
<p>The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) decided on Thursday to hike electricity prices by 18.65%, taking effect by April 1.</p>



<p>This comes as South Africans face Stage 6 rolling blackouts for the foreseeable future, with most citizens sitting in the dark for more than six hours a day.</p>



<p>Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis took to Twitter to say: “Eskom’s NERSA-approved 18,6% electricity price hike is unfair, unaffordable, and unjust. The City is planning to lessen reliance on Eskom’s increasingly unaffordable electricity by buying power on the open market.”</p>



<p>In the submission to NERSA in September 2022, Eskom wanted South Africans to pay 32% more for electricity in the new financial year.</p>



<p>While the 18.65% tariff hike is less than the 32% requested, Eskom gets another 12.74% hike in April 2024.</p>



<p>The state-owned enterprise is aiming to recover R351 billion ($21 billion) with the tariff hike for 2023/2024, and R381 billion ($22.7 billion) in 2024/2025.</p>



<p>In Eskom’s financial results released last month, the 2021/2022 financial year’s losses were R12.3 billion ($734 million) as opposed to R25 billion ($1.5 billion) the year before, according to BusinessTech. The reduction in loss was reportedly due to higher sales revenue driven by a 15% tariff increase.</p>



<p>“How much of Eskom’s problem is having to be shouldered by customers – rather than finding a broader solution that would deal with things like debt – and not have to give its customers the result of its mismanagement and the financial burden of continuing its system?” says David Fig, a South African political economist and environmental sociologist, to FORBES AFRICA.</p>



<p>Fig goes onto say that the financial problems of Eskom need to be resolved in a different way, as not just the domestic arena has been affected by interrupted power availability, but industry too.</p>



<p>The state-owned enterprise reports that in 2023, the debt is likely to be R20.1 billion ($1.2 billion), without taking into account the price increase.</p>



<p>Fig posits that we are in a global situation where power is becoming more expensive for most people on the planet, as a result of shortages, and the war in Europe disrupting the supply chain. The situation in South Africa, he says, is partly a response to the global rise in energy costs.</p>



<p>Eskom has invested in a range of renewables. A criticism of solar is often that the sun isn’t always shining – but there are ways of capturing, storing and reusing solar.</p>



<p>With all sources of energy, Fig says there are problems of intermittency.</p>



<p>“So, for example, if you invest in more nuclear you also have periods when the reactors have to be stopped for 18 months – periods of fuel change, for example.”</p>



<p>When things go wrong at power stations, he says, this also creates a situation of intermittency. Something he doesn’t think is an excuse.</p>



<p>“I think every technology should be evaluated for a whole range of criteria, including costs, including appropriateness for our developing country, our economy, and not burdening us with huge debt, and the cost of poor decision-making.”</p>



<p>He concludes by saying that at the moment, the costs to the nation of solar and wind are far below all other costs of different energy technology.</p>



<p>“So, we have to consider it, and even if there are some challenges, we have to go ahead with them.”</p>



<p>With small and medium businesses, as well as working class families and those living below the poverty line likely to struggle to keep the lights on and the food from going off this year, we may have to collectively come up with sustainable alternatives – now, rather than later.</p>


Silhouette Skyscrapers Against Orange Sky

18.65% Electricity Tariff Hike In South Africa: What Are The Current Options?


<h2 id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>The mother of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims spoke out against the hit Netflix series <em>Dahmer—Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story</em> after its lead actor won a Golden Globe this week, saying the depiction of murderers in pop culture “keeps the obsession” with killers going, making her the latest family member of a Dahmer victim to criticize the series.</p>



<h2>KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Shirley Hughes, the mother of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tmz.com/2023/01/12/evan-peters-golden-globes-win-slammed-jeffrey-dahmer-victim-mom/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tony Hughes</a>, whose murder by Dahmer in 1991 was depicted in the Netflix series, told TMZ that “sick people thrive on the fame” and added it’s “a shame that people can take our tragedy and make money.”</p>



<p>Actor Evan Peters—who played Dahmer—should have used his Golden Globes acceptance speech to recognize the serial killer’s <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2023/01/12/evan-peters-golden-globes-win-slammed-jeffrey-dahmer-victim-mom/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">victims and their families</a>, Hughes told TMZ, although she added that he shouldn’t have accepted the role in the first place “out of respect for the families still living with heartbreak from losing loved ones.”</p>



<p>Rita Isbell, whose 19-year-old brother, Eric Perry, was killed by Dahmer, called the show “<a href="https://www.insider.com/rita-isbell-sister-jeffrey-dahmer-victim-talks-about-netflix-show-2022-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">harsh and careless</a>” last year. (Isbell gave a victim impact statement at Dahmer’s 1992 trial that was dramatized in the Netflix series.)</p>



<p>Isbell wrote in a September essay for Insider that she wishes some of the show’s profits had been donated to the children of Dahmer’s victims, saying it’s “<a href="https://www.insider.com/rita-isbell-sister-jeffrey-dahmer-victim-talks-about-netflix-show-2022-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sad</a>” the streamer is “just making money off of this tragedy. That&#8217;s just greed.”</p>



<p>Perry’s daughter, Tatiana Banks—who was born six months after her father’s murder—told Insider in October the series&#8217; renewed interest in her father’s killer has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insider.com/daughter-jeffrey-dahmer-victim-errol-lindsey-nightmares-since-netflix-show-2022-10" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">opened old wounds</a>, saying that “chapter of my life was closed and they reopened it, basically.”</p>



<p>Multiple family members of victims have claimed they were never contacted about the Netflix series before <em>Dahmer</em> began streaming last year, which has sparked criticism from people like Perry, who said they should have been notified as “people who are actually <a href="https://www.insider.com/daughter-jeffrey-dahmer-victim-errol-lindsey-nightmares-since-netflix-show-2022-10" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">still grieving</a> from that situation” (a claim the show’s creators have denied).</p>



<h2>CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>“We’re all&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-09-30/netflix-monster-jeffrey-dahmer-story-controversy-victims-eric-perry-rita-isbell" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">one traumatic event&nbsp;</a>away from the worst day of your life being reduced to your neighbor’s favorite binge show,” Eric Perry, whose cousin Errol Lindsey was killed by Dahmer in 1991, told the&nbsp;<em>Los Angeles Times</em>&nbsp;in September. Perry added that if a company like Netflix is “going to create something that uses real-world people and experiences, you should at minimum contact those people out of respect.”</p>



<h2>CONTRA</h2>



<p>Creator Ryan Murphy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-10-28/jeffrey-dahmer-netflix-ryan-murphy-family-members" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">denied</a>&nbsp;claims that no one from the&nbsp;<em>Dahmer</em>&nbsp;team reached out to the families, saying during an October Directors Guild of America event in Los Angeles that his team contacted about 20 friends and relatives of victims and that “not a single person&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/ryan-murphy-says-he-reached-out-to-20-of-the-victims-family-and-friends-for-dahmer-series-not-a-single-person-responded-to-us-1235250610/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">responded</a>&nbsp;to us in that process,” according to&nbsp;<em>The Hollywood Reporter</em>.</p>



<h2>TANGENT</h2>



<p>During his&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/nbc/status/1613020584946069506?s=20&amp;t=K5hAr0GT8hTwQFSWc17BxA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">acceptance speech</a>, Peters said the series “was a hard one to make” and “a difficult one to watch,” but added “I sincerely hope some good came out of it.”&nbsp;<em>Dahmer</em>&nbsp;was nominated for four Golden Globes, but only took home Peter’s win for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.</p>



<h2>BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p><strong>962.4 million.</strong>&nbsp;That’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2022/12/30/netflix-reveals-its-top-10-shows-and-movies-of-2022/?sh=752645cc859f">how many hours</a>&nbsp;the Netflix audience spent watching&nbsp;<em>Dahmer</em>&nbsp;last year after its September premiere. It was the third most popular series on the platform, following only&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/05/31/stranger-things-4-sets-netflix-viewership-record-in-opening-weekend/"><em>Stranger Things</em></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2023/01/06/netflix-announces-wednesday-season-two-after-rumors-swirled-about-delay---heres-what-happened/?sh=31f41469608e"><em>Wednesday</em></a>.</p>



<h2>KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Between 1978 and 1991, Dahmer murdered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/09/28/jeffrey-dahmers-17-victims-and-what-we-knew-them-errol-lindsey-rita-isbell-anthony-tony-hughes/10443235002/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">17 men and boys</a>, the vast majority of who were people of color or LBGTQ. Dahmer also performed cruel experiments on his victims and committed necrophilia and cannibalism. The Netflix series shows how Milwaukee authorities ignored and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/made-by-history/2022/10/11/racism-homophobia-enabled-jeffrey-dahmers-crimes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">downplayed concerns about Dahmer</a>&nbsp;raised by members of the Northside community, a part of the city that is predominantly Black. After being convicted, Dahmer was sentenced in 1992 to 15 consecutive life sentences. He only served three years before he was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/29/us/jeffrey-dahmer-multiple-killer-is-bludgeoned-to-death-in-prison.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bludgeoned to death</a>&nbsp;in 1994 by another inmate.</p>



