Anglo American invests R15 million in Chair of Occupational Hygiene at Wits University, Johannesburg

Mining continues to play a central role in shaping the social, political, economic and health landscape of South Africa and Africa today,

JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, November 7, 2014/ -- Anglo American is investing R15-million in a new Chair, to be known as the Anglo American Endowed Chair in Occupational Hygiene at the Wits School of Public Health. 

Photo: (Khanyisile Kweyama, executive director of Anglo American in South Africa)

The Chair will conduct research, and engage in other scholarly activities, with the aim of decreasing employee exposure to dust, noise and other health hazards in mining and other industries, thereby contributing to employee wellbeing.

“The Wits School of Public Health has long been the forerunner in the country in research and postgraduate studies in occupational health. We are very proud to have been granted the funds by Anglo American for this Chair and we are thankful that they are collaborating with us to strengthen our response to occupational hygiene, both in South Africa and Africa. The University’s responsiveness in this important field will advance our vision as a globally competitive and locally relevant university located in the economic and social hub of Africa,” said Professor Adam Habib, Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal

Khanyisile Kweyama, executive director of Anglo American in South Africa said: “This investment reinforces Anglo American’s commitment to health and safety and to the wellbeing our people and communities, through partnerships with government, academia and other stakeholders.

“Our occupational health strategy and management approach are governed by a series of standards, guidelines and assurance processes aimed at preventing harm to our workforce. We are proud of our partnership with Wits University which leverages the institution’s leading research and teaching expertise across a wide spectrum of disciplines within the area of occupational health and hygiene. The partnership will further see a strengthening of the existing link between Anglo American and the university’s mining engineering degree,” concluded Kweyama.

Occupational hygiene is the discipline of anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of health hazards in the workplace. Dr Andrew Swanepoel, Senior Lecturer and Master of Public Health Occupational Hygiene Coordinator in the Wits School of Public Health, explains: “Other examples of hazards that can be measured and controlled by occupational hygienists include airborne pollutants such as gasses, fumes, noise, vibration, temperature extremes, and biological hazards such as Legionella bacteria.

“State-of-the-art equipment and systems, combined with high-level research and expert practitioners are needed to identify, monitor and control exposure to harmful dust, and all other mining industry-related health hazards.”

The University is well placed to conduct world-class research in occupational hygiene.  For more than three decades Wits academics from the School of Public Health, in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH), have been conducting ground-breaking research on mining-related diseases.

“The new partnership with Anglo American is particularly important, as the University was founded on the School of Mining almost a century ago,” said Swanepoel. “Mining continues to play a central role in shaping the social, political, economic and health landscape of South Africa and Africa today, where mining activities are rapidly expanding.”

“Mining and occupational hygiene and health are inseparable and there is a severe shortage of occupational hygienists in South Africa and Africa. This, together with insufficient resources to support occupational hygiene, compromises the ability of the industry to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of employees,” said Swanepoel.

The new Chair will build on the Wits School of Public Health track record and strengthen occupational hygiene by increasing the number of masters and PhD graduates, as well as postdoctoral fellows. Cutting edge research will enhance the health and wellbeing of workers in various industries. 

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) 

New African TAC-PAK Mobile Command Centers Deploy VSAT Satellite Terminals For Fast, Portable High Speed Voice/Data Transmission

Multiple African military, peacekeeping and First Responders deploy VSAT satellite terminals from 308 Systems

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, November 7, 2014/ -- Multiple African military, peacekeeping and First Responders deploy VSAT satellite terminals from 308 Systems as a pivotal technology in ensuring fast, effective responses during critical missions.

Communication always plays a vital role in the completion of missions throughout the African continent. Imagine the necessity of swift and accurate data transmission during military actions or disaster response within countries such as Angola, Chad, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Photo:  (TAC-PAK Mobile Command System)

Previously, African military and humanitarian personnel have found themselves trying to communicate in the midst of total terrestrial chaos and destruction using legacy radio systems and outdated command infrastructure. Given a recent flare-up of hostilities in many regions, military operations in Ethiopia, Ghana and Sudan recognized the need for more command resources in the remote, communications sterile locations - and deployed TAC-PAK/VSAT(Very Short Aperture Terminals) satcom mobile command systems.

These custom-configured “mobile command in a box” TAC-PAK/VSAT systems, manufactured by 308 Systems Inc in Fort Collins , Colorado, and supported in Africa by local partners, are follow-on to previously deployed systems. The new systems were custom-configured to meet specific mission field communication requirements, including linking field radios to cell phones and computers throughout the country.  From the base operations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, one General said “These systems are like gold out in the field.”

