ABIDJAN, CÔTE D’IVOIRE. 9th October, 2024 – The highly anticipated 9th edition of the AFRICA TOP 100 SME Forum is set to take place on October 9-10, 2024, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. This exclusive event aims to be the premier platform for fast growing enterprises across Africa, focusing on collaboration, innovation, and sustainable growth.

The TOP 100 SME Forum will gather a select group of key stakeholders from various sectors, providing a unique opportunity for business linkages, skill development, and market expansion. The forum emphasizes enhancing sustainable development through targeted networking and strategic discussions, ultimately boosting economic growth both within Africa and internationally.

 

●       Expert Panels: Engage with industry leaders discussing the latest challenges and opportunities facing SMEs. These panels will provide invaluable insights into market trends, innovative practices, and sustainability efforts.

●       Master classes  Participate in hands-on sessions that explore best practices in business management and operational efficiency, offering practical skills for immediate application.

●      Networking Opportunities: Connect with a select group of key players in the SME sector, including entrepreneurs, investors, and government representatives. Dedicated networking sessions will facilitate meaningful business relationships.

Côte d’Ivoire, known for its vibrant economy and commitment to SME development, is the perfect host for this exclusive event. The country’s rich entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to sustainable growth provide an ideal backdrop for this important gathering.

The TOP 100 Africa SME Forum is reserved for companies with a minimum annual turnover of 1 million USD and at least 5 years of existence. However, high-growth potential companies that do not meet all these criteria may also be eligible. Given the exclusivity of the forum, early registration is encouraged to secure your spot at this transformative event.

To register, please click here

The TOP 100 SME Forum is dedicated to supporting the growth of small and medium enterprises across Africa. Now in its 9th edition, the forum provides a robust platform for networking, skill development, and market expansion, aiming to drive economic development and trade within the region and globally.

LONDON, UK. August 22nd, 2024 – Romco Group and Elemental Group have agreed to form a partnership in metals recycling in Africa. The partnership will accelerate and diversify Romco’s existing growth plans and reinforce its position as a key player in the global metals recycling industry. 

The partnership will combine Romco’s and Elemental’s expertise and resources in the collection, pre-processing, smelting, and trading of recycled base and precious metals. The partners will expand Elemental’s existing business in spent auto-catalyst recycling, e-waste recycling and battery recycling to Africa, while accelerating expansion of Romco’s existing aluminium and copper recycling operations. Romco has a strong established presence in West Africa which will serve as an initial base for the partnership.

Combining resources from both partners, Romco and Elemental will aim to deliver the most green and sustainable base and precious metals in the world to its customers, using best-in-class ESG standards. The partnership will initially focus on the production of aluminium, copper, platinum group metals and by-products such as gold and silver.

Pawel Jarski, CEO and Founder of Elemental, said: “We have nothing but respect for the company Raymond and his team have built since 2016. Romco is the ideal partner for Elemental to start multi-metal recycling in Africa. The opportunity for metals recycling in Africa is immense and through this partnership we are well placed to help deliver more recycled critical minerals to Africa and the world. Thanks to our partnership with Romco Group, we have the unique opportunity to promptly enter two new, important markets: Nigeria and Ghana. From the perspective of Elemental Group, our presence in Africa is a natural progression in the development of our global structure.”

Raymond Onovwigun, CEO and Founder of Romco, said: “We are thrilled to embark on this partnership with Elemental Group. Romco’s vision has always been to lead the way in sustainable metals recycling in Africa, and this collaboration with Elemental will significantly enhance our ability to achieve that goal. Pawel’s drive and tenacity at Elemental has more than impressed us, we see Elemental as a perfect pairing to drive scalability. By leveraging our combined expertise and resources, we will not only accelerate the expansion of Romco’s existing aluminium and copper recycling operations but also introduce innovative processes for other base and precious metals. This partnership exemplifies our commitment to delivering the highest quality secondary metals to our customers, while keeping our environmental and social responsibilities front and centre.”

ENDS

LUGANO, SWITZERLAND, October 12, 2023 – The latest publication by TELF AG entitled TELF AG analyzes the UNCTAD report on raw materials, analyzes the latest report on raw materials recently published by UNCTAD, the United Nations Conference on trade and Development, which addresses in a strategic and global raw materials market trends and provides some valuable advice to developing nations, particularly in the management of their natural heritage.

