Canon (www.Canon-CNA.com) today announces that it has received the Buyers Lab (BLI) 2024-2025 Pacesetter Award in Serviceability – a prestigious industry award from Keypoint intelligence, the market research firm and independent evaluator of print and smart technology hardware, software and services.  The award recognises the print vendor with the best serviceability strategy, tools and resources based on Keypoint Intelligence’s recent Serviceability Market Insights report.

The report, which compared the leading print vendors in Western Europe and North America, highlighted Canon’s exceptional service and support strategy, and its innovative approach to enhancing the serviceability of its devices. It also praised Canon for its simplified device design, modern tools, predictive analytics and training programmes – all of which help to reduce downtime and quickly resolve issues for its end customers.

Deborah Hawkins, Group Director of Keypoint Intelligence’s Workplace Team, comments: “Printers and MFPs are central to many business processes, and therefore it’s vital that downtime caused by poor support is kept to a minimum.  Our Market Insights study in Serviceability showed that Canon is the deserving winner of the BLI 2024-2025 Pacesetter Award in Serviceability, with a forward-facing and effective service offering that empowers people and organizations to stay productive.”

Other key elements praised in the report included Canon’s sustainable practices, which scored highest against the competitors assessed. Canon has a broad strategy for remanufacture, reuse and repair of devices, spare parts and supplies, which is of growing importance to customers. From a product perspective, the imageRUNNER ADVANCE ES range was highlighted as a leading example of the ‘as new’ remanufactured offerings available for customers looking to increase their circularity.

Marc Bory, Vice President of Marketing and Innovation, Digital Printing&Solutions at Canon Europe, and CEO of IRIS comments “Our commitment to ensuring excellent customer service has been a key focus for our business for many years and we are delighted to achieve the BLI 2024-2025 Pacesetter Award in Serviceability – as well as leadership positioning in Keypoint Intelligence’s accompanying report. This recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to our customers and partners – and the efforts that we make to work closely with them to shape and deliver the best outcomes and reduce downtime.”

“We are proud to offer customers high-quality products inclusive of sustainable options, to support businesses with their circularity goals. This coupled with our outstanding customer service has enabled us to bring the best product reliability and service experience to the market”.

The other hardware, services, and solutions that contributed to Canon’s industry-leading ranking include:

Direct Service Workforce: With one of the largest direct service workforces in the industry, Canon has a strong focus on continuous learning to ensure high competency levels with tailored approaches for direct and indirect channels.
Design and hardware: Simplified design, high-quality hardware, and platform commonality support higher service profitability and a significant reduction in repair time.
Remote resolution: Canon is focused on increasing remote resolution capabilities via helpdesks and remote tools such as AVA Augmented Video Assistance. Additionally, the deployment of the ServiceNow platform across the organization is set to be complete by the end of 2024, which will enhance the integration of incident, problem, and change management processes.
Continuous Feedback from Channel partners: Local channel partner forums provide opportunities to exchange best practices and provide feedback to ensure Canon’s continuous improvement and alignment with market needs.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA).

Media enquiries, please contact: 
Canon Central and North Africa
Mai Youssef
e. Mai.youssef@canon-me.com

APO Group – PR Agency
Rania ElRafie
e. Rania.ElRafie@apo-opa.com

About BLI Pacesetter Awards:
Based on exhaustive questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and a proprietary rating scale, Buyers Lab Pacesetter Awards from Keypoint Intelligence recognize those document imaging OEMs that have shown market leadership in a variety of categories, including technologies, services, and key vertical markets.

About Canon Central and North Africa: 
Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA) (www.Canon-CNA.com) is a division within Canon Middle East FZ LLC (CME), a subsidiary of Canon Europe. The formation of CCNA in 2016 was a strategic step that aimed to enhance Canon’s business within the Africa region – by strengthening Canon’s in-country presence and focus. CCNA also demonstrates Canon’s commitment to operating closer to its customers and meeting their demands in the rapidly evolving African market.

Canon has been represented in the African continent for more than 15 years through distributors and partners that have successfully built a solid customer base in the region. CCNA ensures the provision of high quality, technologically advanced products that meet the requirements of Africa’s rapidly evolving marketplace. With over 100 employees, CCNA manages sales and marketing activities across 44 countries in Africa.

