Innovation and finance needed to achieve SDG7
Its assessment references the 2024 Tracking SDG7 Energy Progress Report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), UN Statistics Division (UNSD), World Bank, and World Health Organisation (WHO). The report, released last month, reveals a concerning increase in the global energy access gap. Energy access deficit in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to growUnderinvested countries need smart finance solutionsSEforALL’s four action areas to accelerate SDG7 progress:1. Increase investments to more countriesThe 2024 Tracking SDG7 Energy Progress Report shows that in 2022, financial flows rebounded to $15.4 billion, a 25% increase compared to 2021. See 2024 Tracking SDG7 Energy Progress Report
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 17, 2024 12:12 UTC
African, Arab countries sound the alarm on dire food situation and risk of famine in Sudan – The North Africa Post
Several African and Arab countries have sounded the alarm over the dire food situation and risk of famine in Sudan. This underscores the importance of a coordinated international response to the crisis, the joint statement said. These countries also call on the warring parties in Sudan to immediately halt hostilities, respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and comply with all relevant Security Council resolutions. These countries are also urging the international community to deliver an immediate and coordinated international response to address the urgent needs of those affected in Sudan. These countries also stress the urgent necessity to address the crisis and prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation and the impending risk of famine in Sudan including working towards achieving a sustainable resolution of the conflict in Sudan.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 17, 2024 12:08 UTC
UK weather: New health alert as temperatures to hit 30C this week
Health alert as temperatures to hit 30C this week6 hours ago By Sofia Ferreira Santos , BBC News ShareA burst of summer - and rainA heat-health alert has been issued for parts of England, with temperatures predicted to hit 30C (86F) on Friday. The alert is in place from 17:00 BST on 18 July in London, the East Midlands, South East and eastern England. This will be the first spell of warm weather for most of the UK this month, but it is unlikely to mark the start of a heatwave. For a heatwave to be declared, temperatures must be above the official heatwave threshold for at least three consecutive days. Will the warm weather last?
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 17, 2024 12:02 UTC
Egypt-Saudi Arabia electricity linkage project set to start in 2025
Egypt sees linkage projects as crucial to ensuring electricity network stability and reducing the need for additional fuel for power generation. The North African country has been battling with its electricity supply amid a heatwave and gas shortages. Studies are also underway to raise the output of electricity linkage with Libya from 150MW to 2,000MW. Similarly, there is a plan to increase the output of Egypt’s electricity linkage with Jordan from 450MW to 1,100MW. Bernard Dagher, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer – MEA, Grid Solutions at GE Vernova, unpacks the historical electricity grid and the solutions to strengthen the system.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 17, 2024 10:41 UTC
What Meta's Monetization Launch Means for Africa's Beauty Consumers
Meta has introduced new monetization features for content creators in Nigeria and Kenya that began in June 2024. This move is expected to spur a new wave of innovation and creativity among beauty influencers and brands. Beauty creators and influencers, like MAC Cosmetics and Fenty Beauty-endorsed Enioluwa Adeoluwa, have built a reputation by recommending used and trusted products to their cult following. Meta’s monetization features also drive higher engagement and reach for beauty content. It offers beauty creators unprecedented opportunities to earn from their content and encourages them to innovate and engage with their audiences more effectively.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 17, 2024 04:27 UTC
Why FIFA’s search of ‘new deal’ for Club World Cup may be ‘bad news’ for Apple
Apple’s connection with Club World Cup streaming and problems for FIFAApple ’s reported billion dollar deal with FIFA to secure worldwide streaming rights for the Club World Cup tournament next year may have been scrapped. The expanded men’s Club World Cup is set to take place in the US from June 15 to July 13, 2025 and then in 2029.Through a newly-launched tender, FIFA is aiming to find multiple broadcasters to secure commitments for specific regions. The deadline for submitting bids is August 20.In April, reports suggested Apple was close to securing a $1 billion global streaming deal for the Club World Cup, with an announcement anticipated soon. Major names like NBC, the broadcaster of the English Premier League, and Fox Sports, which holds the FIFA World Cup rights, reportedly opted out of bidding.Secondly, with a deal providing global streaming rights via Apple TV+ would have aligned with Apple’s strategy of offering exclusive content to drive subscriptions for Apple TV+. For instance, the Premier League has sold rights to 40 companies in 97 countries for the current cycle (2022-2025).
