Category: APO-OPA

ROME, Italy, February 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations and humanitarian partners launched today a three-year Regional Strategic Response Plan to provide aid to millions of people in nine countries in Africa’s Sahel region. The plan seeks to mobilize an initial US$2 billion from international donors in 2014.

Some twenty million people are currently at risk of food insecurity in the Sahel and 2.5 million of them need urgent lifesaving food assistance. An estimated five million children under five years of age will suffer from malnutrition in 2014, and some 1.5 million of them will face acute malnutrition. Violence and insecurity has forced 1.2 million people to flee their homes creating protracted internal displacement and a refugee crisis.

“More people than ever are at risk in the Sahel and the scale of their needs is so great that no agency or organization can tackle it alone,” said Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos in Rome. “The strategic plan for the region will help us reach millions of people with vital assistance, build resilience and save lives.”

The strategy comprises country plans for Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal. It emphasizes strong partnerships with Governments and development partners, a regional perspective and multi-year time frame to better address the chronic causes of the crises.

“Our first priority is to ensure that farmers in the Sahel have a successful planting season in the coming weeks, providing them urgently with agricultural inputs,” said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva. “But our responsibility is also to make sure that the next drought will not lead to another major humanitarian crisis. Together with national governments and partners, we are working to build the resilience of Sahelian populations by producing quality seed varieties, rehabilitating degraded agricultural land, conserving rainwater and supporting small-scale irrigation.”

Population growth in the region is outstripping a slight increase in food production in 2013 and lack of access to food is compounded by high prices in most markets.

“The situation requires an early and large-scale humanitarian response in almost all countries of the Sahel,” said Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. “The European Commission will give €142 million in humanitarian aid in 2014. More contributions from international donors are needed as soon as possible to meet the basic needs of the people in the Sahel.”

Also present at the launch in Rome were Romano Prodi, UN Special Envoy on the Sahel; Amir Abdulla, Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, World Food Programme (WFP); Nancy Lindborg, Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, USAID; and Robert Piper, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel.

The 2013 appeal for the Sahel requested $1.7 billion and was 63 per cent funded.

KHARTOUM, Sudan, February 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Mr Ali Al-Za’tari, and the Representative a.i. for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Sudan, Ms. Angela Li Rosi, welcome the commitment of the Government of Sudan to provide international protection and humanitarian assistance to South Sudanese who have fled the conflict in South Sudan and the announcement by the Government of Sudan that they will be granted “special privileges”. The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and UNHCR welcome the positive response by Sudan to the plight of fleeing South Sudanese nationals. At the same time they encourage the Government of Sudan to further clarify the nature of protection it will extend and the modalities for granting such protection, in line with international instruments ratified by Sudan.

The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and UNHCR express concern however about reports of rapidly deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the sites where newly arriving South Sudanese reside and to which UNHCR and other UN Agencies have had limited access so far. In a spirit of international cooperation UNHCR and other UN Agencies stand ready to support the Government of Sudan and national organizations in providing protection and badly needed humanitarian assistance to the new arrivals and call on the Government of Sudan to facilitate sustained direct access to them.

JUBA, South Sudan, February 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — LAUNCH OF NEW SOUTH SUDAN CRISIS RESPONSE PLAN

WHAT: Launch of the new South Sudan Crisis Response Plan
WHO: Humanitarian Coordinator for South…

OSLO, Norway, February 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Government is providing NOK 6 million to support the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic.

“I am very concerned about the situation in the Central African Republic. The presence of a robust international peacekeeping mission is vital to protect the sorely tried civilian population and ensure that humanitarian actors can do their work,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende.

The Norwegian contribution was announced at a donor conference arranged by the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa on 1 February. The funds will be used to support the civilian component of the AU mission – the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA). The UN Security Council has given MISCA a mandate to protect the civilian population and help to stabilise the country. The mission consists of a military force of around 5 300 troops in addition to a civilian component made up of police officers and other civilian personnel.

“Norway wishes to support the AU in its efforts to deal with conflicts in its own region. Our support to MISCA is an important contribution to this end,” said Mr Brende.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recently appealed to the international community to intensify efforts in the Central African Republic (CAR). The security and humanitarian situation is dire. The civilian population is being subjected to widespread violence, and law and order has virtually broken down in large parts of the country. The local population and those who have fled their homes are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection. On 28 January, the UN Security Council approved the deployment of an EU force to strengthen the international stabilisation effort. In addition to the AU and EU forces, French troops are also engaged in this effort.

