The Indonesian Ambassador to the Republic of Sudan Sunarko on Tuesday (30/5) said that the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) to Sudan continues to make various efforts to encourage and facilitate the promotion and marketing of Indonesian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises UMKM products to enter the market Sudan and countries in the surrounding African region.

In this regard, the Indonesian Embassy expressed its readiness to support promotional activities and market expansion for superior UMKM products from Tenggamus Regency, Lampung Province, which had previously sent various samples and samples of UMKM products for product displays at the Indonesian Embassy in Sudan.

A number of mainstay and superior products from UMKMs in Tenggamus – Lampung Regency have the opportunity to enter the Sudanese market and surrounding countries, including ground coffee products, honey, spice products, candied nutmeg, brown sugar, processed banana foods. chips) and various other UMKM products.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Khartoum, Sudan.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a US$ 1.2 million contribution from the Government of Japan to support 36,200 crisis-affected people in Cameroon.

The contribution will allow WFP to provide an unconditional food assistance package that includes cereals, pulses, vegetable oil and salt to refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host populations and communities affected by conflict and climate related crises in the Far North, Northwest, Southwest, East, Adamawa and North regions.

Conflict and displacements have led to a significant deterioration in the food security situation in Cameroon, exacerbated by rising food prices as well as an increase in the frequency and severity of climatic shocks, especially in the northern regions. This year, 2.5 million people are projected to experience acute food insecurity between June and August according to the March 2024 Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis. Over 70 percent of the people facing higher levels of food insecurity are in crisis-affected regions.

“This food assistance is intended to address the food insecurity of vulnerable population who have been severely affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis,” said Mr. Kiyohiko Ikeda, Chargé d’Affaires a.i of the Embassy of Japan in Cameroon.

“The Government of Japan has reiterated the importance of ensuring food security of crisis-hit African countries to build resilient and peaceful societies, as well as its commitment to protecting vulnerable people, including refugees and IDPs, at the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in 2022. This project aligns with our commitment and we will continue working closely with WFP to realize this goal,” added Mr. Ikeda.

Japan is one of WFP’s consistent donors in Cameroon. Since 2018, Japan’s contributions have enabled WFP to maintain food assistance including emergency food distributions, nutrition interventions, school feeding and recovery support to families most in need.

Wanja Kaaria, WFP’s Representative and Country Director in Cameroon said the consistent and predictable support of partners like Japan remains crucial for WFP operations.

“This support could not have come at a more opportune time – especially when WFP is being forced to cut assistance or completely halt food assistance to refugees in Cameroon due to funding constraints,” Kaaria said.

WFP requires US$ 57.9 million to continue life-saving operations in crisis affected areas in Cameroon over the next six months.

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

The “Africa Road Builders” Selection Committee met in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on 18 April 2024 where it awarded the Babacar Ndiaye Prize 2024 to the Presidents of Equatorial Guinea and of the Republic of Congo, Téodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and Denis Sassou-Nguesso. They follow in the footsteps of the head of state of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, who won the prize in 2023. 

President Obiang Nguema was awarded the prize “for his remarkable achievements in improving the road infrastructure in his country”, according to the Africa Road Builders press release. Republic of Congo President, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, was selected “in recognition of his commitment to the development of road infrastructure”. 

In Equatorial Guinea, the committee cited the completion of the Malabo-Sipopo and Bata-Mongomo motorways, as well as the resurfacing of roads in several other regions of the country. In Congo, the committee pointed to the road between Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. 

“The Selection Committee congratulates Presidents Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and Denis Sassou-Nguesso for their remarkable achievements in road infrastructure and invites them to accept their awards on 30 May 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya, at the final conference, which will take place alongside the African Development Bank Annual Meetings” scheduled for 27 to 31 May 2024, according to the press release. 

