APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the leading Pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service, is thrilled to announce a new content partnership with APA News (www.APAnews.net). This collaboration aims to expand the reach of African news and stories, particularly in French-speaking countries.

Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, APA News (African Press Agency) is one of the most established press agencies, consistently providing quality news and information across the African continent.

“We are delighted to welcome APA News as our new Media Partner” said Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and Chairman of APO Group. “Through this collaboration, we aim to reach a wider audience and ensure the dissemination of high-quality news content to those seeking to better understand Africa.”

The collaboration between APO Group and APA News is aligned with both organizations’ shared vision to highlight positive developments in Africa and contribute to changing the narrative about the Continent.

“This partnership expands the horizons of our readers by offering them access to a wider range of high-quality news from various sources across Africa,” emphasized Abdou Cissé, Editorial Coordinator of APA News.

In addition to its presence on the APA News website, content distributed by APO Group is guaranteed to be featured on more than 300 African news websites and international platforms such as Bloomberg Terminal, Thomson Reuters Eikon, Lexis Nexis, and Factiva.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of APA News.

To become an APO Group content partner, please contact:
Muriel Tekou: muriel.tekou@apo-opa.com

About APO Group: 
Founded in 2007, APO Group (https://APO-opa.com/) is the leading pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service. We assist private and public organizations in sharpening their reputation and increasing brand equity in target countries across Africa. Our role is to leverage media power and build bespoke strategies that enable organizations to produce a real, measurable impact in Africa and beyond. 
Among our prestigious clients: Facebook, Dangote Group, Nestle, GE, NBA, Canon, Coca-Cola, DHL, Marriott Group, Ecobank, Siemens, Standard Chartered, Orange, Jack Ma Foundation, African Development Bank, World Health Organization, Islamic Development Bank, Liquid Telecom, Rotary International, Kaspersky, Greenpeace.
Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland | Offices in Senegal, Dubai and Hong Kong 
For further information, please visit our website: https://www.APO-opa.com 

About APA News: 
APA News is a prominent news agency headquartered in Dakar, Senegal. With a network of correspondents across the continent, APA News provides real-time, accurate, and impartial news coverage in French and English, on a wide range of topics, including politics, economy, business, sports, culture, environment and more.
The agency is committed to keeping its audience informed about the latest events and developments across Africa.
Headquarters: AYA Residence 3rd floor A24, MZ81X96 Street Dakar, Senegal
For more information, please visit the website: https://APAnews.net/homepage/

Rwanda Development Board, Imbuto Foundation, Special Olympics, Shooting Touch and RwandAir to Support Ancillary Events During 2024 BAL Playoffs (https://BAL.NBA.com/) and Finals from May 24 – June 1; BAL to Host League’s First-Ever Pan-African U-23 Women’s Camp from May 28 – June 1; Tickets for Playoffs and Finals on Sale Now at BAL.NBA.com and Ticqet.rw; Fans Can Save Up to 35% On Group Packages.

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) today announced a series of youth development and social impact events in conjunction with the 2024 BAL Playoffs and Finals, which will take place from Friday, May 24 – Saturday, June 1 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.  

Below is an overview of the events, which will be held in collaboration with BAL Foundational Partner Rwanda Development Board as well as the Imbuto Foundation, Special Olympics, Shooting Touch and RwandAir:

“BAL Advance” Careers in Sports Workshop

On Wednesday, May 22, the “BAL Advance” Careers in Sports Workshop will bring together BAL players, staff, coaches, and “BAL Future Pros” (https://apo-opa.co/4bwFSOz) for career development discussions and networking opportunities. BAL Future Pros, which launched this year, helps young professionals from across Africa pursue careers within the sports ecosystem and develop their skills, network and experience in the sports industry by working within one of the BAL’s 10 departments: business development, digital production, event management, logistics, marketing, marketing partnerships, merchandising, public relations and communications, social responsibility and player programs, and travel and hospitality.

Umuganda on Africa Day

On Saturday, May 25, the BAL will once again (https://apo-opa.co/4brnF50) work with the Imbuto Foundation to celebrate Africa Day with Umuganda community service activation alongside BAL guests and youth from the local basketball community. This year’s event will take place at the Kimironko Community Court that was unveiled last year in collaboration with the Imbuto Foundation and will include beautifying the space, and planting trees. Umuganda, which is held in Rwanda on the last Saturday of each month, is a day dedicated to community service that supports a variety of public works, including infrastructure development and environmental protection.

Special Olympics

On Sunday, May 26, the BAL and Special Olympics will host a unified basketball game at BK Arena featuring Special Olympics ambassadors and athletes. For the second consecutive year, the BAL and Special Olympics are using the power of sports to support people with intellectual disabilities (https://apo-opa.co/3uTkH9y) and help them discover new strengths, abilities, skills, and success. 

