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FIND calls for commitments to implement the World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolution on diagnostics, signs an agreement with Rwanda Biomedical Centre

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3 years ago

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FIND

At the same event, FIND and the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS) launched a new report on diagnostics for pandemic preparedness

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LUSAKA, Zambia, November 29, 2023/APO Group/ — 

FIND (www.FINDdx.org) is calling for commitments to support the implementation of the Resolution on diagnostics that was adopted at the World Health Assembly earlier this year; A Collaboration Agreement has been signed with the Rwanda Biomedical Centre to support digitally enabled, equitable access to testing; FIND and the Independent Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat have launched a new report on transforming diagnostics to improve pandemic preparedness.

At a “Diagnostics Dinner” (https://apo-opa.co/3GsaZg9) event held yesterday on the sidelines of the 3rd International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA), Lusaka, Zambia, FIND called for commitments (https://apo-opa.co/48dflE7) from organizations and countries to support implementation at global, regional, and country levels of the Resolution on diagnostics (https://apo-opa.co/3uDmBdX) that was adopted earlier this year at the World Health Assembly (WHA). A commitment tracker showcasing the commitments will be launched during WHA 2024.

The call was made as FIND announced at the event a new Collaboration Agreement with the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) that links to the implementation of the Resolution in Rwanda. The agreement outlines strategic initiatives planned jointly by FIND and RBC to accelerate diagnostic innovation, including clinical evaluations of new tests and AI-based tools, and regional manufacturing of new tests, as well as boosting disease surveillance and genomic sequencing capabilities. RBC and FIND are already in the process of kicking off some of these initiatives towards enabling digitally powered, integrated screening at a community healthcare level, and understanding values and preferences towards non-invasive malaria diagnostic tests.

As RBC, we now believe that diagnostics are the heartbeat of effective healthcare, pulsating with the rhythm of early detection, swift response, and resilient preparedness

At the same event, FIND and the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS) launched a new report on diagnostics for pandemic preparedness. The report, Making the exceptional routine: embedding diagnostic best practice to improve public health and pandemic preparedness (https://apo-opa.co/3R3R38m), is co-authored by FIND and the 100 Days Mission Science and Technology Expert Group, including Dr Yenew Kebede of Africa CDC and Dr Mariângela Simão of Instituto Todos pela Saúde. Highlighting the role of diagnostics as integral for pandemic preparedness and response, it addresses multiplex and digitally connected diagnostics, along with test-and-treat strategies, as key enablers for the integration of testing into healthcare systems. The report calls for policymakers, research funders, regulatory authorities and international organizations to invest in these enablers to provide a robust foundation for global health systems to respond to endemic and pandemic diseases.

Diagnostics are critical to sustainable, resilient health systems. The Diagnostics Dinner event brought together stakeholders from across the African continent and beyond, to discuss progress and opportunities in diagnostic testing that can address persistent inequities and help ensure everyone who needs a test can get one, whenever and wherever they need it. Technology innovations and advances in regional manufacturing were explored, together with a case study on how diagnostic testing is enabling the elimination of sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis) in multiple countries. The importance of building health systems for people rather than diseases, with a strong emphasis on strengthening testing services in primary care, was discussed as key to both universal health coverage (UHC) and pandemic preparedness.

Dr Ntombi Sigwebela, Regional Director, South Africa at FIND, said: “The WHA Resolution is an unprecedented opportunity to rally the whole global health community and ensure that diagnostics are prioritized as essential to health system resilience, for both patient care and disease surveillance. UHC and global health security are two sides of the same coin. We welcome this new collaboration with RBC to strengthen diagnostic services, and thank IPPS for their leadership as we work together to make the 100 Days Mission for diagnostics a reality.”

Professor Claude Mambo Muvunyi, Director General, RBC, said: “As RBC, we now believe that diagnostics are the heartbeat of effective healthcare, pulsating with the rhythm of early detection, swift response, and resilient preparedness. As we prioritize diagnostics as a core component, we not only enhance our healthcare services but fortify our nation’s readiness to face outbreaks. Rwanda’s vision extends beyond the hospitals, it envisions diagnostics reaching the last mile – from primary healthcare centres to dedicated community workers. In this commitment, we do not only diagnose diseases but empower communities, making health a shared journey towards resilience and well-being. In alignment with the recent World Health Assembly declaration on diagnostics, we affirm our commitment to a healthier and more resilient future, where timely and accurate diagnostics are the cornerstone of Rwanda citizen well-being.”

Dr Yenew Kebede Tebeje, Head of the Division of Laboratory Systems & Networks at Africa CDC and 100 Days Mission STEG member said: “The report we are launching today from the 100 Days Mission STEG and FIND sets out the paradigm shift we need in diagnostics, to embed access to multiplex and digitally connected diagnostics in everyday healthcare, as well as expand test-and-treat strategies. Access to testing is a fundamental part of strengthening health systems and enabling us to be better prepared to meet all health threats, including epidemics and pandemics.”

Further details about the Diagnostics Dinner event can be found online here (https://apo-opa.co/3GsaZg9).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FIND.