<h2>FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2023/01/10/golden-globes-2023-abbott-elementary-the-banshees-of-inisherin-win-big/?sh=1e6266fb59c5">Golden Globes 2023: ‘Abbott Elementary,’ ‘The Banshees Of Inisherin’ Win Big</a>&nbsp;(<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2022/12/30/netflix-reveals-its-top-10-shows-and-movies-of-2022/?sh=752645cc859f">Netflix Reveals Its Top 10 Shows And Movies Of 2022</a> (<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Carlie Porterfield, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


80th Annual Golden Globe Awards – Press Room

Dahmer Victim’s Mother Blasts Netflix Series After Actor Wins Golden Globe—Latest Family Member To Speak Out


<h2>Topline</h2>



<p>Less than four months after the first case was confirmed in Uganda’s central Mubende district on September 20 last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced yesterday that the country has declared the end of the Ebola disease outbreak caused by the Sudan ebolavirus. The health department in the country has said this has all been due to the robust work in the communities. The last patient was released from care on November 30 when the 42-day countdown to the end of the outbreak began.</p>



<h2>Key Facts</h2>



<p>When this became the country’s first Sudan ebolavirus outbreak in a decade, it also became the fifth overall for this kind of Ebola. From the 164 reported Ebola cases (142 confirmed and 22 probable), there were 55 confirmed deaths and 87 recovered patients. According to WHO, more than 4,000 people who came in contact with confirmed cases were followed up and their health monitored for 21 days, which left the case-fatality ratio at 47%.</p>



<p>“Uganda put a swift end to the Ebola outbreak by ramping up key control measures such as surveillance, contact tracing and infection, prevention and control,” said Dr Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, Uganda’s Minister of Health in a statement on Wednesday.</p>



<p>“While we expanded our efforts to put a strong response in place across the nine affected districts, the magic bullet has been our communities who understood the importance of doing what was needed to end the outbreak, and took action,” Aceng Ocero added.</p>



<p>The WHO says it helped to protect frontline health workers by organizing a steady supply of personal protective equipment. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General congratulated Uganda in a statement saying that when a system works together, one can defeat a disease.</p>



<p>“&#8230;From having an alert system in place, to finding and caring for people affected and their contacts, to gaining the full participation of affected communities in the response,” Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “Lessons learned and the systems put in place for this outbreak will protect Ugandans and others in the years ahead.”</p>



<h2 id="h-big-numbers">Big Numbers</h2>



<p>A total of $8.5 million was provided by WHO to assist in helping the country curb this crisis.</p>



<p>The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided more than $22 million for response efforts in Uganda, including contributions from their Emergency Reserve Fund for infectious disease outbreaks.</p>



<p>“This crisis was a reminder that we must redouble our efforts to prevent and urgently respond to infectious disease outbreaks,” said Samantha Power, Administrator of USAID, in a statement on Wednesd</p>


Uganda Battles Seventh Ebola Outbreak Since 2000

Uganda Sees End To Ebola


<h2 id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>On Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics listed new <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/doi/10.1542/peds.2022-060640/190443/Clinical-Practice-Guideline-for-the-Evaluation-and" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">guidelines</a> for treating obesity in those aged two years or older for the first time in 15 years–and the recommendations include weight-loss medication and even bariatric surgery for children.</p>



<h2 id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The guidelines acknowledge that obesity is a chronic disease linked to factors such as lack of access to nutritious foods, physical activity and healthcare.</p>



<p>The new recommendations focus on treatment of obesity rather than obesity prevention, which “will be addressed in another forthcoming” policy statement, according to the academy.</p>



<p>It’s recommended that children six years or older should be annually tested for obesity through methods like body mass index (BMI) checks and motivational interviews.</p>



<p>Children under the age of two were not included in the recommendations because it’s hard to “practically define and measure excess adiposity in this age group,” according to the new guidelines.</p>



<p>Overweight in children and teens is defined as having a BMI at or above the 85 percentile and below the 95 percentile—obesity in children and adolescents is defined as having a BMI at the 95 percentile or higher,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/childrens_bmi/about_childrens_bmi.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p>



<p>For example, a 10-year-old boy with a BMI of 21 would put him in the 85 percentile and be considered overweight, where a 10-year-old boy with a BMI of 23 (95 percentile) would be considered obese.</p>



<p>Over 14.4 million children in the U.S. have childhood obesity and are at a higher risk for type two diabetes, sleep apnea, gallbladder disease, heart disease, asthma and joint and bone issues,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/basics/consequences.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>to the CDC.</p>



<p>The objective of the new guidelines is to assist patients in making sustainable “changes in lifestyle, behaviors or environment,” Dr. Sandra Hassink, an author of the new guidelines and vice chair of the AAP&#8217;s Clinical Practice Guideline Subcommittee on Obesity, said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2022/american-academy-of-pediatrics-issues-its-first-comprehensive-guideline-on-evaluating-treating-children-and-adolescents-with-obesity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">news release</a>.</p>



<h2 id="h-recommendations">RECOMMENDATIONS</h2>



<p>The academy recommends the use of weight-loss drugs in children aged 12 years or older, as well as behavioral therapy and lifestyle treatment. There was not enough evidence to recommend the use of weight-loss drugs in children under the age of 12 for the sole purpose of treating obesity. For children aged 13 or older with severe obesity, weight-loss surgery should be looked into, according to the new guidelines. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7118002/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;found that adolescents who received bariatric surgery—a class of surgical procedures performed on the intestines or stomach to help with weight loss—saw a BMI reduction of 29%.</p>



<h2 id="h-weight-loss-medication-approved-for-children">WEIGHT-LOSS MEDICATION APPROVED FOR CHILDREN</h2>



<p>There are several Food and Drug Administration approved weight-loss drugs for children. The research group said glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (a class of type two diabetes drugs that are linked to weight-loss) like semaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide and dulaglutide reduce hunger by “slowing gastric emptying and by acting on targets in the central nervous system.”</p>



<ul><li>Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy—an injectable diabetes drug under the generic name semaglutide—is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.novo-pi.com/wegovy.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">approved</a>&nbsp;for children 12 and up with obesity. Due to popular demand, Wegovy is now&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2022/12/26/what-to-know-about-ozempic/?sh=54fc8fe65adb">listed</a>&nbsp;by the FDA as being in a supply shortage.</li><li>Daily injectable liraglutide (brand name Saxenda) is FDA&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/news-events-human-drugs/fda-approves-weight-management-drug-patients-aged-12-and-older" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">approved</a>&nbsp;for obesity management in children 12 years or older.</li><li>In June 2022, the FDA&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/news-events-human-drugs/fda-approves-treatment-chronic-weight-management-pediatric-patients-aged-12-years-and-older" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">approved</a>&nbsp;a supplemental indication for phentermine and topiramate extended-release capsules (brand name Qsymia) for chronic weight management in patients aged 12 or older diagnosed with obesity.</li><li>Daily capsule orlistat (brand names Alli and Xenical) are FDA&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/116843/download" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">approved</a>&nbsp;for use in children 12 years or up to treat obesity.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-off-label-weight-loss-drugs">OFF-LABEL WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS</h2>



<ul><li>Exenatide (another weekly injectable under brand names Byetta and Byduren) was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/exenatide-marketed-byetta-information" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">approved</a>&nbsp;for use in children 10 to 17 years of age with type two diabetes. Although it hasn’t been approved for weight-loss purposes,&nbsp;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22076596/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a>&nbsp;have found that obese children aged 9 to 16 experienced significant weight-loss while taking exenatide.</li><li>Daily pill Metformin—brand names Fortamet and Glumetza—is a type two diabetes drug.&nbsp;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34355850/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Studies</a>&nbsp;have found that the use of metformin in obese children aged 10 or up resulted in “significant reductions in weight.” A 2021 AAP&nbsp;<a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/147/3_MeetingAbstract/180/5078/Pharmacotherapy-for-Weight-Loss-in-Children" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a>&nbsp;found that metformin was the most commonly prescribed weight-loss drug among children and adolescents.</li><li>Topiramate is an FDA approved seizure medication approved for use in adults and children,&nbsp;<a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01859013" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. A&nbsp;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35767803/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;found that children 12 and up with severe obesity who took topiramate for a 16 week period saw reductions in BMI and weight.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2208601?query=featured_home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;published in the&nbsp;<em>New England Journal of Medicine&nbsp;</em>found that adolescents aged between 12 and 17 who took Wegovy along with counseling lost an average of 14.7% of their body weight. Participants who received the placebo gained 2.7% of their initial weight. Over 40% of patients reduced their starting BMI by 20%, Aaron Kelly, co-director of the Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine at the University of Minnesota&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/weight-loss-drug-helped-teens-obesity-lower-bmi-study-finds-rcna55270" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;NBC. A 17-year-old participant told NBC that she lost 70 pounds during the trial.</p>



