<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



States with an overexposure to artificial light pollution—particularly at night—are linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer&#8217;s disease, according to a new study by scientists at Rush University Medical Center, the latest research to suggest people’s likelihood of developing Alzheimer&#8217;s may be tied to their environments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



In the study published Friday by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2024.1378498/abstract" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Frontiers in Neuroscience</a>&nbsp;journal, scientists say exposure to artificial outdoor light at night was correlated with a higher risk of developing Alzheimer&#8217;s disease—though the study didn’t make a direct causal link.



Researchers used satellite acquired data to determine nighttime light intensity in states and compared that data with Alzheimer&#8217;s disease prevalence in the same states, finding that a positive correlation was found in states with the most light pollution in every year studied (from 2012 to 2018).



States with the most light pollution—and the highest Alzheimer&#8217;s disease prevalence—included Florida, Connecticut and New Jersey, while Montana, New Mexico, Vermont, Idaho, Wyoming and Oregon had lower instances of both.



Nighttime light pollution had a stronger correlation to Alzheimer&#8217;s disease risk than alcohol abuse, chronic kidney disease, depression, heart failure and obesity, the study showed, but less of a link to the conditions of atrial fibrillation, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and stroke.



In people under age 65, however, nighttime light exposure was more strongly associated with Alzheimer’s prevalence than any of the other disease factors studied.



Light pollution is the latest in a list of environmental factors that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/10-years-alzheimers-disease-and-related-dementias-research/increased-understanding-how-social#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20higher%20education%20levels,raises%20the%20risk%20of%20dementia." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">studies suggest</a>&nbsp;could be linked to the risk of developing Alzheimer&#8217;s disease, including living near green spaces, long-term exposure to air pollution and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7663191/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">chemical exposures</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">Big Number</h2>



80%. That’s how much of the global population experiences light pollution, according to the study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



Light pollution, defined as nighttime artificial light from, for example, poorly shielded and overly bright light fixtures, has long been considered to be mostly harmless, researchers said, but more recent studies have linked light pollution to harsh ecological, behavioral, biological, and health consequences. The concept of light pollution was first pointed out by astronomers in the 1970s, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2023/january/increasing-light-pollution-drowning-out-stars.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">National History Museum</a>, as those who studied the night sky noted the increasing impact of artificial light on their work. At the time, the sky was estimated to have been becoming brighter by between 3 and 6% every year, the museum said, but that rate has increased to almost 10% annually around the globe, with an even faster growth rate in North America (10.5%). In addition to impacting the view of the night sky—roughly 30% of people have lost the ability to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.noaa.gov/stories/milky-way-now-hidden-from-third-of-humanity#:~:text=June%2010%2C%202016,Image%20credit:%20National%20Park%20Service)" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">see the Milky Way</a>, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—scientists&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/light-pollution-health-climate/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">have noted</a>&nbsp;that over illumination at night highlights the waste of energy contributing to climate change and can decrease the nighttime cleansing of the atmosphere. Other research, like the study published Friday, is also increasingly starting to suggest light pollution can have adverse effects on human and wildlife health. Light pollution, from LED lights and electronic devices in particular, impacts circadian sleep rhythms, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-adopts-guidance-reduce-harm-high-intensity-street-lights" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">American Medical Association</a>, which can increase the risk of obesity and decrease the production of melatonin. Exposure to artificial outdoor light at night is also associated with increased obesity, depression, anxiety, memory dysfunction, atherosclerosis and cancer, the Rush University Medical Center says.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">Surprising Fact</h2>



Singapore, Qatar and Kuwait are among the most light polluted countries in the world, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/light-pollution/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">National Geographic</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">Tangent</h2>



Sea turtles have long been studied as a species dramatically impacted by light pollution. Female sea turtles lay their eggs on beaches and their hatchlings navigate toward the sea by using the natural light of the moon to orient themselves away from land and toward the sea. When artificial light sources are introduced and mimic that natural light, however, newly hatched turtles become disoriented and can accidentally navigate away from the sea—a mistake <a href="https://conserveturtles.org/information-sea-turtles-threats-artificial-lighting/#:~:text=Lighting%20near%20the%20shore%20also,is%20usually%20over%20the%20ocean." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">most don’t survive</a>. Similarly, about 10,000 migratory birds are hurt or killed each year by crashing into skyscrapers and high-rise buildings after being confused by brightly lit buildings, according to a study published in the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2627884/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Library of Medicine</a>.

