The final round of the 2024 Rugby Africa Women’s Cup organized by Rugby Africa (www.RugbyAfrique.com), the continental governing body of Rugby across Africa will be streamed live for the first time on RugbyPass TV (www.RugbyPass.com), official free streaming service of World Rugby, at 13:00 (East Africa Time) local time in Antananarivo, Madagascar on Sunday, May 12.

Defending champions, South Africa will compete against host nation Madagascar, to secure pathway for the 2025 Women’s World Cup in England. Runner-up will qualify for the WX3 tournament in Dubai scheduled for October 2024.

Launched in 2023, the official global streaming platform of World Rugby (www.World.Rugby), Rugby Pass TV, aims to grow the global game by making rugby more accessible to fans worldwide for free. The live streaming of the Rugby Africa Women’s tournament on Rugby Pass TV highlights the growing interest in women’s rugby across the African continent. This occasion provides an opportunity for fans to support their teams and experience the thrill of the game. The match will also be live streamed on Super Sport YouTube Page, Rugby Africa Facebook and YouTube Page. In addition to live stream, the final round will be broadcasted on SuperSport.

The Rugby Africa Women’s Tournament is a continental rugby union competition organized by Rugby Africa. Participating countries in the three round tournaments include Cameroon, Kenya, Madagascar and South Africa. All three rounds of the women’s tournament are actively taking at the Stadis Makis in Antananrivo, Madagascar, following commencement on May 4. It is the second time Madagascar is hosting the Rugby Africa Women’s tournament, having done so successfully in 2023.

The final round of the Rugby Africa’ Women’s Cup will be kicking of at 13:00 (East Africa Time), with Kenya’ Lionesses competing against Cameroon. Followed by the deciding match South Africa’s Springboks and Madagascar at 15:00 (East Africa Time). 

To Access Live Stream:

RugbyPass TV: https://apo-opa.co/3USxcMu
SuperSport: https://apo-opa.co/3wkaZ0E
Rugby Africa YouTube: https://apo-opa.co/3WD8NvD
Rugby Africa Facebook: https://apo-opa.co/4dAAXgY

To View Broadcast:
SuperSport Linear: Channel 244

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Rugby Africa.

Media contact:
Nicole Vervelde
Communications Advisor to the President of Rugby Africa
rugby@apo-opa.com

About Rugby Africa:
Rugby Africa (www.RugbyAfrique.com) is the governing body of rugby in Africa and one of the regional associations under World Rugby. It unites all African countries that play rugby union, rugby sevens, and women’s rugby. Rugby Africa organizes various competitions, including the qualifying tournaments for the Rugby World Cup and the Africa Sevens, a qualifying competition for the Olympic Games. With 39 member unions, Rugby Africa is dedicated to promoting and developing rugby across the continent. World Rugby highlighted Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia as three of the six emerging nations experiencing strong growth in rugby.

Many African countries are harnessing gas and other cleaner and greener energies to drive their industrialisation journey. African countries including Ghana and Nigeria are investing in gas infrastructure and promoting its utilisation, and by extension are addressing energy poverty and environmental challenges.

The Honourable Minister of Energy for Ghana, H.E. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who recently confirmed his participation in the NOG Energy Week, taking place from 30 June to 4 July at the ICC, Abuja, amplified the need for competitive financing to propel natural gas projects.  

Nigeria, boasting gas reserves of over 200TCF, recently announced plans to execute a gas strategy that will trigger the nations industrialisation and economic growth. NNPC Limited’s Executive Vice President for Upstream, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, shared the organisation’s plans to deepen domestic gas utilisation for power generation in a bid to support the manufacturing sector. 

To transform the energy sector in West Africa, leveraging natural gas to drive economic growth and development is key. Gas for industrialisation contributes to increasing energy transition progress across the region. From revitalising key industries to fostering innovation, the strategic focus on gas underscores a commitment to propel West Africa towards a future built on energy security and economic resilience. Through the Decade of Gas Initiative by the Nigerian government, industry leaders have continually conveyed a collaborative approach aimed at unlocking the country’s energy resources.

To drive progress in Sub-Saharan Africa’s energy market, energy stakeholders, government officials, regulators, and key industry players are convening at NOG Energy Week 2024 to deliberate on policies aimed at meeting West Africa’s energy demand. The event, themed “Showcasing Opportunities. Driving Investment. Meeting Energy Demand.”, is scheduled to take place from 30 June – 4 July at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja. 

Speaking on what stakeholders should expect at NOG Energy Week 2024 (www.NOGEenergyweek.com), the Country Director – Nigeria&Portfolio Director – Africa for dmg events, Wemimo Oyelana, said,

“Our commitment for almost 25 years has been to provide a platform where industry leaders can have frank conversations that proffer solutions to the different challenges the industry is facing. NOG Energy Week has contributed significantly to key policy development&implementation over the years. We look forward to having industry stakeholders discuss pertinent issues including; Attracting International and Regional Funding Into Nigeria’s Energy Sector, Optimising the Significance of Natural Gas as the Fuel Of Choice, and Driving Industrialisation as a Catalyst for Economic Growth. 

