The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes the announcement of supplemental emergency humanitarian assistance from the United States government which will be critical in preventing famine and saving millions of lives.

“I thank the United States Administration and lawmakers from across the aisle in Congress for their strong bipartisan leadership. This supplemental aid package is critical to meet surging humanitarian needs in many parts of the world,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “It is essential these funds are now swiftly allocated and a significant portion is used to prevent famine in the most dire hunger crises, and reach vulnerable people caught up in conflict and on the frontlines of climate disasters.”

The announcement comes as conflict, climate extremes and economic shocks across the globe fuel extreme hunger. Emergency food crises have intensified in 2024: almost seven out of ten food insecure people live in fragile or conflict-affected regions. Globally more than 40 million people across 45 countries are in emergency levels of acute hunger – meaning one step away from famine.

Severe hunger is also contributing to people fleeing within and across borders, not only risking the lives of those affected but also jeopardizing regional security and stability. With famine now a real and dangerous threat in the Gaza Strip and Sudan, and millions driven into hunger in countries such as Haiti and Ukraine, an accelerated response to food insecurity has never been so urgent. 

“As the world’s largest humanitarian organization, WFP has an unrivalled ability to deliver food assistance to the tens of millions who need it the most, preventing a slide into chaos and instability.” said Executive Director McCain. “We stand ready to deliver assistance quickly, strategically, and wherever it is needed, alongside our partners.”

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

Stellantis Middle East and Africa (www.Stellantis.com) celebrated this April 18th in Istanbul _Turkey the success of its first Customer Centricity Competition, an innovative event that brought together our network front liners exceptional talent from across the MEA region. The competition showcased the skills and expertise of professionals in four distinct categories: Sales Advisor, Service Advisor, Technician, and Spare Parts Advisor.

The Stellantis MEA Customer Centricity Competition saw a total of 24 winners among 6000 professionals from 81 markets across MEA region, representing the four different categories across various dealers within the MEA region. Participants from all over the region, including countries such as Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, and Qatar, eagerly took part in this event.

The winners were selected based on their exemplary performance and expertise in each sub-category. In the Sales and Service Advisor category, winners were recognized for their excellence in Best Greeting&Consulting, Best Negotiation&Closing, and Best Theoretical Knowledge. Similarly, in the Technician and Spare Parts Advisor category, winners were awarded for Best First Practical Test, Best Second Practical Test, and Best Third Practical Test.

“This competition highlights Stellantis MEA’s commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction as per our dare forward 2030 strategy with our ultimate goal to accomplish the top position in customer satisfaction it’s a commitment that drives our actions by placing the customer at the heart of our operations.” said Samir Cherfan, Chief Operations Officer for Stellantis Middle East&Africa. “We were pleased to see such an exceptional display of talent and expertise. The winners have truly set a benchmark for customer-centricity and professionalism.”

To reinforce this commitment, Stellantis MEA have made substantial investments in training totaling nearly 2 million Euros in 2023 and translating into along with 70,000 hours training across the region. Thus, several tangible efforts have been implemented such as:

The MEA Spotlight program, recognizing and rewarding top-performing Advisors.
The NPS Data Reliability program, guaranteeing authentic customer feedback.
The Introduction of Customer Tables to speed up the resolution of Customer Care resolution.

The success of the Customer Centricity Competition highlights Stellantis MEA’s dedication to fostering talent and enhancing customer experiences across the MEA region.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Stellantis.

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About Stellantis:
Stellantis N.V. (NYSE: STLA / Euronext Milan: STLAM / Euronext Paris: STLAP) is one of the world’s leading automakers and a mobility provider. Its storied and iconic brands embody the passion of their visionary founders and today’s customers in their innovative products and services, including Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep®, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, Vauxhall, Free2move and Leasys. Powered by our diversity, we lead the way the world moves – aspiring to become the greatest sustainable mobility tech company, not the biggest, while creating added value for all stakeholders as well as the communities in which it operates. For more information, visit www.Stellantis.com

APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the premier award-winning Pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service, is proud to announce the inclusion of Rania El-Rafie, Vice President, Public Relations and Strategic Communication, in the 2023-2024 ‘50 Remarkable African Women in Communication and Media’ list.