Neurology research, conceptual image

Alzheimer’s Risk Linked To Light Pollution, New Study Finds

When Danai Gurira returned to the United States (U.S.) at the age of 19 from Zimbabwe, she was acutely aware that something was lacking in the way African stories were being told.



“This built up an outrage in me, so to speak, because I couldn’t see the African narrative told, in the United States, in a way that I felt portrayed us, in a way that was truthful, complex, full and humane… I saw that being allowed for the Western perspective, but not for our perspective,” she says.



Fast forward to 2024… It’s well after lunch in bustling New York City in the U.S. as Gurira logs on to Zoom for the interview, to reflect on her “strange geographical timeline”.



Born in the U.S., Gurira and her family moved back to Zimbabwe when she was fi ve years old. She then returned to attend school at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota’s capital city.



“When there was a perspective given for the African story, it was very much stereotyped; very one- to two-dimensional, and [it] fi lled me with more outrage,” Gurira tells FORBES AFRICA.



Her iconic role as General Okoye of the Dora Milaje in Marvel’s Academy Award-winning Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as well as her roles in Avengers: Infi nity War and Avengers: Endgame had a notable impact on the topic of representation of Africa in cinema.



Gurira recalls moments during the fi lming of the massive blockbuster, Black Panther, where everyone involved wanted to ensure they brought in “as much ‘African’ ” as possible to the entire production.



From language to consumption, everything was about “authentic representation”.


<div class="wp-block-image">
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“The pressure was there inside of ourselves because, if you get a platform that big, you have to bring your authenticity to it. The irony is, some people would say – who I disagree with – ‘if you get a platform that big, make sure that it is palatable to everybody’. And I say, ‘if you get a platform that big, get as specifi c in your authenticity as possible because then people will have to celebrate the fact that this is a story we’ve never seen, and why aren’t we seeing more of them?’ ”



Crossing the cultural bridge continued into the second part of the Black Panther franchise, even as the cast and crew mourned the loss of cast member and “leader”, Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in 2020 after a four-year battle with colon cancer.



“We had the most horrible tragedy in losing Chadwick,” Gurira says. “There was pressure in that we wanted to make sure we were honoring him, and we were honoring the legacy that he had left in terms of how he so beautifully and brilliantly led us through the first one.



“But it was also about a lot of processing and grieving that we had to walk through together.” 



Before her work with Marvel, earlier on in her career, Gurira had learned the power of saying ‘no’, something she encourages emerging African artists to do as well.



After finishing her graduate training, Gurira was approached to do playwright workshops in New York.



In a 2012 interview with Marin Theatre, Gurira said that playwriting became “a necessity, being the mother of invention type thing” as she wanted to see and perform stories that reflect her people.



The workshops in The Big Apple were an opportunity for her, as an actor, to help other playwrights. But again, she noted that the portrayal of Africans was being done in an “infantile way”.



“I remember I was just really furious, and I had a school-mate who was at a play workshop with me, and he said, ‘you have to start saying no’.”



However, for Gurira, this meant fighting for the portrayal of Africans and African-Americans to be accurate and genuine, no matter the medium. During her time as a play-wright, Eclipsed was reportedly the first Broadway play to have an all-female cast, writer and director. To further the perspectives of African women in mainstream theater, her stage plays – which also include In the Continuum and The Convert – give a voice to the untold narratives.



As a writer, Gurira’s focus and mandate is clear, even when she is adapting books – it needs to be about creating a vision and authentically telling a story that advocates for Africa.



Some individuals have openly identified the problematic theme surrounding stories about the continent in that they either perpetuate stereotypical and harmful narratives about Africa or come across as inaccurate.



In a 2023 academic article by Stellenbosch University’s Rebecca Pointer, she states that while some studies have suggested that the stereotypical Western mainstream media narratives about Africa may be shifting, there are still some platforms where these stereotypes continue to repeated.



“Behind these stereotypes is the assumption that Africans are poor, lack agency, and they frequently experience famine, such that only interventions from Western development agencies can help turn things around,” Pointer wrote in her study titled Beyond western Afro-pessimism: The African narrative in African and non-western countries. “While the [current] data are discouraging, there are pockets of hope on digital media (including social media), where women and youth are taking back the proverbial pen using storytelling and humour to show that Africa is neither monolithic, nor all doom and gloom,” Pointer adds.