<h2 id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/01/09/1147828006/childhood-obesity-requires-early-aggressive-treatment-new-guidelines-say" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Childhood obesity requires early, aggressive treatment, new guidelines say</a>&nbsp;(NPR)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2022/12/26/what-to-know-about-ozempic/?sh=54fc8fe65adb">What To Know About Ozempic: The Diabetes Drug Becomes A Viral Weight Loss Hit (Elon Musk Boasts Using It) Creating A Shortage</a>(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/09/health/childhood-obesity-treatment-guidelines-wellness/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Updated obesity treatment guidelines for children and teens include medications, surgery for some young people</a>&nbsp;(CNN)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obesity-kids-teens-drugs-surgery-early-new-guidelines/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Consider drugs and surgery early for obesity in kids, new guidelines say: &#8220;Waiting doesn&#8217;t work&#8221;</a> (CBS)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/"></a><em><strong>By Arianna Johnson, Forbes Staff</strong></em></p>


Saving lives in sugery

Weight-Loss Drugs And Surgery Now Recommended For Some Children: Here’s What’s Available And What Doctors May Prescribe


<p><strong><em>BY MARK GLEESON</em></strong></p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1244513639-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57259" width="511" height="340" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1244513639-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1244513639-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1244513639-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1244513639-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1244513639-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 511px) 100vw, 511px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong>Taiwo Awoniyi:</strong> The Nigerian got his dream move back to England’s Premier League with newly promoted Nottingham Forest after his previous spell as a teenager at Liverpool did not see him achieve the breakthrough he craved. Now mentally tougher after a spell in the Bundesliga with Union Berlin, Awoniyi is expected to become the lead striker in the Super Eagles line-up.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1244021892-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57258" width="317" height="423" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1244021892-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1244021892-225x300.jpg 225w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1244021892-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1244021892-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1244021892-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 317px) 100vw, 317px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong>Calvin Bassey:</strong> Despite growing up in London, the Nigerian fullback has had to take a roundabout route in his career in a bid to try and play in the world’s richest league. He hails from a troubled neighborhood and says football was his way out, making a breakthrough first at Scotland’s Glasgow Rangers and now catching the eye at Ajax Amsterdam, putting him on course for a return to England.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1243044805-1024x900.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57256" width="488" height="429" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1243044805-1024x900.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1243044805-300x264.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1243044805-768x675.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1243044805-1536x1350.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1243044805-2048x1800.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 488px) 100vw, 488px" /><figcaption>(Photo by David Horton &#8211; CameraSport via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong>Patson Daka:</strong> At club level, Daka is already playing among the best in the world in the Premier League but it is now with the Zambian national team that he is set to prove his ability. Zambia are in desperate need of revival and Daka is the man to lead them back to past glories as they will have qualifying for the next Africa Cup of Nations finals top of their agenda for 2023.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1379130229-761x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57261" width="376" height="506" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1379130229-761x1024.jpg 761w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1379130229-223x300.jpg 223w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1379130229-768x1033.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1379130229-1142x1536.jpg 1142w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1379130229-1522x2048.jpg 1522w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1379130229-scaled.jpg 1903w" sizes="(max-width: 376px) 100vw, 376px" /><figcaption>(Photo by MB Media/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong>Ibrahima Koné:</strong> The imposing center forward from Mali has already drawn comparisons with Belgium’s goalscoring ace Romelu Lukaku, given his muscular frame and strength on the ball. He has played a leading role in helping unfashionable Lorient emerge among the French league frontrunners this season and caught the eye of the bigger clubs.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1433139412-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57263" width="362" height="543" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1433139412-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1433139412-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1433139412-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1433139412-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1433139412-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1433139412.jpg 1388w" sizes="(max-width: 362px) 100vw, 362px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Ben Gal/Orange Pictures/BSR Agency/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong>Mohammed Kudus:</strong> The Ghanaian has overcome serious injury to bed down a place at Ajax Amsterdam, where this season he has been successfully converted into a center forward on occasion and scored in the Champions League. His versatility marks him out for a transfer to one of the clubs in the big five European leagues as his Dutch team are famous for selling their most exciting players.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1431872453-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57262" width="385" height="513" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1431872453-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1431872453-225x300.jpg 225w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1431872453-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1431872453-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1431872453-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 385px) 100vw, 385px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Joris Verwijst/Orange Pictures/BSR Agency/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong>Reinildo:</strong> Mozambique is the country that produced African greats like Eusebio and Mario Coluna but it has been generations since they have given the game another superstar. Fullback Reinildo might just be that man, having already won France’s Ligue 1 with Lille and now chasing Champions League glory with Atletico Madrid of Spain, who bought him last season in an expensive move.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1243091479-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57257" width="585" height="390" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1243091479-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1243091479-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1243091479-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1243091479-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1243091479-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 585px) 100vw, 585px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Photo Prestige/Soccrates/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong>Ibrahim Sangaré:</strong> There is always a market for a powerful midfield general, with a never-tiring engine, running, tackling and playing the role of enforcer in the middle of the park and it is only a matter of time before the Ivory Coast international hardman makes a move from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven to a club in either England, Spain or Germany.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1238143674-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57255" width="354" height="531" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1238143674-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1238143674-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1238143674-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1238143674-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1238143674-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1238143674-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Haykel Hmima/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong>Edmond Tapsoba:</strong> The Burkinabe defender has among the best figures in the German Bundesliga – pass rate, tackles and intercepts but also fouls committed and a harsh reputation for indiscipline. But it is his commitment that sees him often on the wrong end of the referee’s whistle, a characteristic that has ironically endeared him to the Bayer Leverkusen fans.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1348682495-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57260" width="445" height="593" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1348682495-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1348682495-225x300.jpg 225w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1348682495-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1348682495-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1348682495-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 445px) 100vw, 445px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Jeroen Meuwsen/BSR Agency/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong>Tarik Tissoudali:</strong> A horror knee injury robbed the striker of a chance to lead the attack for Morocco at the World Cup in Qatar but he is expected to bounce back in 2023 and continue his scoring form, both at club level in Belgium, and for his country. An opportunist striker, he is also expecting to be a transfer target at the end of the season.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1436792831-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57264" width="627" height="418" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1436792831-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1436792831-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1436792831-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1436792831-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1436792831-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 627px) 100vw, 627px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Joris Verwijst/Orange Pictures/BSR Agency/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong>Abakar Sylla:</strong> The Ivorian fullback made a huge impact in the Champions League group stage from September to November as his unfashionable Belgian side Club Brugge won through to this year’s knockout stages, confounding expectations with some shock victories, and at the age of 19 he is sure to be on his way to a much more glamorous destination in mid-year.&nbsp;</p>


Screenshot 2023-01-10 at 10.57.55

10 African Soccer Stars To Watch In 2023


<h2 id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



<p>South Africa’s Department of Health has announced the country’s first case of the new Covid-19 Omicron subvariant, XBB.1.5. The first case of a new Omicron subvariant, XBB.1.5, was first detected last week. In a briefing today, the country’s Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla stated that Japan, USA, Brazil, and South Korea are leading with new infections. The department has been advised to increase the level of testing in the country. However, the country will not impose travel restrictions. Phaahla added that Omicron remains the globe’s dominant variant of concern.</p>



<h2>Key facts</h2>



<p>Phaahla stated in the briefing held on Zoom today that in December 2022, there was a 25% increase in Covid-19 infections globally.</p>



<p>On Saturday, South Africa’s Department of Health noted that they had been “alerted” about the “highly transmissible XBB.1.5 variant” and is currently in discussions with the scientists to gather more information including its transmissibility and severity.</p>



<p>According to Bloomberg, Maria Van Kerkhove, a Covid-19 technical lead at the World’s Health Organization (WHO), this week called XBB.1.5 “the most transmissible sub-variant” detected so far in the pandemic.</p>



<p>As of now, the Department of Health has said there is no need to impose travel restrictions on any country. According to Phaahla, Morocco is the only country that has banned travelers coming from China.</p>



