“Conflict in South Sudan has left us women in a position where we aren’t well versed or equipped to take our rightful place in politics, governance or decision-making,” revealed Maria Aluek Bak from Northern Bahr El Ghazal’s Women’s Association.

Maria was speaking at a forum facilitated and organized by the United Nations’ Integrated Electoral Assistance Team (IEAT) which aimed to hold discussions on electoral standards, principles, and management techniques necessary for a free, fair, credible and peaceful process.

“Women must be made aware of their rights and responsibilities before they set out to cast their vote,” she added.

With high rates of illiteracy among women, Maria believes that such interactive workshops are the key to ensuring their robust participation as this young nation approaches its first post-independence elections.

“The training we have received here is vital and it’s our responsibility to trickle this down to our peers in our communities. We shall be the voice for women to have more active agency in the life of our nation,” she declared passionately.  

The workshop focused on boosting confidence and capacities in electoral issues through peer-to-peer engagement. During discussions, 25 participants exchanged experiences and electoral community networks of practice between their respective organizations.

“The training was fruitful because we learnt about the legal framework for the elections, obligations, and standards, as well as electoral management bodies. As civil society representatives we shall reflect this knowledge by training our colleagues on their responsibilities as citizens of this country,” said Marco Madut Wol, speaking on behalf of members of civil society organizations attending the event.    

For their part, youth representatives, too echoed their appreciation for the initiative and called for more such trainings prior to the start of polling for young people to be able to cast informed votes when the time comes.

“It’s vital for us as young people to be fully informed of political developments and especially as we are heading towards our country’s first elections. Such workshops have a significant impact because we get clued in on our rights, roles, and responsibilities. We hope that the UN will hold similar workshops across the state and in different parts of the country so that young South Sudanese can help actively shape a peaceful, prosperous future,” said Marco Manut Majak, Deputy Chairperson of the Northern Bahr El Ghazal Youth Union.

The training brought together members of the state’s election committees and their secretariats; civil society; government institutions; and media partners.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The Republic of Benin has become the latest African nation to accede to the Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), the impact investment subsidiary of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (https://www.Afreximbank.com/). With Benin’s accession to the FEDA Establishment Agreement, the total number of participating African countries has risen to 17, following Nigeria’s accession earlier this month. 

The accession to the agreement demonstrates Benin’s support for Afreximbank’s efforts to broaden FEDA’s effectiveness by mobilizing its Member States to sign and ratify the FEDA Establishment Agreement and to support the organization’s impact investing objectives. The onboarding of new Members expands the reach of FEDA’s interventions and reflects the Fund’s unwavering commitment to its mandate of providing long-term capital to African economies, with a focus on industrialization, intra-African trade and value-added exports.

Among other strategic investments across the continent, in November 2022, FEDA invested in Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP) in a significant step deepening the implementation of its mandate. Arise IIP developed the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ) which is focused on the transformation of textile and agro-processing in Benin.

Professor Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank and Chairman of the Boards of both Afreximbank and FEDA, commented: “We welcome the signing of the FEDA Establishment Agreement by the Republic of Benin. This development builds on the various interventions by both Afreximbank and FEDA in Benin in recent years. A key strategic initiative for the Bank is to deploy the African Quality Assurance Centre (AQAC) within the GDIZ in Benin. This endeavour will facilitate the export of high-level African products that comply with export requirements, applicable standards and technical regulations, to international markets.”

Marlène Ngoyi, CEO of FEDA, said: “This notable milestone builds on FEDA’s track record of investing in companies in Benin that are strategically aligned in promoting industrialization, intra-African trade and value-added exports. We look forward to continuing our support for transformative investments that are well aligned with FEDA’s investment strategy in Benin.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

About FEDA:
The Fund for Export Development in Africa (“FEDA”) is the impact investment subsidiary of Afreximbank set up to provide equity, quasi-equity, and debt capital to finance the multi-billion-dollar funding gap (particularly in equity) needed to transform the Trade sector in Africa. FEDA pursues a multi-sector investment strategy along the intra-African trade, value-added export development, and manufacturing value chain which includes financial services, technology, consumer and retail goods, manufacturing, transport&logistics, agribusiness, as well as ancillary trade enabling infrastructure such as industrial parks.