“I created my first play (In The Continuum) because I was tired of the statistics around African women and HIV,” Gurira explains.



“It, sort of, was taking us away from being our fullest and just being individuals. We were statistics. And I was like, ‘let’s create a character that is telling a story where the audience can’t ignore her reality, her real human’.”



Gurira carried this passion into her work on film.



Notably, and recently, she has received a nomination by the Black Reel Awards for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series, for the fourth episode of the limited series The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, which is a spin-off to the popular horror-drama series, The Walking Dead.



The series reunites her character Michonne with co-star Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grime, to continue the journey and their love story in six episodes. Although Gurira’s final season was in 2020, she, Lincoln, and writer Scott M. Gimple had always hoped to return and continue Michonne’s story.



“So this was us finally fulfilling that promise to the fan-base,” Gurira says.



“Did I plan to be in this massive television franchise back in 2012 when I got that job? No, I had no idea that was coming to me. But it then became a thing where I’m part of something global and extremely popular. “[And then coming back] the power of that, as an African woman, is that I was now in a very, very powerful position in this very well-known franchise as a co-creator, executive producer, writer, and the star of the show. And that then allowed me a certain degree of power and connection to a process that I didn’t have 12 years ago when I got the job.”



While the world celebrates the strides that Africa has taken, especially from the lucrative creative economy, Gurira believes that Africans need to take ownership of their stories.



“I think I’m more concerned with us seeing us than what the West decides about us. If we are unapologetic in who we are and how we tell our stories, they’ll have to pay attention. But I think that, at the end of the day, we have to not make them our first concern. Our first concern is our pursuit of excellence and our pursuit of our narratives.” Off screen, as an ambassador for Irish singer-songwriter and activist Paul David Hewson’s Bono ONE campaign, as the co-founder of Almasi Arts Alliance, which supports African drama artists, and as the founder of Love Our Girls, Gurira is dedicated to furthering gender equality and policy change. “Don’t dilute yourself, even if people have to spend two hours reading subtitles – don’t dilute yourself. Tell it from a truthful, authentic place. And it might take a long time to find the right partners who see your vision, but they will come and you will be proud of what you’ve done,” concludes the artist who has done Africa proud.

Screenshot 2024-09-05 at 12.29.44

Zimbabwean-American Actor-Playwright Danai Gurira: ‘Our First Concern Is The Pursuit Of Excellence And Our Narratives’

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is currently in China for his second state visit, along with his participation in the Summit of The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) this week. This visit underscores a deepening of bilateral relations, focusing on trade negotiations, political alignment, and strategic financial cooperation, signaling a strengthening of both political and economic ties between the two nations.



&#8220;We are seeking to shift the structure of our trade profile and deepen our investment relationship,” President Ramaphosa emphasized during his address to the SA-China Business Forum. “It is up to us to seize these opportunities and take the economic relationship between our two countries to the next level.&#8221;



Since the formalization of diplomatic relations in 1998, the partnership between South Africa and China has grown significantly. The cooperation has expanded year-on-year, not only in trade and investment but also through broader strategic initiatives, such as their mutual membership in the BRICS bloc. China is South Africa’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching almost $40 billion in 2023.



Veteran economist Dawie Roodt is clear in highlighting the import of strengthening trade relations with such an economic powerhouse, but also makes clear the importance of shifting the nature of such trade in a manner beneficial to South Africa.



“By purchasing power parity, the Chinese economy is the largest in the world,” says Roodt in an interview with FORBES AFRICA. “I do hope that something will come from this in terms of China actually importing more manufactured goods from South Africa.”



China appears to have listened. During today’s session of the FOCAC Summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged nearly $51 billion in new funding for Africa over the next three years, signaling a strong commitment to deepening China-Africa relations.