The latest publication has as its object the United Nations guidelines in the field of raw materials but also the warnings, more or less veiled, addressed to all those nations that depend excessively on a single raw material. The path to follow is that of virtuous diversification, thanks to which nations will be able to progressively give up their dependence on a single resource and broaden their horizons, thus taking the path to well-being, prosperity, and economic Development.

TELF AG focuses in particular on the situation of African nations, which for entire decades – despite being naturally rich in raw materials, including those that will be fundamental for completing the green transition – have not reaped all the fruits of their work, collecting only a small percentage relating to the extraction of a certain quantity of raw mineral. This publication gives the example of some African nations that – like Ghana – have undertaken some political initiatives to protect the value of their mineral wealth and to derive maximum profit from the presence of certain minerals in their subsoil, setting strong limits to the export of raw ore. The objective is to add value to production through a more advanced level of processing, thus generating a greater amount of revenue to be used for the well-being of the nation.

The Unctad report, however, seems to point in the direction of diversification and regional cooperation between the various developing nations, particularly African ones, thus giving rise to those conditions that can trigger prosperity. The greatest risk, from this point of view, is that certain nations may choose to give up diversification to concentrate solely on that one raw material that guarantees them a good level of profits, thus exposing themselves to the worst effects of market uncertainties.

To find out more, readers are advised to read the full publication.

ENDS

(Port Louis, Mauritius, 05 October 2022) The Government of the Republic of Mauritius has rejected demands by the African Regional Internet Registry (AFRINIC) to claim diplomatic and legal immunity in an attempt to evade legal proceedings currently taking place in the courts of Mauritius.

 

Correspondence released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Mauritius shows that AFRINIC falsely claimed they should be eligible for diplomatic immunity by claiming to be linked to the International Telecommunications Union, an agency of the United Nations. In a letter to the former CEO of AFRINIC Eddy Kayihura, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs firmly rejected the multiple requests for personal and institutional immunity.

 

Freedom of Information disclosures show that the former CEO of AFRINIC, Eddy Kayihura had secretly requested diplomatic immunity to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March 2022. This request was subsequently followed up by a letter from other CEOs of Regional Internet Registries in July 2022 to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, The Honourable Mr Alan Ganoo and the Attorney General The Honourable Maneesh Gobin.  

 

Whistle-blowers provided evidence of AFRINIC’s attempts to hide from scrutiny to legal accountability to the Nigeria based, Number Resource Society who made in the information available in the public interest.  Papers show that AFRINIC and other RIR’s attempted to hide their pleas for immunity as a request to be recognised as an international organisation status goes against the very principles of global internet governance to remain independent from all governments and international bodies such as the United Nations. 

 

Mr Kayihura and ARFINIC are subject to forty-nine cases in the Mauritian courts which has charged that Mr Kayihura is in Contempt of Court at least three times.   The Supreme Court of Mauritius ruled that the cases against AFRINIC are proportional and AFRINIC and Kayihura have a case to answer.   

 

 

Documents obtained by Number Resource Society showed how the suspended CEO of AFRINIC and other CEOS of Regional Internet Registries Paul Wilson (Director General of Asia Pacific Network Information Centre),  John Curran (President and Chief Executive Officer of  American Registry for Internet Numbers), Oscar Robles (Executive Director of Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry) and Hans Petter Hollen, (Managing Director of Reseaux IP Europeens Network Coordination Centre) had threaten the government of Mauritius with relocating their operations to another jurisdiction unless their demands for diplomatic immunity were met. 

 

Commenting on the revelations, Erick Renson of Number Resource Society said: “The Government of Mauritius has done the right thing in blocking Eddy Kayihura and AFRINIC’s attempts to claim diplomatic immunity. Mr Kayihura and AFRINIC will be held accountable for their wrong-doing in the courts of Mauritius. The secret attempt by AFRINIC and other CEOs of regional internet registers to interfere in the rule of law and democratic principles of Mauritius was shameful. Those CEOs should now resign.”

