APO Group, the leading Pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service, is excited to announce a new content partnership with The Football Foundation for Africa (FFA) (https://FootballFoundation.Africa). This collaboration will see all APO Group’s sports content – text, images, video, and audio – distributed in English on the FFA’s platform, extending the reach of African news and stories in the Football sector.

The Football Foundation for Africa is an international social enterprise that seeks to drive investment in grassroots development in Africa, with the goal of creating job opportunities. The organisation also aims to protect the foundations of African football, namely youth, talent and passion, through the promotion of better governance of the beautiful game at all levels.

This partnership represents another significant step forward in APO Group’s commitment to enhancing the dissemination of news and information across the African continent.

“We are delighted to partner with the FFA, a respected player in the Football landscape in Africa,” said Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and Chairman of APO Group. ” This partnership allows us to reach a bigger audience and ensures that quality Football news content is readily available to those seeking valuable insights about the sport sector in Africa.”

“We believe that this collaboration will greatly benefit our community, as it provides access to a daily wealth of sports news from diverse sources across the continent,” stated Brian Wesaala, Founder and CEO of The Football Foundation For Africa. “Together with APO Group, we are committed to fostering a deeper understanding of the football sector in Africa and its contributions to the global stage.“

In addition to its presence on the FFA’s website, the content distributed by APO Group is guaranteed to be featured on more than 350 African news websites and international platforms such as Bloomberg Terminal, CNBC Africa, Thomson Reuters and Factiva.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Football Foundation for Africa.

For more information about content partnership with APO GROUP, please contact:
Muriel Tekou
muriel.tekou@apo-opa.com 

Email:
info@footballfoundation.africa

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About APO Group:
Founded in 2007, APO Group (www.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 their brand equity in target countries across Africa. Our role as a trusted partner is to leverage the power of media and build bespoke strategies that enable organizations to produce a real, measurable impact in Africa and beyond. The trust and recognition granted to APO Group by global and multinational companies, governments, and NGOs inspires us to continuously enhance our value proposition within Africa to better cater to our clients’ needs. 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://APO-opa.com

About the Football Foundation for Africa:
Born from a memorial tournament honoring the life of a talented footballer (Friend of the Founder Brian Wesaala), the FFA tackles unemployment challenges faced by African footballers and youths at large.

Established in 2018, the organization goes beyond the pitch, providing education and resources to improve players’ employability and career prospects. They also champion attracting investment into African football, aiming to grow the sport’s economic and social impact and benefit local economies.

Headquarters: Applewood Adams, Ngong Road, Nairobi, Kenya

For more information, please visit the website: https://FootballFoundation.Africa

On 29 February 2024 Zambia declared a National Crisis and Emergency regarding a drought gripping the country and which has decimated food and energy supply. Other Southern African countries have declared similar National Emergencies due to severe drought, including Zimbabwe in April. Severe droughts have also developed or recently intensified in regions including Western Europe, the Horn of Africa and South America.

Seeking to strengthen cooperative solutions to these pressing challenges, the Water Convention and its partners convened the workshop on ‘Transboundary Water Allocation, WEFE Nexus and Development of Agreements and other Arrangements: Supporting exchanges of lessons learned, good practices&practical tools‘ in Livingstone, Zambia on 15–16 April. The event was designed to support states, river basin and lake organizations, and other relevant institutions in sharing challenges, problem-solving, and exchanging good practices on water allocation agreements and other transboundary arrangements. The outcomes will be applicable within Southern Africa and regions facing similar challenges such as Central Asia and Western Europe.

Zambia’s Minister of Water Development and Sanitation, Honourable Mike Elton Mposha MP, opened the workshop. “As we gather here today, it is critical that we recognize our enormous responsibility to protect these shared water bodies for current and future generations,” he said. “The challenges we face are multifaceted, ranging from competing water demands and climate change impacts to inadequate governance structures and environmental degradation. However, amidst these challenges, there are opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and transformative change. This is an important opportunity for Zambia and other SADC representatives and River Basin Organisations to learn and share best practices in transboundary water allocation, hydro-diplomacy and the water–energy–food–ecosystems nexus.” In conclusion, he noted that the Zambian Cabinet, during one of its sittings in February 2024,  approved accession to the Convention and Zambia aims to be a Party to the Convention in time for the 10th Meeting of the Parties in Slovenia in October 2024.

The workshop was organized under the leadership of the Governments of Finland and Hungary, as co-lead Parties on the Water Convention’s work on ‘Water Allocation in a Transboundary Context’. Focus was squarely on the science-policy interface between allocation modelling, WEFE Nexus approach and developing flexible, ‘climate-proof’ and environmentally sustainable legal agreements and policies. Presenters and interactive group work sessions showcased up-to-date practices, novel approaches and showcased practical tools to support decision-makers, such as the Convention’s Handbook on Water Allocation in a Transboundary Context; Practical Guide on the Development of Agreements and Other Arrangements; and Methodology for assessing the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus in transboundary basins and experiences from its application: synthesis.  

More broadly, through this workshop the organizers aimed to assist participants in strengthening transboundary water cooperation to mitigate potential conflicts and contribute to supporting hydro-diplomacy and peace. Speaking in the high-level opening session of the Workshop, Finland’s Special Envoy for Water, Mr. Antti Rautavaara, identified that “Water Allocation and Nexus approach may be one solution, among others, for future droughts, but also a solution for regional stability, integration and peace, which is why there is high demand for this workshop.”  