Expected government officials and industry leaders at NOG Energy Week 2024 are; H.E. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), H.E. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Energy, Ghana, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, Commission Chief Executive, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, Authority Chief Executive, Nigerian Midstream&Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mele Kolo Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer,  NNPC Limited, Elohor Aiboni, Managing Director, Shell Nigeria’s Exploration and Production Company Limited, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, Managing Director&Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria LNG, Eberechukwu Oji, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, ND Western, Dr Ernest Azudialu – Obiejesi OFR, Chairman, Nestoil Limited, Adewale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive, Oando PLC, Julius Rone OFR, Group Managing Director, UTM FLNG Limited, Daere Akobo. F.IoD, F.IMC, CMC, Group Chief Executive Officer, PANA Holdings, among others.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of NOG Energy Week.

About NOG Energy Week:
NOG Energy Week 2024 is produced by dmg Nigeria events, a subsidiary of dmg Events with over 80 Conferences and Exhibitions across the world such as Adipec, and Gastech. The 23rd edition of the event will unite leaders, policymakers, regulators, and professionals from across the globe in the oil, gas and energy industry to address energy transition and transformation, as well as emerging business opportunities within the country.

Alongside the Strategic Conference, NOG Energy Week 2024 will also host an international Exhibition, leadership roundtables, a plethora of networking events, and an award ceremony to recognise exceptional achievements and contributions within Nigeria’s energy industry.

For further information about NOG Energy Week 2024, please visit www.NOGEenergyweek.com.

As Africa seeks to improve its supply of and access to refined petroleum products, a midstream and downstream-focused panel will explore investment opportunities in the sector at the Invest in African Energy (IAE) (www.Invest-Africa-Energy.com) forum, kicking off next week in Paris.

The session will uncover dynamic business, trade and partnership opportunities for pipeline projects across the continent, as well as crude oil storage facilities, fuel product tanks, oil refining and gas processing capacity and distribution infrastructure. In emphasizing the pivotal role these projects play in advancing Africa’s energy sector – by unlocking lucrative export revenue and delivering fuel to energy-hungry markets – the discussion will provide a roadmap to ensuring energy security and stability of assets, while minimizing environmental impact.

Organized by Energy Capital&Power, IAE 2024 is an exclusive forum designed to foster collaboration between European investors and African energy markets. Taking place May 14-15, 2024, in Paris, the event offers delegates two days of intensive engagement with industry experts, project developers, investors, and policymakers. For more information, please visit https://apo-opa.co/3wvcNUm.

Several massive infrastructure projects are underway across the continent, where midstream and downstream projects comprise more than half of the total oil and gas projects set to be deployed between now and 2028. In West Africa, Nigeria is developing the $3.5-billion Brass Methanol Plant to produce methanol, urea and ammonia, as well as completing the Train 7 Expansion Project at the Nigeria LNG plant, fueling LNG exports to the region. The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline is also underway, delivering Nigerian gas across 11 African countries to Morocco, and then onto Europe.

In East Africa, EACOP is set to transport oil from Uganda’s Tilenga and Kingfisher fields to Tanzania’s Port of Tanga for global export. The Uganda National Oil Company is also seeking partners for its Buloba oil storage project, which will be used as a strategic national fuel reserve unit and to facilitate exports. Meanwhile, billion-dollar integrated gas developments are unfolding across the continent – including three LNG facilities in Mozambique, Congo LNG, Tanzania LNG and more – boosting Africa’s gas liquefaction capacity and involving extensive pipeline infrastructure for processing and export.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital&Power.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received a contribution of US$1.5 million from the Government of the People’s Republic of China through the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) to provide nutritious meals for thousands of school children in Burundi.

The funding will enable WFP to purchase 985 MT of maize and 245 MT of yellow split peas and benefit 42,000 school children for one year in Bubanza, Bujumbura, and Cibitoke Provinces of the country.

Speaking during a launch event at Buganda elementary school in Cibitoke Province, H. E. Zhao Jiangping, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Burundi said; “China is pleased to support school meals that improve children’s nutrition, enabling them to focus on their studies and achieve better results at school. Indeed, this project is the first successful practice of tripartite cooperation between China and the UN agency in Burundi under the “Fund for Global Development and South-South Cooperation”. China is committed to promoting the development of human capital, with the aim of helping Burundi to realize its “2040&2060” development vision, and to go further, to jointly build a Sino-Burundian community with a shared future.

School meals programmes can be a powerful incentive for impoverished families to enroll their children in school. A study carried out by Harvard University in Burundi shows school meals represent a saving of 14 per cent of a household food expenditure and enable students to concentrate on their studies, leading to sustainable increases in school enrolment and lower dropout rates. It also shows that schools with canteens have a 5.1 per cent higher success rate in exams and a 3.6 per cent lower dropout rate compared with the national average.

The government of Burundi has identified school canteens as the largest social safety net for vulnerable children and has increased the national financial contribution to the school meals programme by more than 100 per cent for the year 2023-2024.

“In Burundi, 700,000 children, i.e. one out of four school children currently benefit from a school meal. Our commitment goes even further, as we aim to achieve universal access by 2032″, says Pr François Havyarimana, Minister of Education and Scientific Research in Burundi.

“This critical support from the Government of the People’s Republic of China will enable WFP to work alongside the Government of Burundi to improve the health, nutrition and education of thousands of school children, investing in their futures and building a brighter tomorrow, says Arduino Mangoni, WFP’s Acting Country Director in Burundi.” 

School meals are an investment in Burundi’s future. Research studies evaluate that the multi-sectoral impacts of the national school meals programme bring US$ 5.2 in return for each US$1 invested. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).