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AFRICLOUD Opens Lagos Region and Local-Currency Payments in African Markets

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9 hours ago

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September 23, 2026

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AFRICLOUD

The company’s third African region keeps Nigerian workloads in Nigeria, and customers from Abidjan to Nairobi can now pay in the currency they earn, without an international card

MIAMI BEACH, United States of America, September 23, 2026/APO Group/ –AFRICLOUD (https://AFRICLOUD.com), a cloud infrastructure company, has opened its third African region in Lagos and now accepts payment in local currency across West, Central, East and Southern Africa. Businesses across the continent can run servers in Nigeria, South Africa or Portugal from one account, and pay for them the way they already pay for everything else.

 




  

Download document (1): https://apo-opa.co/4Ardfz9

Download document (2): https://apo-opa.co/46FWH8Y

Buying cloud infrastructure in Africa has meant living with three compromises: traffic that leaves the continent and comes back, payment in dollars behind a card many businesses do not hold, and data sitting under somebody else’s law.

Lagos answers the first. Compute and storage for Nigerian customers stay in Nigeria, and the region also serves Accra, Abidjan, Lome, Douala and Ouagadougou. Traffic from landlocked West Africa that once reached comparable infrastructure by way of Europe now stays on terrestrial West African fibre. Johannesburg serves Southern and East Africa. Lisbon serves North Africa and Europe, and reaches Brazil over a direct subsea route. Across the three regions, AFRICLOUD’s own continent-wide measurements place 42 of the 53 African countries measured within a best-case round trip of 70 milliseconds, countries home to about 1.28 billion people.

A company in Accra or Abidjan now reaches West African infrastructure without leaving the region, and pays for it in the currency it earns

Payment answers the second. Customers across West, Central, East and Southern Africa pay in their own currency, including the naira, the cedi, the shilling and the CFA francs, by local card, bank transfer, USSD or mobile money, with no international card needed. Mobile money is live in twelve African countries, and cards, PayPal and more than 300 cryptocurrencies are accepted everywhere. The GSMA reports that 74 per cent of the world’s mobile money activity by transaction count took place in Africa in 2024.

Residency answers the third. Nigerian data runs under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, South African data under POPIA and European workloads under EU law, chosen server by server from the same dashboard.

“African businesses have been asked to choose between infrastructure that is close, infrastructure they can actually pay for, and infrastructure that keeps their data under their own law,” said Oluniyi Ajao, Founder of AFRICLOUD. “Removing that choice is the reason we built this.”

“Lagos is the piece that completes the map,” he said. “A company in Accra or Abidjan now reaches West African infrastructure without leaving the region, and pays for it in the currency it earns.”

All three regions run the same platform: AMD EPYC processors with all-NVMe storage, IPv4 and IPv6 on every server, and a new server online in about two minutes. Dedicated Servers are built to order in all three regions. Support is available around the clock by chat and email.

Cloud Servers are available now at https://AFRICLOUD.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AFRICLOUD LLC.

 

 




 

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Hong Kong outlines strategies for deepening development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and enhancing green transformation

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14 hours ago

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September 23, 2026

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Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 September 2026 – Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee announced the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) (2026-2030) and his fifth Policy Address on September 16, rolling out measures to further sharpen Hong Kong’s edge amid global competition, consolidate development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and promote green transformation.

Initiatives aim to support high-quality development of the GBA, align rules and mechanisms within the region, and promote cross-boundary collaboration.

 




 
 

“The HKSAR Government will continue its efforts in fostering synergistic development of the GBA,” said Mr Lee. “We will strengthen co‑operation in technological innovation, promote ‘hard connectivity’ in infrastructure, foster ‘soft connectivity’ by deepening the alignment of rules and mechanisms, and achieve ‘connectivity of hearts’ among residents of the three places.”

The HKSAR Government will continue to actively participate in the development of the various major co-operation platforms, including Qianhai of Shenzhen, Nansha of Guangzhou, Hengqin of Zhuhai and the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Co-operation Zone, to promote mutual benefits.

In terms of “hard connectivity” the HKSAR Government will support Nansha in its role as a high‑standard gateway for opening up, including encouraging the trade to participate in Nansha’s infrastructure development.

“To promote the co‑ordinated development of rail transit in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, we are pressing ahead with the Northern Link Project and the Hong Kong‑Shenzhen Western Rail Link (Hung Shui Kiu‑Qianhai), with target commissioning in 2034 and 2035 respectively, to fully connect the rail transit networks of Hong Kong and Shenzhen,” Mr Lee said.

Regarding “soft connectivity”, Mr Lee said the HKSAR Government will set up a Task Force to explore ways to advance the alignment of rules and mechanisms within the GBA.

To achieve “Connectivity of Hearts” among residents across the GBA, Hong Kong will strengthen co-operation between its higher education institutions and those in other GBA cities by establishing cross‑disciplinary partnerships, facilitating scientific research, knowledge transfer, and commercialisation, with a view to promoting high‑level research.

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Janice Tse, noted that the First Five-Year Plan clearly states that Hong Kong will participate in the development of the GBA into an international first‑class bay area and a world‑class city cluster with global influence.