<p>On January 6, WHO stated that the Omicron subvariant, XBB.1.5, is on the increase and had been identified in more than 25 countries.</p>



<p>WHO was following closely and assessing the risk of this subvariant. “Thus was originally first detected in October 2022,” said Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General. “XBB.1.5 is a recombinant of two BA2 sub-lineages. It is on the increase in Europe and in the US.”</p>


Drive-in Testing as South Africa Breaches 20,000 Daily Covid-19 Cases

South Africa Confirms First Case Of Most Transmissible Covid Subvariant


<p><strong>Neoplants’ super-plants can help clear indoor air of formaldehyde and other pollutants 30 times better than regular houseplants.</strong></p>



<p><strong><em>By Amy Feldman </em></strong></p>



<p>In a lab in Paris, Lionel Mora and Patrick Torbey have been designing a houseplant that can remove pollutants from indoor air, where volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde are a danger to human health. After four years of work, their company, Neoplants, is emerging from stealth Thursday with its first bioengineered houseplant, the Neo P1, which it says can remove 30 times more pollutants than a typical houseplant. Future versions, they believe, could be designed to get rid of even more.</p>



<p>“We call them plants with a purpose,” Mora, the company’s CEO, told&nbsp;<em>Forbes&nbsp;</em>in an interview in New York. “I don’t see anything more important than building a more sustainable future.”</p>



<p>Over the past decade, scores of synthetic biology companies have cropped up with the goal of designing better, more sustainable products thanks to biology, a trend that the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/09/12/executive-order-on-advancing-biotechnology-and-biomanufacturing-innovation-for-a-sustainable-safe-and-secure-american-bioeconomy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Biden Administration’s recent biomanufacturing initiative</a>&nbsp;hopes to accelerate. Meanwhile, the Covid-19 pandemic has made indoor air quality more important for consumers and businesses. Companies like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyfeldman/2022/08/19/this-startup-wants-to-bring-disinfecting-uv-light-into-every-physical-space/?sh=4d767f0b5556">R-Zero</a>, which&nbsp;<em>Forbes&nbsp;</em>profiled in August, are using disinfecting light to clean inside air and have made progress selling their technology to schools and offices.</p>



<p>Since its 2018 founding, Neoplants has raised $20 million in venture funding from firms that include True Ventures and Collaborative Fund, as well as from entrepreneurs&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyfeldman/2018/08/14/clothes-from-a-petri-dish-700-million-bolt-threads-may-have-cracked-the-code-on-spider-silk/?sh=77df146cbda1">Dan Widmaier (Bolt Threads),</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/johncumbers/2020/08/26/how-has-this-synthetic-biology-unicorn-responded-to-the-pandemic-an-interview-with-the-ceo-and-cso-of-twist-biopharma/?sh=17209ac321ab">Emily Leproust (Twist Bioscience)</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/niklas-zennstrom/?sh=3fb837f0375c">Niklas Zennstrom (Skype)</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyfeldman/2020/08/18/why-one-entrepreneur-thinks-millions-of-americans-will-spend-25-on-his-personalized-shampoo/?sh=4aef64ac2961">Arnaud Plas (Prose).</a>&nbsp;The company, which is currently pre-revenue, expects to begin taking orders in early-2023 to ship plants to buyers later next year. It plans to target the U.S. as its first market and to sell to the enterprise market, including real estate developers and hotel owners.</p>



<p>“This is visionary and it’s straightforward. It ticks a box,” says Widmaier, who first met Mora and Torbey at a conference in London before the pandemic. “Plants are interesting because once you get the one that works you are just breeding plants. The nursery down the street does that all the time. I think that’s incredibly elegant and powerful in a world that needs to see new technologies from synthetic biology.”</p>



<p>While the spotlight recently has been on air filtration for Covid, the volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that Neoplants is targeting—formaldehyde, benzene, toluene and xylene—have long been a huge problem indoors. Formaldehyde, used in manufactured wood and many common household products, can cause burning eyes, coughing, headaches and skin irritation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/formaldehyde/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">even at low levels.</a>&nbsp;The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found that levels of VOCs indoors, where we spend the majority of our time, are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/volatile-organic-compounds-impact-indoor-air-quality" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">generally two to five times what they are outdoors.</a>&nbsp;Neoplants is not targeting viruses, and Torbey says that “mechanical filters will always be better to filter viruses than plants.”</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>“The most powerful function we could give a houseplant would be to make it clean the air.”</p></blockquote>



<p>Mora, 32, was born in Austria and grew up in the south of France, where his parents were both schoolteachers. Even as a kid, he had an entrepreneurial streak. As a teenager he sold business cards to hairdressers. After business school at Emlyon Business School in Lyon, France, he worked at Google<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/google" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GOOG</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/google">+0.7%</a>&nbsp;as a product marketing manager for more than four years. He says he got itchy to do something that had a bigger societal impact. “It’s a typical Millennial syndrome, but I’m fine with it,” he says.</p>



<p>Torbey, 33, grew up on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, where his dad was a pediatrician and his mom was a schoolteacher. He received his Ph.D. in genome editing from Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris. “When I was doing my Ph.D., I gave courses in how to create your dragon. How can you use these genetic tools to create something magical?” he says.</p>



<p>Despite their different backgrounds, they clicked when they met at the Station F startup incubator in Paris. Soon, Torbey broached the idea of building an organism that had a function. “We’re surrounded by beautiful houseplants, and we thought, ‘Well, this is a very simple iconic organism,’” says Mora, noting that 80% of households already have plants in their homes. “The most powerful function we could give it would be to make it clean the air.”</p>



<p>In 2018, they launched Neoplants. They settled on the pothos plant, commonly called Devil’s Ivy, a basic houseplant that’s extremely hardy and does well in a range of environments. Its big waxy leaves and high growth rate allow it to absorb a lot of pollutants. Those are big advantages for creating a commercial product. But they also faced a disadvantage. There wasn’t any significant research on the pothos. Another drawback: Ingesting pothos is poisonous, making it a bad option for those with pets. “We work on plants that no one has studied before,” Mora says. “This is one of the things that was probably the biggest challenge. You’re starting in the dark.”</p>



<p>In Neoplants’ lab, Torbey and his team sequenced the genome of the pothos and then developed dozens of prototype plants that refined the capabilities of the one found in nature. They enhanced the plant by engineering its molecular metabolism, allowing it to convert VOCs into plant matter rather than storing them as pollutants. They also worked on the plant’s microbiome, essentially supercharging the community of beneficial fungi and bacteria that live within the plant in order to more efficiently metabolize these VOCs. They also customized the soil of the new plant using biochar, a charcoal-like substance, to improve its efficiency in getting rid of pollutants. The process of modifying a plant like this is both conceptually straightforward and technically difficult.</p>



<p>During the interview, Mora pulls a small plant out of his bag that’s in an enclosed container. It looks like a common houseplant, similar to a philodendron. “This one is a golden pothos,” he says. “It’s very cute and very beautiful.”</p>



<p>The actual plants will be far larger once they’re ready for sale. The Neo P1 sits on a custom-designed tall stand that both maximizes its air-cleaning properties and allows it to be watered far less often. Initial testing, conducted in partnership with Ecole Mines-Telecom of Lille University, showed the new plant was up to 30 times more effective at removing VOCs from the air than the most efficient plants found in nature. “Our first product is equivalent to 30 regular houseplants,” Mora says. “We’re very proud of that.”</p>



<p>Though based in Paris, Neoplants has set up a U.S. company, and Mora says he’s now finalizing a deal with a major houseplant grower in Florida to turn the lab-researched plants into a commercial product. The new plant, which needs to receive approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture under its regulations for genetically modified ornamental plants, will sell for $179, including the self-watering stand and three months of drops to enhance the microbiome.</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>“Plants are interesting because once you get the one that works you are just breeding plants.”</p></blockquote>



<p>After that, Mora figures on regularly launching new products and adding new features to its existing plants. To do future research, the company is currently building an advanced 12,000-square-foot research lab in the Paris suburb of Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine that’s expected to open in November.</p>



<p>How much more efficient could their bioengineered plant ultimately be remains an open question. “I don’t want to feel stupid in 10 years,” Torbey says. “I really don’t know what’s the limit. Technology when it comes to plants is so much in its infancy.”</p>



<p>Over the long term, the duo hope to develop bioengineered plants that can fight climate change outdoors through carbon capture, a far more complex undertaking than designing houseplants. The technology they’ve developed might also be usable for soil decontamination, Mora says. As he says: “Our strategy is to start working on a use case where we can release a product to market as fast as possible, and allow us to move into carbon capture with scientific credibility.”</p>


Woman planting.

