APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the premier award-winning Pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service, is proud to announce that it has been named the winner in three award categories by Brands Review Magazine, a renowned UK-based media publication dedicated to covering key industry sectors worldwide.

APO Group was named Best PR Agency Africa 2024, Leading Communication Consultancy Africa 2024, and Leading Press Release Distribution Platform Africa 2024 following a thorough evaluation process. These new accolades mark another milestone for APO Group, solidifying its position as a leader in public relations and communications services across Africa.

Brands Review Magazine is committed to recognising and rewarding excellence in businesses on a global scale. With a primary objective to showcase outstanding work and achievements, the magazine aims to highlight the exceptional contributions of businesses, top brands, and industry leaders from across diverse sectors.

APO Group has consistently demonstrated its commitment to excellence and innovation, earning recognition not only from Brands Review Magazine but also from other prestigious industry platforms. In 2023, APO Group and its clients won a total of 5 African SABRE Awards, surpassing all other firms in the competition. The SABRE Awards are the world’s biggest PR awards programme.

Furthermore, APO Group’s outstanding achievements in 2023 were acknowledged with prestigious awards such as a PRovoke Media Global SABRE Award and two World Business Outlook Awards. These awards encompassed various categories including Leading Public Relations Firm Africa 2023 and Leading Pan-African Communications Consultancy Africa 2023, highlighting the company’s unparalleled excellence and leadership in the industry. Commenting on winning the Brands Review Magazine aw Rania El Rafie, Vice President of Public Relations and Strategic Communications at APO Group said, “These awards reaffirm our dedication to delivering excellence in media relations and communication services across Africa. They reinforce APO Group’s standing as a leader in the African media and communications industry, highlighting our unwavering commitment to quality and excellence.”

“We are honoured to be recognised by Brands Review Magazine and remain committed to delivering exceptional services to our clients across Africa.”

Originating as a press release distribution service 15 years ago, APO Group has evolved into a pan-African public relations and communications powerhouse, boasting a dedicated team of professionals who drive some of the most compelling campaigns across the African continent. APO Group experienced year-over-year revenue growth of 40% in 2021 and 60% in 2022.

In 2023, Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Chairman and Founder of APO Group, was named among the 100 Most Influential Africans. The list, published since 2011, recognises and celebrates the achievements and contributions of Africans from various fields and sectors who are making a positive impact on the continent and the world.

Additionally, Pompigne-Mognard sits on several Advisory Boards, Task Forces, and International Committees, including the Senior Advisory Board of the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business, the Advisory Boards of the African Energy Chamber, the World Football Summit, the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), the Bloomberg New Economy Gateway Africa, the EurAfrican Forum, the Task Force for the FIFA – CAF Infrastructure Development Project, and the International Committee of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA). He is also a Special Advisor to the President of Rugby Africa, the governing body of rugby in Africa.

APO Group works with more than 300 clients, ranging from governments to international institutions, prominent personalities, and companies active in Africa. Some of APO Group’s prestigious clients include Nestlé, Coca-Cola, TikTok, NBA, FIFA, Canon, DHL, Marriott Group, Ecobank, Siemens, Orange, Jack Ma Foundation, African Development Bank, World Health Organization, Islamic Development Bank, Liquid Intelligent Technology, Rotary International, Kaspersky, and Greenpeace.

The company comprises seasoned communication experts and strategists who bring years of invaluable experience in developing and supporting public relations campaigns across Africa and worldwide. Leveraging diverse resources, the consultancy ensures the delivery of robust and coherent messaging to media outlets on behalf of its clients. With a focus on the African market, the company has successfully assisted numerous clients from various sectors in amplifying their brand messaging, elevating their reputation, and establishing meaningful connections with their target audience.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of APO Group.

Media contact:
marie@apo-opa.com

About APO Group:
Founded in 2007, APO Group (www.APO-opa.com) stands as the premier award-winning Pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service. Renowned for our deep-rooted African expertise and expansive global perspective, we specialise in elevating the reputation and brand equity of both private and public organisations across Africa. As a trusted partner, our mission is to harness the power of media, crafting bespoke strategies that drive tangible, measurable impact in Africa and beyond.

Our commitment to excellence and innovation in communication strategies has been recognised with prestigious awards, including a PRovoke Media Global SABRE Award, five PRovoke Media Africa SABRE Awards and two World Business Outlook Awards in 2023 alone, in categories, among others, including Leading Public Relations Firm Africa 2023 and Leading Pan-African Communications Consultancy Africa 2023.

Our esteemed clientele, including global giants like Canon, Nestlé, TikTok or Coca-Cola, reflects our unparalleled ability to navigate the complex African media landscape, with teams on the ground in numerous African countries, offering unmatched insights and reach across the continent.

APO Group is dedicated to reshaping narratives about Africa, challenging stereotypes, and bringing inspiring African stories to global audiences, with our expertise in developing and supporting public relations campaigns worldwide uniquely positioning us to amplify brand messaging, enhance reputations, and connect effectively with target audiences.

For more information, please visit our website: www.APO-opa.com

The African Development Bank (AfDB) (www.AfDB.org) has underscored the success of its program aimed at bolstering job opportunities for young people in Cameroon.

At a meeting convened in Yaoundé on April 9, 2024, chaired by Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, the Bank Group’s Vice-President for Regional Development, Integration, and Business Delivery, stakeholders across various sectors gathered to discuss the Bank’s Program to Support Youth Employability in Cameroon.

