Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and his accompanying delegation. The meeting was also attended by Foreign Minister, Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Director of the General Intelligence Service, Major General Abbas Kamel, as well as U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, Herro Mustafa Garg.

Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Ahmed Fahmy, said the meeting underscored the robust strategic partnership between Egypt and the U.S. The discussions also confirmed the two countries’ commitment to advancing joint efforts to restore security and stability in the region. Within this context, the two sides reviewed the joint Egyptian-American-Qatari mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and exchange detainees. President El-Sisi and Mr. Blinken exchanged views on the results of the latest negotiations, which were held last week in the Qatari capital, Doha, and on ways to achieve progress in the ongoing negations in Cairo. Secretary Blinken briefed President El-Sisi on the outcome of his visit to Israel, stressing the U.S.’ commitment to efforts toward calming the situation and reaching an agreement. He expressed huge appreciation for Egypt’s role and constructive efforts in this regard.

President El-Sisi emphasized that the time has come to end the ongoing war, resort to the voice of reason and wisdom, and uphold the language of peace and diplomacy. The President warned against the grave danger of the conflict expanding regionally, with potentially catastrophic consequences. He confirmed that sparing the blood of the peoples should be the major driving force for all parties and that a ceasefire in Gaza must be the beginning of broader international recognition of an independent Palestinian State and the enforcement of the two-state solution, given the fact that this is the fundamental guarantor for stability in the region.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

WHO Malawi, officially handed over 48 sets of Pediatric Severe Acute Malnutrition kits worth MK62,230,980.00 to the Ministry of Health. These kits represent a crucial contribution to Malawi’s healthcare system, particularly in addressing the challenges posed by pediatric severe acute malnutrition (SAM). The PEDSAM Kits are meticulously designed to provide essential supplies necessary for the effective treatment and care of children suffering from malnutrition, as well as malaria.

Enclosed within each kit are vital resources aimed at reaching 50 SAM pediatric cases for three months. This provision ensures a sustained effort in combating malnutrition among the nation’s children, reflecting commitment to well-being.

In her remarks WHO Malawi Country Representative Dr Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo stated that this investment underscores WHO dedication to improving public health outcomes and ensuring access to essential healthcare resources for all Malawians.

“We have noted that since January 2024, we have increased cases of children with severe malnutrition. As we navigate through the challenges posed by the lean season, WHO is fully committed to facilitating the swift delivery and utilization of these kits to the designated healthcare facilities across the country. As part of our commitment, immediately after this handover, we will proceed with the last mile delivery of these essential resources to ensure Health for All”.

In her remarks, Health Minister, Hon Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said Malawi government is grateful for this timely donation which has come at a time the country is facing perpetual crises due to climate change which have affected food security and causing severe Malaria in the country.

“His Excellency the President has since declared a national state of disaster due to effects of El Nino. The effects of food insecurity mostly manifest in children especially those that are under five. This has also been the case post cyclone Freddy and Cholera outbreak. We are grateful to WHO Malawi and all other partners that continue to support us during these times”.

These kits were distributed to 11 of Malawi’s 29 districts reaching out to over 2,400 children.

Malawi was declared a state of disaster on 23 March with 23 of 28 districts facing severe food insecurity. Additionally, Malawi has recently responded to multiple emergencies such as the Cyclone Freddy, cholera and flooding compromising food nets and nutrition.

In effort to strengthen capacity for provision of quality inpatient care in children presenting with severe acute malnutrition and in response to the shocks experienced by the health care system resulting from the cholera outbreak and Cyclone Freddy, WHO Malawi supported training and two rounds of mentorship for health workers working in nutrition rehabilitation units. The trainings were held in eight of the worst affected districts of Mulanje, Phalombe, Chiradzulu, Zomba, Chikwawa, Nsanje, Blantyre and Thyolo. Some of these districts were also supplied with PEDSAM kits.

Furthermore, working together with government and partners in the nutrition cluster, WHO supported review of the protocol for management of cholera in children with SAM.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Malawi.

AI is becoming a new member of society according to results from a new Kaspersky (www.Kaspersky.co.za) survey titled ‘Excitement, Superstition and great Insecurity – How global Consumers engage with the Digital World’ (https://apo-opa.co/3WRj99J). The study also found that today artificial intelligence is taking on new roles in fields where it can succeed and be trusted by humans.