This funding includes support for 30 infrastructure projects and 30 clean energy initiatives across the continent, emphasizing China&#8217;s strategic shift toward sustainable development. &#8220;China is ready to deepen cooperation with African countries in industry, agriculture, infrastructure, trade, and investment,&#8221; President Xi stated in today’s address, underscoring the importance of building a &#8220;China-Africa network featuring land-sea links and coordinated development&#8221;. South African exports to China are primarily focused on minerals and agriculture, while imports from China consist largely of manufactured goods. However, the trade imbalance remains a concern, with South Africa importing about twice as much from China as it exports. President Ramaphosa reiterated this concern during his meetings with Chinese leaders, stating, &#8220;We would like to narrow the trade deficit and address the structure of our trade.&#8221;



China’s increasing economic footprint in Africa is also a critical factor in the relationship. With loans totaling $4.61 billion to the continent last year and a growing number of developmental projects, China’s influence in Africa continues to expand. This expansion is not without strategic implications. As part of the broader Belt and Road Initiative, China&#8217;s investments in infrastructure, technology, and renewable energy align with its goals to build stronger ties with African nations.



For South Africa, this means leveraging these investments to boost local manufacturing and job creation. &#8220;We urge for more sustainable manufacturing and job-creating investments,&#8221; President Ramaphosa said, reflecting South Africa&#8217;s push for development that extends beyond raw materials and goods.



This goal appears to be reciprocated, with China aiming to expand market access and facilitate technology transfers, which could benefit South Africa by boosting local industries and creating jobs. With a promise to create at least one million jobs in Africa and to provide $70 billion in fresh investments by Chinese companies as part of the overall funding package, these commitments align with South Africa&#8217;s goals to diversify its economy and reduce its trade deficit with China. This development presents opportunities for South Africa to enhance its export profile, particularly in manufactured goods and value-added products.



On the political front, both nations operate under the framework of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). However, discussions during this visit included a proposal to upgrade the relationship to an All-Round Strategic Cooperative Partnership in a New Era. This new level of partnership would not only increase trade ties and commercial commitments but also enhance political alignment, a move clearly indicated in the joint statement issued by both countries on Monday. The statement reaffirmed South Africa’s support for the “One-China policy” and recognized Taiwan as &#8220;an inalienable part of China.&#8221;



Despite this greater political closeness, Roodt is not cynical as to how this might affect South Africa’s broader international relations, but highlighted that this step should not be seen as the sole point around which the country’s trade pivots. “I don&#8217;t think this is going to be an obstacle to our trade and our relationship with other countries, especially the West… As a small, developing, and open economy, South Africa would like to do business with everybody, and establish similar agreements with other countries as well.”



Additionally, both leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in governance, green technologies, and digital transformation, underscoring the importance of mutual learning and technological exchange. This aligns with South Africa&#8217;s goal to modernize its economy and move towards sustainable development.



As discussions continue, South Africa is poised to advocate for better terms in its economic dealings with China, seeking to balance its trade deficit while expanding cooperation in critical areas such as renewable energy, technology, and infrastructure. The outcomes of these negotiations will likely shape the future trajectory of China-South Africa relations and their collective impact on the African continent&#8217;s economic landscape.

2024 Summit Of The Forum On China-Africa Cooperation – Day 3

South Africa And China Deepen Ties With $51 Billion Commitment And Strategic Partnership Upgrade During State Visit

A personal health crisis spurred Ebun Feludu to switch to using coconut milk, and today, through her enterprise, she is on a valuable mission to plant over a million coconut trees with other farmers in Nigeria.



Kokari, which means ‘let the good go around’ in Yoruba, is a mantra Ebun Feludu has lived by for as long as she can remember. As the founder of Kokari Coconuts in Nigeria, she is on a mission to bring the health and economic benefits of the coconut crop to the world.



The genesis of her passion for economic empowerment, however, was crystalized when Feludu saw firsthand the impact her father’s death had on her mother.



“He died in his early 40s and it was a shock for my mom because she had leaned on him for support throughout and it was difficult for her when that support was no longer there. She was on her own with six children and that made an impression on me because his passing made me lose a piece of her as well – that had an impact on me,” says Feludu.



Since then, she made the decision to put women at the center of her business to ensure they are economically-empowered and able to weather life’s many storms. Following several stints in the media sector, Feludu also had a life-altering moment when she fell ill due to lactose intolerance.



“In December 2015, I had some milk and fell very ill. It was incredibly scary for everyone. It was at this point that I knew that I couldn’t consume milk anymore; I knew it didn’t agree with me and I just had to find an alternative. I lived in Lagos, so coconut was everywhere,” says Feludu.



“I started playing around with coconut milk and my kids loved it, so I started moving in that way. I later found out that about 80% of Africans and 68% of the world’s population are also lactose-intolerant, but a lot of us just deal with it because, for the most part, it does not have that much of a negative impact or affect us in an extreme way anyway.”



