On September 23, Ambassador Han Jing met with Dr. Vernon J. Mwaanga, former Foreign Minister of Zambia.

Ambassador Han thanked Dr. Mwaanga for his contribution to China-Zambia friendship and said that he is a witness of China-Zambia friendship and a true friend of the Chinese people, and China will never forget that it was Zambian and African brothers and sisters who helped China restore its lawful rights in the United Nations. China will work with Zambia to build on our heritage and seize the new opportunity created by President Hichilema’s successful state visit to China and the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and join hands in advancing modernization and building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.

Dr. Mwaanga welcomed Ambassador Han on his assumption of office and said that he served as Foreign Minister of Zambia twice and participated in the historical event to promote the adoption of the UN Resolution 2758 and witnessed the flourishing of Zambia-China friendship and cooperation. The Zambian people are deeply grateful for China’s firm support in Zambia’s fight for national independence, freedom and economic development. In the new era, Zambia and China should build on our traditional friendship and jointly pursue modernization. Dr. Mwaanga expressed his readiness to further contribute to the development of Zambia-China friendship.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Zambia.

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) (https://BAL.NBA.com) and Speak Up Africa, an African-led, Senegal-based organization working with leaders and changemakers in Africa and beyond to solve Africa’s pressing sustainable development challenges, today announced the launch of the second edition of their mentorship program, “Teaming Up: African LeadHERs meet BAL4HER,” which this year will pair 10 young African female athletes and aspiring sports industry leaders with female executives in the sports industry. The program is part of the BAL and Speak Up Africa’s efforts to advance gender equity and public health, propel women’s leadership, and prepare the next generation for careers in sports business across the continent. 

The second edition of the program, which will run from Friday, Nov. 1, 2024 – Sunday, June 1, 2025, will once again pair each mentee with an industry executive and experienced mentor who will guide them through a personalized development journey. Through monthly workshops, targeted goal-setting, and immersive learning experiences, the mentees will gain essential skills and knowledge to thrive in Africa’s sports industry and become advocates for critical health issues affecting women and girls.  Applications (https://apo-opa.co/3ZzrFNG) are open now and will close on Monday, Oct. 7.  The mentors for this year’s program include:

Laeticia Amihere (WNBA player, Atlanta Dream)
Chrysa Chin (Executive Vice President, Strategic Relations, National Basketball Player’s Association)
Ashley Combs (Senior Director of Player Marketing, Excel Management)
Aicha Diop (Director of Marketing, BAL)
Allison Feaster (Vice President of Team Operations&Organizational Growth, Boston Celtics)
Dr. Kensa Gunter (Director of Mind Health, NBA)
Ebony Hoffman (Assistant Coach, Seattle Storm)
Dr. Ndidi Onyejiaka (Mental Health Professional, Chicago Sky)
Jamila Wideman (Senior Vice President of Player Development, NBA)

“‘Teaming Up: African LeadHERs meet BAL4HER’ reflects the BAL’s commitment to supporting the development of young African women who will shape the future of the sports industry on the continent,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall. “As we continue our efforts to advance gender equity, we look forward to once again collaborating with Speak Up Africa to pave the way for a more inclusive, dynamic, and health-conscious basketball community.”

“Basketball is more than a game. It is a powerful catalyst for social change,” said Speak Up Africa Founder, Yacine Diop. “Through ‘Teaming Up: African LeadHERs meet BAL4HER,’ we’re igniting a movement that intertwines sports, gender equality and health. These young women leaders will break barriers on the court and in boardrooms, champion critical health issues, and inspire millions across Africa.”

Similar to last year’s program, mentees will have the opportunity to visit their mentors in their home countries, allowing them to engage with leading professionals in their workplace. This hands-on experience will allow mentees to forge meaningful connections, broaden their networks, and gain practical knowledge directly from industry leaders. 

As part of the launch, BAL and Speak Up Africa hosted an event at the NBA headquarters in New York City that brought together sports industry leaders and stakeholders to discuss and address areas impacting women in African basketball. The event featured the Speak Up Africa LINGEER exhibition, a photo exhibition designed to drive greater inclusion in basketball by highlighting the impact of women across a range of roles and functions.

