The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (www.EnergyChamber.org) – the voice of the African energy sector – has broadened its legal action against international events organizers Hyve Group and Africa Oil Week (AOW) by filing an application to include events management group Sankofa Events and its Director Paul Sinclair. The decision to include Sinclair and Sankofa Events comes in response to the acquisition of AOW by the London-based start-up earlier this month. 

The AEC initially sued Hyve Group over allegations of misrepresentation, false marketing and unlawful competition – actions that the Chamber believes have caused significant damage to the African energy sector. The AEC is claiming $5 million for the damages caused by Hyve Group and Sankofa Events’ unfair industry practices. Hyve Group has previously demonstrated a lack of commitment to advancing Africa’s energy sector, as shown by its decision to move AOW to Dubai in 2020, sidelining key African developments and stakeholders in the process. As a proud advocate of African energy development, the AEC received unmitigated support for its stand against Hyve Group – which went on to lose key sponsors, partners and 70% or more of African ministers and national oil companies from their events. They panicked and in trying to recover in the following years, they decided to mislead everyone by attempting to harm and derail AEC’s efforts to making African energy poverty history through maximized cooperation between African energy leaders, stakeholders and international partners.

The AEC continues to advocate for transparency, fairness and the long-term growth of Africa’s energy industry, ensuring that the sector remains competitive and that its benefits are maximized for African stakeholders. As such, the AEC will continue to seek justice for the African energy industry and all Africans fighting energy poverty and we look forward to continue serving in our capacity as the African continent’s premier representative of energy development. 

The AEC will continue to deliver on its promise to make energy poverty history by 2030 during this year’s edition of the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energy (https://apo-opa.co/47BMw56) conference, which will return to Cape Town and lead the continent’s energy matters and prioritize Africa-led dialogue and decision making. Taking place from November 4-8, AEW: Invest in African Energy 2024 represents the only conference on the continent that serves the entire energy value chain, from oil and gas to refining and petrochemicals, renewable energy and to mining and infrastructure. 

“As the voice of the African energy sector, we will continue to fight against all injustices from within the industry. We are a strong proponent of Africa and her people and we will continue raising this issue to achieve the goal of facilitating an electrified and industrialized economy across the entire continent. Our aim is to address injustice, complacency and misinformation and with this lawsuit, we aim to shift Africa’s narrative back to the continent itself in order to deliver on our promise to eradicate energy poverty within this decade,” states AEC Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk. 

“We have all heard and seen false advertisements announcing too good to be true speakers by Paul Sinclair, Hyve and Africa Oil Week, announcing speakers that didn’t confirm and making outlandish claims. If they are going to advertise speakers in a conference and publish numbers, their statements better be true. In this case, they made statements that were blatantly false, and we have an obligation to hold them accountable for lying for financial gain,” said NJ Ayuk. “Misleading the oil and gas industry is not right at a time when we need to stick together to encourage more drilling for energy all over Africa despite stiff opposition from radical climate activist,” added Ayuk 

“As the voice of the African Energy industry, we are committed to enforcing decency in the sector and get rid of these bad actors that make the oil industry look bad. We hope Paul Sinclair, Hyve and Africa Oil Week behave properly while we await the outcome of this litigation,” concluded Ayuk 

AOW claims to heed Africa’s interests but has fundamentally and continually contradicted this. Their crusade against oil and gas development is particularly harmful given that Africa has some of the largest hydrocarbon resources globally and is entering a new era of energy development. In this regard, AOW continues to overlook the severity of energy poverty in Africa, where six hundred million people on the continent do not have access to electricity. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

UNICEF has launched an appeal for US$58.8 million to address the rising mpox crisis across six African countries where children are most affected.

Though child deaths are currently confined to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the data underscores their vulnerability, as UNICEF works to scale up prevention and response efforts across the region.

Nearly 22,000 suspected and confirmed cases of mpox have been reported so far this year, with 60 per cent of cases in children under 15. Approximately 80 per cent of the more than 700 mpox-related deaths are among children, particularly in underserved communities.

The appeal aims to reach children affected by the outbreak in Burundi, Central African Republic (CAR), DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, where the clade 1 variant is on the rise and where thousands of children are at risk of infection, secondary complications, and social stigma.

The high infection rates and mortality in affected countries, particularly in the DRC, underscore children’s vulnerabilities, exacerbated by limited access to healthcare, sanitation, and hygiene. Malnutrition and other common childhood diseases, as well as displacement, further compound the crisis.

UNICEF’s response to the mpox outbreak focuses on providing an integrated approach to break active transmission of the disease, prevent secondary harm to children, and support preparedness efforts, including:

Coordination: Supporting health and education authorities in planning and implementing response strategies. 
Risk communication: Engaging communities, addressing stigma, and building trust through training of frontline workers and building feedback loops.
Infection control: Enhancing infection prevention in homes, communities, schools, and health facilities by supplying hygiene materials and training parents, community leaders, and teachers.
Vaccination: Supporting vaccine delivery and roll-out by providing training, supplies, logistics, and cold chain management, while also maintaining essential routine childhood vaccinations.
Case management: Ensuring mpox isolation centres accommodate children and women with family-based care, providing nutritional support, medical supplies, and rapid diagnostic testing.
Mental health support: Offering targeted mental health and psychosocial support to children and caregivers and address stigma and discrimination.
Essential services: Ensuring continued access to essential services, including social, protection, and health services, and keeping schools safely open, particularly in vulnerable communities.