Meet The Entrepreneurs Who Designed Pollution-Killing Plants


<p><strong>Through Naija Comm, Texas-based Eno Oduok is challenging career stigmas in the Nigerian community and educating people about professions they didn’t think existed.</strong></p>



<p>Providing alternative career options to professionals, first generation Nigerian-American Eno Oduok has broken the norm herself.</p>



<p>She is the founder of Naija Comm, an online space catering to Nigerians in the creative industries looking for career paths other than what is considered “traditional” in their community.</p>



<p>“Texas has the [biggest] Nigerian community in America so I was always surrounded by people who shared the same cultural heritage as me. The only thing that was different was a lot of people were in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields and were doctors, engineers or lawyers and in Nigerian communities and the overall African community, there is always an emphasis on pursuing traditional paths,” says Oduok.</p>



<p>With a strong affinity for the media and creative arts such as graphic design, communication and social media, Oduok struggled to find role models or peers in her community who shared the same interests.</p>



<p>“They were all in pharmacy or something traditional. I’ve seen probably one or two people who did arts but it wasn’t emphasized enough… I was looking for Nigerians in communications and couldn’t see [any] but if you look up Nigerians in medicine, so many pages pull up online,” attests Oduok, a Bachelor of Arts/Science graduate from the University of Houston in Texas.</p>



<p>That was the catalyst to create the first platform to connect and empower Nigerian creatives and professionals in overlooked fields such as communications, business and the arts.</p>



<p>“Naija Comm is a community-based media platform and creative hub here to break barriers and challenge stigmas in the community. It started a few days before #EndSARs went viral online last year and has been growing since. We have had various guest speakers such as Olympian basketball player Erica Ogwumike, Bel-Air actor Olly Sholotan, and other creative entrepreneurs.”</p>



<p>In addition to this, Naija Comm has also partnered with global streaming platforms like HBO, spotlights the accomplishment of Nigerian celebrities like Grammy award-winner Burna Boy as well as provides virtual networking events, newsletters and more. The platform, purely social, exists on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.</p>



<p>“We made it on the Forbes 30 under 30 2022 list in the media category for the US which was a great moment. There are a lot of communities where STEM is heavily emphasized but we have other non-Nigerians on our platform as well. We serve a bigger purpose and are challenging career stigmas and teaching people about the careers they are not accustomed to,” says Oduok.</p>



<p>From collaborating with WhatsApp to highlighting the achievements of Nigerian-Greek basketball superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, Oduok wants to amplify voices and stories in the Nigerian creative sector through billboards, reels, blog posts, and more. </p>


Eno Uduok image supplied

Beyond STEM: The Nigerian Challenging Career Stigmas


<h2 id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Trials of cutting-edge cancer vaccines could kick off in the U.K. as soon as September, German Covid vaccine maker BioNTech <a href="https://investors.biontech.de/news-releases/news-release-details/biontech-announces-strategic-partnership-uk-government-provide" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a> on Friday, part of a new government partnership to fast track development of the same mRNA technology behind the most successful coronavirus vaccines as companies race to build upon pandemic successes and target other diseases.</p>



<h2>KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>As many as 10,000 cancer patients in the U.K. will be treated with personalized mRNA cancer treatments by 2030, BioNTech said in a statement, whether as part of a clinical trial testing the new therapies or as approved treatment.</p>



<p>Such treatments are often described as cancer vaccines because they work by training the patient’s immune system to target and attack cancer cells, the same mechanism the vaccines produced by Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna use to train the body to recognize and fight the virus causing Covid-19.</p>



<p>British health secretary Steve Barclay&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-partnership-to-boost-research-into-vaccines-for-cancer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;the agreement meant “the best possible treatments are available as soon as possible” and that trials for the cancer vaccines could begin as soon as September.</p>



<p>The project is part of a broader partnership with the U.K. government focused on cancer immunotherapies, infectious disease vaccines and expanding the German biotech’s “footprint in the U.K.”</p>



<p>BioNTech said it will also set up a regional headquarters in London and a scientific research hub in Cambridge.</p>



<p>BioNTech co-founder and chief executive Ugur Sahin praised the U.K.’s rapid development of mRNA vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic that showed “drug development can be accelerated without cutting corners,” something the firm now hoped to replicate for cancer patients.</p>



<h2>KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Scientists have worked on mRNA vaccines, including those targeting cancer, for decades. Unlike traditional vaccines, which inject part or all of a virus (or other pathogen) into the body to provoke an immune response, mRNA shots work by injecting genetic instructions and allowing the body to make part of the virus itself. The process is more flexible, simpler and much faster than traditional methods and can be swiftly edited to adapt to real-world changes to the virus. The field enjoyed little success and sporadic interest among scientists until the Covid-19 pandemic, when a number of highly successful vaccines were rapidly built and successfully deployed using the technology, notably from Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech. The stellar takeoff of these vaccines during the pandemic&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/06/29/sanofi-is-injecting-almost-half-a-billion-dollars-each-year-into-mrna-tech-driving-pfizer-moderna-covid-shots/?sh=41fd25d646f3">revitalized</a>&nbsp;interest in the field and pharma giants have been ramping up efforts to deploy it against other threats like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/09/14/mrna-flu-shot-moves-forward-as-pfizer-launches-late-stage-trial-builds-on-covid-vaccine-success/?sh=acbda5c599c0">flu</a>, HIV,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/hunting-perfect-protein-malaria-mrna-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">malaria</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/01/05/pfizer-biontech-will-develop-mrna-shingles-vaccine-after-covid-19-shot-success/?sh=765c62a71d7b">shingles</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/04/11/mrna-cancer-treatment-covid-vaccine-giant-biontech-touts-promising-early-data/?sh=69386467a339">cancer</a>&nbsp;ever since.</p>



<h2>WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>The pandemic has paved the way for a whole new class of vaccine and lots of firms have mRNA shots in various stages of development. It could be a number of years until these are trialed and approved—the emergency nature of the Covid-19 pandemic fast tracked the process, which ordinarily takes years—though updated Covid vaccines have already been deployed. BioNTech’s founders have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/oct/16/vaccines-to-treat-cancer-possible-by-2030-say-biontech-founders" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;mRNA cancer vaccines could be ready to use in patients as soon as 2030. Early&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/455ef4e3-b870-4baa-9b05-977329e24356" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trial</a>results of a cancer vaccine from Moderna, which targets an aggressive type of skin cancer, have been promising.</p>



<h2>BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>$23 billion. That’s how much the mRNA product market could be worth by 2035, Boston Consulting Group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41573-021-00147-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimates</a>. The majority of this will come from preventative vaccines, the researchers said. Huge demand for Covid-19 vaccines, a market initially dominated by mRNA early-movers like Moderna, Pfizer and BioNTech, puts a much higher value on the market now. The researchers estimated it was worth $50 billion in 2021, all of this coming from Covid-19 vaccines.</p>



<h2>FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/leahrosenbaum/2021/04/08/biontechs-humble-billionaire-ceo-on-the-next-era-of-mrna-vaccines/?sh=27647bce19da">BioNTech’s Humble Billionaire CEO On The Next Era Of mRNA Vaccines</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/mrna-vaccine-revolution-katalin-kariko" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The mRNA vaccine revolution is just beginning</a>&nbsp;(Wired)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/a8b2c939-88da-45ca-a74e-9f49bb8c8c1c" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The UK’s dream of becoming a ‘science superpower’</a>&nbsp;(Financial Times)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/01/05/1066274/whats-next-mrna-vaccines/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">What’s next for mRNA vaccines</a> (MIT Technology Review)</p>



<p><em><strong>By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff</strong></em></p>


A Covid-19 Vaccination Site As Children Under 5-Years Old Become Eligible For Shot

Cancer Vaccine Trials—Using Same mRNA Tech Behind Covid Shots—Could Launch In U.K. This September

Blue and Pink Gradient Motivational Quote Twitter Post (1)

Part 2: Ventures And Valuations: Africa’s Billion-Dollar Startups￼


<h2 id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Yet another major cryptocurrency player is in serious danger of going under, as sources&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/crypto-lender-genesis-lays-off-30-of-staff-11672939434?mod=hp_lead_pos6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;the&nbsp;<em>Wall Street Journal</em>&nbsp;the embattled lender Genesis is weighing filing for bankruptcy, while the firm said Thursday it had drastically reduced its headcount.</p>



<h2>KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Genesis laid off 30% of its employees, a person familiar with the matter told&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>, matching an earlier report&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/01/05/crypto-lender-genesis-lays-off-30-more-of-its-staff/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">from</a>&nbsp;CoinDesk, which along with Genesis is also owned by one-time billionaire Barry Silbert’s Digital Currency Group (Genesis didn’t immediately respond to&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>’ request for comment).</p>



