African Ministers of Health, Finance and Trade, experts and development partners have adopted an approach towards the transitioning of the AfCFTA-anchored Pharmaceutical Initiative (Pharma Initiative) into the start-up Phase of the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM) ensuring continuity and keeping the momentum in advancing healthcare access, kick starting industrialization, and ensuring economic and health security on the continent.

In their recommendations drawn from the conclusion of the three day meeting in Mombasa, Kenya, the ministers agreed that the APPM, led by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) with support of Afreximbank and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) will facilitate the seamless transition of the AfCFTA-anchored Pharmaceutical Initiative into the startup phase of the APPM.

“ECA, Africa CDC and Afreximbank will also initiate pooled procurement of the products already selected under the Pharma Initiative, gradually expanding to include more products and manufacturers,” read the ministers’ resolution.

AUDA-NEPAD, they said, will accelerate the operationalization of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) to enhance access to quality, safe, and affordable medical products across the continent.

Stephen Karingi, Director, Regional Integration and Trade Division at ECA said APPM will provide a collaborating framework of common regulatory and quality standards to ensure that pharmaceutical drugs and products are effective, affordable, and safe.

“Linking this health initiative to AfCFTA and AMA presents great opportunities with a potential to change lives, reduce poverty, and contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic development for the continent,” said Mr. Karingi.

He noted that implementation of the Pharma Initiative is geared towards fostering inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic development through a single market of approximately 1.4 billion African people who continually face disproportionate impacts of diseases and high costs of  importation of critical life-saving health products.

According to Dr.  Abebe  Bayih, Acting Coordinator of the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM), APPM, just like the Pharma initiative, will be anchored on localized pharmaceutical production, pharmaceutical pooled procurement, and a harmonized regulatory and quality standard framework,” 

Focus in the start-up phase of the APPM  will now also include Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (SRMNCH) to showcase a proof of concept in the ten African countries from the Pharma initiative; Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, and Sudan.

“A pooled procurement of a minimum of five SRMNCH medicines is an important part of the startup phase of the APPM,” he said.

“The successful execution of the SRMNCH pooled procurement in the start-up phase will provide credible and reliable evidence to Africa countries, and other stakeholders and will create the impetus for the scale up phase.”

Kwabena Ayirebi, Director, Banking Operations at Afreximbank, emphasized the importance of risk assessment and foreign currency integration in financing African healthcare.

He reaffirmed the bank’s willingness to support the initiative and move quickly to ensure its success in the area of financing and any other immediate implementation needs.

Bernard Valentin, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Seychelles highlighted the need to minimize the risk associated with falsified and substandard medicines in the African market and ensure quality, safe and affordable medicine and medical devices in Africa.

Tom Mende from Kenya’s ministry of Health said the initiative will prevent negative consequences of competitive buying and ensure compliance with public procurement laws in Kenya.

He said there is need to ensure countries have national medical record systems to fill in the data gaps on the continent and for reliable access to information.

The APPM is the result of a decision of the African Union Summit, where the Heads of State and Government recognized the need to establish the pooled procurement mechanism  under the leadership of Africa CDC and endorsed the AMSP as the platform  for the mechanism. Consequently, the AfCFTA-anchored Pharma Initiative  is now being implemented  in the APPM.  The three day meeting is jointly organized by the Economic Commission for Africa, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and partners.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

MultiChoice Africa Holdings B.V (MAH) (www.MultiChoice.com) and the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance for Uganda have announced a new cooperation agreement in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU signed today, is geared towards establishing stronger partnerships, digitalisation, enhancing the local content sector in Uganda, intellectual property rights protection and skills development within the applicable legal frameworks.  

The signing ceremony which took place in Johannesburg – for purposes of technical facilities benchmarking- was graced by the presence of Dr. Aminah Zawedde, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance.

The MoU covers MAH and its associate MultiChoice Uganda, as the local partner, and further provides for continued strengthening of future co-operation between MAH and the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance.

