Day: September 16, 2022

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Swakop Uranium Launches Sustainable Development Report Highlighting Milestone Achievements on Multi-dimensional Practice

WINDHOEK, Namibia, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Swakop Uranium (the “Company”), a subsidiary of China General Nuclear Power Corporation(CGN), recently released its 2021 sustainability report in the Namibian capital, Windhoek. The report detailed the company’s performance and practices in Namibia, while also highlighting official statistics and social responsibility undertakings.

Ms. Kornelia Shilunga, Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy for Namibia, commended the publishing of the 2021 Swakop Uranium Sustainability Report and lauded the Company for demonstrating a commitment to good corporate governance and transparency. The Husab Mine is an important contributor to the country’s economy and is the largest employer in the Namibian mining industry with over 1,700 permanent employees and 1,000 contractors.

Swakop Uranium Board member and Chairperson of the Swakop Uranium Sustainability Development Committee, Ms. Inge Zaamwani-Kamwi, said “The 2021 report highlights the positive sustainable development impacts of the Company in Namibia, particularly in the Erongo Region. Through this report, we can see the Company is committed to fully supporting national development imperatives and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Continuous business development is an integral part of  Swakop Uranium’s business strategy, with goals to build a world-class company that Namibia can be proud of.”

Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Namibia, Mr. Liu Mingzhe, thanked all stakeholders for their long-term support and assistance with the Swakop Uranium. Through CGN, China has made its largest project investment in Africa in the form of the Swakop Uranium Husab Mine, with an investment of more than US$ 5 billion which contributed 3.2 billion NAD to the local economy in 2021. The localization of the workforce is also an important goal for the Company, striving to employ a workforce comprising 96% of local talent through various training programs put in place to ensure a competent and dedicated workforce. CGN is also actively sourcing renewable energy, and recently built a 12-megawatt solar power station at the mine.

In his foreword in the report, the CEO of Swakop Uranium, Mr. Qiu Bin, thanked shareholders, key stakeholders, and employees for building positive and constructive relationships that have enabled Swakop Uranium to be successful and create a long-lasting and positive legacy in Namibia.

For more information, please visit Swakop Uranium or download the report from https://we.tl/t-278qvPaO0d.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1900683/1.jpg
PDF – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1900693/2.pdf

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ACTIF 2022 opens new trade and investment path between the Caribbean and Africa 

LONDON, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CS Global Partners, one of the world’s leading government advisory agencies, is the official representative of the governments of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Saint Lucia and St Kitts and Nevis all of whom took part in the first-ever Afri-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF2022), which took place in Bridgetown, Barbados, from 1 to 3 September 2022. The forum opened a new chapter for the relations between the Caribbean and Africa. Held under the theme, ‘One People, One Destiny, Uniting and Reimagining Our Future’, the forum set in motion various initiatives to further deepen and build new trade and investment relationships between Africa and the Caribbean.

The three-day forum was convened by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the Government of Barbados in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Africa Business Council, the Caribbean Community Secretariat, and the Caribbean Export Development Agency.

The Prime Minister of Barbados – Mia Amor Mottley, expressed pleasure at being selected as the host country for ACTIF 2022. She asserted that Africa and the Caribbean share common roots and need to work and act together in various sectors. Participants committed to building a commercial bridge between the two regions for their prosperous future.

ACTIF 2022 was the first forum of its kind between the two regions and aimed to provide an opportunity for the Caribbean and African business communities, as well as governments, to establish new commercial and strategic relationships with the goal of expanding trade and investment between both the regions. The high-level support between the two regions is intended to boost bilateral cooperation and engagement in trade, investment, technology transfer, innovation, tourism, culture and other sectors. The forum also opened doors to effective business matchmaking between the two regions.

The three-day conference featured various panel discussions on several topics, which were based on business-to-business engagements. The delegates discussed topics such as: developing special economic zones (SEZs) and industrial parks; boosting industrialisation and manufacturing; improving infrastructure, financing and trade logistics, including regional integration, promoting trade and tourism, creating the environment to accelerate private sector investment, improving agricultural productivity and increasing agribusiness opportunities and food security.

Along with this, the forum also witnessed the signing ceremony of two partnership agreements, 10 MoUs and three finance facilities. The star document of the forum, which signified the success of the summit, was the partnership agreement between seven members of the Caribbean Community and Afreximbank to promote and finance South-South trade and investment between Africa and the Caribbean. Its ultimate goal is to promote and provide insurance and guarantee services covering commercial and non-commercial risks associated with African and Caribbean exports.