Sponsored by the African Development Bank Group, the Babacar Ndiaye “Africa Road Builders” prize is awarded by Acturoutes, a platform that provides information on the road network and infrastructure in Africa, and by Media for Infrastructure and Finance in Africa (MIFA), a network of African journalists specializing in road infrastructure. 

The “Africa Road Builders” prize was created in honour of Babacar Ndiaye, who was President of the African Development Bank Group from 1985 to 1995. Each year, the selection committee evaluates ambitious, tangible projects that have a real impact on people’s mobility in Africa. 

The Babacar Ndiaye Prize has been awarded to the following heads of state since its launch in 2016: King Mohamed VI (Morocco), Edgar Lungu (Zambia), Alassane Ouattara (Côte d’Ivoire), Ali Bongo Ondimba (Gabon) in 2016, Macky Sall (Senegal) and Paul Kagamé (Rwanda) in 2017, Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya) in 2018, Adama Barrow (Gambia) in 2019, Abdel Fattah-al Sissi (Egypt) in 2020, Muhammadu Buhari (Nigeria) in 2021, Samia Suhulu (Tanzania) in 2022 and Andry Rajoelina (Madagascar) in 2023. 

Mike Salawou, Director of Infrastructure and Urban Development at the African Development Bank, represented the Bank Group at the selection committee ceremony announcing the winners. 

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

Media contact:
Alexis Adélé
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 41 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.

Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, successfully conducted the third edition of their engagement and impact report of their programs ‘90 Minutes with Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, The Merck Foundation CEO’ 2024 with the aim to update and discuss their programs and its impact and build advocacy to break infertility stigma, support girl education and transform patient care.

The session showcased Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej’s engagement with Media Members, Merck Foundation Alumni, Merck Foundation Award Winners, Social Media Followers and other stakeholders, through a Videoconference to address several critical health and social issues, in addition to sharing her long experience, challenges, solutions and success stories of Merck Foundation with audiences in social media.

Link to Facebook Livestream of Season 3 of 90 Minutes with Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej: https://apo-opa.co/3xZXy6r

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation expressed, “I am thrilled by the overwhelming acknowledgment extended by all. I deeply appreciate everyone for attending this session to discuss my perspectives, work and life experiences. Throughout this session, I addressed various questions and provided update on our programs, their impact, and our future plans. It is my hope that the information shared will prove beneficial to many, inspiring them to realize their full potential and pursue their aspirations in life.”

As part of this important meeting, participants explored Senator, Dr. Rasha’s personal and professional sides through questions about her likes, dislikes, hobbies, personality, education, early life, career, achievements, success stories and challenges she overcame. Additionally, her vision and plans for achieving the objectives of the Merck Foundation, as well as her personal goals, were discussed. 

The session was attended by over 150 participants from 36 countries.

Every year, the program adds innovation and fun to its theme for adding a further sense of personal touch for the audience. This year, the program also included a special CEO segment ‘What’s the story’, where Dr. Rasha narrated the sentiment and revealed the tale behind certain photos over the past 12 years since she started her role in Africa.

“This was one of my most favorite part of the session was when I was asked to mention the story behind few photos of my country visits and activities. It made me revisit my journey and beautiful memories in our beautiful continent”, she added.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej has been successfully leading the Merck Foundation programs for the past 12 years and works closely with more than 24 Africa’s First Ladies as Ambassadors of Merck Foundation and Ministries of Health, Education, Information, Communication, Gender, Academia, Media and Art societies in 52 countries.

Senator Kelej has been recognized as one of 100 Most Influential African Women for five consecutive years from 2019 to 2023. She has also been awarded Doctorate of Letters Honoris Causa (D.Litt) by Krishna World University, India for her outstanding achievement in the social and healthcare development. Moreover, under her leadership, Merck Foundation was also recognized as the “2022 NGO OF THE YEAR”.

She was also recently awarded the Global She Achievers Awards 2024, for her efforts to empower women in STEM, support girl education, and building healthcare capacity in Africa and beyond.