“I am glad to sign this MoU on behalf of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance for Uganda,” said Dr Aminah Zawedde, the PS, Ministry of ICT and National Guidance.

MultiChoice commenced operations in Uganda 30 years ago and has been at the forefront in the provision of quality sport, education, and entertainment content.

“This MoU signed cordially here today is a step in the right direction in fostering relations between the two parties. We view Uganda as a strategic market for our commercial growth and key socio-development initiatives. The presence of the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance accompanied by the Managing Director for MultiChoice Uganda, Mr. Hassan Saleh demonstrates how the private and public sectors of the economy can collaborate for the broader benefit of the Ugandan society,” said Dr Keabetswe Modimoeng Group Executive: Regulatory&Corporate Affairs (MultiChoice Group).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MultiChoice Group.

Press enquiries:
MultiChoice Africa
Litlhare Moteetee
Senior Manager: Corporate Communications
Mobile: +27 11 289 3000
Email: Litlhare.Moteetee@multichoice.co.za

The Ministry of ICT and National Guidance
Name: Shirley Nakyegwe
Department of Research&Development: Senior ICT Officer
Mobile: +256 773 478923
Email: shirley.nakyegwe@ict.go.ug

Good Nature Agro (https://GoodNatureAgro.com/), the Zambian company helping smallholder farmers reach the middle class, has been recognized by the Financial Times in the annual ranking of Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies of 2024, focused on identifying top performers in Africa’s private sector. This ranking places Good Nature Agro as number 44 on the list and the only Zambian company in the top 50.

The company has accomplished this feat through measured and consistent growth in their legume seed and commodity business lines, while increasing incomes for the more than 20,000 smallholder farmers with which they work.

2024 also marks the 10th  anniversary of Good Nature Agro. Starting in 2014 with just 40 smallholder farmers in Kasenengwa District, Zambia, the company’s founders have remained committed to the company’s mission since day one. Today, Good Nature Agro farmers are present in all provinces of Zambia and the company has expanded its offerings to Malawi. The company has two active processing plants in Lusaka and Chipata, Zambia, an active seed breeding program and lab space, a proprietary digital platform for farmer and customer engagement, and more than 175 full-time employees. Good Nature Agro is also building a state-of-the-art export and processing facility in the Lusaka South Multi-Facility Zone(MFEZ).

Good Nature Agro Co-fonder and CEO, Carl Jensen, is thrilled with the news of the ranking, “We are proud to be included on the list, and we intend to use this opportunity to highlight our work with smallholders and the strength and potential of the Zambian agricultural economy. Credit for the strides we have made over the last 10 years goes to the hard work of our farmers, team, investors, and partners. Collectively, we are primed for a leap forward, and we will work tirelessly to move more smallholder farmers into the middle-class and emergent farmers towards generational wealth.”

On top of training, financing and production with Zambian farmers, Good Nature Agro has for the last 3 years been focusing on aggregating legume seed and commodity needs in the wider Southern and Central African region. “Being a Zambian-born and based company has strategically placed us to fulfill grain needs from beyond Zambian borders. We are exporting high-value beans, soya beans and groundnuts to food processors in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, and we continue to prospect both production and supply in the Eastern African region. We are looking to onboard more customers and anyone looking for a reliable supply of legume seeds and commodities in and beyond the region. The Financial Times listing affirms our constant commitment to growth and service to our farmers and customers” said Sunday Silungwe, Founder and Director of Communications.

Representing Zambia alongside Good Nature Agro on the list are  Zamseed (#91) and Zambeef Products (#113). The list of Africa’s fastest-growing companies, compiled by Financial Times in collaboration with Statista, a research and database company, highlights advanced, modern, and thriving businesses in Africa fueling the global economy in the 21st century. The list showcases the growth of private companies across different sectors and offers a brief overview of the recent corporate landscape where technology, Fintech, and other businesses have had to adapt to a challenging environment. Good Nature Agro salutes all other companies represented as peers and examples of resilience and job creation.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Good Nature Agro.

