Agritech business wins Milken-Motsepe Prize in Green Energy
An agritech initiative based out of the UK and Malawi has won the $1 million Milken-Motsepe Prize in Green Energy. Image Source: Milken-Motsepe Prize. Green energy competition enters the business end for innovatorsMilken-Motsepe PrizeThe Milken Institute and the Motsepe Foundation announced the winners at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles yesterday. This is the second in the Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize Programme. Of interestInvestor confidence in African private capital industry persistsThe Milken-Motsepe Prize in Fintech will offer $2m in prize money.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 08, 2024 08:36 UTC
At least six killed and dozens buried by South Africa building collapse
Rescuers make contact with 11 survivors buried under rubble after building collapses in George, Western Cape province. At least six people have been killed and dozens of others are unaccounted for after a building collapsed in South Africa. “We are in contact with 11 people” trapped under rubble, Colin Deiner, head of rescue operations, told a news conference in Cape Town. A construction crew of 75 people was on site at the time of the collapse, authorities said. At least 11 of those injured were in “red” conditions, authorities said, indicating that “emergency” care was needed for critical injuries under South Africa’s triage procedures.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 08, 2024 08:12 UTC
Trip.com Group aims to expand footprint in MENA region
The company is also tying up with local companies to create cross-selling opportunities by working closely with tourism boards in the region. The company has also signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with regional tourism boards like Qatar and Saudi Arabia to expand its collaboration in the Middle East. “We recently had a joint promotion with the Saudi Tourism Authority and SAUDIA airlines where we bundled air tickets with hotels to attract Chinese travellers – it recorded an overwhelming response. We are looking to forge similar partnerships with other tourism boards in the region,” he added. In North Africa, Trip.com Group is mainly focusing on Egypt and Morocco primarily.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 08, 2024 08:11 UTC
Top Three Trends from the Inspired Home Show
Long-term megatrends such as sustainability and wellness were predictably visible at the Inspired Home Show, with rising messaging for durability, recyclability and energy saving. Of more immediate interest (and shouting loudly at this event) were three lifestyle trends directly impacting growth opportunities and product choices in 2024. The Elevating the Experience trend was behind Riedel's "best in show" award, and visibly gains momentum in dining and hosting 2024 innovation. Elevating the ExperiencePart of this trend covers recreating the restaurant experience at home. It was takeaway and delivery that rescued the sector; restaurant food is popular again, but dining at home remains strong, mixing home-cooked and restaurant food consumption.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 08, 2024 08:03 UTC
Balmy weather yields to storms and cooler temperatures
The balmy weather of recent days is giving way to storms and a drop in temperature in various parts of the country. The weather began to turn on Wednesday night due to the arrival of a low-pressure front which started from the Gulf of Sirte in Libya. It moved towards southwest Turkey and will affect the weather in Greece as well, according to the Meteo weather service. It will mainly impact the west and south of the country first, with localized showers, storms, gradually strengthening winds and a drop in temperature. A possible transfer of dust from North Africa on southern winds is not being ruled out.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 08, 2024 07:44 UTC
FIFA Futsal Men’s World Ranking: Morocco Stand in 6th Place – The North Africa Post
Morocco earned the 6th place in the first FIFA Futsal Men’s World Ranking after completing an unbeaten season with a stunning performance. Brazil sit at the summit of the first FIFA Futsal Men’s World Ranking. Russia ranked 7th followed by Kazakhstan, Thailand and France. The top five-ranked nations, along with hosts Uzbekistan, will be the Pot 1 seeds in the upcoming draw for this year’s FIFA Futsal World Cup. Pot 2 will comprise Morocco, Kazakhstan, Thailand, France, Ukraine and Paraguay.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 07, 2024 18:58 UTC
Accessing DW's content via TV in the Middle East/North Africa
Here you can find information on the reception of DW in Near / Middle East and North AfricaChoose your country to get a list of local cable providers and satellite providers you can contact to receive DW programs. Find information on the satellites carrying the English and the Arabic channel of DW free to air in our article "Satellite reception in Africa". Please note that the German program is only available via local cable partners or local satellite providers in Africa. The article "Digital and mobile" informs you on how to get our live streams or video on demand offering.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 07, 2024 18:01 UTC
Morocco expands legal cannabis cultivated area eightfold – The North Africa Post
Morocco increased eightfold the area cultivated with legal cannabis to 2078 hectares as the number of permits for investors grew to 161. “This year we will have an important harvest given the cultivated area,” he said, adding that the average hectare output stands at up to 20 quintals. The agency, known as ANRAC, has greenlighted the cultivation of the local strain “Beldia”, which has a low THC and requires less water compared to imported seeds. The cultivated area with Beldia was 732, that is 35% of the total areas dedicated to legal cannabis, he said. In April, Morocco reported its first legal export of the substance to Switzerland for medical purposesLast year, Morocco’s legal cannabis harvest stood at 294 tons, the first since the country legalized the cultivation of cannabis for medicine and industry use in 2021.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 07, 2024 16:54 UTC
Biocartis and Merck to Collaborate on Improving Patient Access to Personalized Medicine in Middle East and North Africa (MEA) Region