Canon’s corporate philosophy is Kyosei (https://apo-opa.co/3ZhTKZJ) – ‘living and working together for the common good’. CCNA pursues sustainable business growth, focusing on reducing its own environmental impact and supporting customers to reduce theirs using Canon’s products, solutions and services. At Canon, we are pioneers, constantly redefining the world of imaging for the greater good. Through our technology and our spirit of innovation, we push the bounds of what is possible – helping us to see our world in ways we never have before. We help bring creativity to life, one image at a time. Because when we can see our world, we can transform it for the better.

For more information: www.Canon-CNA.com

St Christopher (www.UniversiteStChristopher.net) has offered medical training to aspiring Senegalese and West African doctors for over 20 years but new investment and a new leadership team are already delivering improved teaching and facilities for trainee doctors. This development plan confirms that Senegal is a sub-regional hub in the healthcare sector. 

Students will see the results of the new investments as soon as term starts on 11 September but there will be continuous improvements made across the School for years to come. 

The new board is made up of experts with high-level management experience in the healthcare and higher education sectors – international calibre leaders who will support the international experience of the School. 

The new Chief Executive Officer of St Christopher is BEN NACEUR Mohamed Ali who brings more than 23 years of experience in healthcare management, having held key leadership positions including CEO of the preeminent Tunisian hospital group, and senior management roles at other clinical providers. 

The other Board Members appointed are: 

Najat Vallaud-Belkacem: served as France’s Minister of National Education, Higher Education, and Research from 2014 to 2017, the first woman to hold this position. She is known for championing major educational reforms, gender equality initiatives, and digital learning programs. 
Abdou Fall: held multiple ministerial positions in the Senegalese government, including Minister of Health and Minister of Youth, Sports, and Leisure. He has spearheaded significant public health initiatives aimed at improving healthcare access and quality across Senegal. 
Pierre Sané: served as Secretary General of Amnesty International from 1992 to 2001, leading global human rights advocacy efforts. He later joined UNESCO as Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, where he drove initiatives on social justice, poverty eradication, and ethical standards in scientific research. 
Antonio Maceda: over 20 years of experience in international education management. He has served as Vice President of Business Development and COO of Laureate Spain, and later as Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa and CEO of Laureate Morocco. Antonio led the establishment of Morocco’s first private university and launched innovative educational partnerships across the region. 

The ambitious program of improvement is designed to strengthen educational standards and practical training, new initiatives already enacted at St Christoper include: 

5 new merit and excellence scholarships have been endowed for bright students who lack financial means 
An entirely new modern 2000m2 building has been commissioned which houses a new simulation centre – the only one of its kind in Senegal 
An additional programme of significant investment in existing classrooms and physical infrastructure, including expanded student study and social spaces. 
The expansion into new fields of study in response to evolving healthcare needs, including nursing, gynaecology, physiotherapy, pharmacy assistance, and training for lab technicians. 
The introduction of a programme that will see the School’s education programmes secure international rankings – expanding opportunities for staff and graduates. 
The launch of a new Research Cell that will develop a three year research agenda, allowing staff and student collaboration with leading regional and international organisations. 
The launch of a new educator-led Quality Cell which will ensure enhanced accountability throughout St Christopher for the delivery, and maintenance of the highest educational standards. 
Continued employment of the best teachers, who are renowned doctors dedicated to providing top-tier education and mentoring. 
Customer-oriented team, committed to serving students with the highest level of care and support. 
The adoption of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards and Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Guidelines, aligning with world-class standards in corporate governance and sustainability. 
New online presence has been established including a new website, and Facebook, Instagram, and Linked in pages. 

BEN NACEUR Mohamed Ali, Chief Executive Officer, of St Christopher School of Medicine, commented: 

“I am delighted to be responsible for delivering these long-term changes for St Christopher’s students and staff, and will be looking to meet as many students and staff as possible to ensure that our plans are delivering for those that matter most. 

“Our professors and teaching staff are the best of any university in the region, and are supported by a truly excellent administrative team. Our academics are the strength of St Christopher. 

“Over the coming years we will be constantly working to improve the educational experience and outcomes for students and staff, training thousands of students who represent the best that Senegal and West Africa have to offer. 

“In time, with wise investment and successful initiatives St Christopher will gain recognition as one of the foremost African centres of medical learning and research, providing education of the highest quality.” 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Université St. Christopher.