Based on statistics from Similarweb (https://apo-opa.co/46WpO7u), ChatGPT, one of the world’s most popular chatbots, garnered 153 million visits in the first month after its launch in November 2022, and peaked at 2 billion visits in April 2024. In light of the rapid advancements in AI, Kaspersky has conducted an in-depth study to explore current levels of confidence in AI. The study examines its roles from management positions in the workplace to assisting with significant life decisions.

According to the study, respondents see AI as their team member at work, and a manager – 34% globally believe AI can be a fairer boss than a human being because of its impartiality. For respondents from the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region this statistic is 40%. In South Africa it is 42%.

Another area where AI can play an active role is education. 47% of respondents globally, 60% in the META region and 68% in South Africa foresee children being taught through virtual experience and Metaverses in the near future.

Half (50%) of all consumers globally, 53% in the META region and 64% in South Africa believe that AI has already become an unavoidable part of their lives, with 43%, 46% and 52% respectively having a positive outlook on its potential to bring about many exciting opportunities and improve the future for everyone. A large portion of respondents admit that AI has capabilities in creative areas – 62% globally, 59% in the META region and 53% in South Africa believe AI is a credible producer of works of art.

AI can also be considered a reliable companion and an assistant in everyday life. More than half of respondents (57%) globally, 67% in the META region and 60% in South Africa would like to use AI to run their daily lives more efficiently.

48% of those surveyed globally, 60% in the META region and 56% in South Africa are ready to use an AI chatbot to have conversation online – 31%, 38% and 33% respectively would use it to help them to find the right partner on a dating app. In fact, 48% globally, 58% in the META region and 63% in South Africa believe that human relationships will change because of the impact of AI if virtual characters start replacing real-life partners.

“We are witnessing the growing adoption of AI as a valuable tool, assisting people in diverse areas. Beyond traditional applications, such as processing and analysing data, AI is being entrusted with more intriguing personal roles, including romance, education, and work. As AI technologies continue to evolve, their potential to drive innovation and improve human experiences becomes even more profound. However, this advancement also brings unexpected risks and sophisticated threats, ranging from overreliance — putting too much trust in AI advice — to AI-generated phishing, deepfakes and identity theft. These are the challenges that we need to address across multiple levels,” comments Vladislav Tushkanov, Machine Learning Technology Research Group Manager at Kaspersky.

In order to protect users against AI-driven threats, Kaspersky suggests:

Install a trusted cybersecurity solution (https://apo-opa.co/3yU026X) that can offer protection against AI-enhanced phishing by detecting malicious pages and preventing interaction with them. Such a solution will assist in identifying and blocking fraudulent emails and websites aiming to steal personal information.
To counter the risks posed by deepfakes, it is wise to avoid trusting requests for data or money immediately, even if they seem to come from friends, family members or colleagues. Verifying the authenticity of the request through alternative communication methods is a prudent step.
Utilising an online Privacy checker (https://apo-opa.co/3AtvdGX) is essential for adjusting privacy settings to limit exposure to AI-enhanced identity theft. This approach minimises the amount of personal information accessible online, making it more challenging for threat actors to exploit personal data.

The full Kaspersky report ‘Excitement, Superstition and great Insecurity – How global Consumers engage with the Digital World’ is available via this link (https://apo-opa.co/3WRj99J).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kaspersky.

About the survey:
In June 2024, Kaspersky commissioned Arlington Research to conduct an online survey of 10,000 respondents to explore the respondents’ attitude towards current digital superstitions, AI role in human’s life and topic of digital immortality. The sample included 1,000 respondents from each of the UK, Germany and France, and 500 in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Kazakhstan, India, China, Indonesia, Turkiye, KSA, UAE, and South Africa.

About Kaspersky: 
Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. With over a billion devices protected to date from emerging cyberthreats and targeted attacks, Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection, specialized security products and services, as well as Cyber Immune solutions to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. We help over 200,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.Kaspersky.co.za. 

Poised to drive socioeconomic development, resource monetization and sustainable growth, Namibia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy (www.MME.gov.na) have prioritized local content development in the country’s draft National Upstream Petroleum Local Content Policy.

The inter-governmental committee working on Namibian Content made a priority of local content development in the country’s oil and gas industry;  to improve Namibian participation in the sector and boosting the country’s supply chain while continuing to welcome international investment and contribution.