Caribbean countries such as Barbados, the Republic of Suriname, the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda and St Vincent and the Grenadines signed the agreement with African Export-Import Bank.

The agreement will help to boost knowledge sharing between Africa and the Caribbean region with technical cooperation, research and several joint events. It also has the potential to accelerate the membership of CARICOM nations in Afreximbank as it will enable the bank to operate in the region and deliver on the new vision.

Over and above this, in order to mobilise trade and investment between the two regions, Afreximbank also signed a US$250 million Trade and Investment Agreement with the Central Bank of Barbados.

Further, Afreximbank outlined their aim to establish the export-import as they signed a MoU with the Caribbean Association of Banks. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of hundreds of delegates comprising African and Caribbean business leaders and government officials discussing how to improve trade and investment between the two regions. It was signed by the Chief Executive Officer, CAB, Wendy Delmar, and the Executive Vice President of Afreximbank, Denys Denya.

To sustain these efforts, Africa-Caribbean Business Council, CARICOM Private Sector Organisation and Afreximbank also signed another MoU. The rest of the memos included Ghana Export Promotion Authority and Barbados Investment and Development Corporation signed by BIDC’s Hill and GEPA’s Dr Afua Asare, and BIDC, GUTA’s Dr Joseph Obeng and BCCI’s Anthony Branker, Ghana Union of Trade Association and Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed by Hill.

Various senior government representatives, business leaders, representatives of business associations, prospective investors and buyers, project promoters, development agencies, multilateral finance institutions, think tanks and research institutions from Africa and the Caribbean were in attendance at ACTIF 2022 with more than 1,500 delegates representing 93 countries (comprising 48 African countries, 12 Caribbean countries, and 33 other countries).

The specific objectives of ACTIF2022 were: 

  • Promotion of inter-bank relationships, which includes financial flow and fostering payment.
  • Development of cultural and creative engagements between two regions that can be commercially viable.
  • Creation of a business case for a potential AfriCaribbean Free Trade Area.
  • Creating a suitable platform which helps to disseminate trade and investment information and other products and initiatives of the bank, which will support trade between Africa and Africans in the diaspora.
  • Help in the reduction of the counterpart risk perception among African and Caribbean businesses in dealing among themselves.
  • Promotion of trade and investment between Africa and the Caribbean as the forum served as the platform for market identification, building business partnerships, exchange of trade and market information, and co-investments.
  • The forum also facilitates Afri-Caribbean investments by fostering and bolstering cross-regional business and investment linkages.

 Nandi Canning nandi.canning@csglobalpartners.com +27828215664

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XCA2600, the World’s Largest All-terrain Crane by XCMG, Passes Its First Lifting Test

XUZHOU, China, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — XCA2600, the world’s largest tonnage all-terrain crane developed by XCMG (SHE:000425), has successfully completed the first test to lift a 173-ton weight, ahead of being delivered to a wind farm in China next month.

XCA2600, the World’s Largest All-terrain Crane by XCMG, Passes Its First Lifting Test.

The XCA2600 is equipped with three core technologies: high-performance flexible boom, super-lifting and independent suspension. As well as hoisting a weight of 173 tons, the XCA2600 can reach a lifting height of 160 meters, which is 20 percent higher than products of the same class and covers 90 percent of wind turbine installations across China.

In addition, the model is also the world’s first crane to be equipped with a 10-axle chassis, and it can be interchanged with the XCC2600, the world’s largest tonnage telescopic boom crawler crane. The XCA2600 body is 50-cm shorter than the industry average, while the minimum ground clearance is 200mm higher, allowing for better operational flexibility.

In terms of super-lifting and tensioning, the newly developed XCA2600 boom features active control and hoisting risk prediction technologies to ensure quick and safe operation. Its 3.5-meter-wide chassis, in conjunction with the patented independent suspension system and live axle, ensures the stability of the vehicle.

In addition to industry-leading functionality and performance capabilities, the new model is more efficient for major wind turbine installation projects by tailoring to the specific needs of various construction environments and scenarios.

“It can be difficult for large cranes to successfully strike a balance between achieving great lifting capability and traveling around conveniently, especially for those that need to install wind turbines at a height of 160 meters,” said Shan Zenghai, Chief Engineer of XCMG Crane. “To achieve this requires technological innovation and a dedication to customers and their height, accessibility and safety needs.”

