ResearchAndMarkets.com has released the “Generation of Electricity in South Africa 2024” report, shedding light on South Africa’s escalating electricity crisis. Despite regulatory changes unlocking opportunities for private and municipal investment in electricity generation, the crisis persists. Outlook and Report Coverage:The electricity crisis has inflicted significant economic losses, with the government anticipating a supply deficit until 2027. Private renewable energy companies face challenges due to the full grid capacity, while regulatory changes offer potential relief. The report covers comprehensive information on Eskom, independent power producers, energy sources, and regulatory developments, and profiles 31 companies in the industry.

Ghana’s minerals sovereign fund is looking to position the country as an e-mobility leader through investment in electric vehicle (EV) and battery production. A typical EV battery contains about eight kilograms of lithium, 14 kilograms of cobalt and 20 kilograms of manganese, according to EVBox, quoting nature.com. He said the MIIF wants to help develop the EV sector and establish Ghana as a centre for critical minerals and solar batteries. We are looking at how we can leverage the Ghana Automobile Development Policy to support the automobile sector into developing EVs, to serve the entire sub-Saharan region. This could solidify Ghana’s status as a battery hub for the region.

IFC today announced the names of 100 women-led startup owners selected to participate in the She Wins Africa program, an IFC-led initiative that aims to accelerate access to capital for women-led startups across sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative is a part of IFC’s broader commitment to promote gender equality and empower women entrepreneurs in emerging markets. The 100 participants announced today were drawn from almost 3,000 applicants comprised of women entrepreneurs across Africa in sectors ranging from ag-tech, climate-tech, e-commerce, ed-tech, health-tech and fintech etc. “IFC’s She Wins Africa empowers women entrepreneurs through coaching, training, and financing, accelerating their growth and investment readiness throughout sub-Saharan Africa, said Nathalie Akon Gabala, Director of Gender and Economic Inclusion at IFC. A strong entrepreneurship ecosystem benefits us all.”Today’s announcement follows the launch of the She Wins Africa program at the Africa CEO Forum in Côte D’Ivoire in 2023.

Actress Nora Fatehi, who was recently seen in the Vidyut Jammwal-starrer film ‘Crakk’, has been welcomed by Robert Kyncl, the CEO of the Warner Music Group, after she inked the deal with the global record company. The partnership will promote Nora’s global music career, working with teams in the US and across the world. Robert Kyncl, CEO, Warner Music Group, said: “Nora is an extraordinary talent, electric performer, and cross-cultural superstar whose music reflects the rich diversity of her background. My ambition is to be a global music star and performer, connecting with fans all over the world. I’m excited to work with Warner Music to leverage their experience and expertise to help me fulfil this goal.” (IANS)Also Read: Singer-songwriter Ariana Grande lashes out at hackers for leaking unreleased songsAlso Watch:

South African startup Cue, a fast-growing provider of AI-enabled customer service chat software, has closed a US$2 million seed round of funding to deliver deeper integration of AI into its platform and fuel its growth and expansion. Founded in 2018, Cue enables businesses to help customers quickly and efficiently with chatbots and live chat on WhatsApp and social channels. Deeper AI integration will allow businesses to automate routine customer inquiries, leverage data analytics to enhance support performance, and gain invaluable insights to optimise customer engagement strategies. “This investment will fuel our mission to deliver cutting-edge AI-powered solutions that transform the customer service landscape globally. With deeper AI integration, businesses can streamline their support operations and help their customers in a much faster and more valuable way.”

A recent discussion at Africa’s Green Economy Summit saw a panel look at financing power-to-x and some of the green hydrogen projects already underway in Africa. According to their plans, their Namibian hydrogen project in Swakopmund should start producing hydrogen in 12 to 18 months. Financed through recourse financing, Lecompte sees the hydrogen power plant as a trigger for other segments in the energy sector. Namibia: Green hydrogen refuelling station to be operational by 2024When hydrogen production in Namibia reaches 100kg a day, they can start producing hydrogen fuel cells for the planned train. Power-to-x to produce hydrogen can change mobility choicesGreen hydrogen for export or internal use is becoming a chicken and egg conundrum.

The last four teams standing to contest for the two spots reserved for Africa at the Paris 2024 Olympics have been confirmed. Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia, who interestingly are the four teams that represented Africa at the last FIFA Women’s World Cup are the final four remaining in contention for a place in Paris later this year. The Super Falcons secured their place in the final round after overcoming Cameroon 1-0 in a two-legged affair, while reigning African champions, South Africa master-minded a 4-0 aggregate win over Tanzania to set up a meeting with Nigeria. In a north African battle, Morocco outclassed Tunisia 4-1 after initially edging their opponents 2-1 in Tunis a few days ago. The final round of qualifiers will see South Africa facing Nigeria, while Zambia will take on Morocco in two-legged fixtures between 01 – 09 April 2024.