Norway has previously increased its humanitarian support for CAR. Last year, the country received NOK 58.3 million for humanitarian efforts. Further contributions to the emergency relief efforts are under consideration.

“I am also concerned about the regional consequences of the crisis, particularly in the light of the situation across the border in South Sudan. There is a danger that the lawlessness we are seeing in CAR could turn it into a haven for extremists, armed groups and international organised criminals, thus increasing instability in the region,” Mr Brende said.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, February 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The African Union Executive Council, in its 24th Ordinary Session on 27 – 28 January 2014 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, accepted the offer from the Republic of Kenya to host the African Institute for Remittances (AIR). The Council requested the African Union Commission (AUC) to conclude the Host Agreement with the Republic of Kenya so as to ensure the formal take-off of the Institute in 2014. It also requested the World Bank and other development partners to support the Institute. The Institute is expected to be fully operational by the year 2015.

“I am delighted that the Executive Council has decided that the Republic of Kenya will host the AIR. The establishment of AIR, the first of its kind in the world, is a cornerstone in harnessing Diaspora resources for social and economic development in Africa” said Dr. Mustapha S. Kaloko, Commissioner of Social Affairs of the African Union Commission. He also called upon development partners to continue supporting the Institute.

AIR project partners – AUC, World Bank, European Commission (EC), African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – agreed to the need for sustained collaboration and coordination of efforts in support of the Institute to achieve the planned improvement in the market for remittances and to leverage their impact on development in the continent.

Background

The decision to create AIR was taken by the AUC in the framework of the Africa-EU partnership on Migration, Mobility and Employment, for the purpose of leveraging the untapped development potential of remittance flows to the African continent. The magnitude of remittances to Africa has grown remarkably in recent years, gaining the attention of the international development community due to their positive impact on the living standards of beneficiaries. However, their precise volume is unknown and presumed undercounted, their transfer cost remains unacceptably high by international standards and their full potential for economic and social development is largely unexploited.

Thus the AIR Project was launched in 2010 with funding from the EC, execution by the World Bank in collaboration with AfDB and the IOM),with the primary objective of facilitating the AU Member States and the African Union Commission in establishing AIR.

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, February 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Mulk OGI – Oasis Gulf Investment, FZC, a company of the Sharjah-based diversified conglomerate affiliated to Mulk Holdings (http://www.mulkholdings.com), has recently won a multimillion USD contract to provide Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) expertise for the pioneering USD 18 million project, based in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and to become one of West Africa’s largest solar parks.

Logos: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/mulk_sl.png

Photo 1: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=828 (This picture shows the size of 6MW Solar Park – which is the same size as the future Solar Park Freetown)

Photo 2: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=829 (The Solar Park in Freetown, with a capacity of 6 MW, will be one of West Africa’s largest solar parks)

The EPC part of the project will be spear headed by Mr. Khurram Nawab founder of MULK Renewable Energy and inventor of its broad and innovative patented Solar Technologies portfolio. The Solar PV panels will be sourced through a partnership with Masdar PV, a 100% subsidiary of Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s multifaceted initiative for innovative renewable energy technologies, launched and owned by Mubadala Development Company.

The Solar Park in Freetown, with a capacity of 6 MW, has been selected from over 80 competitive project applications and countries for the first funding cycle of the prestigious International Renewable Energy (IRENA/ADFD) project facility. All the selected projects contribute towards helping address energy security, improving energy access as well as creating a broad socio-economic impact. Further, each project will inspire and enhance the development of renewable energy projects across the globe.

The proposal and implementation of the project in Sierra Leone is going to be carried out by an AED 2 Billion consortium coordinated and initiated by Mr. Bahige Annan – The Consul General of Sierra Leone in Dubai, UAE and IRENA Focal Point, Mr. Siray Timbo – Special Envoy of The President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Mr. Filip Matwin, General Manager of Advanced Science and Innovation Company (ASIC) LLC, who will also act as the manager of the overall project.

“I feel glad that our effort to get this clean energy project to the forefront has been successful. From the start, I have been constantly driven to change this thought into reality and now I’m definite thatwith our joint technology expertise and support of The Ministry of Energy of Sierra Leone andAdvanced Science and Innovation Company(ASIC), we will be able to successfully deliver thislandmark project in the best possible way” says Mr. Bahige Annan.