Military and peacekeeping mission completion is easier said than done due to the fluid and remote nature of each operation, and the presence of ravaged infrastructure. Swift, reliable and precise communication is critical, yet tough to attain in remote or devastated terrain. However, the recent deployment of TAC-PAK/VSAT technology from 308 Systems enabled the military forces in Ethiopia, Ghana and Sudan to communicate quickly and precisely.

With multiple form factors and VSAT data rates up to 6mbps, this TAC-PAK/VSAT flyaway kit combination provided spectacular deployment flexibility, operated anywhere with great efficiency, and is packaged in a rugged, small, and highly portable form factor easily loaded into a pickup truck or similar deploying vehicle.  This effectively turned any local vehicle into a “Mobile Command Center”.

This extensive Mobile Command/VSAT lineup represents the latest state-of-the-art high bandwidth mobile command /communication solutions from 308 Systems.  Additional products such as the SATPAK wireless relay systems, can be combined to ensure teams or organizations have reliable satcom and radio signal access from anywhere, including previously signal blocked areas such as mountain valleys, tunnels and urban canyon buildings. 

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization)

Fifth Annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit will be hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco

Over 3000 entrepreneurs, Heads of state, government officials, global entrepreneurs, small medium enterprises (SMEs), corporate leaders, and young entrepreneurs

MARRAKECH, Morocco, November 6, 2014/ -- The fifth annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (#GES2014) will take place on November 19 – 21, 2014 in Marrakech, Morocco, the first time in an African nation.  The Summit, the largest gathering of entrepreneurs during Global Entrepreneurship Week, will be hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco, and held under the High Patronage of his Majesty King Mohammed VI, brings together over 3000 entrepreneurs, Heads of state, government officials, global entrepreneurs, small medium enterprises (SMEs), corporate leaders, and young entrepreneurs.

The theme of this year’s Summit, “Harnessing the Power of Technology for Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” will explore the positive impact of technology on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Speakers will discuss:

•          Financing new ventures

•          Scaling up enterprises and moving to the formal sector

•          Turning talent into entrepreneurship

•          Engaging in social entrepreneurship

Vice President Joe Biden will lead the United States (U.S) delegation to the Summit in addition to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.  Members of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) initiative will be joining Secretary Pritzker, as entrepreneurship ambassadors.

They include:  

•          Daphne Koller, Co-Founder and President, Coursera

•          Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO, Chobani

•          Alexa von Tobel, Founder and CEO, LearnVest

Other U.S. speakers include Toni G. Verstandig, Chair Middle East Programs, Aspen Group, Kerry Healey, President of Babson College and John Macomber, Senior Lecturer in Finance, Harvard Business School, Ron Bruder, Founder, Education for Employment, and Zainab Salbi, Founder of Women to Women International.

Moroccan speakers include Salaheddine Mezouar, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Mohamed Boussaid, Minister of Economy and Finance, Mbarka Bouaida, Delegate Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Moulay Hafid Alami, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and the Digital Economy, Nizar Baraka, President, Social, Economic & Environmental Council (CESE). 

Moroccan corporate leaders include Mohamed El-Kettani, CEO, Attijariwafa Bank, Othman Benjelloun, President and CEO of BMCE, Abdeslam Ahizoune, CEO of Maroc Telecom, Anas Sefrioui, CEO of Addoha Group, and Miriem Bensalah-Chaqroun, President, Confédération Générale des Entreprises du Maroc (CGEM). 

Visit the 2014 Global Entrepreneurship Summit’s website (www.gesmarrakech2014.org/en/home). Register for the event here: https://registration.gesmarrakech2014.org/ and for a list of speakers go to:http://www.gesmarrakech2014.org/en/program/speakers. 

Richard Attias & Associates (RA&A), Part of WPP Group, is the Executive Producer of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2014.  

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) 

TRACE ties up with Mahindra Comviva as technology partner for TRACE Music Stars

PRESS RELEASE

•          Launches pan Africa mobile music competition

•          First of its kind partnership to promote Music Karaoke and VAS

NAIROBI, Kenya, November 6, 2014/ -- Mahindra Comviva , the global leader in providing mobility solutions, today announced an exclusive partnership with TRACE TV, one of the leading music channels to launch TRACE Music Stars across all Airtel operations in Africa. Contestants will have the chance to compete for a grand prize of 30,000 Euros and a recording deal with Universal Music. The winner will travel toto New York to be personally mentored by American R&B and hip hop recording artist, songwriter, and record producer, AKON. The grand finale will be held on March 2015.

Photo: (Atul Madan, Head of Digital Services, Mahindra Comviva)

Mahindra Comviva is providing a complete ecosystem and end-to-end solution for the rapid deployment, provisioning, execution, management and billing of various value added services to enable this initiative. Additionally, Mahindra Comviva’s mKaroke will provide the users with real-time singing analysis and voice supervision to deepen the user engagement.