U-23 BAL4HER Camp

From Tuesday, May 28 – June 1, the league will host its first-ever Pan-African U-23 BAL4HER women’s camp to empower and develop talented young female athletes on-and-off the court. The five-day camp will bring together 20 of the top U-23 prospects from 14 African countries for on-court development and life-skills programming, including practices and a showcase at Lycée de Kigali, career development workshops and networking sessions, and cultural and community engagement experiences. 

BAL4HER Day

On Wednesday, May 29 as part of BAL4HER day, the league will bring together 100 young female professionals interested in careers in sports to take part in a basketball clinic, VIP game-day experience and workshop focused on building careers in the sports industry. BAL4HER is the league’s platform for advancing gender equity in the African sports ecosystem and celebrating women in the sports industry who serve as role models to young women across the continent.

Shooting Touch Event

On Friday, May 31, the BAL will collaborate with Shooting Touch for the second consecutive year to host a basketball event featuring 200 young women from the Bugesera community and the U-23 BAL4HER campers.  The BAL4HER campers will serve as coaches during the clinic and support the reproductive health and rights workshop that will happen during the event.

2024 BAL Playoffs and Finals

The 2024 BAL Playoffs will feature the top eight teams from the regular season: FUS Rabat Basketball (Morocco), Petro de Luanda (Angola), Al Ahly (Egypt), Al Ahly Ly (Libya), Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria), AS Douanes (Senegal), Cape Town Tigers (South Africa) and US Monastir (Tunisia). The complete game schedule for the Playoffs and Finals, which is available at BAL.NBA.com, features four seeding games followed by an eight-game, single-elimination playoffs, culminating with the Finals on June 1 at 4:00 p.m. CAT.

Tickets for the Playoffs and Finals are on sale now at BAL.NBA.com and Ticqet.rw.  Single game tickets for the four seeding games on May 24 and May 25 start at 2500RWF, and at 1600RWF for the Quarterfinals and Semifinals on May 26, 27, and 29.  Fans can save up to 20% on single game ticket prices by purchasing a tournament pass for all Playoffs and Finals games and up to 35% off single game ticket prices for group packages by emailing BalTickets@thebal.com.  Fans who purchase tickets will also have free access to the BAL Fan Zone at BK Arena on each game day. 

The 2024 BAL season is reaching fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages through free-to-air and paid TV broadcast partnerships with the African Union of Broadcasting, American Forces Network (AFN), Canal+, NBA TV, SuperSport, Tencent Video, TSN, TV5 Monde, Visionary TV and Voice of America (VOA), and livestreaming on the NBA App (https://apo-opa.co/43eJtgR), NBA.com, YouTube channel (https://apo-opa.co/3twvshm).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL).

Contact:
Edwin Eselem 
Basketball Africa League
+221 78 615 42 87 
EEselem@theBAL.com

About the BAL:
The Basketball Africa League (BAL), a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that tipped off its fourth season in March 2024.  Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, the BAL builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Africa has organized across the continent and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America.  Fans can follow the BAL (@theBAL) on Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/3TQoHlc), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/3TNa7e0), Threads (https://apo-opa.co/3V9KWmo), X (https://apo-opa.co/3UkNIVH), and YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/3twvshm) and register their interest in receiving more information at BAL.NBA.com.

IMF approval allows countries to channel Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) through multilateral development banks; AfDB-IDB (www.AfDB.org) financial instruments could leverage SDRs by up to four times their value in the form of loans to finance social and climate projects.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) today welcomed the announcement by the International Monetary Fund’s Executive Board approving hybrid capital as an eligible instrument for channeling of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). 

The SDR-hybrid-capital based solution proposed by the African Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank meets the IMF’s statistical criteria for international reserve-asset status. As such, according to IMF rules, countries that lend their SDRs through this pioneering approach can continue to account for them as reserves.  

This innovative SDR-based hybrid capital channeling solution will help unlock new lending by Multilateral Development Banks to address rising global challenges, including climate and food security. The new instrument offers the opportunity to lend at least US$4 for every US$1 equivalent of SDRs, through the African Development Bank and, the Inter-American Development Bank, and other Multilateral Development Banks, to finance development projects.

At a time of multiple crises and scarce resources for development, this is a unique value proposition for governments everywhere. The next step is to secure at least five investors to channel their SDRs through Multilateral Development Banks. The African Development Bank and Inter-American Development Bank will continue their dialogue with SDR holders to drive forward this innovative financial solution.

“The International community now has at its disposal an innovative approach through which development financing can be mobilized with a multiplier effect and at no cost to taxpayers. These are the types of solutions we need to help us tackle Africa’s growing development challenges,” said African Development Bank President Dr Akinwumi Adesina.

“We very much welcome the IMF Executive Board’s decision,” said InterAmerican Development Bank President Dr Ilan Goldfajn. “With the new SDR-based hybrid-capital instrument, we have a cost-efficient way to finance much-needed sustainable development projects to boost climate resilience, reduce poverty and inequality, and lay the foundation for more inclusive growth in many of our countries.”