 

Independent members of AFRINIC reacted strongly against this attempt to blackmail, arguing that Mauritius was the right place for AFRINIC to be located because the country and government upheld democratic principles and the rule of law. The request is a direct contradiction of the multi-stakeholder model that the global internet community has strived to defend since its founding. It is considered a dangerous move that could result in the destruction of internet coordination and independence as we know today.

 

Mr Renson added “members of AFRINIC reacted with anger when evidence of AFRINIC and their former CEO attempts to evade justice were published. Despite ongoing attacks against  Number Resource Society we will not be silenced and we will continue to expose the unlawful  and immoral activity of AFRINIC and other RIRs.”

 

 

The actions of disgraced former CEO Eddy Kayihura has placed a further cloud over the already damaged reputation of AFRINIC and endangers the entire RIR system. Mr Kayihura has been exposed as a close contact of a terrorist sympathiser, muffled the voices of resource members through limiting freedom of speech on community mailing lists, changed by-laws without undergoing the appropriate due process and now he is asking an inter-governmental body to interfere in an RIR election.

 

Court documents obtained by the Number Resource Society, show that the former CEO of AFRINIC, Eddy Kayihura, colluded with the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) to appoint Directors to AFRINIC to the head of the African Regional Internet Registry in an attempt to bypass the free and fair election procedures provided for in the organization’s governance.  The suspended Eddy Kayihura, whose tenure concludes at the beginning of November 2022 decided to sue AFRINIC asking the Supreme Court of Mauritius to appoint the candidates of the ATU to the leadership of AFRINIC, on the grounds that the Regional Internet Registry is unable to form a quorum.  The revelations sparked outrage globally that internet governance, traditionally governed by a bottom-up member lead approach, was being turned over to government control by the very organisation tasked with protecting the rights of internet users.

 

Earlier this year, Number Resource Society were leaked evidence that Eddy Kayihura, a Rwandan national, unlawfully put forward candidates to the board of AFRINIC including one individual, Lucky Lavender Waindi, who has been accused with other co-accused of having conspired with the intention to defraud a construction company in Kenya, by writing a false investigation report.  The seven accused were formally charged by a Kenyan judge and released last March on payment of bail.  The appointment – otherwise irregular – of such an individual at the head of the African RIR poses a serious threat to the Internet and Internet users on the continent.

 

Mr Kayihura, who spoke at an ICANN meeting in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia in September 2022, stated he was a champion of a “multi-stake holder model” when in fact he was secretly pleading to become a specialised agency of United Nations, and was attempting to bypass democracy in AFRINIC by attempting to appoint directors via the Africa Telecommunications Agency – an intergovernmental organisation. 

 

Mr Kayihura has been reported to law enforcement agencies in Mauritius and the United States of America for failing to report websites containing illegal content, including child pornography. Evidence has been submitted of Mr Kayihura and others at AFRINIC in failing to provide details of websites containing child pornography to a member of AFRNIC, resulting in the member being unable to take action by closing the illegal websites down. 

 

AFRINIC had applied to the government of Mauritius under the International Organisations and Conferences (Privileges and Immunities) Act meaning they were claiming to be a specialised agency of the United Nations. AFRINIC is registered as a private business in Mauritius. 

 

Eddy Kayihura’s tenure as CEO concludes on 5th November 2022.  AFRINIC has no board, meaning that a contract extension of the suspended CEO, or appointment of a new CEO, would be illegal.

Published and distributed by PR FIRE (www.prfire.co.uk)

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO 6th February 2023 – In an official correspondence addressed to Mourad Elajouti, president of the club of lawyers in Morocco , the authorities of FIFA confirmed the receipt of the complaint of the club of lawyers addressed to the sporting body of soccer on January 19, 2023 affirming that it received their full attention.

The lawyers’ association had denounced in this complaint the statements made by a South African politician during the opening ceremony of the African soccer competition CHAN 2022 making the apology of terrorism and hate speech.

In this correspondence FIFA stated that the lawyers’ club is entitled to refer to the judicial authorities in accordance with the provisions of Article 52 paragraph 2 of the FIFA disciplinary code provides that :”Any person or authority may bring to the attention of FIFA’s judicial bodies any conduct that he deems to be in breach of FIFA regulations. Such allegations must be made in writing.”