<p>Though Genesis has yet to publicly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-crypto-broker-genesis-says-it-is-working-avoid-bankruptcy-filing-2022-11-30/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">indicate</a>&nbsp;it will file for bankruptcy, its outlook is bleak: The firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2022/11/16/crypto-lender-genesis-suspends-withdrawals-ftx-collapse-created-unprecedented-market-turmoil/?sh=65bfdc67782d">suspended withdrawals</a>&nbsp;from its lending unit November 16 and has not&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/01/04/genesis-ceo-says-solution-requires-more-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unveiled a plan</a>&nbsp;to resume withdrawals in the seven weeks since.</p>



<p>Genesis owed creditors $1.8 billion as of December, a person familiar with the matter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhyatt/2022/12/24/these-crypto-founders-and-bitcoin-moguls-lost-116-billion-in-2022/?sh=3f9e886f42b2">told</a>&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>&nbsp;at the time.</p>



<h2>KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The disclosure&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/01/05/silvergate-stock-crashes-nearly-50-as-bank-grapples-with-crypto-crisis/?sh=219b1c0a3c89">comes</a>&nbsp;the same day as leading crypto bank Silvergate Capital’s disclosure of $8.1 billion in net withdrawals over the last three months of 2022. Genesis had lent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/genesis-lent-2-4-billion-to-hedge-fund-three-arrows-capital-11658170583" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$2.4 billion</a>&nbsp;to the Three Arrows Capital crypto hedge fund that went insolvent in June, and Genesis&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/GenesisTrading/status/1590836594382032896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1590836594382032896%7Ctwgr%5Ecfd87cfddbbdc349e403421e436c21257f1872cb%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reuters.com%2Ftechnology%2Fblockfi-genesis-crypto-firms-reel-exposure-ftx-2023-01-05%2F" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>in November that it had $175 million in funds locked on its FTX accounts but had no outstanding loans to FTX or Alameda Research, the firms founded by the billionaire turned pariah Sam Bankman-Fried.</p>



<h2>SURPRISING FACT</h2>



<p>Genesis would join a long list of one-time crypto giants in bankruptcy: Alameda, BlockFi, Celsius, FTX, Three Arrows and Voyager all filed for insolvency last year.</p>



<h2>TANGENT</h2>



<p>Cameron Winklevoss, the billionaire president of the crypto exchange Gemini&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/cameron/status/1609913051427524608" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wrote</a>&nbsp;a scathing open letter to Silbert Wednesday, accusing him of engaging in “bad faith stall tactics” regarding Gemini’s outstanding $900 million loan to Genesis, allegations Silbert subsequently denied.</p>



<h2>FORBES VALUATIONS</h2>



<p>We&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhyatt/2022/12/24/these-crypto-founders-and-bitcoin-moguls-lost-116-billion-in-2022/?sh=3f9e886f42b2">estimate</a>&nbsp;Silbert, worth $3.2 billion as of last April, to now be worth $0, largely due to Genesis’ mountain of debt. The Winklevoss twins are each worth $1.1 billion, according to our estimates, down from $4 billion apiece in April 2022 as the crypto industry tumbled.</p>



<h2>FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2022/11/16/crypto-lender-genesis-suspends-withdrawals-ftx-collapse-created-unprecedented-market-turmoil/?sh=65bfdc67782d">Crypto Lender Genesis Suspends Withdrawals: FTX Collapse Created ‘Unprecedented Market Turmoil’</a>&nbsp;(<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/01/05/silvergate-stock-crashes-nearly-50-as-bank-grapples-with-crypto-crisis/?sh=219b1c0a3c89">Silvergate Stock Crashes Nearly 50% As Bank Grapples With Crypto Crisis</a>&nbsp;(<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Derek Saul, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Cryptocurrency ATMs in Hungary’s Capital

Crypto Broker Genesis Cuts 30% Of Staff, Reportedly Mulls Bankruptcy


<h2 id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>The Food and Drug Administration changed its regulations on Tuesday to now make it possible for abortion pills to be dispensed by retail pharmacies, further expanding access to medication abortion, as the drugs have become a more prominent abortion method in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.</p>



<h2>KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Mifepristone is one of two drugs that’s taken to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/what-medication-abortion-your-questions-answered" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">terminate a pregnancy</a>—it stops a pregnancy, and then a second drug, misoprostol, induces contractions to expel the tissue—and it is approved for use up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy, though&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/03/health/abortion-pill-access-roe-v-wade.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in practice</a>&nbsp;it’s often used until weeks 12 or 13.</p>



<p>The drug must be prescribed and cannot be obtained over the counter, and historically it’s only been available in-person from a physician or clinic certified to prescribe mifepristone, or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/health/abortion-pills-fda.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">more recently</a>, prescribed through telehealth appointments and dispensed through mail-order pharmacies approved to supply the drug.</p>



<p>The FDA finalized new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/information-about-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">regulations</a>&nbsp;Tuesday that now&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/questions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">allow</a>mifepristone to also be dispensed at brick-and-mortar retail pharmacies after being prescribed by a medical provider—though only after those pharmacies become certified to dispense it and agree to certain criteria, which the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/03/health/abortion-pill-cvs-walgreens-pharmacies.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>New York Times</em></a>&nbsp;reports includes keeping the names of physicians who prescribe the drug confidential.</p>



<p>The fact that pharmacies have to opt-in to dispensing mifepristone and obtain a certification means it’s still unclear when the drug will become available at pharmacies and where it will be carried (misoprostol, also used for other medical conditions, has already been available at pharmacies).</p>



<p>Pharmacies are most likely to carry mifepristone in states where abortion is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/24/abortion-state-laws-criminalization-roe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">still broadly legal</a>: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Washington, D.C.</p>



<p>They’re least likely to carry abortion-inducing drugs in states where abortion is banned in nearly all cases, including Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Georgia (where it’s only banned after six weeks into a pregnancy).</p>



<p>Abortion is also legal as of now in Arizona, Indiana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming—but only because courts have temporarily blocked abortion bans in those states, so pharmacies could still be hesitant to become certified, given that abortion could become illegal through a subsequent court ruling.</p>



<h2>WHAT WE DON’T KNOW</h2>



<p>Exactly which pharmacies will decide to carry abortion pills. Major pharmacy chains Walgreens and CVS have not yet responded to requests for comment on whether they intend to seek certification, though a Walgreens spokesman told the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/03/health/abortion-pill-cvs-walgreens-pharmacies.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Times</em></a>&nbsp;the company would review the FDA regulations and “continue to enable our pharmacists to dispense medications consistent with federal and state law.” Pharmacies may be skittish to dispense abortion pills given the broader political climate around abortion and threats of legal repercussions, particularly in states where there are at least some restrictions on the procedure. Some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-11/post-roe-many-autoimmune-patients-lose-access-to-gold-standard-drug" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pharmacies</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/13/1111348722/pharmacies-may-violate-civil-rights-if-they-refuse-meds-linked-to-abortion-feds-" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">came under fire</a>&nbsp;after the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling for even refusing to give out medications for other conditions, like autoimmune diseases, because they could be used to induce a miscarriage. An official at Danco, one of two pharmaceutical companies that manufactures mifepristone, also suggested to the&nbsp;<em>Times</em>&nbsp;that independent pharmacies outside of major chains will likely end up carrying mifepristone first, as it might be logistically easier for them to comply with the FDA requirements to get certified.</p>



<h2>BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>53%. That’s the percentage of all abortions in the U.S. that were medication abortions in 2020, the most recent year for which data is available,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/article/2022/02/medication-abortion-now-accounts-more-half-all-us-abortions#:~:text=Specifically%2C%20preliminary%20data%20from%20the,for%2054%25%20of%20US%20abortions." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the pro-abortion rights Guttmacher Institute. Research has consistently shown medication abortion to be highly safe and&nbsp;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26241252/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">99.6% effective</a>&nbsp;in terminating a pregnancy, with only&nbsp;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22898359/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">0.4%</a>&nbsp;of medical abortions resulting in serious complications. The FDA&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/questions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>only 28 deaths have been reported in patients “associated with mifepristone” between September 2000 and June 2022, though it notes it’s not clear if those deaths were actually caused by mifepristone, as they may have been due to other factors.</p>