The solar park will produce sufficient energy so as to provide electricity to approximately 3000 households on average in Sierra Leone. The overall performance complies with 8.5% of Sierra Leone’s total energy consumption and ensures the supply of energy on a more renewable, affordable and sustainable basis in the future. The goal is to achieve 25% of the country’s energy generation from renewable sources by the year 2015.

Mr. Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk, the Founder and Chairman of Mulk OGI – Oasis Gulf Investment, FZC and Mulk Holdings says, “This venture is a big step towards helping us strengthen our base further in the African market and at the same time it has given us a great opportunity to implement our in house patented solar technology in the PV space.”

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

Media contact:

Adnan Mulk

adnan@mulkholdings.com

www.mulkholdings.com

www.ogi.ae

About Mulk Renewable

Mulk Enpar Renewable Energy provides patented systems for both CSP (Deep Parabolic trough) Technology and PV (Booster Mirror PV Platform)for on grid and off grid solar power generating systems. The organization provides turnkey services which include site selection, engineeringdesign, manufacturing, fabrication, installationand commissioning for solar power projects.

The Mulk Enpar Renewable Energy Solar Thermal System is a revolution in trough technology started by its inventor Mr. Khurram KNawab. He has received considerable worldwide attention for his development and patents on solar light weight metallic composite mirrors for both high concentration and low concentration mirrors under brand Alubond Solar Collector Mirrors & Alubond Booster Mirrors.

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea, February 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — At the opening of “Emerging Equatorial Guinea” (http://www.emergingeg.com), the 2 days Symposium on the country economic diversification, the Equatoguinean government announced that it has committed to support foreign investments by allocating a Co-Investment Fund (CIF) of 500 Billion Francs CFA (eq. US $1 Billion).

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/eeg.png

“This Co-Investment Fund allocation testifies of the country’s commitment to lay the bases for economic diversification to ensure sustainable growth and to create more jobs in our country. We have been blessed by an incredible oil wealth, which we aim to use to build the foundations of an emerging country, via a strong plan for economic diversification and industrialization plan”, explains Marcelino Owono Edu, Equatorial Guinea’s Minister of Finance and Budgets.

In front of an assembly of over 700 entrepreneurs, investors and analysts, scholars and development agencies representatives, gathered for the occasion, the Equatoguinean Ministry of finance indicated that the fund aims at fuelling the state’s overall strategy to diversify the economy beyond oil and gas, on which its recent growth has been relying upon, to ensure a more balanced economic system, less vulnerable to global shifts in oil supply and demand.

During the next 3 years, the fund will support the country’s development around key economic sectors which have been identified for industrial development together with the international private sector: agriculture and animal ranching, fisheries, petrochemicals and mining, tourism and financial markets.

AGRICULTURE & RANCHING

Over 100,000 hectares of available arable land; warm climate with high value tropical plant species; timber industry, following example of Gabon

FISHING

Extensive EEZ and territorial waters packed with commercially valuable marine species

PETROCHEMICALS & MINING

Leading petroleum producer in the CEMAC region, with opportunities to further develop untapped oil and natural gas fields; geographical positioning and a deep-water port

TOURISM

Unspoiled land and marine-scapes, high quality existing infrastructure, favorable climate, and consistent political stability

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Political will to establish a friendly environment and encourage the growth of financial services and offer broad range of products and instruments to a range of international clients.

The Co-Investment Fund (CIF) has been affected over the next three years according to best growth potential reservoirs.

Download the table ‘STRATEGICAL SECTORS – CAPITAL SPENDING BREAKDOWN FOR 2014-2016’: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/tableau.png

With the Co-Investment Fund announcement, the Emerging Equatorial Guinea Symposium ignites the investment boom. It will take the form of the signing of concrete Memorandums of Understanding between global companies and local counterparties during the 2 days forum, as the event follows the whole investment process.

Under The High Authority of H.E. President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo

of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Emerging Equatorial Guinea.

For any information or interview request, please contact the event press office:

Wellcom Agency Coraline Bardinat on eeg@wellcom.fr

Tel: +33 (0)1 46 34 60 60

About the EEG forum

Located in Malabo, February 3-4 2014, the forum convenes representatives of business and investment groups from the national, regional and international communities. This aims at offering the most valuable opportunity for international investors to learn about Equatorial Guinea’s potential and strategize directly with government officials.

http://www.emergingeg.com/en/program

CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, February 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On the margins of Africa’s largest annual mining conference, “Mining Indaba”, multilateral development organizations have called on the private sector to join forces with them in ensuring the revenues from mining are reinvested in people.