Launched in 2023 as part of Speak Up Africa’s African LeadHERs movement and the BAL’s “BAL4HER” initiative, last year’s program matched six young women from Egypt, Rwanda and Senegal with sports industry executives Amber Nichols (General Manager, Capital City Go-Go), Chin, Feaster, Ebony Hoffman (assistant coach, Seattle Storm), Taylor Kielpinski-Rogers (Vice President of Communications, Boston Celtics) and Kornelia Semmelink (NBA Africa Senior Director, Media Partnerships).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL).

About the BAL:
The Basketball Africa League (BAL), a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that completed its fourth season in June 2024. Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, the BAL builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Africa has organized across the continent and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America.  Fans can follow the BAL (@ theBAL) on Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/4dhy2Zg), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/4dhIFer), Threads (https://apo-opa.co/3TBSrkU), X (https://apo-opa.co/4gDzGHG), and YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/47Gq6iT) and register their interest in receiving more information at BAL.NBA.com.

About Speak Up Africa:
Speak Up Africa is an African-led, Senegal-based organization working with leaders and changemakers in Africa and beyond to solve Africa’s pressing sustainable development challenges. Speak Up Africa is dedicated to supporting African leaders and citizens to take an active role in identifying and developing solutions to tackle the challenges facing our continent. Speak Up Africa’s aspiration is to be unparalleled in lifting African actors to drive equitable and sustainable change toward healthy and thriving African societies. Driven by the conviction that women and youth will drive the next wave of social and economic development in Africa, Speak Up Africa is here to unleash the untapped potential of the continent’s women and youth.

M-KOPA (https://M-KOPA.com/), a leading emerging market fintech, announced that it has surpassed 5 million customers across Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa. Two million of these customers have come onboard in the past 15 months.

M-KOPA’s innovative model makes affordable smartphones embedded with financial services available to ‘Every Day Earners’: the wide majority of African adults who earn their income daily but struggle to afford smartphones and typically fail to qualify for conventional financial services. According to the World Bank, 75% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa remain financially excluded. To date, M-KOPA has supported its customer base with more than US $1.5 billion in financing.

Starting with smartphone access, customers gain entry to the digital economy with an affordable daily repayment model, which fits their daily income and cash flow and makes it easier to manage. By leveraging rich payments data and proprietary AI-driven analytics, M-KOPA builds a credit record for each customer which forms the foundation for a long-term financial relationship for lower cost digital loans, affordable data subscriptions and medical insurance.

According to M-KOPA co-founder and CEO, Jesse Moore: “We are thrilled to welcome our 5 millionth customer to M-KOPA this month. The scale of our operations and our positive impact on customers is what keeps us working hard to go even further. We’re just getting started; the opportunity for much larger impact and scale is right in front of us.”

M-KOPA also published its 2024 Impact Report this week, in which the company annually releases its progress against key social and environmental impact metrics.  As with prior reports, the 2024 survey of M-KOPA customers was undertaken by a third-party company – Dalberg Research.

Key impact highlights from the 2024 report include:

92% confirm that M-KOPA’s financing has made technology more affordable.
80% of customers report an improved quality of life thanks to M-KOPA’s products.
70% credit M-KOPA with helping them achieve their financial goals, demonstrating the company’s contribution to financial empowerment.
62% use their M-KOPA product to generate income

The company is having a major impact in improving digital access in Africa. Nearly 2 million customers are first-time mobile internet users and 40% are women. M-KOPA also built the first and largest smartphone assembly factory in Kenya – which has produced more than 1m phones locally and further reduced the cost of access.

As with prior reports, M-KOPA’s board and management use the annual impact report to help shape forward company strategy. Based on this year’s findings, M-KOPA is working to further increase its percentage of female customers to 50%, to reduce its carbon footprint by making circularity central to its smartphone supply chain, and to continue pioneering green products like electric motorbikes that contribute to the health and sustainability of the communities where it operates.

M-KOPA’s Chief Product Officer Nena Sanderson, notes: “Our product and services build pathways to prosperity for our customers and agents, enabling them to overcome financial setbacks, generate income and progress towards the futures they aspire to. Our impact extends beyond our customers, reaching their families and communities, and contributing to building a more sustainable world.”

Headquartered in London, UK, M-KOPA now creates employment for more than 3,000 staff and 30,000 commission-based sales agents across Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.  The company has been recognised by the Financial Times as one of Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies for the past 3 years, and by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Companies globally for the past 2 years.