<h2>KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Medication abortion through mifepristone and misoprostol was first approved by the FDA in 2000. Though widely used even when abortion was legal throughout the U.S., the abortion drugs have gained attention in the wake of the Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/10/02/100-days-since-roe-v-wade-was-overturned-the-11-biggest-consequences/?sh=3338fcdd7464">overturning Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;in June, as they’re an easier way for patients in states where the procedure is banned to more easily obtain an abortion as clinics providing surgical abortions have shut down. The wave of state-level bans on abortion has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/03/health/abortion-pill-access-roe-v-wade.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">prompted</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/07/06/abortion-pills-mail-telehealth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new tactics</a>&nbsp;to make abortion pills available, such as mail-order services—and mail-forwarding services that can help skirt state bans—and abortion providers setting up mobile clinics on the borders of states where abortion is outlawed. The FDA’s expansion of mifepristone to retail pharmacies and the DOJ’s opinion on mailing the pills are part of the Biden Administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/07/08/heres-what-biden-doing-to-protect-abortion-access-roe-v-wade-overturned/?sh=4af6bf3a7783">broader</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/06/28/biden-administration-will-use-medication-abortion-civil-rights-office-to-help-protect-abortion-rights-health-secretary-says/?sh=1336d0717aa5">efforts</a>&nbsp;to blunt the impact of the Supreme Court’s ruling, as the administration has pointed to medication abortion and the fact the FDA has authorized abortion pills for use nationwide as a key way of counteracting state bans.</p>



<h2>SURPRISING FACT</h2>



<p>While it’s unlikely that pharmacies in states that outlaw abortion will carry abortion pills—even as abortions can be allowed in narrow circumstances like medical emergencies—the Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/olc/opinion/file/1560596/download" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">clarified</a>&nbsp;Tuesday that the drugs still can be mailed to those states under federal law. Under the Comstock Act of 1873, which restricts the mailing of items used to “produc[e] abortions,” mifepristone can legally be mailed through the U.S. Postal Service or private carriers like UPS or FedEx, the DOJ said in a legal opinion, as long as the sender believes the drug will be used in a legal way. That could still be the case even in states where abortion is banned, such as if the pills are used for a medical emergency or if the drug is actually administered in a different state where abortion is legal, the Biden Administration said. That being said, while the DOJ’s opinion will serve as a legal shield to ward off challenges against abortion pills being mailed under federal law, it’s still possible that people who mail abortion pills could face legal repercussions under state laws. That’s particularly the case in states that specifically&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/the-intersection-of-state-and-federal-policies-on-access-to-medication-abortion-via-telehealth/#:~:text=In%20the%20run%20up%20to,move%20to%20enact%20similar%20policies." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ban</a>&nbsp;the mailing of abortion pills, such as Arizona, Indiana, Oklahoma and Texas.</p>



<h2>WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>Anti-abortion advocates&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/11/18/new-lawsuit-aims-to-revoke-fda-approval-of-abortion-drug/?sh=459b13d43c7c">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in November that challenges the legality of abortion pills nationwide and asks a court to force the FDA to revoke its approval of mifepristone and misoprostol, arguing that the agency didn’t have the authority to approve the drugs in the first place. The lawsuit, filed in Texas, has been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/04/lawsuit-fda-abortion-pills-mifepristone-ban" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">assigned</a>&nbsp;to a Trump-appointed judge who could be sympathetic to the challengers, though any ruling against the FDA would be certain to be appealed. A ruling on whether to at least temporarily block the abortion drugs’ approval—which would stop them from being prescribed altogether—while the case moves forward could come as soon as February.</p>



<h2>FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/03/health/abortion-pill-cvs-walgreens-pharmacies.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Abortion Pills Can Now Be Offered at Retail Pharmacies, F.D.A. Says</a>(New York Times)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/what-medication-abortion-your-questions-answered" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">What is medication abortion? Your questions answered</a>&nbsp;(Association of American Medical Colleges)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/information-about-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Information about Mifepristone for Medical Termination of Pregnancy Through Ten Weeks Gestation</a>&nbsp;(U.S. Food and Drug Administration)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-availability-and-use-of-medication-abortion/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Availability and Use of Medication Abortion</a>&nbsp;(Kaiser Family Foundation)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/03/health/abortion-pill-access-roe-v-wade.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Abortion Pill Providers Experiment With Ways to Broaden Access</a>&nbsp;(New York Times)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/11/18/new-lawsuit-aims-to-revoke-fda-approval-of-abortion-drug/?sh=459b13d43c7c">New Lawsuit Aims To Revoke FDA Approval Of Abortion Drug</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Alison Durkee, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


American Women Turn to Cheap Abortion Pills From India Post Roe

Abortion Pills: What To Know About Mifepristone After FDA Expanded Drug To Pharmacies


<p>When employees at Shopify got back from their holiday break Tuesday morning, they started 2023 with some calendar relief. Every recurring meeting with three or more people, they were told, would be automatically cancelled by the end of the day, and they should not add them back for at least two weeks—if at all.</p>



<p>After that initial two-week period, “be really, really critical about what you’re adding back,” Shopify’s chief operating officer and vice president of product Kaz Nejatian instructed workers in an email early Tuesday, urging people to only return truly essential meetings to their calendars. “People join Shopify to build. To make cool sh*t. To see the thing they had their hands on get released so they can say, ‘whoa, I made that.’ Meetings are a bug along that journey.”</p>



<p>The new policy, which also includes re-instating “meeting-free” Wednesdays and mandating that large meetings only be held in a six-hour block on Thursdays, is part of an effort Nejatian described as “refactoring Shopify,” using a&nbsp;<a href="https://refactoring.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">software term</a>&nbsp;to describe how the global commerce company plans to become more operationally efficient in the year ahead. The email outlined how Shopify—which among other things, helps merchants set up online shopping sites—plans to ramp up its cadence for things like shipping product updates and move from an annual to a quarterly planning cycle.</p>



<p>“This is in response to the fact that we want to be a better operating company,” says Nejatian, especially as it enters a year when many are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2023-investment-outlooks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">predicting a recession</a>, noting “our customers are incredibly judicious about their use of resources.” Shopify beat analysts’ expectations in its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-27/shopify-shares-rise-as-revenue-beats-analysts-estimates" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">most recent quarter</a>, but the company said in July it was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/26/shopify-sinks-12percent-after-company-plans-to-lay-off-10percent-of-workers.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">laying off workers</a>&nbsp;and its shares plummeted nearly 75% in 2022 as spending worries grew amid inflation pressure and consumers shifted back to in-person shopping habits.</p>



<p>Shopify’s move to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenamcgregor/2022/08/11/meeting-doomsday-and-calendar-bankruptcy-how-leaders-are-battling-meeting-overload/?sh=7e06b117783a">reduce meetings is an approach</a>&nbsp;other companies have been taking as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenamcgregor/2022/09/22/microsoft-says-productivity-paranoia-can-hurt-hybrid-workplaces/?sh=60b7bf23f3af">productivity concerns increase</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2022/07/24/burnout-is-a-worldwide-problem-5-ways-work-must-change/?sh=333c81436c1e">burnout</a>&nbsp;and mental health issues are on the rise and the half-hour Zoom habits of the pandemic have lingered. Software platform GitLab has annual “meeting cleanup” days to reset which recurring meetings are really needed. Asana conducted experiments last spring called “meeting doomsday” where workers delete all meetings and only add back ones deemed valuable. Slack has “Focus Fridays” and executives there have practiced “calendar bankruptcy” to remove and evaluate standing meetings.</p>



<p>Shopify hopes to take the practice further, requiring all large “all-hands” meetings with more than 50 people to take place no more than once a week during a six-hour period on Thursdays, as well as track how well individual managers comply with the policy of not holding meetings on Wednesdays. It also created a bot that will alert anyone who tries to schedule a meeting on Wednesdays to think twice and plans to actively encourage workers to cancel unneeded meetings and leave large Slack groups.</p>



<p>One-on-one meetings will remain on workers’ calendars but also shouldn’t be scheduled on Wednesdays, the company says. In total, Shopify expects the new policies will<strong><em>&nbsp;</em></strong>delete approximately 10,000 calendar events from employees’ calendars.</p>



<p>If people don’t comply—though Nejatian says he believes they will—he has other ideas the company may institute. One is to disburse a “budget” of meeting hours to managers that they can’t exceed; another is to add a counter to the top right corner of workers’ video conferencing screens to remind people what the cost, or dollar value, is of participants’ time while they’re in the meeting.</p>



<p>“We may do some of them if it ends up not sticking, but I&#8217;m very, very optimistic about it,” Nejatian says.</p>



<p>“The most important resource we have is the time of individual contributors. Companies are built improperly around the time of the manager rather than the doer,” he says. He adds: “We think it’s important to force change. You build a muscle by doing it.”<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenamcgregor/"></a></p>



<p><strong><em>By Jena McGregor, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


gettyimages-641970904-170667a

This Company Is Canceling All Meetings With More Than Two Employees To Free Up Workers’ Time￼