About Afreximbank:
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra-and extra-African trade. For 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialization and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank is setting up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries to effectively participate in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2023, Afreximbank’s total assets and guarantees stood at over US$37.3 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$6.1 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa1), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure, (together, “the Group”). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.

Ryan Oosthuizen will represent the Springbok Sevens for the 50th time in the HSBC SVNS in Madrid next weekend, where the final tournament of the 2024 season will be played at the Cívitas Metropolitano Stadium from 31 May to 2 June.

Oosthuizen was named in the Blitzbok squad to play in the Grand Finale, where South Africa will face Ireland, Fiji and New Zealand in pool play, having missed the previous tournament in Singapore.

His return to the squad – in place of Zain Davids – is the only change amongst the forwards, while Springbok Sevens interim head coach Philip Snyman tweaked the backline as well, where Justin Geduld comes in the injured Dewald Human and Shaun Williams for Shilton van Wyk.

Geduld will run out in his 60th tournament for the Blitzboks while Williams, who last played in Hong Kong, will be used on the wing as well as sweeper in a squad that has the versatility and experience to continue a good Spanish streak.

The Blitzboks won both tournaments in 2022, when the world series last stopped in Spain, with consecutive victories in Malaga and Seville.

Snyman said team selection had the Olympic repechage in mind as well, but he also wanted to field a squad capable of winning the Grand Finale.

“Zain and Shilton, who will do some conditioning back home in the next two weeks, are still very important to our final push towards the Olympic qualification,” said Snyman.

“It is great to have Ryan back amongst the pack and Shaun and Justin will bring their own magic to the tournament, so it is an exciting and capable squad.

“Shilton is still suspended after his red card in Singapore and will miss the first two matches, so we thought it would be better for him to stay home and do some conditioning with Zain. The two of them have played in all seven tournaments and most of the minutes as well, so they can do with the rest.”

Snyman said they are also managing the workload of Selvyn Davids: “He is the other player who played in all the tournaments and most of the minutes, so we will manage his workload accordingly.

“We are taking an extra sweeper with us to Madrid and that will give Shaun an opportunity and some valuable game time.”

Each match-up in the pool will have a finals feel about them, but Snyman would not want it any other way.

“Yes, it is the Grand Finale after all,” he said. “Facing Ireland on day one and Fiji and New Zealand on the second day just to get into the semi-finals is a nice challenge, but we have shown in Hong Kong and Singapore that we can get out of pools unbeaten.”

Snyman said their season is far from lost: “I think we have turned the ship. We are in a position to win the Grand Finale and then qualify for the Olympic Games. Those are two pretty big things on our radar, so we still have so much to play for. The season is far from over.”

Pool fixtures:

Friday, 31 May

14h37: Ireland

Saturday 1 June

12h44: New Zealand

15h49: Fiji

Springbok Sevens squad for Madrid:

#1 Christie Grobbelaar – 20 tournaments, 155 points (31 tries)

#2 Ryan Oosthuizen – 49 tournaments, 220 points (44 tries)

#3 Impi Visser – 38 tournaments, 200 points (40 tries)

#6 Tiaan Pretorius – 7 tournaments, 15 points (3 tries)

#8 Selvyn Davids – 36 tournaments, 662 points (85 tries, 117 conversions, 1 penalty goal)

#9 Shaun Williams – 16 tournaments, 157 points (25 tries, 16 conversions)

#11 Siviwe Soyizwapi – 52 tournaments, 755 points (151 tries)

#14 Rosko Specman – 35 tournaments, 466 points (86 tries, 18 conversions)

#23 Justin Geduld – 59 tournaments, 1119 points (118 tries, 264 conversions, 1 penalty goal)

#24 Tristan Leyds – 4 tournaments, 52 points (8 tries, 6 conversions)

#28 Dylan Sage – 27 tournaments, 165 points (33 tries)

#30 Quewin Nortje – 5 tournaments, 70 points (14 tries)

#33 Katlego Letebele – 7 tournaments, 5 points (1 try)

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Rugby.