And just like that, Kokari was born.



Feludu spent some time in India learning about the coconut value chain, from seedling to farming and factory processing, before finally returning to Nigeria to set up her own factory with $200,000 of her personal funds.



“In the early stages, I was very clear that I wanted this to be a legacy business – coconut is a legacy business because if you plant the coconut, it can stay for about 100 years,” she says.



The coconut products market size is estimated at about $4.96 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach $7.98 billion by 2029, as per data intelligence platform, Mordor Intelligence.



In Nigeria, that economic power is already being harnessed.



Stephanie Ofori, a management consultant, has been living in the bustling cosmopolitan area of Ikoyi in Nigeria, for the past five years. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she too had a life-changing experience when she endured complications brought on by lactose intolerance.



“It turned out that although I could previously digest lactose, it had caused a lot of damage to me. I was suffering from an infection which meant I had to undergo surgery on my small intestine. It was a really scary time because it happened during Covid and I honestly thought I was not going to make it,” recalls Ofori.



The condition is one in which you develop digestive symptoms such as diarrhea or gas after consuming food that contains lactose.



Since her recovery, Ofori has completely changed her lifestyle, opting for a plant-based diet which includes the use of coconut milk, which she buys from Kokari.



“After my surgery, I started researching plant-based diets and discovered the many health benefits of coconut milk. That is when I stumbled on Kokari and have never looked back,” she says.



According to Dr Nma Okechukwu-Okoroji, President of the National Coconut Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NACOPPMAN), the crop can add an estimated $400 billion to the Nigerian economy annually.



“What we are advocating for is to get the more innovative and modern seedlings from Asia. The yield is much greater with these modern seedlings and that means that the farmer can generate a lot more revenue from them because they have an average life span of about 80 years,” says Okechukwu-Okoroji.



Kokari has diversified from producing just coconut milk to over 10 products, all certified by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). These range from coconut snacks to skincare and even oral hygiene products.



“The coconut value chain is a $38 billion market and what we found is that most of the coconuts we get from Nigeria are imported. I am on a mission to plant over one million coconut trees with other farmers,” says Feludu.



For her, this business is also a major source of economic empowerment for women, so 80% of her workforce at Kokari is women.



“I am passionate about creating value; for women to earn economic independence. We have now created Kokari Café which is our distribution model. It is solar-powered and run by women and our vision is to grow to hundreds of shops run by women so they can also share in the value chain,” she says.



Okechukwu-Okoroji shares Feludu’s passion.



“The good thing about coconut is that it can be planted along- side other food crops like cassava without it affecting the growth, so we encourage farmers to incorporate coconut in their crops. Agricultural entrepreneurs can earn billions of naira annually from coconut production,” adds Okechukwu-Okoroji.



In addition to acquiring over 10 acres of land and growing the company’s distribution outlets, Feludu supplies seedlings to other farmers.



Kokari has also recently broken into the United States (U.S.) market, with an exhibition at the PACK EXPO East in Philadelphia, which allowed them to connect with international buyers.



It has not all been smooth sailing, but for Feludu, navigating soaring fuel prices, which peaked at about 400% this year alone, as well as delayed payments from retailers in Nigeria, has only helped to strengthen and diversify her business model.



“Last year, we had a major retailer owing us so much money, we almost shut down. Our Kokari outlet helped us with cash flow; to help us deal with retailers not paying us promptly. Also, the cost of electricity and fuel to power the place forced us to move to solar as a source to power our business,” says Feludu.



“We are grateful we are doing that, and this is the model that we will take [to] the other outlets.”



According to Feludu, the goal for up-and-coming agricultural entrepreneurs should be to solve problems bigger than themselves.



“If you are solving your own problem, you can start and end it in a short amount of time. But when your ‘why’ is bigger than you, then you have the focus, the passion and drive to pursue a dream that is much bigger,” she says. Her ‘why’ is to plant the million coconut trees and create a coconut city where everything from farm to factory, as well as schools, hospitals and amenities in the entire community, is supported by the coconut enterprise. And all while placing women at the heart of economic development.

