Expanding its presence across Africa, financial institution Forvis Mazars – a new $5 billion global professional network formed by financial advisory firms Mazars and Forvis – recently launched its new global network in Lagos, Nigeria. The new network aims to facilitate and improve corporate governance frameworks, offer wider access to industry expertise and provide world-class services locally.

Reaffirming the company’s commitment to global economic expansion, Forvis Mazars has joined the MSGBC Oil, Gas&Power 2024 conference and exhibition – taking place in Dakar from December 3-4 – as a bronze sponsor. This sponsorship reflects the company’s commitment to supporting project development in Africa and will enhance discussions around financial, tax and international audit services.

Explore opportunities, foster partnerships and stay at the forefront of the MSGBC region’s oil, gas and power sector. Visit www.MSGBCOilGasAndPower.com to secure your participation at the MSGBC Oil, Gas&Power conference. To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.

In June, Forvis Mazars officially launched its operations in Zimbabwe with aims to support local natural gas products and strengthen its footprint in key African markets. In Zimbabwe, upstream company Invictus Energy recently announced a second gas discovery in the Mukuyu-2 well at its 80% owned and operated Cabora Basssa project, which is poised to significantly enhance the country’s energy potential.

The firm also opened new offices in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in April 2024, demonstrating its commitment to supporting local businesses and energy projects in West Africa. On track to become a global energy hub, the Sangomar oilfield in Senegal started operations this year while the construction of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim liquefied natural gas (LNG) project – straddling the maritime border between Senegal and Mauritania – is set to start production in Q4 2024. Other major energy projects in West Africa include Nigeria’s LNG Train 7; Ivory Coast’s offshore oil and gas exploration campaigns; and the Tema floating LNG plant in Ghana.

Forvis Mazars already extensively operates across Africa, with 45 offices across 26 countries throughout the continent. With an extensive network that includes countries such as Algeria, Angola, South Africa and Mozambique, the firm supports clients across various sectors with tailor-made solutions throughout all stages of development.

The firm effectively assists African nations in auditing, taxing and capitalizing on energy projects, driving sustainable growth and development in the continent’s energy sector. As such, Forvis Mazars’ participation as a bronze sponsor at MSGBC 2024 is set to highlight their latest initiatives and contributions to Africa’s energy landscape, providing insights and global expertise to shareholders and industry leaders.

“Forvis Mazars plays a key role in supporting African energy projects with their expert financial and advisory services. By offering robust audit, tax and advisory solutions, they help energy companies navigate a competitive market. Their participation as bronze sponsors at this year’s event demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation and allows companies to excel in today’s competitive landscape,” states Energy Capital&Power Event and Project Director Sandra Jeque.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital&Power.

H.E. Saif Abdulla Alshamisi, Assistant Undersecretary for Protocol Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, received a copy of the credentials of H.E. Moussa Almon Oumarou, Ambassador of the Republic of the Niger to the UAE.

His Excellency wished the new Ambassador success in the performance of his duties and in enhancing bilateral relations and cooperation between the UAE and his country.

The newly appointed Republic of the Niger Ambassador expressed his pleasure at representing his country in the United Arab Emirates, which enjoys a prestigious regional and international position under the visionary policy of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs&International Cooperation.

An influx of over 720,000 refugees and returnees fleeing escalating conflict in neighboring Sudan face a worsening hunger crisis in South Sudan amid soaring food insecurity and a deteriorating humanitarian situation. 

Already alarming levels of hunger and acute malnutrition in South Sudan are expected to intensify during the current lean season, when food stocks are severely depleted and food prices on local markets increase due to worsening inflation. The situation for vulnerable households, especially in returnee and refugee-hosting States is exacerbated by the unusually rainy season which usually runs from late April to October, with severe flooding expected. Without a significant increase in support in South Sudan, more than half of the country’s population, over 7 million people, are expected to experience hunger by the end of this year and 79,000 people will likely experience the worst extremes of starvation. Children are particularly vulnerable with 1.65 million severely malnourished children under five at high risk of dying if they don’t receive food and nutrition treatment.

Caroline Sekyewa, IRC South Sudan Country Director said,

“Families are taking extreme steps to cope, even going days without food. Malnourished children that survive this crisis will likely experience stunted growth and challenges in mental development. Urgent nutritional interventions are needed to reduce mortality rates, particularly among vulnerable children.

“In response to the deteriorating hunger crisis, IRC is  scaling up our life-saving nutritional interventions.We have deployed a rapid response team to support refugees at the Aweil East entry point and transit center in the north west of the country. This is one of the areas where the highest levels of hunger are expected. IRC will screen all under five children and pregnant and breast-feeding women on arrival, providing treatment to those that need it. 

The IRC will also implement an infant and young child feeding program through both mobile nutrition services at entry points and at transit sites. Additionally, IRC will strengthen the capacity of healthcare workers to scale up awareness and bolster referral systems.  

Despite humanitarian partners scaling up its response to wide-spread hunger, only 30% of the $1.7 billion needed to reduce the suffering has been met in South Sudan. While the humanitarian appeal in Sudan has only reached 31.5% of the $2.7 billion needed. 