Below is the glimpse of the session:  

Dr. Rosalyn Sando Toe-Massaquoi-Teahjay from Liberia asked, “Recently, the news about one of Merck Foundation Alumni, Dr. Louise Kpoto, being appointed as the Health Minister of Liberia was shared. That is truly a milestone. How excited were you to see the fruits of the foundation’s hard work being paid off?”

Senator, Dr. Rasha responded, “I was so excited and proud, Many congratulations to her. This was the objective of our program, that we are developing and advancing the skills of the future leaders of healthcare in the country. Merck Foundation has provided 1740 scholarships for doctors from 52 countries in more than 44 critical and underserved medical specialities which is something I am very proud of. We also  trained  the first specialists in the country in many specialists like Oncology, Fertility, Embryology, Respiratory Care, etc. We are also developing the future leaders with top education, top knowledge and skills that can take a country’s healthcare landscape to a different level.

Usually, when a foundation does work, you can see the foundation achieve objectives but future generations get an opportunity to see the vision come true. But, when you can watch the vision come true in front of you, it is amazing. We left a big legacy in Africa.

It makes me feel really satisfied that we have achieved such transformation in our journey, not only in present patient care but also the future because these people will take their countries to a different level in the future.”

Gloria Milimu from The Standard Publication, Kenya acknowledged  Dr. Rasha’s work to create “More Than a Mother” campaign, and asked, “Do you face challenges in addressing stigma about infertility, how do you navigate through those challenges?”

Senator Rasha responded, “I thought I will face a lot of challenges when I started this campaign, but everyone was so accepting of our More Than a Mother campaign . The partners were very excited to implement and be a part of it and support the whole program.

We understood from the beginning that if you want to address a social issue to create a culture shift, changing the people’s mindsets will take time. It will not happen overnight . It needs consistency, regular follow up and improvement in different tools and technology and the development of people’s mindset by reaching people through different avenues and outlets.

I knew from the start, to make this impactful change, I will need to address this social issue on all levels through multi-sectoral approach like art, media, songs, movies, training and educating doctors, engagement on social media, and above all partnering with Africa’s First Ladies as ambassadors of “More Than a Mother” campaign.

She further shared, “I come from Egypt and Africa.  I was aware of the issue and this larger change required some kind of discipline, which is a part of my personality and approach since the beginning. Hence, I knew I will empower women every day, be consistent towards achieving the goals of this campaign and I was prepared for it.  

Until today, we worked with 24 Africa’s First Ladies as ambassadors of “More Than a Mother” campaign, and this was a very important platform. We also released children’s storybooks and animation films to influence children with the aim to build their character and change of mindset  while growing up .

Now, if you even search ‘Infertility’ in Africa, you will find thousands of articles and stories online. So, we have come a long way and reached a great level of creating awareness on infertility issue in Africa and we will continue to do so.”

Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” is a powerful campaign that defines interventions to build quality and equitable Reproductive and Fertility Care Capacity, Break Infertility Stigma and Raise Awareness about Infertility Prevention and Male Infertility.

The meeting was also live streamed on Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej Facebook page (https://apo-opa.co/3y0CVHi), Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej Twitter handle (https://apo-opa.co/3Ss45yo) and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej Instagram page (https://apo-opa.co/3St4oc8).

“After the success of the third season of this meeting, I am excited for the next season, to be able to engage with everyone . Stay tuned to know about the next session!”, added Dr. Kelej.

Click on the link below to

Download Merck Foundation App: https://apo-opa.co/4ddoe3L

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.

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About Merck Foundation:
The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to quality&equitable healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare and scientific research capacity and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website.  Please visit www.Merck-Foundation.com to read more. Follow the social media of Merck Foundation: Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/47HPK5u), Twitter (https://apo-opa.co/3U8RG3y), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/494Vib1), YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/494wHn4) and Flickr (https://apo-opa.co/3UfoOVU).