Kokari Café is solar-powered and run by women

Seed Capital: The Nigerian Farmer Wanting To Plant A Million Coconut Trees

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



The first mRNA mpox vaccine to be pitted against licensed vaccines beat its rivals by easing symptoms and potentially cutting transmission, according to new research published Tuesday, a coup for manufacturer Moderna as it strives to prove itself beyond COVID-19 amid efforts to contain an escalating outbreak of mpox in Africa.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



The peer reviewed study, published in the journal Cell, marks the first time an mRNA vaccine has been directly compared to the already-licenced shot, Bavarian Nordic’s modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vaccine, sold under brand names Jynneos, Imvamune and Imvanex, in nonhuman primates, said Moderna virology researcher and author Alec Freyn.



To test the two shots, researchers from Moderna, the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Boston University gave each vaccine to six macaques, exposing them to a lethal strain of the virus eight weeks later and monitoring their health and blood for signs of an immune response for another month.



All animals vaccinated with Bavarian Nordic’s MVA shot and Moderna’s experimental vaccine, mRNA-1769, survived the trial, while five of the six macaques in an unvaccinated control group died from the disease, researchers said, and the Moderna group had higher numbers of antibodies in blood samples, suggesting a stronger immune response.



As well as preventing lethal infections, the researchers said Moderna’s investigational vaccine reduced disease severity compared to the licensed shot—mRNA-immunized macaques had a maximum of 54 mpox lesions compared to 607 in the Bavarian group and 1,448 in the unvaccinated group—and shortened disease duration by more than 10 days.



Macaques in the mRNA group also had lower amounts of the mpox virus in both their blood and throat swabs, suggesting Moderna’s vaccine could also be effective at reducing virus transmission.



“With the mRNA technology, we&#8217;re able to produce a vaccine that gives quite potent responses with a very tolerable safety profile,” said senior author Jay Hooper, a virologist at USAMRIID, adding that an mRNA shot could help prevent the disease spreading without the safety issues that prevent widespread use of some other vaccines used for mpox, such as Emergent BioSolutions’ smallpox shot ACAM2000.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral illness caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. In August, the World Health Organization&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/08/16/who-declares-mpox-a-public-health-emergency-heres-what-to-know/">declared</a>&nbsp;a growing outbreak in central Africa a public health emergency of international concern. It is the second time the agency has made such a warning, the highest level of alert it can sound under international law, in as many years, following a global outbreak in 2022. That&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/08/21/mpox-explained-key-details-on-latest-virus-outbreak/">outbreak</a>, which predominantly affected gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, was driven by a different and milder variant behind the outbreak we are seeing now, which data suggests could kill as many as 10% of people it infects. Young children, pregnant people and those with compromised immune systems are particularly at risk and symptoms of infection include a fever, swollen lymph nodes and characteristic, pus-filled rash. The virus spreads primarily through close contact with infected people, animals or contaminated materials like towels and while the variant was historically limited to small outbreaks in central Africa, it appears to have mutated into a more transmissible form.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-news-peg">News Peg</h2>



The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there have been at least 17,500 cases and 517 deaths from the virus in 2024 alone, though officials acknowledge surveillance is limited and warn the figure is potentially much higher. Amid ongoing outbreaks of the clade IIb virus variant responsible for the 2022 global outbreak, a handful of clade Ib infections have since been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/08/21/mpox-explained-key-details-on-latest-virus-outbreak/">reported</a>&nbsp;outside of Africa, including in Sweden and Thailand, though most are still located within the Democratic Republic of Congo and nearby countries. While there are a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/08/22/mpox-vaccine-maker-bavarian-nordic-shares-soar-amid-concern-over-virus-outbreak/">number</a>&nbsp;of authorized vaccines for use against mpox, constraints like cost, availability or suitability have hindered widespread uptake. Supplies of the preferred shot, Bavarian Nordic’s MVA vaccine, are limited, for example, and it is relatively expensive and has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/cases-data/JYNNEOS-vaccine-effectiveness.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">limited</a>&nbsp;effectiveness at reducing the severity of symptoms and curbing transmissibility. Emergent’s ACAM2000, on the other hand, is in plentiful supply due to stockpiling against a potential smallpox threat and can cut the risk of transmission effectively but the risk of severe side effects may make widespread use inappropriate.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">What To Watch For</h2>