For more information, please contact: 
Philip Peck 
ppeck@sfassociates.ltd  
+44 7867 300 258 

Edward Lee 
elee@sfassociates.ltd 
+44 7736 220 565 

About St Christopher 
Founded in 2003, St Christopher is a leading private higher medical institution in Senegal that offers higher education degrees in; Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry. Training includes theoretical and practical teachings (within laboratories, clinics for hospital training, and research centres), to expose students to the patient-caregiver relationship. 

St Christopher was purchased in 2024 by Admaius Capital Partners, with the vision of providing the funds and strategic guidance the School needs to enable its next phase of growth. 

Thanks to the excellence of the educational faculty and reputation it holds, St Christopher has built a leadership position in medical higher education sector, attracting students from 21 distinct nationalities, with a diverse student body, boasting 70% of the 2,552 enrolled students for 2023 coming from twenty different countries, over 60% of which are female. 

Website: https://apo-opa.co/4edhv9z
Instagram: https://apo-opa.co/4e8xTIm
LinkedIn: https://apo-opa.co/4e9ywBu

The alarming numbers mark a new escalation in the repression of those voices denouncing the human rights and environmental impacts of projects in Uganda’s oil frontier. The International Federation for Human Rights condemns the latest wave of detentions and urges authorities to immediately end their clampdown on civil society.

Ugandan authorities have once again intensified their repression of activists protesting the oil mega-projects that are being developed in the country’s Lake Albert region. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has documented at least 81 arrests and detentions having taken place since May 2024, 72 of which in August alone.

“Ugandan authorities must immediately put an end to their repeated attempts to intimidate human rights defenders and affected communities. These voices are critical to the protection of human rights and the environment in light of the huge risks these projects pose,” said Sacha Feierabend, Senior Programme Officer on business and human rights at FIDH.

Regular protests have been recently held across Uganda and Tanzania as the construction of large-scale oil sites has accelerated. Ventures include the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), Kingfisher and Tilenga projects which are owned and operated by the French company TotalEnergies and the Chinese state-owned enterprise China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) in cooperation with the governments of Uganda and Tanzania.

FIDH has received multiple reports of judicial and moral harassment, threats and intimidation targeting activists working on these projects, including one case of torture and incommunicado detention.

“Companies and investors involved in these projects have a crucial responsibility to push for stronger measures for accountability and protection against these abuses. They must use their leverage on Ugandan authorities to stop all violence and harassment against human rights and environmental defenders,” Mr. Feierabend added.

If Uganda has experienced a shrinking space for civil society for years, there has been a specific uptick in repression in the last four months as oil-related protests have become more frequent. On 26 August, 21 activists were arrested in Kampala as they were marching towards the Parliament and the head offices of TotalEnergies and CNOOC to hand in a petition against EACOP. One of them was released, while the 20 others were remanded to prison until 5 September and are still detained. On 9 August, 47 students peacefully protesting in the capital were arrested by police officers before being released the next day. On 5 August, three Ugandan activists and one Belgian activist were arrested while trying to reach the Chinese Embassy, and then released.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH).

UN Women strongly condemns the murder in Kenya of the Ugandan Athlete Rebecca Cheptegei. She is the third elite female runner to be murdered in a most violent way in the past three years in Kenya. The suspects in all three cases were intimate partners of the slain athletes. Society roots for these athletes to win and bring medals home, and more must be done to protect them. 

Like the two victims before her, Cheptegei was a rising female star athlete who was clearly making a name for herself, doing what she loved the most, running. As an Olympic athlete, she had her future ahead of her to realize all her dreams, but this was cut short by a supposed ex-partner. Rebecca’s tragic death brings to light, once again, the growing problem of femicide in Kenya and around the world. Globally, there were 89,000 reports of women and girls murdered in 2022, the highest number recorded in 20 years. More than half of the women and girls were killed by intimate partners or other family members. Femicide and these reports do not occur in a vacuum and are part of a wider spectrum of violence against women and girls and the pushback against gender equality that continues to grow. All too often and across countries, there is impunity for perpetrators.

Governments have the urgent responsibility to reverse and stop the growing trend of femicide by investing in proven strategies to prevent violence against women and to address the impunity that often goes with these cases.

UN Women is committed to prevent femicide and all forms of gender-based violence, supporting the long-standing work of women’s rights organizations as key advocates for change, working with men and boys to transform patriarchal forms of masculinity, working with communities to transform discriminatory social and gender norms, and providing technical and financial assistance to state institutions, including specialized training for police and the judiciary as part of coordinated multi-sectoral responses essential to bringing an end to impunity. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Women – Africa.