The IRC Response in South Sudan 

The IRC supports people impacted by conflict and crisis, including women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, refugees and mixed populations. Since the beginning of the Sudan crisis, the IRC in South Sudan has been responding to the influx of refugees and returnees through delivering lifesaving assistance to prevent and reduce excess mortality and morbidity, ensuring that emergency needs are met, and acute protection concerns are addressed at points of entry. Through its programmatic response, the IRC provides services in women’s protection and empowerment, focusing on gender-based violence prevention and response, along with general protection, health, water, sanitation and hygiene, and nutrition, child protection and economic empowerment and livelihoods for the affected population to restore and rebuild their future. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Rescue Committee (IRC) .

The rise of advanced language models like ChatGPT has ushered in a new era of human-like interactions, where chatbots can engage in natural conversations, solve complex problems, and even exhibit creative thinking. This remarkable progress has opened up a world of possibilities, but it also raises concerns about the reliability and accountability of these systems, warns Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy and Evangelist at KnowBe4 AFRICA (www.KnowBe4.com).

“While most users have reported positive experiences with chatbots, instances of factual inaccuracies, hallucinations, and potential privacy risks have surfaced,” says Collard. A recent study (https://apo-opa.co/3LTtP2I) by Consumers International found that although 64% of participants would use chatbots again, a significant portion encountered reliability issues.

The cautionary tale of sports journalist Karien Jonckheere serves as a poignant example. Seeking inspiration for a cricket promo, Karien turned to ChatGPT, only to be met with a mix of accurate and fabricated match details that left her astounded. “It listed six matches, of which three were correct,” she remembers. “They completely fabricated the other three matches. It had given dates, venues, names of players, who scored the winning runs—all very specific, but completely made up.”

“This is one of the obvious dangers of using chatbots,” comments Collard. “While they excel at answering straightforward questions, they can sometimes generate responses that are factually incorrect or nonsensical.”

Privacy and security are also crucial factors to consider. As chatbots become privy to our personal information and preferences, concerns arise regarding the protection and potential misuse of this data. “The stakes are high, as chatbots are no longer mere novelties but integral components of our digital ecosystem. From banking transactions to critical decision-making processes, their influence continues to grow,” says Collard.

Benefits of using chatbots

The advantages of chatbots for individuals and businesses are undeniable. “Chatbots are available around the clock, providing immediate responses to queries, which is especially useful for different time zones and those needing after-hours help,” explains Collard.

Their knack for providing prompt solutions to basic queries enables companies to leverage them on a large scale, resulting in significant cost savings. “Chatbots excel in managing repetitive tasks tirelessly, such as addressing common questions or assisting users through standard procedures,” remarks Collard. “They can juggle many interactions concurrently, a feat unattainable for a team of human agents.”

Risks of using chatbots

However, challenges arise when chatbots encounter complex inquiries beyond their scope. “It’s important to remember that they don’t understand what they’re saying,” explains Collard. “They collate information from all over the web and stitch it together to formulate a response.”

As Jonckheere soon realised, chatbots are—for now at least—ill-equipped at intricate problem-solving and can invent details when they are unsure of facts. “They also lack human intuition, leading to difficulties in grasping subtleties, sarcasm, and context,” Collard says. That is why chatbots could be programmed to transfer complex queries to human operators where relevant, Collard suggests. “A robust chatbot system should offer the option to escalate the conversation to a human customer service representative for complex or sensitive queries that automated responses may not effectively address.”

Privacy and security considerations

Regarding privacy, it’s important to exercise caution when sharing sensitive details with a chatbot. That is why companies using these novel technologies should also have strict privacy compliance regulations in place.

“Chatbots typically collect user data to personalise interactions and improve services. And you may not want all your personal data being reused by the algorithm for other queries. Remember whatever we upload to public models such as ChatGPT, will be fed into their model, unless you specifically tick a setting that says otherwise. For companies making use of chatbots, it’s crucial that it is managed like any other system, meaning restrict its access to information that it absolutely needs access to, and ensuring that personal information is stored securely and managed according to strict privacy regulations, such as POPIA,” asserts Collard. “For chatbots that handle sensitive transactions, such as banking queries, they should authenticate users before any personal information is accessed or shared.”

From a security perspective, it is important to test chatbots for prompt injection attacks before launching them to consumers. “Similar to other software, regular updates are essential for chatbots to address vulnerabilities that malicious actors could exploit,” notes Collard. “A purpose-built chatbot should also incorporate security measures to thwart automated threats such as spam bots.”

So, can we trust chatbots? “I like using chatbots, however when I use it for research or for anything where I need accurate data, I will always double check the original sources,” she expresses. “It is great that chatbots are available 24/7 and can help with a task or query at lightning speed.”

However, collaboration between humans and machines is key. “The crucial aspect is integrating chatbots in a manner that complements the strengths of human agents, enabling a seamless transition to live assistance when needed,” Collard concludes. “Businesses can leverage the scalability and data-processing capabilities of chatbots, while users enjoy the convenience of instant and accessible service.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of KnowBe4.