The meeting saw significant participation from female entrepreneurs and young graduates who have benefited from work placements in projects financed by the Bank.

The event took place just ahead of the official inauguration of the African Development Bank Group’s regional office for Central Africa, signaling the Bank’s unwavering commitment to regional development.

Alongside young interns engaged in professional immersion within Bank-funded projects, the gathering also brought together male and female entrepreneurs active in agriculture, fishing, livestock, fish farming, and young women supported by the Bank to establish their own businesses. Additionally, managers from project management units were in attendance.

According to Serge N’Guessan, Director General of the Bank Group for Central Africa and head of the Bank’s Country Office in Cameroon, interns are deployed to projects in roles such as disbursement or contract award assistants, assistant engineers for road projects, archivists, among others.

N’Guessan revealed that 284 young individuals had already benefited from 12-month placements, providing them with valuable opportunities to integrate into various workplace settings, including projects funded by the Bank or other donors, as well as the private or public sectors. Notably, seven of them have secured positions within the Ministry of Public Works.

As the program prepares to receive its seventh cohort of interns, it has significantly contributed to integrating the majority of beneficiaries into the workforce.

Dieudonné Toukea, one of the program beneficiaries, shared her experience, underscoring the opportunities afforded by her initial exposure to the workplace, which enabled her to pursue her aspirations in the consultancy field.

“This initial experience really opened up opportunities for my friends and me. It gave me the chance to develop other activities after my placement and look for additional qualifications, which means I can now pursue a career in consultancy. Thank you for the opportunity we were given,” she said.

The participants advocated for the opening up a fund to finance entrepreneurs and for more opportunities to work on Bank projects. Finally, they hoped that the process of creating a web platform for networking with former interns could be speeded up.

Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade reasserted the importance of self-employment, especially for young people and women, emphasizing the Bank Group’s support through initiatives such as AFAWA (Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa). She highlighted collaboration with commercial banks to make access to credit easier for female entrepreneurs, emphasizing their reliability and greater capacity for repaying loans.

“We work with the commercial banks and offer them guarantees that help them to lend to female entrepreneurs. We also organize training for credit managers in banks to raise their awareness about being more open to funding applications submitted by women, since – contrary to popular belief – there is little risk in lending to women and women are best when it comes to repayments,” she stated.

“The project here in Cameroon is unique and I urge you to seize the opportunity, keep training and improve your skills to be even more competitive in the labour market,” the Vice-President of the Bank Group told the young people present. She pointed out that Africa needed to find work for the 12 million jobseekers who joined the labour market every year.

The meeting was also an opportunity for Jeanine Nkodo, coordinator of the Agricultural Value Chain Development Project, to highlight the specific efforts to support female entrepreneurs in this sector.

The Vice-President concluded by speaking about the Bank’s recent adoption of its ten-year strategy, which puts young people and women at the heart of its priorities. She also reaffirmed the Bank’s role as one of Cameroon’s key partners, particularly in terms of infrastructure funding and support for regions in crisis.

The Bank is also keen to support large businesses, particularly in the private sector, to encourage greater openness to young people and women.

“The Bank is open to providing funding to support these interns’ projects to help them integrate into society and the workplace by starting their own businesses,” said the Vice-President.

“We offer guarantees to commercial banks so that they can lend to female entrepreneurs” – Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, Vice-President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Download more images: https://apo-opa.co/448VlS3

Media contact:
Romaric Ollo Hien
Communication and External Relations Department
media@afdb.org

About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is the premier multilateral financing institution dedicated to Africa’s development. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NSF).  The AfDB has a field presence in 44 African countries, with an external office in Japan, and contributes to the economic development and social progress of its 54 regional member states.

For more information: www.AfDB.org

The World Bank announced the Central Bank of Cabo Verde (CBCV) as the second beneficiary of a multi-donor trust fund for advancing public asset management worldwide. Representatives from CBCV and the World Bank signed the technical assistance agreement, which delivers technical advisory services under the World Bank’s Reserve Advisory&Management Partnership (RAMP) program.

Announced in October, the trust fund brings the World Bank’s public asset management expertise to lower-income, fragile, or conflict-affected countries that could not otherwise afford it. CBCV becomes the 75th member of the Partnership’s global network of public asset managers and second beneficiary of the trust fund.

“A warm welcome to the Central Bank of Cabo Verde as the newest RAMP member supported by the trust fund,” said Jorge Familiar, World Bank Vice President&Treasurer. “We are grateful for the continuous support and generosity of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) to share our asset management expertise, expanding RAMP’s global impact.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The World Bank Group.

Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, Sergei Naryshkin, and his accompanying delegation. The meeting was attended by Director of the General Intelligence Service, Major General Abbas Kamel.

Spokesman for the Presidency, Counselor Dr. Ahmed Fahmy, said the meeting focused on the regional situation, primarily ways to achieve stability in the Middle East amid the crisis in the Gaza Strip and the escalating tension in the region. They also touched on a number of African issues, counterterrorism efforts, as well as the latest developments on the international arena, especially in Ukraine and Afghanistan. 

The meeting also reviewed Egypt’s efforts to calm the situation in the region through its engagement with all parties, affirming Egypt’s vision regarding the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the unfettered flow of sufficient humanitarian aid and relief, as fundamental steps to defuse regional tension. Egypt’s stance also envisages the crucial need to reach a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue, and the establishment of the Palestinian state, along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, to ensure peace and stability in the Middle East.

The two sides emphasized their commitment to continuing consultations and coordination between the two countries on various dossiers, given their outstanding historical relations.

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