<p><strong>Jemima Kakizi Akimanizanye is adding to Rwanda’s aesthetic appeal with her transformative art and addressing the country’s youth population on the cusp of change.</strong></p>



<p><strong><em>By Caissy Christine Nakure</em></strong></p>



<p>The tiny East African country of Rwanda is known for its rolling hills, verdant valleys and immaculate green spaces.</p>



<p>Now there is art too complementing the country’s incredible visual appeal, thanks to the efforts of multidisciplinary artist Jemima Kakizi Akimanizanye.</p>



<p>Hired by UNICEF Rwanda for a project to create items that encourage young children to learn about climate change through art, Akimanizanye was inspired to start her own journey making a difference with the paintbrush.</p>



<p>Her experience with UNICEF challenged her to think beyond her art, to use her talent to also address issues in her community.</p>



<p>“When I was introduced to environment issues, and that there are things we can do to fight climate change, I saw a huge contribution that I could make, which is when I started art installations using plastic and waste,” says Akimanizanye to FORBES AFRICA.</p>



<p>The 30-year-old, who likes painting early in the morning, was destined for the art world. At a young age, she would create interesting objects from anything she could lay her hands on. These included handmade jewelry and pieces of clothing she would later offer to friends and family.</p>



<p>Growing up, she went to an art school in Rwanda’s Western Province three and half hours from her home in the city of Kigali. She always wanted to become an artist but didn’t know where and how to start.</p>



<p>She started with people’s portraits, and when she sold her first work, realized it could become her full-time occupation. Word about her work spread.</p>



<p>Today, she has espoused serious causes and is using art for advocacy.</p>



<p>“There are a lot of things still considered taboo in our society, like reproductive health, sexual harassment, gender-based violence, mental health and for our society to change, we need education as a new generation; children are exposed to the internet and they might come across the wrong information, that is why I use art to communicate about these things,” says Akimanizanye, addressing the country’s burgeoning youth population.</p>



<p>“I want to start these conversations because I want to see change in my community. Children will not come to you [when] you are not open to those conversations, which is why you see a lot of early pregnancies and sexual violence.”</p>



<p>Over the last couple of years, Akimanizanye has taken the lead to become the voice of female artists wanting the visibility they deserve, compared to their male counterparts.</p>



<p>Akimanizanye has been organizing exhibitions to showcase art speaking to social issues. She has also brought female visual artists together to create a collective platform.</p>



<p>“We need to wake up, take up space and stop complaining, that is why I started creating exhibitions for female artists. Ever since, we are seeing a huge difference and the sales have increased. It was something I had thought of for years but was afraid to do, but now, I am happy I took that initiative.”</p>



<p>Sourcing quality materials to enable her work has also been a challenge, as they need to be imported from abroad.</p>



<p>Opportunities abound for investors in the growing sector though, as Rwanda only has one art school, Ecole d’Arts de Nyundo, located in Rubavu District in the Northern Province. The creative industry has been evolving in the country. The government’s ‘Made in Rwanda’ policy has encouraged the public and private sectors to support local artists, and promote their products in the local and international markets.</p>



<p>“You can heal through art, you can learn. A lot is happening and we shouldn’t be left behind,” says Akimanizanye. “Because I had people who supported me, I love supporting others and see them grow; it makes me happy and though we appreciate what has been done, we need more support to grow further.”</p>


Using art for social change, Akimanizanye with her artists’ collective

Art For Advocacy And Adding To Rwanda’s Aesthetic Appeal


<h2 id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>During the stock market’s worst year since 2008, energy stocks have greatly outperformed other assets, providing strong returns as investors piled into the sector amid political and economic turmoil.</p>



<h2>KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The S&amp;P 500 Energy index, composed of the energy companies listed on the closely-followed index, has provided a 61.3% return this year including dividends.</p>



<p>That’s by far the best performance of any of the S&amp;P’s 11 sectors, with the utilities and consumer staples indexes the second and third-strongest performers at comparatively meager 3.1% and 0.2% total returns, while the nine other sectors are in the red, with the communication services sector bringing up the rear with a 42% loss this year.</p>



<p>Spurred by a global spike in commodity prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy companies’ “continued commitment [to] capital discipline has resulted in a strong focus towards [free cash flow] generation which companies allocated towards shareholders returns (via dividends and buybacks) and debt reduction,” Goldman Sachs analysts led by Neil Mehta wrote in a Wednesday note to clients.</p>



<p>And experts expect the energy sector to continue to ride its success into next year, with Wells Fargo analyst Ian Mikkelsen writing in a recent note he sees a “favorable environment for Energy going into 2023 given it…has historically performed well during periods of broad inflation,” while Bank of America forecasted a $100 average price per barrel for international benchmark Brent Crude in 2023, roughly 20% higher than it now stands.</p>



<h2>SURPRISING FACT</h2>



<p>The best-performing stocks year-to-date on both the S&amp;P and the Dow Jones Industrial Average are both energy companies, with Chevron’s 50% gain pacing the Dow and billionaire investor Warren Buffet’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=occidental+petroleum+forbes+klebnikov&amp;ei=q9CtY_HuLNXMytMPnO-BwA8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwix8MGqr5_8AhVVpnIEHZx3APgQ4dUDCBA&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=occidental+petroleum+forbes+klebnikov&amp;gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIFCAAQogQyBQgAEKIEMgUIABCiBDoKCAAQRxDWBBCwAzoGCAAQFhAeOgUIABCGAzoFCCEQoAE6BQghEKsCSgQIQRgASgQIRhgAULsBWPQKYI4MaAFwAXgAgAGBAYgBlgeSAQM4LjKYAQCgAQHIAQjAAQE&amp;sclient=gws-wiz-serp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">favorite</a>&nbsp;Occidental Petroleum’s 101% rally leading the S&amp;P.</p>



<h2>CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>“Energy stocks are very, very cheap at what they’re currently earning,” Hunter Noble, portfolio manager of Hotchkis &amp; Wiley’ Mid-Cap Value Fund,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hanktucker/2022/12/16/americas-top-100-midcap-stocks-including-an-undervalued-coal-stock-with-an-18-yield/?sh=2a9c4f316be6">told</a>&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>&nbsp;earlier this month, citing energy companies’ leadership’s restraint to not “utilize all the cash flow to go out and develop additional resources.”</p>



<h2>KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Russia, one of the world’s largest oil producers, invaded Ukraine in February, sending energy prices soaring globally and subsequently contributing to high inflation. Oil companies raked in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/big-oil-profits-2022-joe-biden-exxon-chevron-soaring-gas-energy-prices/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">record profits</a>earlier this year thanks to high market prices but proved resilient as prices slid from their spring highs with investors’ confidence in the firms’ strong bottom lines.</p>



<h2>FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-22/stock-market-s-trade-of-the-year-was-long-inflation-short-tech" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">These Were the Best Trades in 2022</a>&nbsp;(Bloomberg)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/qai/2022/12/23/if-energy-stocks-are-undervalued-is-now-the-time-to-buy/?sh=3cfd576e435c">If Energy Stocks Are Undervalued, Is Now The Time To Buy?</a> (<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Derek Saul, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Tag: Coronavirus Pandemic

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FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

18.65% Electricity Tariff Hike In South Africa: What Are The Current Options?

Dahmer Victim’s Mother Blasts Netflix Series After Actor Wins Golden Globe—Latest Family Member To Speak Out

Uganda Sees End To Ebola

Weight-Loss Drugs And Surgery Now Recommended For Some Children: Here’s What’s Available And What Doctors May Prescribe

10 African Soccer Stars To Watch In 2023

South Africa Confirms First Case Of Most Transmissible Covid Subvariant

Meet The Entrepreneurs Who Designed Pollution-Killing Plants

Beyond STEM: The Nigerian Challenging Career Stigmas

Cancer Vaccine Trials—Using Same mRNA Tech Behind Covid Shots—Could Launch In U.K. This September

Part 2: Ventures And Valuations: Africa’s Billion-Dollar Startups￼

Crypto Broker Genesis Cuts 30% Of Staff, Reportedly Mulls Bankruptcy

Abortion Pills: What To Know About Mifepristone After FDA Expanded Drug To Pharmacies

This Company Is Canceling All Meetings With More Than Two Employees To Free Up Workers’ Time￼

Art For Advocacy And Adding To Rwanda’s Aesthetic Appeal

Energy Stocks Outshone Peers In 2022￼

Part 2: Ventures And Valuations: Africa’s Billion-Dollar Startups

This Company Is Canceling All Meetings With More Than Two Employees To Free Up Workers’ Time

Energy Stocks Outshone Peers In 2022