The G20 has recommended that Multilateral Development Banks optimize the use of their balance sheets through financial innovation to create additional lending capacity to help countries tackle urgent development challenges.

In April, the leaders of 10 Multilateral Development Banks published a Viewpoint Note (https://apo-opa.co/4bIuUW1) and announced joint steps to work more effectively as a system and increase the impact and scale of their work.

The SDR (https://apo-opa.co/4dKak9i) is an international reserve asset created by the IMF to supplement the official reserves of its member countries. Its value is based on a basket of world currencies (US dollar, Euro, Chinese Yuan, Japanese Yen and British Pound).

The IMF’s most recent general allocation of SDRs to its members was in 2021, when the equivalent of $650 billion was issued to help countries respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Contacts:
African Development Bank:
Amba Mpoke-Bigg
Communication and External Relations Department
email: media@afdb.org

Inter-American Development Bank:
Melissa Mena Duran
email: melissamena@iadb.org

Raphael Philippe M Anspach
email: raphaela@iadb.org

About the African Development Bank:
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 44 African countries with an external office in Japan, the AfDB contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. 

For more information: www.AfDB.org

About the IDB:
The Inter-American Development Bank is devoted to improving lives. Established in 1959, the IDB is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB also conducts cutting-edge research and provides policy advice, technical assistance and training to public- and private-sector clients throughout the region. Take our virtual tour (https://apo-opa.co/4bqa9ic).

Afreximbank (www.Afreximbank.com) has officially announced the launch of the CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, a partnership between the CANEX Book Factory and the Narrative Landscape Press Limited.

The CANEX Book Factory, a key intervention under the CANEX programme, aims to promote a vibrant literary culture across Global Africa and encourage the development of a sustainable business ecosystem in the literary sector. CANEX was launched in 2020 by Afreximbank as a key driver for development and job creation in Africa, having recognized the relevance and opportunities provided by the creative and cultural industries.

The CANEX Book Factory will spotlight and elevate the African book value chain through a Pan-African writing workshop, an e-newsletter highlighting African literature and the prize for publishing in Africa. This will culminate in the Award Ceremony at the CANEX WKND to be held in Algiers, Algeria between 16-19 October, 2024.

A USD20,000 prize will be awarded to the publisher of the best trade book. Trade books refers to books published for a general audience, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry and excludes textbooks and academic books. Additionally, four finalists will each receive USD2,000 in prize money.

Commenting on this announcement, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President-Intra African Trade and Export Development Bank at Afreximbank said: “We are thrilled to announce the launch of The CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, a pioneering initiative by Afreximbank aimed at promoting and celebrating excellence in African publishing. This prize underscores our commitment to nurturing Africa’s creative industries and supporting the vibrant literary landscape across the continent. Through the CANEX Prize, we aim to recognize and empower African authors and publishers who play a vital role in shaping our cultural identity and enriching our communities through literature in what is a multi-billion-dollar industry.”

On the importance of initiatives such as CANEX, renowned writer and novelist, Ms. Chimamanda Adichie said: “Imagine being an African, dreaming about being a writer, surrounded by people in a room who share the same interests, it propels you, it gives you hope. I’ve always believed that there is nothing more essential to the human spirit than hope. For me, CANEX is about hope – the hope of many more African stories.”

Submissions will be judged on the quality of writing, editing and production. Priority will be given to books printed and produced on the African continent as well as to books published in indigenous African languages. A key concession for the inaugural year (2024) is that books published in the preceding two years will be considered.

By supporting the enabling environment for various creative sectors like fashion, music, film, art, literature, gastronomy, and sport; CANEX seeks to support the advancement and expansion of the creative and cultural economy, both within Africa and the diaspora, utilizing various financial and non-financial tools and initiatives.

CANEX invites publishers in Africa to submit published trade books for the inaugural CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa. To submit your entry, please visit:  https://apo-opa.co/3WR3vgu.

For enquiries, please email info@creativeafricanexus.com

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

Media Contact:
Vincent Musumba
Manager, Communications and Events (Media Relations)
Email: press@afreximbank.com
Tel: +20 2 24564100 /1/2/3
Mobile: +201030121123

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About Afreximbank:
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance, facilitate and promote intra and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative instruments to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialization and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the AfCFTA, Afreximbank has in partnership with the African Union Commission and AFCFTA Secretariat launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement. The AFCFTA Secretariat and the Bank have created a USD 10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries to effectively participate in the AfCFTA.

At the end of December 2023, Afreximbank’s total assets and guarantees stood at US$ 37.3 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$ 6.1 billion. The Bank disbursed more than US$ 104 billion between 2016 and 2023 through various interventions for the advancement of the continent. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa1), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure, (together, “the Group”).

For more information, visit: www.Afreximbank.com