Funding and technical support for the workshop was provided by: Water Convention; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland and Finnish Environment Institute; Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation of Zambia; European Union; International Water Management Institute; and International Union for the Conservation (IUCN) Building River Dialogue and Governance (BRIDGE) Program. Additional technical partners included: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA); CGIAR Initiative on NEXUS Gains; Northumbria University; and University College Cork.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

After one year of hostilities in Sudan, we are appealing for more international engagement to combat sexual violence against women and girls in the country. These barbaric acts, which echo the horrors witnessed in Darfur two decades ago, must spur immediate action.

As members of the Security Council meet this week for the annual open debate on conflict-related sexual violence, we urge them to send an unequivocal message: Under international humanitarian law, civilians in Sudan must be protected and must never be subjected to acts of sexual violence, which constitute war crimes.

Reports of sexual violence reveal the war’s disproportionate impact on women and girls. Allegations of rape, forced marriages, sexual slavery, and trafficking of women and girls — especially in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan — continue to be recorded. Millions of civilians are especially at risk as they flee conflict areas in search of shelter, inside Sudan and in neighbouring countries.

However, the true scale of this crisis remains unseen, a result of severe underreporting due to stigma, fear of reprisals, and a lack of confidence in national institutions.

Without increased political and financial support for the vital work of frontline responders — especially organisations led by women — access to life-saving services will only continue to shrink. Fully funding this year’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Sudan — currently only 10 per cent funded — will help to support survivors, while bolstering the United Nations’ Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Multi-Partner Trust Fund is essential to strengthen the response.

Building on the solidarity demonstrated at last week’s International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and its Neighbours in Paris, we must continue to shore up our support for the people of Sudan — critically by combating sexual violence in all its forms and ensuring that Sudanese frontline responders stay at the centre of those efforts.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

In a significant step forward for malaria prevention in Africa, three countries—Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone—today launched a large-scale rollout of the life-saving malaria vaccine targeting millions of children across the three West African nations. The vaccine rollout, announced on World Malaria Day, seeks to further scale up vaccine deployment in the African region.

Today’s launch brings to eight the number of countries on the continent to offer the malaria vaccine as part of the childhood immunization programmes, extending access to more comprehensive malaria prevention. Several of the more than 30 countries in the African region that have expressed interest in the vaccine are scheduled to roll it out in the next year through support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as efforts continue to widen its deployment in the region in coordination with other prevention measures such as long-lasting insecticidal nets and seasonal malaria chemoprevention. 

Benin, which received 215 900 doses, has added the malaria vaccine to its Expanded Programme on Immunization. The malaria vaccine should be provided in a schedule of 4 doses in children from around 5 months of age.

“The introduction of the malaria vaccine in the Expanded Programme on Immunization for our children is a major step forward in the fight against this scourge. I would like to reassure that the malaria vaccines are safe and effective and contribute to the protection of our children against this serious and fatal diseases,” said Prof Benjamin Hounkpatin, Minister of Health of Benin.

In Liberia, the vaccine was launched in the southern Rivercess County and will be rolled out afterwards in five other counties which have high malaria burden. At least 45 000 children are expected to benefit from the 112 000 doses of the available vaccine. 

“For far too long, malaria has stolen the laughter and dreams of our children. But today, with this vaccine and the unwavering commitment of our communities, healthcare workers and our partners, including GAVI, UNICEF and WHO, we break the chain. We have a powerful tool that will protect them from this devastating illness and related deaths, ensuring their right to health and a brighter future. Let’s end malaria in Liberia and pave the way for a healthier, more just society,” said Dr Louise Kpoto, Liberia’s Minister of Health.  

Two safe and effective vaccines — RTS,S and R21 — recommended by World Health Organization (WHO), are a breakthrough for child health and malaria control. A pilot malaria vaccine programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi reached over 2 million children from 2019 to 2023, showing a significant reduction in malaria illness and a 13% drop in overall child mortality and substantial reductions in hospitalizations. 

In Sierra Leone, the first doses were administered to children at a health centre in Western Area Rural where the authorities kicked off the rollout of 550 000 vaccine doses. The vaccine will then be delivered in health facilities nationwide. 

“With the new, safe and efficacious malaria vaccine, we now have an additional tool to fight this disease. In combination with insecticide-treated nets, effective diagnosis and treatment, and indoor spraying, no child should die from malaria infection,” said Dr Austin Demby, Minister of Health of Sierra Leone.

Malaria remains a huge health challenge in the African region, which is home to 11 countries that carry approximately 70% of the global burden of malaria. The region accounted for 94% of global malaria cases and 95% of all malaria deaths in 2022, according to the World Malaria Report 2023.

“The African region is advancing in the rollout of the malaria vaccine – a game-changer in our fight against this deadly disease,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Working with our member states and partners, we’re supporting the ongoing efforts to save the lives of young children and lower the malaria burden in the region.” 

Aurelia Nguyen, Chief Programme Officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, noted: “Today we celebrate more children gaining access to a new lifesaving tool to fight one of Africa’s deadliest diseases. This introduction of malaria vaccines into routine programmes in Benin, Liberia, and Sierra Leone alongside other proven interventions will help save lives and offer relief to families, communities and hard-pressed health systems.”

Progress against malaria has stalled in these high-burden African countries since 2017 due to factors including climate change, humanitarian crises, low access to and insufficient quality of health services, gender-related barriers, biological threats such as insecticide and drug resistance and global economic crises. Fragile health systems and critical gaps in data and surveillance have compounded the challenge. 

To put malaria progress back on track, WHO recommends robust commitment to malaria responses at all levels, particularly in high-burden countries; greater domestic and international funding; science and data-driven malaria responses; urgent action on the health impacts of climate change; harnessing research and innovation; as well as strong partnerships for coordinated responses. WHO is also calling attention to addressing delays in malaria programme implementation. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO), Benin.