diplomacy&development

The IMF team and the Cabo Verdean authorities reached staff-level agreement on the policies needed to complete the third review under the ECF-supported program as well as on the request to access financial resources from the RSF. The IMF and Cabo Verde authorities reached a staff-level agreement on a request for access under the newly established Resilience and Sustainability Trust (approximately US$ 31.69 million) and the completion of the third review under the 36-month Extended Credit Facility; The authorities are taking important steps to strengthen the economic reform program and protect the most vulnerable. Performance under the program has been strong. Post-Covid economic activity recovered rapidly as tourism returned to the islands. The fiscal deficit narrowed, the debt-to-GDP ratio declined in 2022, the current account deficit narrowed, and international reserves increased; Cabo Verde remains vulnerable to economic and climate-related disruptions, and the gains achieved need t

Amélie Ebongué, Global Brand Marketing Manager, and Author of Amazon Bestseller Empowering voices - Africa Tech Festival fields a strong and successful line-up of women speakers and women-focused features in 2023 to put the spotlight on female trailblazers who are leading the tech revolution on the continent. Africa Tech Festival ( https://apo-opa.info/3myppVu ) in 2023, (Cape Town, 13 – 16 November), will field an impressive line-up of strong African women in technology, as a catalyst to shift the power dynamics in the industry, redressing their historic underrepresentation, funding restrictions, and other barriers to entry that have to date, prevented the technology sector from being fully inclusive. In a March 2023 study, conducted by the organisers of the festival, key highlights reflected that women are still facing stereotypical attitudes preventing them from moving up the ladder, lack equal pay for equivalent and often better abilities, and that absence of access to education an

The UNOPS and the FMOH had their first official kick-off meeting for a project known as “Strengthening the Capacity of MOH for the Realization of Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP) II Selected Priorities". UNOPS and Ethiopia's Ministry of Health have partnered to support the implementation of the Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP) II plan. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) had their first official kick-off meeting for a project known as “Strengthening the Capacity of MOH for the Realization of Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP) II Selected Priorities.’’ The three-year project, with a targeted budget of $10.2M, aims to contribute towards the realization of selected strategic priorities of the HSTP-II through the establishment of a project management unit that will put in place systems, processes, tools and technical resources for the realization of the identified activities. The project will also e

Verdant Capital acted as WIOCC Group and OADC’s strategic and financial advisor on the joint venture transaction with TEXAF.   A landmark joint venture agreement (“JVA”) between Africa’s leading data centre operator, Open Access Data Centres (“OADC”), a WIOCC Group company, and TEXAF, one of the DRC’s oldest business groups, was signed this past July. The JVA crystallizes the two parties’ intention to usher in the next evolution of the DRC’s digital ecosystem by launching the country’s first open access, carrier-neutral data centre. The joint venture will be operated through their co-owned subsidiary, Open Access Data Entres-TEXAF Digital (DRC). The JV brings together OADC’s pan-African data centre operating expertise, coupled with the WIOCC Group’s continent-wide hyperscale connectivity infrastructure and capabilities, with TEXAF’s deep knowledge and experience investing and operating businesses in the DRC for almost a century. The new data centre is a key piece in the new epoch of th

Verdant Capital a agi en qualité de conseiller stratégique et financier auprès du groupe WIOCC et d’OADC dans le cadre de l’opération de coentreprise avec TEXAF. Un accord de coentreprise entre le principal exploitant de centre de données en Afrique, Open Access Data Centres (« OADC »), une société du groupe WIOCC, et TEXAF, un des plus anciens groupes commerciaux de la RDC, a été signé en juillet dernier. L’accord de coentreprise incarne l’intention des deux parties d’amorcer la prochaine évolution de l’écosystème numérique de la RDC en lançant le premier centre de données du pays à accès ouvert et neutre vis-à-vis des opérateurs. La coentreprise sera exploitée par l’entremise de sa filiale en copropriété, Open Access Data Entres-TEXAF Digital (DRC). La coentreprise combine l’expertise panafricaine d’OADC en matière d’exploitation de centres de données, les infrastructures et capacités de connectivité hyperscale du groupe WIOCC, et les connaissances et l’expérience approfondies de TEX

Jane Sun, CEO, Trip.com Group To go far, go together Through collaboration, we unlock value. The value of a win-win creates strong commitment towards maximising each party's opportunities and success. Far beyond a legal contract, the best partnerships strengthen common goals through shared desires and a mission. At Trip.com Group, we firmly believe that to go far, we must go together. This philosophy forms the cornerstone of our journey as we strive “To pursue the perfect trip for a better world”.  Standing strong with our partners "Customers first; Partners second; Ourselves third". This has been our mantra and has guided our actions during the pandemic. In times of uncertainty, leaders need to lead and inspire with confidence. Our partners would recall that Trip.com Group took immediate action from the onset of the pandemic through various initiatives, including supporting our partners with 10 billion RMB in loans, 5 billion RMB for advance payments, and 2 billion RMB

    Chairman and CEO of the Merck Foundation and African First Ladies inaugurate their 10th edition of the Africa Asia Luminary 2023 exhibition in India ▪ Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej and African First Ladies of Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, to inaugurate 10th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2023. ▪ More than 10,000 participants including healthcare providers, policymakers, researchers, academia and media representatives from 70 English, French, Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries attended the Luminary through hybrid model to benefit from five parallel scientific and social sessions to advance healthcare capacity and awareness in 42 critical and underserved medical specialties. ▪ Celebrating 6th Anniversary of Merck Foundation and marking 11-year journey of their development programs