TRACE Music Stars will be executed as a large-scale branding campaign and value added music service, available exclusively for Airtel subscribers. It is an IVR based music competition that gives subscribers the opportunity to become the next big music star in their country and possibly across Africa and the world without having to go through long and expensive traditional castings. The competition will offer participants an option to rehearse on a phone karaoke that scores their performance. On scoring low points the contestants can try again without having to stand in long queues.

Commenting on the initiative Atul Madan, Head of Digital Services, Mahindra Comviva said “Mahindra Comviva has been constantly working towards revolutionizing the music market in Africa by providing localized content, identifying independent artists and labels, and disseminating music across the region. On an average, music services in Africa contribute 40% to operators' downloadable content revenues. To cater to fast evolving trends and sustain consumer engagement, the company is constantly introducing innovative service features like mKaraoke, user generated music content and social RBT. The partnership with TRACE and Airtel is a testament of our efforts in emerging as the leader in the digital music space.”

Olivier Laouchez, TRACE’s CEO said “We are pleased to partner with Mahindra Comviva in bringing a platform to empower the youth. Mahindra Comviva’s unrivalled expertise in digital music, VAS Technologies and deep understanding of the African market helped us bring this initiative to life.”

Mahindra Comviva is betting big on its digital music portfolio across video, voice and text. The company has collaborated with over 110 local and international content providers, copyright bodies, local artists, premium music labels and production houses in the continent. The company owns rights to unique music tracks in African, Arabic and international categories, and offers multiple genres including Hip Hop, Pop, Inspirational, Rumba, Hip Life, Football Chants, Gospel, Jazz, Rock, Reggae and Retro in more than 35 local African languages.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) 

Tony Blair, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to Present a Keynote Address at the 2015 Mining Indaba

Mining Indaba, the world’s largest mining investment event will take place on 9 – 12 February 2015 in Cape Town, South Africa

CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, November 6, 2014/ -- The organisers of the annual Investing in African Mining Indaba announced today that Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1997 - 2007) will participate in a keynote presentation at the  2015 annual conference.  Euromoney Institutional Investor Managing Director, Mr. Christopher Fordham, will host an “Interview with Tony Blair” during a special keynote presentation.

The 2015 edition of the annual Mining Indaba, the world’s largest mining investment event will take place on 9 – 12 February 2015 in Cape Town, South Africa.

  

“Mr. Blair has vast experience as a global leader and through the charity he founded in 2008, the Africa Governance Initiative, he has worked with African governments to improve regulation and investment oversight. As a result, Mr. Blair will provide unique and charismatic insights to our global delegation who are vested in capitalising African mining,” says Jonathan Moore, Managing Director, Mining Indaba.

Tony Blair was Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1997 – 2007, having secured an historic third term in office.   As leader of the Labour party, he led extensive public service reform, introduced a national minimum wage, oversaw constitutional reform, led the London 2012 Games bid and was instrumental in the Northern Ireland peace process. He also oversaw devolution in Scotland and Wales.

Continuing his role in public life, Tony Blair now works to secure peace and prosperity in the Middle East, improve governance in Africa, encourage understanding of world faiths and boost access to sport for children in the North East of England. He also remains committed to finding solutions to climate change.

The 2015 Mining Indaba is expected to draw more than 7,000 investors, mining corporates, government leaders, global press, and other industry stakeholders from 110 countries.

In addition to Mr. Blair’s keynote presentation, the Mining Indaba will feature a blockbuster line up of global speakers including: industry’s most pervasive deal-maker, Robert Friedland of Ivanhoe Mines, global economist, Dr. Dambisa Moyo; creator of the acronym BRIC, Jim O’Neill; the World Bank’s Group emerging regions expert, Anita Marangoly George; and a host of other government leaders, world’s largest mining company CEOs, and international commodities analysts. 

Mining Indaba also includes the Investment Discovery Forum on 8-9 February in Cape Town, which offers private educational and networking setting exclusively open to accredited investors (complimentary registration available) and mining corporates to engage in deal discussions. The ability to schedule unlimited number of one-on-one meetings in this forum enables investors and mining executives to maximize their ROI for their travel and time. For more information visit http://www.miningindaba.com/DiscoveryInvest.

The Mining Indaba will include a total of five and half days of deal-making and discovery showcasing ALL of Africa’s most attractive investment opportunities unlike any other mining investment in the world. For more information on registration and programme, visit http://www.miningindaba.com.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Mining Indaba™.