Egyptian startups are invited to apply for the third edition of the DMZ Cairo incubation programme, which speeds growth through a combination of mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities. DMZ Cairo is a joint partnership between the Universities of Canada in Egypt and Toronto Metropolitan University’s DMZ, a leading startup incubator that equips the next generation of tech entrepreneurs with the tools needed to build, launch and scale highly impactful startups. Located at the UofCanada Campus in the New Administrative Capital of Egypt, DMZ Cairo provides a dynamic ecosystem that nurtures and empowers entrepreneurs to thrive through access to cutting-edge resources, top-tier mentorship, and a vibrant network. DMZ Cairo provides highly customised, intensive, and impactful programming to tech startups, providing them with opportunities to grow in the MENA region and beyond the continent. Selected participants will earn an opportunity to join DMZ YYZ, a soft-landing programme in Toronto, Canada helping startups explore the North American market.

The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo has praised the North West Province for registering massive progress in the provincial department’s endeavour to trace and track ex-mineworkers who left work without claiming their benefits. Accompanied by the North West Health MEC Madoda Sambatha at Westvaal Hospital, the Deputy Minister found out that a total of 20 798 ex-mine workers were successfully traced, with 2669 claims processed and paid a combined figure of R76.9 million. The North West Province ex-mineworkers compensation project was launched by the Deputy Minister of Health, Premier of North West Province and the MEC for Health in August 2022. The target is all Ex-mineworkers who are estimated at 168,000 and their beneficiaries who reside in the North West Province. Meanwhile the Department of Health has committed to ensure that all ex-mineworkers centers in the four districts remain operational and accessible to all ex-mineworkers.

Regional Safety Performance The 2023 all accident rate improved compared to 2022 for all regions with the exceptions of North America and Asia Pacific. • Commonwealth of Independent States: The all accident rate improved from 2.16 accidents per million sectors in 2022 to 1.09 in 2023. • Europe: The all accident rate improved from 0.98 per million sectors in 2022 down to 0.48 accidents in 2023. • North Asia: The all accident rate improved from 0.45 accidents per million sectors in 2022 to 0.00 in 2023. The all accident rate per million sectors improved from 4.47 in 2022 to 0.37 in 2023, better than the 5-year average of 1.91.

Mozambique's government confirmed on Tuesday (Feb.27) that tens of thousands have been driven from their homes by a wave of jihadist attacks in the restive north. The cabinet spokesman said 67,321 people had fled the armed attacks in recent weeks in Cabo Delgado province. In recent weeks, terror group Islamic State has claimed several attacks and fatalities, especially in the south of Cabo Delgado province, after several months of calm. The Cabo Delgado province has been facing attacks for six years. Since July 2021 troops from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community are deployed in support of the Mozambican army.

Morocco has called on the Peace & Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) to take action against those recruiting and using child soldiers in armed conflicts. Addressing remotely the PSC meeting convening Tuesday in Addis Ababa, the Moroccan delegation stressed the need for a comprehensive and inclusive approach combining action and prevention against the use of child soldiers in hostilities. Morocco seized this opportunity to reaffirm its unwavering commitment to protecting and promoting the fundamental rights of all children. As communities break down during war, children are often separated from their families, driven from their homes, and left with no opportunity to go to school. Many child soldiers participating directly in hostilities may be subject to injury, disability, and death.

By renting a hybrid solar system from SolarSaver, MacGregor integrated grid-tied solar power with battery storage, ensuring continuous operation even during power outages and load shedding. Recognizing the need for a sustainable solution, MacGregor opted for SolarSaver’s hybrid solar system after learning about it through media coverage. SolarSaver’s hybrid solar systems empower businesses like Astron Ruhamah to generate and manage their energy efficiently. Astron Ruhamah’s hybrid solar installation consists of 64.6kWp solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, 48kW battery inverters, and 60kWh battery capacity. Overall, SolarSaver’s hybrid solar solution has transformed Astron Ruhamah into a standout performer in its market, offering reliability, safety, and cost-effectiveness in a challenging operating environment.

Salesforce announced today the public beta availability of Einstein Copilot, a customizable, conversational, and generative AI assistant for CRM. Einstein CoPilot CapabilitiesGrounding prompts in Data Cloud: Einstein Copilot grounds its responses with trusted business data from Data Cloud to provide the necessary context for the highest quality outputs. Customize Einstein Copilot for specific business needs: Einstein Copilot can be customized to accomplish specific sales, service, marketing, commerce, and IT tasks, ensuring company and industry policies are applied. Copilot Builder can create custom actions for Einstein Copilot, Prompt Builder activates custom prompts in the flow of work, and Model Builder uses proprietary AI models to power custom Einstein Copilot functionality. Generating trusted responses and actions: Einstein Copilot serves up trusted AI interactions with privacy and security measures provided by the Einstein Trust Layer.

Hamas Launches '3 Times More Attacks' On IDF In North Gaza Than South While Netanyahu Eyes RafahEven as the Israeli government suggests that Gaza's southernmost city Rafah is Hamas' last bastion in Gaza, war monitors reported that Palestinian groups claimed to have conducted three times more attacks on the Israeli military in Gaza's northern parts than southern. Watch the full video for more.