His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa, John Humphrey, visited Egypt for the first time this week to enhance UK-Egypt trade and investment co-operation, focusing on green transition, tourism, aviation and core infrastructure.

During his week-long visit, John Humphrey met key ministers across the Egyptian Government, including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates, H.E Badr Abdelatty and Minister of Trade and Investment, HE Hassan El-Khatib, where they discussed ways of strengthening the UK-Egypt £4.7 billion trade and investment relationship to support economic prosperity for both countries.  

Additionally, Mr Humphrey met Minister of Tourism, HE Sherif Fathy, and reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to help Egypt meet its ambitious tourism targets, through commercial flight routes, such as the recently announced Liverpool to Luxor route, and targeting UK trade and investment to improve the tourist experience.

Mr Humphrey also met Minister of Civil Aviation, Pilot Sameh El-Hefny to discuss strengthening bilateral co-operation on the development and operation of Egyptian airports, including welcoming EgyptAir’s recent order of 10 new Airbus aircraft designed for efficiency and reduced emissions.

Finally, Mr Humphrey had the opportunity to attend Egypt’s International Airshow at El-Alamein International Airport and visit the MCV factory to see CEO Karim Ghabbour, and some of the trademark double deck London buses that assembled here and exported to the UK.

The visit to Egypt follows a business delegation of 31 UK companies who visited in June this year to build future trade partnerships and investment deals. This important delegation met with senior Egyptian government officials and conducted 250 business to business meetings with Egyptian counterparts.

Building on the trade ties strengthened by Mr Humphrey’s visit, an Egyptian business delegation led by the British Egyptian Business Association (BEBA), will visit the UK from the 18th to the 20th of September to unlock investment opportunities in Egypt.

The event will be attended by: HE Ahmed Kouchouk, Minister of Finance; HE Hassan El Khateeb, Minister of Investment; HE Walid Gamal El Din Chairman of the SCEZ; HE Dr Mohamed Farid, Chairman of FRA; HE  Rami Aboul Naga Deputy Governor of the Central bank and HE Khaled Abass Chairman of the New Capital. The event will also highlight the Egyptian government’s efforts in attracting investment and accelerating private sector growth, while modernising regulations across key sectors like energy, infrastructure, manufacturing and finance.

Reflecting on his visit, John Humphrey said:

It’s a great pleasure to be in Egypt looking into potential opportunities to boost the UK-Egypt trade and investment relationship. The highlights include an exciting visit to the new El-Alamein City, one of the 37 planned new cities in Egypt, which serves as a tangible example of how these kinds of plans can become a reality.  It is a perfect illustration of why thousands of UK tourists flock to Egypt every year, to witness its beautiful beaches and wonderful climate.

The UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and UK Export Finance (UKEF) work hand in glove in Egypt, and UKEF has £2 billion available for projects in all sectors, including those that harness Egypt’s incredible potential to become a renewable energy superpower and to build sustainable cities.

British Ambassador to Egypt, Gareth Bayley, added:

The UK is committed to a growing and prosperous UK-Egypt trade and investment partnership, especially in the areas of renewable energy, tourism and core infrastructure.  Our strong bilateral trade relationship is valued at £4.7 billion annually, and the UK is one of Egypt’s largest foreign direct investors. His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa’s recent visit demonstrates the growing opportunities found here, especially with. Egypt’s strategic position as a gateway into Africa. I believe the future of trade and investment between our two countries has huge potential.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Government of UK.

Heavy rains have ravaged 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states. According to the government, over a million people have been affected, 269 lives tragically lost, and more than 640,000 have been displaced from their homes.

Maiduguri town, a humanitarian hub in the northeast, is at the epicentre of the crisis. Rains caused a breach in Alau Dam, about 20 kilometres away, uprooting over 400,000 people in recent days. The impact submerged half of Maiduguri, and most residents have lost everything. Many of the displaced had already been uprooted by conflict or the effects of the climate crisis.

UNHCR and its humanitarian partners are working tirelessly to provide life-saving relief to those who lost their homes in the floods. UNHCR is providing tarpaulins, blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets and other essential items. Emergency cash assistance is also being provided to single-parent families, people with disabilities and families with young children to help them purchase food and other necessities.

However, supplies are quickly depleting and we can only meet less than 10 per cent of the urgent needs.

The devastating floods have compounded years of prior displacement, food insecurity and economic hardship, with disastrous consequences. Communities which, after years of conflict and violence, had started rebuilding their lives were struck by the floods and once again displaced. They and thousands of others are seeking safety from rising waters in overcrowded schools and camps.

These situations often result in an increase in gender-based violence, which requires urgent intervention. Protection partners are also addressing the issue of separated families, including some unaccompanied children.

When the floodwaters finally recede, thousands of families will face the daunting task of returning to homes that have been destroyed. They will need significant support to rebuild homes, livelihoods, and a sense of normalcy.

The UN and partners are collecting more data to help assess and address the overall needs. But we cannot afford to wait. The urgency of this crisis requires immediate action and increased support for flood-affected families, in Maiduguri and elsewhere in Nigeria.

There are currently 3.6 million internally displaced people in Nigeria, mostly in the northeast, and the country hosts almost 100,000 asylum-seekers and refugees. UNHCR’s country appeal for $107.1 million was just 28 per cent funded by the end of August.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (www.EnergyChamber.org) – the voice of the African energy sector – has broadened its legal action against international events organizers Hyve Group and Africa Oil Week (AOW) by filing an application to include events management group Sankofa Events and its Director Paul Sinclair. The decision to include Sinclair and Sankofa Events comes in response to the acquisition of AOW by the London-based start-up earlier this month. 