XCMG has made significant progress in developing large-tonnage all-terrain cranes in the last decade, from 800 tons ten years ago to 2,600 tons today. The Company has currently sold a total of 126 units of super wheel cranes with tonnage greater than 1,200 tons, which have installed over 15,000 wind turbines.

About XCMG

XCMG is a multinational heavy machinery manufacturing company with a history of 79 years. It currently ranks third in the world’s construction machinery industry, exporting to more than 191 countries and regions around the world.

For more information, please visit www.xcmg.com

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1900404/XCA2600_World_s_Largest_All_terrain_Crane_XCMG_Passes_Its_First_Lifting.jpg

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Suez Canal To Raise Transit Fees In 2023

CAIRO– The Suez Canal’s transit tolls will increase by 15 percent for all types of vessels, and 10 percent for dry bulk and cruise ships, starting next year, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) announced in a statement yesterday.

The authority said, rising energy prices, freight rates, and daily charter rates for ships, predicted to continue next year, are the main reason for raising transit tolls along the vital canal, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.

“The (tolls) increase is inevitable and is a necessity, in light of the current global inflation, which translates into increased operational costs and the costs of the navigational services provided in the canal,” SCA Chairman, Ossama Rabiee, said in the statement.

He said, the SCA adjusted the tolls through clear mechanisms, incorporating the changes in the maritime transport market, noting the canal remains the most efficient and least costly route compared to alternative routes.

Source: Nam News Network

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Senegalese president appoints new prime minister

DAKAR— Senegalese President Macky Sall appointed a new prime minister on Saturday, a position he abolished in 2019 and reinstated last year.

According to a presidential decree, the inspector of taxes and domains Amadou Ba was appointed the prime minister and he received instructions to form a cabinet during the day.

Aged 61, the new prime minister was Minister of Economy and Finance (2013-2019) under the regime of Macky Sall, then Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad (2019-2020).

In place since November 2020, the outgoing government had 33 ministers and four Secretaries of State.

Source: Nam News Network

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Somali Officials Issue Urgent Call for Aid to Curb Famine Deaths

Officials and aid workers in Somalia’s drought-stricken south say the area is expecting many deaths from famine if aid is not quickly scaled up.

Somalia’s South West state is one of the places the United Nations expects famine to arise as the prolonged and worst drought in 40 years continues to devastate the country.

State Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Minister Nasir Arush told VOA in an interview after he visited hard-hit areas, including Wajid in Bakol region, that the situation there is desperate.

“You know, we have been dealing with drought for the last three years but the situation is getting really, really bad,” he said. “The latest report showed that 214,130 people in South West are in a catastrophic situation, that number was 112,400 on June 4.”

He said the urgent situation needs an urgent response.

Dr. Said Yusuf Mohamed who works at a stabilization center, a unit inside the biggest hospital in South West state, told VOA that the drought is having a devastating toll on children. He said that every day a child is dying at his stabilization center due to malnutrition.

He said you can see that the number of patients who need treatment for malnutrition is increasing and there are times when the hospital reaches beyond its capacity, and now it is possible to admit over 90 patients a week and sometimes more than 20 a day.

Maadeey Muumin is a 60-year-old a father of nine children. He arrived at the hospital with his malnourished granddaughter. He said he received an $8 loan from a family member to reach the hospital that is located over a hundred kilometers from their settlement.

He said people there are devastated by the drought that killed all their livestock and put the population at risk of starvation, especially their children.

Muumin said that the parents whose children are ill from malnutrition don’t have the resources to transport them to hospitals for treatment. He said if the drought continues until next year, the situation will only worsen. He said people there don’t have anywhere else to go.

On a trip for journalists to the famine-projected areas in South West arranged by the aid agency World Vision, Tobias Oloo, the World Vision operations manager told VOA that after four seasons of no rains, more than 7 million people are facing famine, in some places reaching starvation stage.

He said about 1 million people have been displaced and they are moving from locations where they cannot get help to locations where they can.

“Some areas have been affected more than others,” he said. We are seeing Baidoa is one of the areas that is seriously affected and also Burhakaba in Bay region of South West state. As an organization, we are providing cash so that people can buy food, we are providing assistance in water so that they can have water to drink; we are also providing protection programs to ensure that girls and women are protected from gender-based violence.”

Oloo said that the current drought is worse than the 2011 drought that killed thousands of Somalis because of a combination of Somalia’s internal conflicts, four consecutive rain failures and food prices skyrocketing due to Ukraine war.