Known as the #Nzinga50, the annual ‘50 Remarkable African Women in Communication and Media’ list is published by CommsOfAfrica, a pan-African provider of specialist information on the communication, media, and content creation sectors in Africa. Covering the entire African continent, as well as the diaspora, the list consists of exceptional African women who contribute significantly to advancement and innovation in their respective fields. Criteria for inclusion in the list include professional achievements and societal impact, reputation and influence, and creativity and vision.

Rania joins a notable list of female industry leaders who are inspiring and transforming Africa’s communications and media landscape. From corporate and agency PR professionals to independent consultants, journalists, producers, presenters, and TV hosts, all are making a lasting impression in their chosen disciplines.

“It is truly an honour to be included in the list of 50 remarkable African women in PR, together with some of the most influential and recognised names in our industry,” said Rania El-Rafie, Vice President, Public Relations and Strategic Communication at APO Group.

“Promoting diversity, inclusivity, and gender equality in our industry is something that I am deeply passionate about, and it is high on APO Group’s agenda as well. With 67% of our staff being female, and 50% of our management team, our inclusive approach not only enriches our company culture, but promotes innovation and success.

“At APO Group, our purpose is to champion Africa’s narratives, amplify Africa’s voices, and bridge Africa and the world. This goes beyond simple public relations, to redefining perceptions of Africa, including the roles of women. This accolade is another way in which we are demonstrating the progress that has been made in this regard.”

This award follows the recent announcement of APO Group as Best PR Agency Africa 2024, Leading Communication Consultancy Africa 2024, and Leading Press Release Distribution Platform Africa 2024 by Brands Review Magazine, further demonstrating the company’s commitment to excellence in the PR and communications industry.

In January of this year, Rania, who hails from Egypt, became the first person to be promoted to VP of Public Relations and Strategic Communications from within APO Group, and the youngest person ever to hold this key role. Since joining APO Group in 2020, Rania has managed the company’s most prestigious accounts, heading up a team of PR and communications professionals who work with some of the continent’s most influential brands, including Canon, Nestlé, TikTok, Jack Ma Foundation, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Marriott, AstraZeneca, European Investment Bank, Afreximbank, Islamic Development Bank, Vertiv, NBA, Basketball Africa League, Siemens Gamesa, Siemens Energy, GITEX, KONE, Mercy Ships, MSD, Qatar African Business Forum, Western Union, and Rugby Africa.

Download the #Nzinga50 list: Nzinga50 – Edition 2023-2024 – Comms Of Africa (https://apo-opa.co/49QXqU4)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of APO Group.

Nigerian start-ups are leading an epic AI innovation race with innovative digital solutions solving cross-continental challenges, as the very best from Africa’s largest economy take centre stage at the rising Silicon Valley’s largest tech and start-up event in Morocco next month.

From AI-powered diabetic care, to SaaS (Software as a Service) platforms boosting agriculture profitability, Nigerian tech is shaping the future of Africa’s burgeoning digital economy, enticing global investors with tantalising venture opportunities at the AI Everything Expo by GITEX AFRICA 2024, the continent’s largest tech and start-up event, from 29-31 May in Marrakech. 

Nigeria’s bold initiatives establishing the country as a dominant force in AI and tech talent development will be amplified by strong venture capital demand and interest at GITEX AFRICA’s AI Everything showcase, the continent’s most progressive power forum for AI exploration and deep tech innovation.

That demand will be intensified by the incredible AI growth opportunity in Nigeria; according to analysts Statista, Nigeria’s AI market value will surpass the US$1 billion mark in 2024, growing 17 percent annually over the next seven years to reach US$3 billion by 2030.

Advancing African business and society

FundusAI, Africa’s first AI-powered diabetic care ecosystem, is an example of Nigerian-borne innovation allowing doctors to detect Diabetic Retinopathy early, and will be one of more than 60 of the most outstanding Nigerian start-ups among hundreds of global start-ups at GITEX AFRICA 2024.