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 17, 2024 03:47 UTC
APartnership to Empower Nigerian Youth through Photography
Canon Central and North Africa is delighted to announce a collaboration with Rolof Computer Academy aimed at empowering youth and fostering creativity. Through this partnership, Canon and Rolof Computer Academy will activate various educational programs such as the Canon Academy Juniors Programme, Miraisha Programme, Canon Print Hub, and Canon Academy. Together, we aim to empower the youth of Nigeria with more than just technical photography skills.”“We aspire to provide them with immersive experiences, moments of discovery, and opportunities for personal growth. These activities will provide children with a platform to unleash their artistic talents and create novel masterpieces. Convenience of online accessibilityThe Canon Academy offers a variety of practical photography workshops covering a wide range of topics, organized to cater to diverse interests and skill levels.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 17, 2024 02:02 UTC
Video: LSE-listed uranium junior Power Metals lands in North America
“We’ve had a fantastic response on the OTC listing just this week, with people coming up and talking about the company and then buying shares. A major unnamed uranium player is set to take a 70% stake in a package of uranium assets in the Athabasca, which Wade says will unlock a large sum of cash. Power Metal also plans a spin-out and an initial public offering for its Australian uranium assets by year-end. The company further is raising about £15 million ($26.6 million) in a pre-IPO round for their Power Arabia business to capitalize on precious metals opportunities in the Arabian Shield. Watch the full interview with The Northern Miner’s western editor, Henry Lazenby:
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 17, 2024 01:53 UTC
Cape Town nets R36m carbon credits for waste to energy projects
Waste to energy initiatives which reduced gas emissions at the City of Cape Town landfill sites has seen the municipality successfully auction off R36 million in carbon credits. ‘We welcome this initial return of R36m from our first carbon credit auction. Carbon credits are permits that allow the owner to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases (GHGs). Carbon credits are also known as carbon offsets. The Carbon Offset Administration Systems facilitates for the listing, transfer and retirement of carbon credits to offset carbon tax liabilities.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 17, 2024 01:35 UTC
Malawi says Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, the ONLY credible, serious, realistic solution to Sahara issue – The North Africa Post
Malawi has reiterated firm support for Morocco’s autonomy plan offered for the Sahara under its sovereignty, saying the Moroccan plan is the ONLY credible, serious and realistic solution to the Sahara regional conflict. The supportive stand was voiced by Mrs. Nancy Tembo, the Foreign Minister of this African country, following her talks held Tuesday in Laayoune with Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita on the sidelines of the 1st meeting of the Morocco-Malawi cooperation commission. Mrs. Tembo also reaffirmed her country’s unwavering backing to the exclusive role played by the United Nations for achieving a realistic, practical and enduring solution to the Sahara dispute. For his part, Mr. Bourita Thanked Malawi for its constant and firm support for Morocco’s territorial integrity, as evidenced by the opening of a Malawian Consulate in Laayoune in July 2021. The 1st meeting of the Morocco-Malawi cooperation commission paved the ground for joint actions aimed at fostering partnership in agriculture, food security, mining, water, energy, transport, infrastructures, housing, urban development, higher education, scientific research, tourism…
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 16, 2024 23:33 UTC
UPDATE 1-Tanker assesses possible Red Sea oil spill after Houthi attack, maritime center says
CAIRO, July 16 (Reuters) – Liberia-flagged oil tanker Chios Lion was assessing damage and investigating a potential oil spill after it was attacked by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said on Tuesday. An unmanned watercraft inflicted minor damage to Chios Lion’s port side on Monday as part of a swarm of attacks by the Houthis on the vessel and another ship sailing around 100 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 16, 2024 21:48 UTC
Unlocking Trade Through Economic Growth in the Middle East and North Africa
The Trade Facilitation Support Program in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region — funded by the Government of Sweden — aims to streamline trade processes, reduce costs, and enhance connectivity, thereby boosting regional and international trade. By aligning with international standards and focusing on inclusive growth, the program will drive economic development, reduce poverty, and create opportunities across the MENA region. This makes it easier for businesses, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to engage in international trade. Economic Recovery and Development: Our program enhances trade facilitation and cross-border trade infrastructure, supporting economic recovery and resilience. Regional Cooperation: Strengthening collaboration among MENA countries, the program fosters regional integration and digital transformation, creating a seamless trading environment.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 16, 2024 20:42 UTC
A sentinel watching over inter-tidal seagrass phenology across Western Europe and North Africa
All low tide, cloud-free Sentinel-2 imagery from 2017 to 2023 were then processed to provide habitat classification at the 10 m resolution and compute time-series of inter-tidal seagrass extent for 12 known inter-tidal seagrass meadows across Western Europe and Northern Africa. Firstly, low NDVI and Seagrass Percentage Cover pixels (below 0.25 NDVI, ~20% SPC) were removed from the analysis, meaning some areas of low inter-tidal seagrass cover may have been missed with potential underestimation of cumulative seagrass cover. However, for the current analysis, the objective was to create an up-to-date description of inter-tidal seagrass phenology across the North-East Atlantic. The dotted arrows show the theoretical effect of global climate change on shifting phenology of higher latitude seagrass meadows to be more similar to lower latitude seagrass meadows. More importantly, perhaps, this work shows how lacking the current synoptic mapping of inter-tidal seagrass phenology is.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 16, 2024 20:06 UTC
Tunisia: Authorities must release Ennahda party leader and end crackdown on political opposition
In response, Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said:“It is outrageous to see the Tunisian authorities trampling on people’s rights in their bid to undermine the political opposition. Ajmi Ouirimi, Mohamed Ghanoudi and Mosaab Gharbi had no prior knowledge of any investigation or search warrant against them when they were arrested by the Tunisian national guard. Tunisian authorities must inform Ajmi Ouirimi, Mohamed Ghanoudi and Mosaab Gharbi of the reason of their arrest and grant them immediate access to legal counsel. “The Tunisian authorities’ disrespect for human rights and their crackdown against opponents must stop. Human rights in Tunisia continued to deteriorate almost three years after President Kais Saied’s power grab.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 16, 2024 17:30 UTC