Petroc Wilton, spokesman for the World Food Program in Somalia, told VOA that the WFP has been issuing warnings for months and is already actively assisting those in need.

“[The] WFP has been working to scale up humanitarian assistance to unprecedented levels in Somalia despite limited resources,” he said. “In July [the] WFP reached 3.7 million people in Somalia with lifesaving relief assistance, more than double the number in April, the most we ever reached in Somalia in a single month. We also reached over 300,000 with treatment of malnutrition.”

The Somali government last year declared the drought a national emergency and called for urgent help.

Source: Voice of America

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Senegal’s President Appoints Former Economy Minister as PM

Senegalese President Macky Sall reinstated the post of prime minister Saturday, appointing a former economy minister to the job two months after a tense legislative election in which Sall’s ruling coalition lost its comfortable majority.

Amadou Ba, a 61-year-old taxation specialist who has also served as foreign minister, was named as the West African country’s prime minister, a statement from the presidency said.

Ba’s appointment reestablishes the position of prime minister in the West African country following its abolition in April 2019.

“The major priorities that the president has outlined include improving household purchasing power, taming inflation, security, housing, vocational training, employment and entrepreneurship,” Ba said on national television after a meeting with Sall Saturday.

The full government is expected to be appointed later Saturday.

Earlier this week, Senegal’s security forces were called to secure a voting process in parliament and hold back rowdy opposition members of parliament who tried to disrupt the election of a new president of the national assembly. The assembly was convening for the first time since July’s election.

Sall came to power in 2012 after unseating longtime President Abdoulaye Wade. He was elected again in 2019 on promises of large-scale infrastructure expansion as the country is set to start producing oil and natural gas next year.

But much of his second term has been marked by economic hardship – partly stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and global fallout linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Political tensions have boiled over after Sall’s refusal to publicly rule out a third-term presidential bid in 2024.

Violent protests erupted in Senegal last year when Ousmane Sonko, Sall’s main opponent — who came in third in the 2019 presidential election — was arrested on rape charges which he denied.

Sonko was released but many protesters saw his arrest as an attempt by Sall to remove a prominent rival and clear his path for a third term bid.

Source: Voice of America

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Somalia Says Its Military Killed at Least 30 Al-Shabab Militants

Somalia’s Information Ministry said Saturday the country’s military has targeted al-Shabab militants in the Hiran region.

The Somali National Army has killed more than 30 al-Shabab militants in an operation conducted on the outskirts of the town of Bulo-burde in the central region of Hiran.

That’s according to a statement Saturday by Somalia’s Information Ministry, which says the operation was conducted overnight after the army received intelligence.

The government says five of its soldiers were injured during the operation.

Hiran has seen increased military activity this month as the army claimed it had gained significant ground from the al-Qaida-affiliated militant group al-Shabab.

The group has not commented on the Somali government’s claim, but it said that an airstrike in the same region killed a traditional leader and other civilians. The information could not be independently confirmed.

Somalia’s Internal Security Ministry also said the country’s national intelligence and security agency, NISA, has arrested 10 al-Shabab operatives in the capital, Mogadishu.

Ministry spokesman Abdikamil Moalim Shukri said at a news conference in Mogadishu that NISA also seized three houses that al-Shabab was using.

He said special forces of the national intelligence and security agency, based on intelligence information, have destroyed an al-Shabab network that was behind killings and insecurity in Mogadishu. The intelligence forces have arrested 10 al-Shabab conspirators, including militants who were prepared to kill and doctors who were treating al-Shabab members, he added.

The Somali government recently announced its forces “liberated” 21 villages from al-Shabab in a fresh offensive in parts of the country.

The government also said it killed about 100 al-Shabab militants.

Somalia’s new president, Hassan Sheikh Mahamud, who assumed office earlier this year, announced that his administration will wage a “total war” against the Islamist al-Shabab network after the group carried out a deadly hotel siege in Mogadishu that killed more than 20 people and wounded at least 100 others.

Source: Voice of America

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Dave and Buster’s va ouvrir 11 unités à travers l’Arabie saoudite, les Émirats arabes unis et l’Égypte

Annonce un partenariat de franchise internationale avec Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair Holding Group

DALLAS, 16 sept. 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Quelques mois seulement après avoir annoncé ses plans d’expansion internationaux, Dave & Buster’s signe sa première transaction multi-pays et multi-unités.

