The U.S. Embassy together with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is convening Ghanaian judges, customs officials, and law enforcement officers to promote protection and enforcement of intellectual property and legitimate international trade in advance of World Intellectual Property Day on April 26. The two intellectual property enforcement workshops include nearly 60 officials from the judiciary, customs, and law enforcement sectors.

“In the information age, intellectual property protections are key to promoting equitable economic growth and international trade while protecting individual innovations. We hope this training will help make Ghana’s IP processes more accessible to ordinary Ghanaians by sharing our experience in the United States regarding the adjudication and enforcement of IP cases,” said Chargé d’affaires Rolf Olson during the opening session on Tuesday.

The two-part training sessions will focus first on judges, then customs and law enforcement officials, over four days (April 23-26). U.S. federal judges, officials from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security, along with officials from Ghana’s Registrar General’s Department and Copyright Office will lead the training sessions and discussions at the West Africa Regional Training Center in Accra.

Ghana is a leading signatory to intellectual property treaties among Middle Eastern and African nations. The U.S. Embassy, in partnership with USPTO is a long-term supporter of strengthening Ghana’s intellectual property protection and enforcement infrastructure to promote innovation and long-term economic growth. This training follows Ghanaian officials’ visits to USPTO headquarters in the United States last year, where partners identified common areas of interest for future cooperation.

World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated on April 26 to recognize the importance of intellectual property protections that reward creators, protect innovation, and support legitimate economic growth.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Ghana.

On this day, Egypt’s flags returned to fly high over every inch of Sinai. A due tribute to all who sacrificed and fought the most honorable battles so that the nation could regain its pride and prestige.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

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).