The Disciplinary Committee has opened a file under the number FDD-13973 which are the same references of the FIFA disciplinary decisions

Mourad Elajouti emphasized in his complaint to FIFA that “The promotion or announcement of political or religious messages, or any political or religious action in the enclosure or in the immediate vicinity of the stadium and by any means whatsoever, is strictly prohibited before, during and after the matches,” according to Article 60 of the FIFA Regulations on safety and security of stadiums.

According to the appeal lodged by the lawyers’ club, the Algerian Football Federation is entirely responsible for the actions of the fans and the political speech made by the guests at the opening ceremony.

Article 16 of the FIFA disciplinary code states that “The host associations are responsible for maintaining order and security before, during and after the matches in the stadium and its surroundings. Associations and clubs will be held responsible for the inappropriate behavior of their fans and may be subject to disciplinary measures including any gestures, words, objects or any other means to convey a message inappropriate to a sporting event, namely messages of a political, ideological, religious or offensive nature”.

The Casablanca lawyer specified in his complaint that the FIFA regulations on safety and security of stadiums condemn any provocative and aggressive action and any speech of racism.

Article 60 Paragraph 2 states that the organizer of the event must ensure, in cooperation with the local security authorities, that fans do not act in a provocative or aggressive manner in the stadium or in its immediate vicinity. This includes unacceptable verbal provocation or aggression towards players, match officials or fans of the opposing team, racist behavior, banners and flags with provocative or aggressive slogans.

Mourad Elajouti indicates that in the event that such provocations occur, the event organizer and/or security forces are required to intervene immediately. The organizers must report any serious acts of misconduct, including racist insults, to the police so that any troublemakers can be expelled from the stadium. This has not been observed by the Algerian authorities who have encouraged these abhorrent actions.

The association of Moroccan lawyers has denounced in its correspondence to FIFA the odious behavior of the South African mercenary paid to promote hatred and terrorism.

Norwich, UK. 1st March 2023 – Sekura Mobile Intelligence is excited to announce the appointment of Lawrence Twigg as their new Regional CEO, Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Lawrence will be heading up Sekura Mobile Intelligence’s African operations team and will be responsible for expanding Sekura’s growing Africa presence and extending its global reach providing real-time mobile intelligence authentication, verification and onboarding solutions through the Sekura API Framework (SAFr) across verticals such as banking, fintech, e-commerce, gaming, crypto and more.

In his last corporate role, Lawrence was Specialist Disruptor, Group Innovation at Standard Bank. Prior to that, he was Head of Lending for Tyme Bank, South Africa, then wholly owned by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

Lawrence has had decades of experience in the CFTA (clothing, footwear, textiles, and accessories) industry with brands such as Edcon, The Foschini Group and Retail Apparel Group as Divisional Executive and Executive Director. He has a 10-year banking history at African Bank and Absa, a member of the Barclays Group, as Managing Executive, Personal Loans, followed by Managing Executive, Entry Level Banking.

Sekura CEO, Mark Harvey, said, “We see not only South Africa but the continent as a whole, as very important to the growth of digital identity. Lawrence has a wealth of knowledge and experience in retail, lending, credit and more recently as a disruptive innovator in Africa’s largest bank by assets. I am so pleased Lawrence has chosen to be part of the Sekura family and we look forward to helping millions more people stay SAFr online.”

In his new role, Lawrence will be responsible for identifying new business opportunities and building strong relationships with clients and partners in sub-Saharan Africa. He will also be responsible for managing and growing Sekura’s existing client base in the region.

Lawrence said, “I’m delighted to be joining the Sekura team. Their ever-increasing global industry reputation, and their passion for bringing solutions to Africa, are a perfect fit with my appetite to continue the disruptive journey, enabling safe and secure access to credit and financial services across the continent”, said Lawrence.

With a global coverage across 75 mobile network operators, that protects around 2bn people, Sekura Mobile Intelligence is the leading provider of trusted, secure, and easy-to-consume solutions for ID verification, anti-fraud and secure online authentication use cases. 

Sekura works with established KYC, identity verification and risk data providers who have already integrated into leading global brands with demand for mobile identity solutions. Through the integration of real-time mobile data into our partners’ existing services, we enable them to extend and enhance their customer offerings into new services, use cases and geographies through the adoption of SAFr, our unique, next-generation mobile intelligence API.