Issued on the newly created Africa Mining Vision Day, the call comes amidst a downward trend in commodity prices and in particular minerals, which has raised uncertainty on the momentum of the continent’s sustainability agenda. For instance, during the first four months of 2013, mining stocks fell nearly 20 percent.

Industry leaders, ministers, policy-makers, members of academia and international organizations will be urging the private sector to play a stronger role in fast-tracking the implementation of the African Union (AU)’s Africa Mining Vision, which aims to ensure the extractives sector can boost social and economic development across the continent.

“AMV Day 2014 would be the first of a long term process of dialogues and partnership building with a view to increasing mutual understanding on how to promote sustainable development in the extractive sector in Africa and the need for mutual benefits between host country and mining companies,” said the hosts and partners.

AMV Day is hosted by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC), housed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA),in close collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It is supported by Australian Aid and the World Bank.

Nearly one quarter of Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is now based on extractive resources, the highest ratio among all regions. Between 2000 and 2008 alone, the value created from natural resources in Africa rose from $39.2 billion to $240 billion.

The extractives sector is expected to play a catalytic role for development in many African countries. To that end, the resources from mining need to be reinvested in infrastructure and further growth, while opening opportunities for economic diversification and transformation.

Management of mining revenues will entail the creation of more effective public-private partnerships and closer involvement from other stakeholders, including local communities and governments.

Achieving broad-based, sustainable development means establishing the right environmental safeguards, but also fulfilling a number of economic and social priorities.

For instance, participants will underline that the need to guarantee environmental sustainability, distribute the benefits from extraction effectively, create social safety nets, invest in skills and infrastructure and intensify agriculture to create jobs and bolster food security.

In December, ECA, AUC, AfDB and UNDP launched the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) to help implement the Africa Mining Vision.

The new hub will help implement the African Mining Vision, which aims to ensure Africa’s mineral resources can support economic growth and development. It will translate that vision into practical solutions for reducing poverty and involving people in development.

Experts and researchers will be made available to help countries implement the vision, advising governments, businesses and civil society organizations on issues such as licensing, geological and mining information systems, artisanal and small-scale mining and investments in diversification.

The one-day event will look at a diversity of topics, including private sector involvement, building local skills and establishing sustainable business agendas.

CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, February 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Demand for electricity in South Africa has increased progressively over several years and the grid now faces supply and demand challenges. As a result, the Department of Energy has implemented a new Integrated Resource Plan to enhance generation capacity and promote energy efficiency. Photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) are set to be the main beneficiaries from the new plan having their initial allocation raised considerably.

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

Daily electricity demand in South Africa has a morning and evening peak, both in summer and winter. This characteristic makes CSP with storage a very attractive technology for generating electricity on a large scale compared to PV, which currently can provide electricity at a cheaper price, but its capability to match the demand is limited to the morning demand peak.

As experts highlight, CSP is the only renewable technology that provides dispatchable electricity that adapts to the demand curve, though at a higher price than PV. However, the government in South Africa has recognized the flexibility that it offers to the grid (matching the demand and stabilizing the system) over the levelised cost of energy (LCOE), and announced a bid window in March 2014 solely for CSP, where 200 MW are to be allocated.

CSP’s operational flexibility allows the plant to be run in a conventional mode at maximum power output, store the excess energy and use the full load once the sun starts setting. Another option is to adapt the production to the demand, reducing the load during the central hours of the day where PV can provide cheaper electricity, and shift that energy to generate at later hours without requiring a large storage system.

At CSP Today South Africa 2014 (8 – 9 April, Cape Town) (http://goo.gl/VnwPiF), International developers Abengoa and ACWA Power will assess strategies employed to optimize the thermal storage depending on the scale of the plant and the needs of the market. National utility Eskom will identify the role CSP can play in improving energy efficiency by meeting current demand during peak times and stabilizing the grid.

For more information about CSP Today South Africa 2014 visit the website: http://goo.gl/VnwPiF

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

Media contact:

Brandon Paramo

brandon@csptoday.com

About CSP Today

CSP Today (http://www.csptoday.com) is the reference point for CSP professionals and a cornerstone for communications within the industry. We provide business intelligence to the industry with focused news, events, reports, updates and information for the Concentrated Solar Thermal Power industry in markets such as India, South Africa, Spain, USA, Chile and the MENA region.

CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, February 3, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — With almost 2,000MW of onshore wind South Africa is under the global spotlight as the industry’s most exciting market.

Logo Wind Energy Update: http://www.photos.apo-opa….