« Nous nous réjouissons d’annoncer notre partenariat avec Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair Holding Group pour développer la marque Dave & Buster’s sur les principaux marchés d’Asie occidentale », a déclaré Antonio Bautista, directeur du développement international de Dave & Buster’s.

La marque débutera son expansion avec des sites au Royaume d’Arabie Saoudite, puis aux Émirats arabes unis et en Égypte.

« Dave & Buster’s est une marque de divertissement de premier ordre, et ce partenariat de franchise constitue une étape stratégique pour notre organisation alors que nous continuons à développer notre portefeuille de divertissement et d’hôtellerie dans la région, » a déclaré Mishal Alhokair, PDG adjoint du groupe  Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair Holding.

Pour stimuler son expansion internationale, Dave & Buster’s a mis au point des initiatives stratégiques clés qui soutiennent la pénétration du marché mondial de manière unique :

  • Empreinte personnalisable pour stimuler l’économie des boîtes sur chaque marché, selon les besoins
  • Localisation des menus à haute résonance régionale
  • Modèle de tarification exclusif et dynamique
  • Programmes de marketing global qui sont indépendants sur le plan démographique et qui peuvent être exécutés localement.
  • Une stratégie et des forfaits de divertissement différenciés et uniques
  • Divertissement localisé et programmation partielle du 3e jour

« Avec quatre décennies d’expérience à la tête du marché, une équipe de direction chevronnée et une infrastructure de centre d’assistance de premier ordre, Dave & Buster’s est prêt à “RUN THE FUN” pour nos partenaires et clients internationaux », a ajouté Antonio Bautista.

Pour tout complément d’information sur les opportunités de franchises, veuillez consulter le site www.daveandbusters.com/franchising ou envoyer un e-mail à l’adresse InternationalDevelopment@daveandbusters.com

À propos de Dave & Buster’s
Fondée en 1982 et basée à Coppell, au Texas, la société Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc., est le propriétaire et l’opérateur de 200 sites en Amérique du Nord qui offrent des expériences de divertissement et de restauration de premier plan aux clients par le biais de deux marques distinctes : Dave & Buster’s et Main Event. Dave & Buster’s possède 148 restaurants dans 41 États, à Porto Rico et au Canada et offre aux clients la possibilité de « prendre un verre, se restaurer et se divertir », dans un seul et même endroit. Chaque restaurant propose une carte avec un grand choix d’entrées et de hors-d’œuvre, une sélection complète de boissons alcoolisées et non alcoolisées, ainsi qu’une vaste palette d’attractions de divertissement axées sur les jeux et le visionnage de sports en direct et d’autres événements télévisés. Main Event exploite 52 centres dans 17 États du pays, et propose un bowling de pointe, des jeux de laser, des centaines de jeux d’arcade et de réalité virtuelle, ce qui en fait le lieu idéal pour permettre aux familles de jouer ensemble et de créer des souvenirs. Pour tout complément d’information sur chaque marque, veuillez consulter les sites www.daveandbusters.com www.mainevent.com

À propos d’Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair Holding Group « Croyez en ce que vous faites et vous deviendrez le maître de votre art »
Cette phrase a inspiré le cheikh Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair pour l’ouverture de son premier parc à thème à Riyad, qui a représenté « un progrès sans précédent » dans le secteur du tourisme et du divertissement, et qui fut le produit d’une simple « coïncidence ». Ici, au sein du groupe Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair Holding, nous avons transformé « le rêve » en une industrie organisée qui aspire à être la meilleure aux niveaux local, régional et international. La démarche du Cheikh Abdul Mohsen a été encouragée par le besoin de tourisme et de divertissement dans la région du Golfe, qui a conduit à l’ouverture de parcs et de centres de loisirs en 1978, faisant de lui le Cheikh du tourisme dans cette région. Les racines de nos entreprises reposent sur la recherche et la planification ainsi que sur la prise en compte de tous les aspects de la réussite.

Aujourd’hui, de nombreuses personnes nous admirent avec beaucoup d’estime et de respect. Chacune de nos sociétés a sa propre « success story » et, ensemble, elles nous ont permis de devenir une holding, une entité qui chapeaute toutes les entreprises et activités. La holding est la société mère et garante de nos activités. Elle a vu le jour dès la création d’un réseau par le Cheikh Abdul Mohsen qui a ouvert la voie à la réussite que nous espérons poursuivre.

CONTACT AUPRÈS DES MEDIAS :
Antonio Bautista
antonio.bautista@daveandbusters.com