November 23, 2022

Hisense’s First B2B Showroom Opens in South Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Nov. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Hisense, a leading global home appliance and consumer electronics brand, has announced that its first B2B (business to business) showroom opened in South Africa.

The showroom, located at Johannesburg, will serve as a center to showcase Hisense’s offerings for its B2B segment, such as commercial displays, ultrasonic medical, and smart city solutions. Hisense’s various digital display products and solutions, intelligent traffic system, medical products, as well as Laser TVs, ULED TVs and smart refrigerators will also be displayed in the showroom.

“Many people in South Africa know about Hisense from its household appliances products; however, over the past few years, Hisense has also seen rapid development in its B2B segment by continuously transforming its products and industrial chain to high-end and high technology,” said Patrick, marketing director of Hisense.

One of the core businesses of Hisense’s B2B segment, the Hisense Commercial Display, which witnessed significant growth in 2021, has brought a number of its products and solutions to the showroom, including Interactive digital boards, digital signage displays, video walls，LED Walls, and Outdoor Signage.

Visitors can also learn more about Hisense’s offerings in intelligent transportation. Having been in the field for over 20 years, Hisense now has branched out to many countries and regions around the world, including South Africa, West Africa, UAE, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Slovenia, and Serbia, to name a few. It has also contributed to numerous significant projects in the world, including an intelligent bus system in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, and a pilot project construction for intelligent transportation in Doha.

Backed by Hisense’s decades of expertise in image processing, information processing, and interaction technology, Hisense Medical has successfully built some core products such as the cutting-edge and high-resolution Hisense Ultrasound HD60. Hisense obtained the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) license for the device in January 2022.

Hisense’s continuous investment in innovation and decades of expertise accumulated in the manufacturing of household appliances and consumer electronics have allowed it to grow into not only a B2C brand, but also a global company that can provide compressive solutions to business partners worldwide in more sectors. Regarding the B2B segment as key for the company’s development, Hisense is looking forward to forming strategic partnerships with more business partners in South Africa and beyond.

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November 23, 2022

Huawei signe l’engagement mondial de l’UIT dans le but d’aider 120millions de personnes vivant dans des zones reculées à se connecter au monde numérique

SHENZHEN, Chine, 23 novembre 2022/PRNewswire/ — Huawei a signé un engagement mondial en vue de rejoindre l’alliance numérique Partner2Connect de l’Union internationale des télécommunications, qui apportera la connectivité à environ 120 millions de personnes dans des zones reculées dans plus de 80 pays à l’horizon 2025.

Liang Hua, le président de Huawei, a annoncé cette décision lors du forum sur le développement durable 2022 de l’entreprise, Connectivité+: Innover pour avoir un impact. Le forum a étudié comment l’innovation en matière de TIC pouvait libérer la valeur commerciale et sociale de la connectivité et favoriser la durabilité à l’ère de l’économie numérique.

Liang Hua, Chairman of Huawei announced the company had joined ITU P2C Digital Alliance

Parmi les intervenants, citons de hauts responsables de l’UIT et des Nations unies, des ministres des télécommunications et des régulateurs du Cambodge, du Nigeria, du Bangladesh et du Pakistan, ainsi que des chefs d’entreprise, des partenaires, des experts et des clients de Chine, d’Afrique du Sud, de Belgique et d’Allemagne.

« De toute évidence, la connectivité à elle seule ne suffit pas. Il doit être abordable, le contenu doit être pertinent et dans la langue locale, et les utilisateurs doivent avoir les compétences nécessaires pour en faire le meilleur usage », a déclaré Malcolm Johnson, secrétaire général adjoint de l’UIT. « Nous remercions Huawei pour son soutien à la coalition numérique Partner2Connect (P2C) et pour ses engagements en faveur du P2C dans les domaines clés de la connectivité rurale et des compétences numériques. »

Siddharth Chatterjee, coordonnateur résident des Nations unies en Chine, a appelé à des « partenariats multipartites » afin de combler « la triste réalité » d’une fracture numérique exclut un tiers de la population mondiale.

« Notre monde dynamique a besoin de toute urgence d’une meilleure coopération numérique pour tirer parti du potentiel de transformation de la technologie, créer de nouveaux emplois, stimuler l’inclusion financière, combler l’écart entre les hommes et les femmes, construire une relance verte et redessiner notre monde pour qu’il soit plus prospère et plus inclusif », a-t-il souligné. « Il est temps d’agir maintenant ».

Dans son discours d’ouverture, le Dr Liang a souligné que l’accès à un réseau stable était une exigence et un droit fondamentaux à l’ère numérique.