The AEC initially sued Hyve Group over allegations of misrepresentation, false marketing and unlawful competition – actions that the Chamber believes have caused significant damage to the African energy sector. The AEC is claiming $5 million for the damages caused by Hyve Group and Sankofa Events’ unfair industry practices. Hyve Group has previously demonstrated a lack of commitment to advancing Africa’s energy sector, as shown by its decision to move AOW to Dubai in 2020, sidelining key African developments and stakeholders in the process. As a proud advocate of African energy development, the AEC received unmitigated support for its stand against Hyve Group – which went on to lose key sponsors, partners and 70% or more of African ministers and national oil companies from their events. They panicked and in trying to recover in the following years, they decided to mislead everyone by attempting to harm and derail AEC’s efforts to making African energy poverty history through maximized cooperation between African energy leaders, stakeholders and international partners.

The AEC continues to advocate for transparency, fairness and the long-term growth of Africa’s energy industry, ensuring that the sector remains competitive and that its benefits are maximized for African stakeholders. As such, the AEC will continue to seek justice for the African energy industry and all Africans fighting energy poverty and we look forward to continue serving in our capacity as the African continent’s premier representative of energy development. 

The AEC will continue to deliver on its promise to make energy poverty history by 2030 during this year’s edition of the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energy (https://apo-opa.co/47BMw56) conference, which will return to Cape Town and lead the continent’s energy matters and prioritize Africa-led dialogue and decision making. Taking place from November 4-8, AEW: Invest in African Energy 2024 represents the only conference on the continent that serves the entire energy value chain, from oil and gas to refining and petrochemicals, renewable energy and to mining and infrastructure. 

“As the voice of the African energy sector, we will continue to fight against all injustices from within the industry. We are a strong proponent of Africa and her people and we will continue raising this issue to achieve the goal of facilitating an electrified and industrialized economy across the entire continent. Our aim is to address injustice, complacency and misinformation and with this lawsuit, we aim to shift Africa’s narrative back to the continent itself in order to deliver on our promise to eradicate energy poverty within this decade,” states AEC Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk. 

“We have all heard and seen false advertisements announcing too good to be true speakers by Paul Sinclair, Hyve and Africa Oil Week, announcing speakers that didn’t confirm and making outlandish claims. If they are going to advertise speakers in a conference and publish numbers, their statements better be true. In this case, they made statements that were blatantly false, and we have an obligation to hold them accountable for lying for financial gain,” said NJ Ayuk. “Misleading the oil and gas industry is not right at a time when we need to stick together to encourage more drilling for energy all over Africa despite stiff opposition from radical climate activist,” added Ayuk 

“As the voice of the African Energy industry, we are committed to enforcing decency in the sector and get rid of these bad actors that make the oil industry look bad. We hope Paul Sinclair, Hyve and Africa Oil Week behave properly while we await the outcome of this litigation,” concluded Ayuk 

AOW claims to heed Africa’s interests but has fundamentally and continually contradicted this. Their crusade against oil and gas development is particularly harmful given that Africa has some of the largest hydrocarbon resources globally and is entering a new era of energy development. In this regard, AOW continues to overlook the severity of energy poverty in Africa, where six hundred million people on the continent do not have access to electricity. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

UNICEF has launched an appeal for US$58.8 million to address the rising mpox crisis across six African countries where children are most affected.

Though child deaths are currently confined to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the data underscores their vulnerability, as UNICEF works to scale up prevention and response efforts across the region.

Nearly 22,000 suspected and confirmed cases of mpox have been reported so far this year, with 60 per cent of cases in children under 15. Approximately 80 per cent of the more than 700 mpox-related deaths are among children, particularly in underserved communities.

The appeal aims to reach children affected by the outbreak in Burundi, Central African Republic (CAR), DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, where the clade 1 variant is on the rise and where thousands of children are at risk of infection, secondary complications, and social stigma.

The high infection rates and mortality in affected countries, particularly in the DRC, underscore children’s vulnerabilities, exacerbated by limited access to healthcare, sanitation, and hygiene. Malnutrition and other common childhood diseases, as well as displacement, further compound the crisis.

UNICEF’s response to the mpox outbreak focuses on providing an integrated approach to break active transmission of the disease, prevent secondary harm to children, and support preparedness efforts, including:

Coordination: Supporting health and education authorities in planning and implementing response strategies. 
Risk communication: Engaging communities, addressing stigma, and building trust through training of frontline workers and building feedback loops.
Infection control: Enhancing infection prevention in homes, communities, schools, and health facilities by supplying hygiene materials and training parents, community leaders, and teachers.
Vaccination: Supporting vaccine delivery and roll-out by providing training, supplies, logistics, and cold chain management, while also maintaining essential routine childhood vaccinations.
Case management: Ensuring mpox isolation centres accommodate children and women with family-based care, providing nutritional support, medical supplies, and rapid diagnostic testing.
Mental health support: Offering targeted mental health and psychosocial support to children and caregivers and address stigma and discrimination.
Essential services: Ensuring continued access to essential services, including social, protection, and health services, and keeping schools safely open, particularly in vulnerable communities.

In collaboration with partners, UNICEF’s support also extends to neighbouring countries in the Eastern and Southern and West and Central African regions, where the risk of disease spread remains high.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).