Biocartis (Mechelen, Belgium) announced an expansion of its collaboration with Merck Serono Middle East and Merck Saudi Ltd., both affiliates of Merck KGaA (“Merck”). The collaboration aims to improve patient access to RAS biomarker testing in the Middle East and North Africa (MEA) region. The Idylla™ KRAS Mutation Test and Idylla™ NRAS-BRAF Mutation Test are highly performant6 Tests that rapidly determine the RAS biomarker status in mCRC tumor tissue samples. Due to the ease-of-use of the Biocartis Idylla™ Platform, the Tests can be deployed in any user setting and in turn aid patient access to biomarker testing globally. In our mission to enable universal access to personalized medicine for patients around the world, Biocartis is proud to provide Idylla™'s cutting-edge technology for mCRC testing across countries in the MEA region.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 07, 2024 15:59 UTC
New study estimates Morocco earthquake damage at $300mln – The North Africa Post
A new assessment by the Policy Center for The New South put the material damage of Sept 8 earthquake at 3 billion dirhams ($300 million), accounting for nearly 0.2% of Morocco’s GDP. Al Haouz province, where the epicenter is located, lost 10.2% of its GDP to the quake, that is 53% of the overall economic damage. The government has allocated 12 billion dollars to a five-year program to help quake-stricken population, upgrade destroyed infrastructure and spur the local economy. Up to March, Morocco offered 1 billion dirhams in reconstruction aid to 51,300 families whose houses were totally or partially destroyed in the quake. Morocco has promised to offer 140,000 for totally demolished homes and 80,000 for partly destroyed ones following the quake that killed nearly 3000 people.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 07, 2024 15:54 UTC
Nigerian biotech startup Syndicate Bio to implement new liquid biopsy offering to advance cancer diagnostics
The company, which in November announced a strategic partnership with the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) to initiate the Cancer Genome Nigeria project. The implementation of the new genomic profiling and liquid biopsy technology will further existing work from SOPHiA GENETICS, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), and Syndicate Bio to advance health equity on a global scale. “Partnering with SOPHiA Genetics to bring MSK-ACCESS® powered with SOPHiA DDM™ to our lab is a monumental step in accelerating the cancer treatment and research landscape across Africa, beginning in Nigeria. Next-generation sequencing technologies in oncology and liquid biopsy, which this collaboration enables, hold the potential for creating a leapfrogging opportunity in the oncology treatment and research landscape in Africa,” said Ene-Obong. “Through this collaboration, we aim to enable the widespread application of precision medicine in oncology across Africa, and thus contributing to the improvement of patient outcomes across the African continent.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 07, 2024 15:48 UTC
The Surprising Face of German Anti-Immigration Policies
In recent months, a new party has entered the German left. Steeped in accounts of biological hierarchy and genocide, “race” could play no function in building German democracy. In this context, many on the right and the left redrew German belonging along the lines of race and religion. Policymakers and mainstream media outlets were less willing to face the embedded bigotry in German society. Together, they reveal that the politics of racism is both durable and highly adaptable, functioning not as curious exceptions, but as a core part of the German political calculus.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 07, 2024 15:39 UTC
Clean technology manufacturing investment worldwide is booming
Countries are racing to capitalise on the benefits of clean technology manufacturing such as economic security, employment and the resilience of a clean energy transition. Investment into clean technology manufacturing is becoming significant enough to register in broader macroeconomic data. Virtually no clean technology manufacturing takes place in Africa today. Outsized effect of solar PV on clean technology manufacturingThis first of its kind analysis shows that investment in clean technology manufacturing was around $200 billion in 2023. “India, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia made up most of the remaining share, with virtually no manufacturing investment taking place in either Africa or Central and South America.”Clean technology manufacturing is growing to meet net-zero needsNear-term momentum for clean technology manufacturing is looking strong.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 07, 2024 15:22 UTC
UCL Study Maps 5,000-Year Climate Shift in North Africa
The transition from the African Humid Period (AHP) to dry conditions in North Africa is the clearest example of climate tipping points in recent geological history. Tipping points occur when small perturbations trigger a large, non-linear response in the system and shift the climate to a different future state, usually with dramatic consequences for the biosphere. Climate researchers have identified two main types of tipping points. Researching and better understanding them is important if we want to be able to predict possible future climate tipping points caused by humans. Later in the transitional phase, starting in 6,000 BC, seven wet events occurred in addition to the dry events, which were of a similar duration and frequency.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 07, 2024 15:08 UTC
Projects Team Win IJGlobal Middle East & North Africa 'Alternative Infrastructure Award'
PRESS RELEASEGowling WLG's Energy Transition, Infrastructure and Projects team was awarded the 'Alternative Infrastructure Award' at the IJGLobal MENA Awards 2023 for the NEOM Residential Communities project. The residential communities are the first phase of NEOM's residential communities' expansion and form part of projects totalling SAR 21 billion (USD $5.5 billion) in value, representing one of the largest international public-private partnerships for accommodation. This is the third award the team has been recognised for in relation to the project, having also been awarded'Social Infrastructure Deal of the Year' for the NEOM Residential Communities project by the PFI Awards Middle East & Africa 2023. 'Social Infrastructure Deal of the Year' at the 2023 GFC Media Group presents Bonds, Loans & Sukuk Middle East Awards. Our team has also been shortlisted for the 'Infrastructure & Energy Team of the Year' in the Oath Middle East Legal Awards 2023 and for 'Infrastructure and Energy Projects Team of the Year' in the Middle East Legal Awards 2024 for our role in the transaction.
Source:The North Africa Journal
May 07, 2024 14:54 UTC