“Our product stands out as Africa’s first AI-powered ecosystem for diabetic care,” said FundusAI’s CEO and Founder Abulmalik Adeyemo, who wants to diagnose more than five million patients annually by 2027, while expanding FundusAI’s scope to address additional eye health issues. 

“FundusAI offers automated diagnosis, appointment scheduling, treatment referrals, and community support. Additionally, our gamified data collection ensures personalised healthcare insights.”

Farmatrix is another Nigerian AI game changer at AI Everything Expo by GITEX AFRICA 2024, a SaaS platform that connects farmers with agro-commodity aggregators and buyers in real time using advanced AI algorithms, greatly reducing post-harvest loss and boosting profits.

“More than 60 percent of smallholder farmers in Nigeria lose nearly half of their post-harvest yield because they can’t readily access buyers for their products,” said Nyafamu Manzo, Founder of Farmatrix.

“Farmatrix democratises purchase orders, guaranteeing end-to-end market, secure storage facilities, and trusted logistics services for every farmer and agro-commodity aggregator in our network.”

Elevating African AI tech talent

While Africa is still in the early stages of AI adoption, there’s a growing interest in the transformational technology across the continent, as governments balance the fine act of AI innovation and regulation, while fast-tracking AI talent development plans. 

Tomiwa Aladekomo, CEO of Big Cabal Media, the Nigerian-based Pan-African media group that tells the great African start-up story to the world, said Nigeria sets an example of elevating tech talent to accelerate productivity and attract investment across the continent.

“In Nigeria, the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy is training three million tech talents over the next four years, and that’s the kind of thing we want to see across the continent,” said Aladekomo, a speaker at the Future of Finance Summit, one of more than ten powerful conference programmes at GITEX AFRICA 2024.

“Africa needs to build AI products, and we need to be thinking about regulation, not just from a safety perspective, but about regulation that encourages productivity, allowing us to be producers (of AI) rather than just consumers – and that’s going to require a ton of tech talent.”

Fast-tracking a burgeoning African digital valley

Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco, GITEX AFRICA is held under the authority of the Moroccan Ministry of Digital Transition and Administration Reform, supported by the Ministry of Health&Social Protection, and hosted by the Digital Development Agency. The 2nd blockbuster edition, organised by KAOUN International, follows its pioneering debut in 2023.

More than 30 high-level Nigerian-based speakers are set to partake at the power-packed GITEX AFRICA conference programme, fast forwarding cross-border collaboration and investment opportunities. Headline government dignitaries participating include Tunji Alausa, the Honourable Minister of State, Health and Social Welfare for the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Akin Abayomi, Honourable Commissioner for the Lagos State Ministry of Health; and Dauda Lawal, Honourable Governor of Zamfara State. 

Other headliners include Aminu Maida, CEO of Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); Prasanna Burri, Group CISO of Dangote Group; Yewande Adewusi, COO of Altheia Capital, and Yau I. Garba, National Director of the National Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.

More information is available at www.GITEXAfrica.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GITEX Africa.

Media Contact:
Gareth Wright
PR Director
Tel.: + 971 50 273 3832
Gareth.Wright@dwtc.com

Tayce Marchesi
PR Executive
Tel.: + 971 58 552 3994
Tayce.Marchesi@dwtc.com

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Website: www.GITEXAfrica.com

About KAOUN International:
KAOUN International is the independent events company and wholly owned subsidiary of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) established to organize and manage events internationally. Derived from the Arabic word ‘universe’, KAOUN International’s mission is to ‘Create Limitless Connections’ for the industries and markets in which it operates. Created to leverage the 40-year legacy of DWTC’s events management business and drive future MICE sector opportunity in the MENASA region. KAOUN International delivers game-changing live experiences that build robust business connections, create opportunity, and stimulate economic growth, building on DWTC’s extensive portfolio of business and consumer events spanning multiple sectors, including technology, food and hospitality, sustainability, broadcast and satellite, automotive, talent development and leisure marine.