CSR in Africa Awards: 8 finalists will run for the 1st edition of the awards launched by the EU-Africa Chamber of Commerce

“Getting ready for the European Year for Development 2015”

BRUSSELS, Belgium, November 5, 2014/– On Wednesday, 26th November 2014, the EU-Africa Chamber of Commerce (EUACC) will host a gala ceremony to showcase the winning projects of the first edition of the “CSR in Africa Awards”. The EU-Africa Chamber of Commerce, with the support of the EU Commission and Afreximbank, will reward some of the best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The 8 shortlisted companies running for the final prizes, after more than forty expressions of interests received are: Cocopack, Deutsche DHL, Ecofund, Frigoken, Kakuzi, Mars, Newmont Ghana, Woolworths.

Photo: (Mr. Serguei Ouattara, President and Executive Manager of the EU-Africa Chamber of Commerce)

The EUACC “CSR in Africa Awards” aims to: (1) give a higher visibility to CSR best practices in Sub-Saharan Africa, (2) raise awareness and showcase CSR as a tool of performance and competitiveness, (3) encourage shared-value approaches and engage the private sector from Africa and Europe. Three main categories have been defined: The Sustainable Economy Award – The Environment Award and The Social Impact Award. Two distinguished categories have also been defined: The “EUACC – Promising Project” Award and The “EUACC – Be Inspired” Award.

“This gala ceremony will also mark the official launch of the 2nd edition of the CSR in Africa Awards and help us get ready for the upcoming European Year for Development 2015” states Serguei Ouattara, President and Executive Manager of the EU-Africa Chamber of Commerce.

The European Year for Development 2015 (EYD2015) is planned to gather all existing development experiences; best practices and showcase them at European level. The coming year is crucial for the future of development: the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be reached, and the final efforts to reach the goals and targets set out will be assessed. Hence, the European Year for Development 2015, motto is: “Our world, our dignity, our future”.

Moreover, a recent Communication from the European Commission advocates for: “A stronger role of the private sector in achieving inclusive and sustainable growth in developing countries” introducing private sector engagement as a new dimension into EU development cooperation. The Communication’s “Action 10: Promote international Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) guidelines and principles through policy dialogue and development cooperation with promotion of sustainable consumption and production” encourages a responsible engagement of European companies in developing countries, by including social, environmental and fiscal standards, as well as their respect of human rights. This is in line with the implementation the EU Strategy on CSR.

“The EYD2015 is therefore an excellent opportunity to spread the message on Corporate Social Responsibility and the EUACC “CSR in Africa Awards” is a key way to engage the private sector both from Africa and Europe,” adds Serguei Ouattara.

The EU-Africa Chamber of Commerce has opened its office in Brussels in 2012. The EUACC truly believes that CSR is a key way to help ensuring inclusiveness and sustainability in the development of SSA. The EUACC sees its CSR Awards as an added value, to its mission which is: to promote a sustainable development of the African private sector, and to encourage win-win business partnerships between the European private sector and the African private sector.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) 

Rael applauds departure of Burkina Faso’s former president; hopes for prompt opening of Clitoraid’s hospital for FGM victims

"It was time for this dictator, so submissive to the Vatican and ex-colonial powers, especially France, to go away"- Rael

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina-Faso, November 5, 2014/ -- Rael, spiritual leader of the International Raelian Movement (IRM), is delighted to see former President Blaise Compaore out of office in Burkina Faso, according to a statement released by the IRM.

Photo: (Rael, spiritual leader of the International Raelian Movement (IRM)

“It was time for this dictator, so submissive to the Vatican and ex-colonial powers, especially France, to go away, and for a real Kaman [the indigenous term for African] leader to kick Western powers out of Burkina Faso,” he said.

Brigitte Boisselier, PhD., spokesperson of the Raelian Movement, added:

“[Compaore’s] allegiance to France and the Vatican likely prompted the Burkinabe government’s refusal to allow our Clitoraid Kamkasso Hospital to open. Inspired by Rael, financed by Clitoraid and built in Bobo-Dioulasso to assist victims of female genital mutilation, it’s been ready to open for over a year. But the health minister ignored our file while the country desperately lacks such facilities. It’s one example of how the past president ignored his people’s needs in favor of his political agenda.”

Rael also made specific recommendations:

“The new Burkina Faso authority should ask Switzerland to block all bank accounts belonging to Blaise Compaoré,” he said. “For favoring French neo-colonial interests, he may have received a huge amount of money from France, the ex-colonial master."

Referring to military commanders now ruling Burkina Faso, he declared, “An army must never lead a country anywhere on earth. Armies aren’t elected, and they’re supposed to defend countries from foreign aggression, not impose any form of order on civilians. When they do, it always leads to terrible dictatorships.”

During visits to Kama, Rael has recommended dissolving colonial borders to create a new entity, United Kingdoms of Kama.

“All traditional leaders of Kama should unite, bringing their people into a peaceful confederation based on respect for [the continent’s] initial tribes and customs, thereby removing all current, local conflicts resulting from the arbitrary borders set by colonizers,” he said.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) .