow rate in river basin. Photo taken during field work for the Hydraulic Engineering and River Basin Development specialization program. Pictured: from left, Dr. Micha Werner (Associate Professor of Hydraulic Engineering), Kaycee, and UNESCO-IHE student Faris Qazi.

PHOTOS

Who: Temesgen Adamu of Ethiopia

Location: All photos were taken in villages in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia (north-west Ethiopia)

1. Temesgen 1 – Animal and humans drinking from same water source

2. Temesgen 2 – Data collection for his thesis, taken on Dec 2013

3. Temesgen 3 – Stagnant water around villages

4. Temesgen 5 – Water shortages during dry periods in his town

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