In collaboration with partners, UNICEF’s support also extends to neighbouring countries in the Eastern and Southern and West and Central African regions, where the risk of disease spread remains high.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The Vice President and Flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has called out former President John  Mahama over what Dr. Bawumia describes as indecent utterances by the former President.

A viral video of Mahama at a campaign event, captured him launching stinging attacks on Chiefs, Imams, Pastors and CSOs, describing them as “hypocrites” for supporting the NPP and Dr. Bawumia, instead of joining forces with him and the NDC, to push out the NPP.

Addressing thousands of supporters at a campaign event Monday morning in Amasaman, in the Greater Accra Region, Dr. Bawumia expressed shock at the unpresidential utterances  of former President Mahama, adding that the former President is frustrated because he has realized he will lose the election massively.

“You all know that this election is between  former President Mahama  and myself. But how the campaign is going, the former President has seen that he will lose massively so any little thing, he gets angry,” Dr. Bawumia said.

“Today I have heard that he has insulted pastors, Imams, Chiefs and CSOs. He says they are hypocrites. How can you say this? Is this how a former President should speak? That Chiefs, the Clergy, Imams and  CSOs are hypocrites?”

“Recently he has also been insulting the Electoral Commission. And he said NPP government is a foolish government.  Are these utterances that should be coming out of the mouth of a former President? How can a former President make such indecent comments?”

Dr. Bawumia admonished that politicians have a responsibility to be decent in their utterances, stressing that the election is about issues and ideas, and only those without ideas insult.

“We, politicians  must have some decency in the language we speak,” Dr. Bawumia admonished.

“This election is not about insults.  It is about ideas. You only insult people when you do not have ideas. But if you have ideas, you present your ideas. We have ideas and we have bold solutions to problems.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.

Foreign Affairs and Tourism Minister Sylvestre Radegonde has said that he is very satisfied with the outcomes of his 48-hour working trip to sister-island Mauritius, undertaken in his capacity as Chair of the Council of Ministers of Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).

The trip, undertaken 4 months into Seychelles’ 8th chairmanship of the IOC, was Minister Radegonde’s first to Mauritius since taking over this responsibility at the end of the 38th Ordinary Session of the IOC Council of Ministers held there in May this year.

During this official trip to Mauritius, Minister Radegonde met with the Secretary General of the IOC, Edgard Razafindravahy, for the first time in person since the latter was nominated into the post in July this year during an extraordinary session of the IOC Council of Ministers held online and chaired by Minister Radegonde. At their meeting held at the IOC Head Office in Ebene, Minister Radegonde signed the contract of employment of the new Secretary General before the two men had a tête à tête

Following that, Minister Radegonde chaired a meeting with the management team of IOC’s secretariat to follow up on the implementation of the decisions taken at the 38th Council of Ministers as well as the priorities of the chair. Minister Radegonde also had a separate meeting with Mr. Raj Mohabeer, Chargé de Mission at IOC who was Acting Secretary General of the organization before Razafindravahy took on his post on September 2nd. That meeting focused on issues of maritime security.

Minister Radegonde also met with the US Ambassador to Seychelles based in Mauritius, Mr. Henry Jardine, as well as the Head of the European Union Delegation based in Mauritius, Ambassador Oskar Benedikt. He was the guest of honor at a dinner hosted by the Attorney General and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade; of Mauritius, Hon. Maneesh Gobin.

While in Mauritius, Minister Radegonde also met with the only two surviving founding fathers of IOC, Mr Jean-Claude de L’Estrac, who is also a former Secretary General of the IOC, and Mr Anil Gayan, who is running for the post of Chairperson of the African Union Commission. Mr de L’Estrac signed the Declaration de Port Louis in December 1982 which called for the setting up of the IOC along with the late Dr Maxime Ferrari and Jean Benanjara of Madagascar while Gayan signed the Accord de Victoria in January 1984 which formerly set up the regional organisation along with Ferrari and Christian Remi of Madagascar.

Minister Radegonde said he was very satisfied with his short trip to Mauritius describing it as fruitful. He explained that it was necessary for him as chair of the IOC to meet with the new Secretary General to build mutual trust. As for the meeting with the IOC’s management team, he noted that it was important to ensure that the Chair and the IOC’s secretariat are on the same wavelength as this underpins the success of the organization. Regarding his meeting with Minister Gobin, he said Mauritius and Seychelles have very good bilateral relations. He also said it was important for the Chair of the IOC to meet with the EU as it is a major financial backer of IOC, as well as countries like US which have great interest I regional issues like maritime security.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism – Foreign Affairs Department, Republic of Seychelles.