Note to editors: Audio notes of Philip Snyman can be downloaded here (apo-opa.co/3KfiIjJ).

Three stalwarts have been recalled to the Springbok Women’s Sevens squad to contest the HSBC SVNS 2024 play-off tournament in Madrid next weekend, with head coach Renfred Dazel opting for experience for the most important tournament of the season.

Former captain Sizophila Solontsi, playmaker Libbie Janse van Rensburg and wing Veroeshka Grain were recalled by Dazel, who also roped in Byrhandrѐ Dolf in a fourth change to the squad that closed out their previous tournament, in Singapore, with consecutive wins.

Solontsi and Janse van Rensburg were stand-outs in last year’s World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series, helping South Africa to qualify for the HSBC SVNS Series, while Grain and Dolf return to the squad having last played in Cape Town and Perth respectively.

Solontsi, Grain and Dolf played for the Springbok Women in the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup in Madagascar earlier this month, while Janse van Rensburg completed her rehabilitation after picking up a groin injury in Dubai, the opening tournament of the 2024 series.

Dazel said the selection of the quartet was easy: “They were always part of the wider selection plan, especially with the Olympics coming into play in a couple of months.

“Injury prevented the selection of Libbie and Sizo earlier in the campaign, while Dolf and Veroeshka did well when they were called upon earlier. It is an honour for me to select those individuals,” Dazel said.

Their experience will also be crucial for the squad’s quest to retain their core status next season.

“All four have showed they care for the jersey so much when they last played and that is the attitude I am looking for from the Madrid squad,” said Dazel.

“It is going to be a fight from the first game to the last and will not be easy. That said, I have confidence in this group and how hard they will work for this team.

“The results did not always show the effort, but I am confident going into this tournament. We worked hard, the confidence is good, and we know what is at stake.”

South Africa will face fellow HSBC SVNS team Brazil in their pool, alongside Belgium and Argentina, who qualified through the Challenger Series. The two top sides qualify to the quarter-finals and the four winners of those will get the remaining four slots for next season’s series.

“We have played Belgium often in recent years – in fact, they come to Stellenbosch for a training camp every year and have sessions against us,” said Dazel.

“They have tall players and love an off-loading game. Brazil and Argentina have the same South American style of play and they love to play off rucks, for example. We have prepared accordingly, and I believe that we have what it takes to top the pool, so we leave for Madrid with a clear plan and calm heads.”

Pool fixtures:

Friday 31 May

12h00: Argentina

15h06: Belgium

Saturday 1 June

13h51: Brazil

Springbok Women’s Sevens squad for Madrid:

#10 Mathrin Simmers (co-captain) – 20 tournaments, 35 points (7 tries)

#4 Zintle Mpupha (co-captain) – 11 tournaments, 55 points (11 tries)

#7 Eloise Webb – 8 tournaments, 7 points (1 try, 1 conversion)

#17 Sizophila Solontsi – 2 tournaments

#96 Libbie Janse van Rensburg – 1 tournament, 0 points

#12 Liske Lategan – 9 tournaments, 15 points: (3 tries)

#16 Maria Tshiremba – 5 tournaments, 35 points (7 tries)

#9 Nadine Roos – 12 tournaments, 207 points (27 tries, 36 conversions)

#21 Byrhandrѐ Dolf – 2 tournaments, 0 points

#24 Veroeshka Grain – 11 tournaments, 85 points (17 tries)

#13 Kemisetso Baloyi – 7 tournaments, 0 points

#3 Ayanda Malinga – 7 tournaments, 65 points (12 tries)

#18 Shiniqwa Lamprecht – 7 tournaments, 0 points

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Rugby.

Note to editors: Audio notes of Renfred Dazel can be downloaded here (https://apo-opa.co/4bqV93o).