“Hong Kong will forge closer alignment and synergy with the nine GBA cities in Guangdong Province and Macao, making full use of our respective advantages to jointly promote the high-quality development of the GBA,” Miss Tse said.

To foster financial development in the GBA, Hong Kong will continue to capitalise on institutional innovation, financial infrastructure upgrading and enhanced regulatory alignment to encourage the orderly flow of financial elements among GBA cities.

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited’s Core Climate, in collaboration with the Guangzhou Power Exchange Centre, is working towards the pilot trading of national renewable‑energy, green electricity certificates in Hong Kong in 2026.

“On connecting the Chinese Mainland and the world, the HKSAR Government will continue to support green technology development through the HK$400 million (aboutUS$51 million) Green Tech Fund, leveraging Hong Kong’s function as a springboard for green technology and assisting national green technologies and products in going global,” said Hong Kong’sSecretary for Environment and Ecology, Tse Chin-wan. “On the development of hydrogen energy, we have participated in drafting national hydrogen energy standards with a view to helping these standards align with international practice.”

To meet the country’s “dual carbon” targets and fulfil Hong Kong’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality before 2050, the HKSAR Government steered the establishment of a production base for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Dongguan, leveraging the leading position of Hong Kong enterprises in the international SAF industry.

“By combining technology strengths with industrial foundation, Hong Kong and Guangdong will jointly develop a globally influential green industry,” Mr Lee said.

The HKSAR Government will take forward the construction of an SAF blending facility in Hong Kong to build an end‑to‑end SAF value chain and reduce logistics costs to make SAF prices more competitive. The target is to achieve an SAF consumption ratio of 1% to 3% for flights departing from Hong Kong International Airport in 2030.

Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan promotes the integrated development of culture, sports, and tourism, to develop the GBA into a cultured bay area.

Under the strategic framework of the Agreement on Strengthening of Sports Cooperation and Promotion of Integrated Development, Hong Kong will deepen co-operation, and strive to co‑organise important regional and international single‑sport events. It will also strengthen cultural exchanges, pass on Cantonese opera and the characteristics of Lingnan culture, and promote the sales and cross‑boundary exhibition of Hong Kong publications.
 




 

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Alamein Africa Forum to bring together key political and business leaders

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15 hours ago

on

September 23, 2026

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Alamein

The forum is to become the continent’s premier gathering where political power meets entrepreneurial prowess, bridging the established engines of African growth with the new sectors defining its future

CAIRO, Egypt, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –The inaugural Alamein Africa Forum (https://AlameinForum.com/) will take place from October 2-4 in the historic city of Alamein on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast in parallel with the 2026 African Union mid-year summit.

Established in response to a mandate from the African Union, which called for a permanent African Business Forum to convene biennially in Egypt, the inaugural edition will bring together Heads of State and official delegations as well as some key actors in business and finance.
 




 

The forum is to become the continent’s premier gathering where political power meets entrepreneurial prowess, bridging the established engines of African growth with the new sectors defining its future.

The Alamein Africa Forum will serve as a pan-African platform bringing together the private sector, investment and financial institutions

The Presidents of Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Libya, Senegal, Somalia, and South Africa are expected in Alamein as well as President Al Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt who is the host of this year’s AU Mid-Year Summit. Business leaders from across the continent have confirmed their participation including Ralph Mupita, MTN; Idrissa Nassa, Coris Bank; Mohamed El Ketani, Attijariwafa Bank; Hichem Eloumi, Groupe Shakira; Wale Tinubu, Oando; and many more. Aliko Dangote, Africa’s biggest industrialist is also expected to attend, with the organisers hoping to set up a Business Advisory Council to help advance private sector priorities and investment throughout the continent.

Bringing together leaders in politics, business and policy from across the continent, the Alamein Africa Forum will provide a unique opportunity to shape Africa’s growth agenda by aligning policy and investment priorities, mobilising partnerships for implementation and strengthening financing and investment pathways. The private sector must become an integral part of Agenda 2063, the AU’s strategic 50 year masterplan to transform the continent.

Co-organised by the Government of Egypt, Afreximbank, the African Union and AUDA-NEPAD, the Forum brings together Africa’s most influential decision-makers in an unprecedented alliance of public and private sector leadership.

Speaking on the imperative of the summit at a joint press conference by the government of Egypt and Afreximbank on Thursday, September 17 2026, Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Expatriates Abroad said (https://apo-opa.co/4ygiQag): “The Alamein Africa Forum will serve as a pan-African platform bringing together the private sector, investment and financial institutions, and representatives of various productive and service sectors, to strengthen direct links between companies and markets and decision making at the highest level.”

Continuing, he noted that the Alamein Africa Forum is part of a series of high-level African events that Egypt will host in early October, stressing that holding the forum reflects Egypt’s commitment to advancing continental economic cooperation

In his own comments, Dr. George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank described (https://apo-opa.co/4ygiQag) the Alamein Africa Forum as a pan-African platform for promoting intra-African trade and investment and connecting the business community and financial institutions with priority projects and investment opportunities in the continent.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Alamein Africa Forum.

 




 

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