Devised to safeguard equity and inclusion in the oil and gas industry while ensuring the policy is beneficial for all parties involved, the National Upstream Petroleum Local Content Policy is being expediated and will be ready for approval soon. The draft policy aims to ensure effective national stewardship in the oil and gas industry, prioritizing the role of local industry players and stakeholders in all operations associated with the sector.

“The draft policy outlines a pathway for Namibian citizens and companies to benefit from our natural resources by increasing their participation in the oil and gas industry, from exploration and production and throughout the entire industry’s value chain,” stated Namibian Minister of Mines and Energy Tom Alweendo. “We at the Ministry are striving to enact the framework to create an internationally competitive petroleum sector that maximizes the benefits for our people and leverages our natural resources for broader national development. We are laser-focused on achieving a balance between increasing local participation and attracting foreign investment,” stated Minister Alweendo.

Key tenets of the draft policy include sustainable resource development, energy independence and economic diversification; ensuring in-country resource wealth retention and adherence to global environmental standards. Furthermore, the policy aims to promote social inclusion, job creation, meaningful equity participation in service companies by previously disadvantaged Namibians, guaranteeing in-country processing through robust infrastructure development and public enterprise investments.

In addition, the Namibian Content policy aims to establish a stable, transparent regulatory framework for Namibian Content, making it a criterion for permits, licenses and contracts with strong institutions for enforcement.

The plan also seeks to leverage Namibia’s recent success in the oil and gas exploration arena, promote the transfer of technology, knowledge and skills to Namibians. International interest and participation in the country is poised to enable higher-value roles and collaboration with industry stakeholders to promote skills development and local value retention.

The policy also aims to facilitate meaningful participation and financing for Namibians and SMEs at all levels of the oil and gas value chain, ensuring broad sharing of resource development benefits and innovative financing mechanisms.

The vision of the draft Namibian Content Policy is to develop an internationally competitive supply chain in Namibia, maximizing output while making the country a preferred investment destination and hub for oil and gas goods and services.

“We are at the dawn of an energy revolution that will transform our economy. Discoveries in the Orange Basin suggest the biggest oil yield ever found in sub-Saharan Africa and there’s still so much to discover, both in the Orange Basin and in other locations. Which is why we must act proactively now. We must seize the opportunity to implement policies that will protect investors and Namibia’s best interests when it comes to our natural resources,” concluded Minister Alweendo.

The Ministry is moving with all deliberate speed to commence various stakeholders consultations and other engagements to revise the draft policy that will best serve the country, its people and our investors. The policy reflects the government’s desire to leverage its recent oil and gas discoveries for broader national development, with a focus on achieving a balance between local participation and attracting foreign investment.

The country’s foray into oil and gas is poised to reignite the economy by encouraging new investment and revitalizing the manufacturing sector. At the same time, a proactive introduction of solid Namibian content regulations will no doubt foster job creation, help combat energy poverty and promote hope and human dignity for the Namibian people.

About oil exprolation and discoveries in Namibia

On the back of a major exploration blitz in Namibia’s offshore in recent years – including the Graff-1, Venus-1, Jonker-1X, La Rona-1 and Lesedi-1X discoveries –, the country’s oil and gas sector is on the precipice of rapid transformation; having attracted interest from oil and gas supermajors including TotalEnergies, Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil, as well as multinational energy corporations such as Galp and QatarEnergy. ReconAfrica’s recent spudding of the Naingopo exploration well – drilled in partnership with Namcor – is expected to yield positive results and lead to a multi-well exploration drilling campaign on PEL 73.

This year, Woodside Energy entered an exclusive option with Pancontinental Energy to acquire a 56% participating interest in PEL 87, which is anticipated to result in the development of license area’s first exploration well. Meanwhile, Rhino Resources – which recently entered a farm-in agreement with Azule Energy – awarded Halliburton a contract for its deep-water multi-well construction project in Block 2914A, aligning with the companies’ strategy to leverage local and international expertise to expediate Namibia’s oil and gas industry expansion. This year, Namcor and Chevron also entered an agreement granting the major an 80% operating interest in PEL 82, under which Namcor and Custos Energy will maintain a carried interest.

Issued by:
Office of the Minister

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Mines&Energy – Namibia.

Enquiries:
Public Relations Office
Tel: 0852990241/0812293141
Email: info@mme.gov.na

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Private Bag 13297
WINDHOEK
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Fax: +264 61 238643 / 220386
E-mail: info@mme.gov.na
Website: www.MME.gov.na