To read the full report, download it here: M-KOPA Impact Report 2024_Pathways To Progress  (http://apo-opa.co/3Xv5PZ6).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of M-KOPA.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Wimbart
mkopa@wimbart.com

About M-KOPA: 
M-KOPA is a UK-headquartered emerging market fintech that provides affordable smartphones and digital financial services. With operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda, the company has extended over $1.5 billion in credit to more than 5 million customers. Using an innovative financing model based on daily repayments, M-KOPA provides affordable smartphones embedded with financial services that fit with the cash flow of millions of underserved individuals who earn their income on a daily basis.

By leveraging rich payments data and proprietary AI-driven analytics, M-KOPA builds a credit record for each customer which forms the foundation for a long-term financial relationship for digital loans, affordable data subscriptions and insurance.

The company employs over 3,000 staff and 30,000 sales agents across its African markets. M-KOPA has been recognised by the Financial Times as one of Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies for the past 3 years, and by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Companies globally for the past 2 years.

Global communications platform Infobip (www.Infobip.com) is bringing together global mobile telecoms business Nokia, mobile industry association GSMA, leading Croatian telco Croatian Telekom (Hrvatski Telekom) and other companies at its leading developer-focused conference Shift this year.

Following several successful partnerships launching Camara-compliant Network APIs under the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, telcos and MNOs globally want to launch and monetize emerging and future services. Many firms still need better relationships with developers to do so quickly and efficiently. That’s why MNOs are attending Infobip Shift this year.

Matija Ražem, VP of Business Development at Infobip, said: “We are among the first to support the Camara project and the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, and closely working with telcos to deliver new added-value services. Our collaboration with Nokia, GSMA, and other MNOs at Shift Zadar shows how we work with our telco partners to expose customer experience-friendly APIs to developers”.

At Shift, Elmo, a tech-automotive company, will present its remote driving technology where attendees can drive a car in Finland through a console in Croatia. Elmo worked with Nokia to implement its Network as a Code API to control Elmo cars remotely by operating the remote consol through the wireless 5G Campus network of Croatian Telekom and will count on Infobip’s and Croatian Telekom’s support to bring this experience in this year’s Shift Zadar edition to the guests.

“The work of building the Network API ecosystem has advanced remarkably well this year. This important developer event that our partner, Infobip, is hosting further underlines the strong appetite in that ecosystem to come together to share the latest information and solutions as we progress with making it easier for developers around the world to utilize network capabilities and develop new use cases for their customers,” said Shkumbin Hamiti, Head of Network Monetization Platform, Cloud and Network Services at Nokia.

For GSMA – one of the main Shift Zadar sponsors this year – the Open Gateway initiative has a crucial role in the ecosystem of Telco APIs combined with CPaaS APIs. “The GSMA Open Gateway initiative is going from strength to strength and has culminated in the birth of a new API era. We want to nurture and grow this opportunity and provide access to developers, cloud providers, and telcos so they can launch game-changing new services. Our presence at Shift helps drive awareness of this opportunity and ensure its growth,” said Henry Calvert, Head of Networks at GSMA.

As one of the companies participating in Shift Zadar and providing the underlying communication technology for the Elmo remote driving experience, Boris Drilo, Chief Technical&Information Officer (CTIO) at Croatia Telekom, said: “Network APIs are bringing the engagement of our customers and their favorite brands to the next level. Croatian Telecom offers this new business capability to Croatian businesses, bringing them eye-to-eye with their European peers. Telecom network capabilities exposure to developers has never been easier or simpler, revealing great possibilities. GSMA’s Open Gateway Initiative is making this approach scalable, creating the foundation for the rapid introduction of new use cases throughout telecom operators’ footprints. Croatian Telekom is opening the door to this new opportunity for all our partners to deliver their services in Croatia”.

As a great promoter and participant in the Open Gateway initiative, and one of the main guests at Shift Zadar 2024, Cedric Gonin, API Business Strategy and Channel Management Director at Orange, said: “Making Network APIs accessible to developers is fostering innovation in several industries. At Orange, we are committed to share our APIs with developers and partners to experiment and implement new solutions. Our participation in the Infobip Shift event highlights our dedication to empowering the developer community with innovative tools that enable the creation of tomorrow’s digital services through the CAMARA API within the Open Gateway initiative.”

See the Shift agenda here: https://apo-opa.co/47G7cbT

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Infobip.

About Infobip:
Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey. Accessed through a single platform, Infobip’s omnichannel engagement, identity, user authentication and contact centre solutions help businesses and partners overcome the complexity of consumer communications to grow business and increase loyalty.