« La connectivité sera plus qu’un simple outil de communication pratique, » a-t-il affirmé. « La connectivité, associée aux technologies numériques telles que le cloud et l’IA, contribuera à faire entrer tout le monde dans le monde numérique et à leur donner accès à davantage d’informations et de compétences, à de meilleurs services et à des opportunités commerciales plus larges. En retour, cela favorisera la poursuite du développement social et économique. »

Cao Ming, Président de Huawei Wireless Solution, affirme : « Huawei intègre le potentiel d’innovation technologique complet des équipements, des sites, de l’énergie, de la transmission et des antennes afin de résoudre les difficultés rencontrées lors du déploiement traditionnel des sites, telles que les coûts élevés, les transports limités, le manque d’énergie et les problèmes de maintenance. Nous avons continuellement amélioré les solutions RuralStar et RuralLink afin d’étendre la couverture de qualité aux zones reculées, permettant ainsi à un plus grand nombre de personnes, d’hôpitaux communautaires, d’écoles, de collectivités locales et de petites et moyennes entreprises de bénéficier des mêmes expériences de connectivité à haut débit que dans les villes ».

Grâce à la série RuralStar, plus de 60millions de personnes vivant dans des zones reculées dans plus de 70pays ont pu être connectées.

Au Cambodge, premier pays partenaire P2C de l’UIT, Huawei collaborera avec les services gouvernementaux par l’intermédiaire du ministère des Postes et Télécommunications et des universités dans le but d’offrir 10000 possibilités de formation aux professionnels des TIC au cours des cinq prochaines années.

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November 23, 2022

Huawei signs global ITU pledge to help 120 million people in remote areas connect to the digital world

SHENZHEN, China, Nov. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Huawei has signed a global commitment to join the International Telecommunication Union’s Partner2Connect digital alliance, which will bring connectivity to about 120 million people in remote areas in more than 80 countries by 2025.

Liang Hua, Chairman of Huawei, announced the decision at the company’s 2022 Sustainability Forum, Connectivity+: Innovate for Impact. The forum explored how ICT innovation could unleash the business and social value of connectivity and drive sustainability in the digital economy era.

Speakers at the event included senior leaders from the ITU and United Nations, telecom ministers and regulators in Cambodia, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, and business leaders, partners, experts, and customers from China, South Africa, Belgium, and Germany.

“It is clear connectivity alone is not enough. It must be affordable, the content must be relevant and in the local language, and users must have the skills to make best use of it,” said ITU Deputy Secretary-General Malcolm Johnson. “Thank you to Huawei for their support of the Partner2Connect (P2C) Digital Coalition, and for their announced P2C pledges in the key areas of rural connectivity and digital skills.”

Siddharth Chatterjee, United Nations Resident Coordinator in China, called for “multi-stakeholder partnerships” to close “the sobering reality” of a digital divide which excluded a third of the global population.

“Our dynamic world urgently needs improved digital cooperation to capitalize on the transformational potential of technology to create new jobs, boost financial inclusion, close the gender gap, spur a green recovery and redesign our world to be more prosperous and inclusive,” he said. “Now is the time to act”.

In his keynote address, Dr Liang stressed that access to a stable network was a basic requirement and right in the digital age.

“Connectivity will be more than just a tool for convenient communications,” he said. “Together with digital technologies like cloud and AI, connectivity will help bring everyone into the digital world, and provide them with access to more information and skills, better services, and wider business opportunities. This will, in turn, drive further social and economic development.”

Cao Ming, President of Huawei Wireless Solution, said: “Huawei integrates the full-technology innovation potential of equipment, sites, energy, transmission, and antennas to address the difficulties faced by traditional site deployment, such as high costs, restricted transportation, lack of power, and maintenance challenges. We have continuously upgraded the RuralStar and RuralLink solutions to extend quality coverage to remote areas, enabling more people, community hospitals, schools, local governments, and small- and medium-sized enterprises to enjoy the same high-speed broadband connectivity experiences as those in cities”.

The RuralStar series have provided connections for more than 60 million people in remote areas in more than 70 countries.

In Cambodia, the ITU’s first P2C partner country, Huawei will work with government departments through the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and universities to provide 10,000 training opportunities for ICT professionals in the next five years.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1954301/image_1.jpg

November 23, 2022

Multimillion-dollar boost for small business as more African countries join MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme

Johannesburg, Nov. 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — November 2022 – Following the success of the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme, which secured $16 million (USD) of funding for six emerging businesses last year, the programme has been expanded to eight more countries across Africa.

Many more small businesses in Africa’s technology sector now have the chance to benefit from the 2023 programme, which provides the skills and opportunities needed to attract transformative business funding.

“We’re really excited to be expanding the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme to more African countries,” said Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO, announcing the launch. “It’s part of our long-term commitment to growing and multiplying Africa’s technology potential, which is critical to our future growth.”

The MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme, which kicked off during Global Entrepreneurship Week, is aimed at established start-ups and small enterprises in specific technology sectors – healthtech, agritech, fintech, edutech, the circular economy and the creative industries.

“There is such incredible business talent across Africa,” said Mawela. “MultiChoice Africa Accelerator is an opportunity for investors and small enterprise to collaborate to multiply the impact of this talent and scale it across Africa.”

Having started in South Africa in 2021, the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator is expanding to Ivory Coast, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Angola and Ethiopia. The initiative equips emerging entrepreneurs to secure funding and scale up their businesses, and also provides opportunities to pitch to international investors.