Media Contact:
Company name: GoodNature Agro
Contact person name: Sunday Silungwe, Co-founder and Director of Communications
Phone number: +260 97 9392832
Article website:  https://apo-opa.co/4arONQ1
Email: sunday.silungwe@goodnatureagro.com
Website: www.GoodNatureAgro.com

The second annual Invest in African Energy Forum was held in Paris from May 14-15, uniting over 750 African officials and global investors with the aim of increasing investment in African energy projects. The event served as a clarion call to accelerate sustainable energy in Africa, with discussions centered on financing African renewable energy projects, advancing clean gas projects and mapping a just energy transition in Africa.

Despite the rallying support by Europe and the U.S. to make energy poverty history in Africa, environmental organization Friends of the Earth chose to disrupt proceedings at the end of the two-day event, causing panic by deploying fake grenades and driving delegates and officials out of the venue. This blatant attack on the companies and authorities that are making great strides towards developing Africa is a blatant attack on the continent itself, and shows the biased and anti-African agenda of the organization.

This is not the first time that Friends of the Earth has taken direct action towards keeping Africa undeveloped and in the dark. In Mozambique, the organization has been fighting against the development of the country’s natural gas projects – a clean, widely available and affordable energy resource for the country. The group sued the UK government over its financial support for Mozambique LNG – a 43 million ton per annum offshore project developed by France’s TotalEnergies. It is worth noting that since the start of production at the Eni-led Coral Sul FLNG project in 2022, Mozambique’s GDP grew 6% in just one year, highlighting the role just one gas project can play in the country. Fortunately for Mozambique, the UK Supreme Court rejected the organization’s application to appeal its case against a decision by the UK government to fund the gas project.

The organization’s legal battles and obstruction doesn’t stop there. In South Africa, their actions extend to opposing projects by companies like Shell, impeding financial support for these ventures, and therefore, deepening the country’s energy crisis. Shell is trying to explore for oil and gas offshore South Africa, in a basin where major discoveries have been made in Namibia. Organizations such as Friends of the Earth continue to disrupt this, instigating legal battles that stand to deepen the country’s energy crisis even further. Is eight to ten hours of loadshedding not enough for the organization?

Meanwhile, the organization continues to disrupt the development of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) in Uganda – a project which stands to transform both the country and neighboring Tanzania. In 2020, the organization issued a legal case against TotalEnergies for the development of the project, a battle which it continues to wage despite the support by the countries themselves for the project.

However, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) remains undeterred. Representing the voice of the African energy sector, the AEC remains committed to engaging with communities, investors and like-minded individuals who support Africa’s right to choose its energy sources.

“The AEC advocates for a pragmatic approach that embraces all forms of energy, including coal, natural gas, renewables and oil. We stress the importance of constructive engagement with all parties involved and oppose actions that hinder Africa’s energy progress,” stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC. “We believe that companies like TotalEnergies and Perenco, along with other international firms, are contributing positively by creating jobs and opportunities. Attacking or demonizing these companies, does not address the climate crisis.” According to Friends of the Earth’s website, the vision of the organization is a “peaceful and sustainable world based on societies living in harmony with nature.” The irony here is that the organization continuously shows aggressive acts towards people, companies and events advocating for equality, justice and progress. If the organization has bothered to take part in the Paris event, listen to the discussions and witness the topics, they would realize that the very companies and projects they are attacking are the ones promoting a sustainable and clean energy future. Friends of the Earth Africa – its African-based group – calls on world governments to adopt their plan to achieve 100% renewable energy in Africa by 2050. Yet, this group’s parent organization attacked an energy event that sought to promote investments in African energy – specifically, clean energy.

Friends of the Earth has proven time and time again that they are not friends of Africa. They would rather see the continent remain in the dark than developed through sustainable energy.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.