African Development Bank President Dr Akinwumi Adesina has previously noted that, “the private sector is Africa’s growth accelerator”, and several African nations have backed small-business development as part of their economic strategy. The MultiChoice Africa Accelerator dovetails with these development objectives.

The MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme is an initiative of the MultiChoice Innovation Fund, in collaboration with Dubai-based business incubator Companies Creating Change (C3), which gives entrepreneurs access to the tools, skills and financial support to grow their business. MultiChoice has also partnered with EOH, a tech services company who will bring their expertise to the table especially in terms of tech advisory, development sprint and technical support.

The first phase of the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme sees public and private-sector partners in each country nominating businesses or entrepreneurs for the programme. From there, 29 of the start-ups embark on an intensive virtual training course. The initiative is aimed at established businesses that are already operating and looking to scale up by attracting further investment.

“Start-up founders get to learn everything from how to properly research your business sector and your market, to how to create a niche for your business,” says Boitumelo Monageng, of Swypa, one of last year’s finalists. “During the workshops we were encouraged to dig deeper and I realised that we have the potential to compete on a much larger scale.”

The virtual training course takes place over several weeks, teaching start-up owners media skills, how best to market their businesses to investors, how to create attractive business plans, and to know what investors are looking for.

Later, the entrepreneurs will come together at a finals event, where 11 start-ups will be selected for the final pitch phase. They will attend a dedicated C3 boot camp to learn how to shape their story for international investors, and to get “pitch ready” before their big presentations.

“We believe SMEs in the technology, sustainability and creative sectors will be fundamental to the next phase of Africa’s growth,” says Mawela. “The MultiChoice Africa Accelerator is geared to finding the most promising start-ups, and empowering them to play this critical role.”

Attachment

MultiChoice Africa Accelerator

Elizabeth Ferreira
MultiChoice Group Ltd
0834825241
fourie_elizabeth@yahoo.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8702451

November 23, 2022November 24, 2022

UN official calls for long-term approach to eliminate threat of piracy in Gulf of Guinea

UNITED NATIONS— A “holistic and long-term approach” is needed to address the root causes of and therefore effectively eliminate the threat posed by piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, a United Nations official said.

The instances of piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea have continued to decrease, UN Assistant Secretary-General Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee told a Security Council meeting, while introducing a report by the UN secretary-general on the situation of piracy in the region.

The report found positive developments as the number of cases of piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea decreased from 123 in 2020 to 45 in 2021. The trend has continued in 2022, with a total of 16 incidents of maritime crime reported between January and June.

However, Pobee pointed out that it is still too early to draw definitive conclusions with regard to this decline.

Attributing the steady decline, which began around April 2021, to concerted efforts by national authorities with the support of regional and international partners, Pobee noted that piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has morphed over the last decade.

Pirate groups are adapting to changing dynamics both at sea and in coastal areas. The recent decrease in instances of piracy may in part be attributable to the shift by criminal networks to other forms of maritime and riverine crime, such as oil bunkering and theft, which they likely view as both less risky and more profitable, she said.

Pobee called for greater efforts to establish a stable and secure maritime environment in the Gulf of Guinea.

“At the same time, the underlying causes, such as youth unemployment and inadequate access to public services, which render coastal communities vulnerable to being drawn into illicit and criminal activities must also be addressed,” she said.

Pobee stressed that to effectively eradicate the menace posed by piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, national stakeholders, regional structures, and the international community must work in close collaboration to address the underlying social, economic, and environmental challenges that underpin the recruitment of individuals into maritime crime networks.

“This requires a holistic and long-term approach, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030 to address poverty and the lack of alternative livelihoods, youth unemployment and underemployment,” she said.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

November 23, 2022November 24, 2022

40 Million Children Face Growing Threat of Measles, WHO Warns

More than 40 million children missed getting vaccinated against measles last year, prompting a significant setback in global efforts to eradicate the highly contagious disease worldwide, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a joint report Wednesday.

Vaccination campaigns were disrupted in several countries because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, dropping global measles-containing vaccine (MCV) coverage from 86% in 2019 to 81% in 2021, the lowest coverage rate since 2008.

Now, nearly all of the 40 million children who missed their first or second doses of the MCV are “dangerously susceptible to [a] growing measles threat,” the report warned.

“The paradox of the pandemic is that while vaccines against COVID-19 were developed in record time and deployed in the largest vaccination campaign in history, routine immunization programs were badly disrupted, and millions of kids missed out on lifesaving vaccinations against deadly diseases like measles,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

“The record number of children underimmunized and susceptible to measles shows the profound damage immunization systems have sustained during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, CDC director.

Last year, about 9 million measles cases were reported around the world, with 128,000 deaths.

Over the last two decades, successful MCV campaigns have helped prevent an estimated 56 million deaths globally, according to WHO.

Ten countries in Asia and Africa – India, Somalia, Yemen, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Liberia, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Congo – carry the highest numbers of measles cases and fatalities in the world.

COVID-19 restrictions have also disrupted immunization campaigns for polio, which causes irreversible paralysis. Polio has been eradicated all over the world except in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where immunization drives have seen access restrictions because of insecurity and limited public awareness.

Source: Voice of America