The tests Moderna are conducting in nonhuman primates are being run&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/new-mpox-vaccine-being-tested-in-the-uk/35622" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">alongside tests</a>&nbsp;in humans. The company’s mRNA-1796 shot is being assessed in an early stage clinical trial to determine safety, tolerability and immune response over a range of doses. The outcomes of this will determine the trajectory of future trials for the vaccine.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-do-mrna-vaccines-work">How Do Mrna Vaccines Work?</h2>



Vaccines train your body to fight off pathogens in a safer way than if they were encountered naturally. This involves presenting the immune system with something it would later recognize and respond to if encountered at a later date, giving it a head start to help prevent infection entirely or reduce disease transmissibility and the severity of symptoms. Most vaccines make use of a weakened or inactivated (killed) version of the disease-causing germ, or a specific part of the germ like a protein or sugar, to spark an immune response, which impose limits on how fast a new shot can be developed and scaled up. mRNA shots work by providing instructions to the body allowing it to produce part of the germ itself, triggering an immune response without needing any exposure to the germ. By nature, mRNA shots can be more flexible and specific than shots using the entire virus.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-can-mrna-vaccines-help-tackle-emerging-pandemics">Can Mrna Vaccines Help Tackle Emerging Pandemics?</h2>



The swift development, testing and approval of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic was a landmark moment for public health and the first time mRNA shots had been authorized after decades of struggles and setbacks. The scalability of mRNA vaccines outpaced more traditional methods, illustrating why experts now believe the technology platform will be a crucial tool for tackling emerging pandemic <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/07/03/gsk-secures-mrna-vaccines-for-bird-flu-covid-and-seasonal-flu-from-struggling-biotech-curevac/">threats</a>. Many experts and health groups like the <a href="https://www.who.int/activities/prioritizing-diseases-for-research-and-development-in-emergency-contexts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Health Organization</a> and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (<a href="https://cepi.net/priority-diseases" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CEPI</a>) flag diseases like <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/07/02/moderna-scores-federal-funding-for-mrna-bird-flu-vaccine-as-pandemic-fears-grow/">bird flu</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/07/22/what-to-know-about-the-deadly-nipah-virus-as-india-races-to-contain-another-outbreak/">Nipah</a>, Lassa Fever, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/03/27/what-is-marburg-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-killer-ebola-like-virus-spreading-in-parts-of-africa/">Ebola and Marburg</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/10/23/us-scientists-deliberately-infected-people-with-zika-heres-why/">Zika</a>, coronaviruses like COVID-19, SARS and MERS and Rift Valley fever as urgent priorities for research given their high potential to seed future pandemics and the absence of countermeasures. Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/05/22/british-scientists-warned-monkeypox-would-fill-void-left-smallpox/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">some experts</a> have long <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/05/27/1101751627/scientists-warned-us-about-monkeypox-in-1988-heres-why-they-were-right" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warned</a> one of humanity’s greatest public health achievements—the eradication of smallpox through a highly successful vaccination campaign—has potentially left the world vulnerable to outbreaks of related diseases that can exploit our lack of immunity now that we no longer immunize ourselves against it. Mpox, an Orthopoxvirus like smallpox virus variola, is one such threat, and there are many other viruses in the group like camelpox, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/02/12/what-to-know-about-alaskapox-after-officials-confirm-first-death-from-recently-discovered-virus/">Alaskapox</a>, cowpox, rabbitpox, dolphinpox and horsepox, some of which are known to infect humans and for which the risks are Blood serum from vaccinated macaques “neutralized not only mpox but also vaccinia, cowpox, rabbitpox, camelpox, and ectromelia virus,” Freyn said, a sign the vaccine would convey at least some protection against the virus. “We believe that this vaccine may protect from other Orthopoxvirus threats that may emerge in the future,” he said.

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

Moderna’s First mRNA Mpox Vaccine Beats Licensed Rival Shots In Early Testing

From Tems to Tyla, African music has had a great year thus far, especially for female artists across the continent. The success of artists like Ayra Starr or Fave has been one that Afropop queen, Yemi Alade, has inadvert- tently had a lot to do with.



“Sometimes I feel like there are no expectations of the female artist, that is the problem,” the Nigerian singer and song- writer tells FORBES AFRICA. “I think that all the expecta- tions are on male artists and none for females… For the guys, even when they don’t do their best, they are applauded, it’s a worldwide celebration. There isn’t much we can do about that, because whether we like it or not, it’s a man’s world. But guess what? Women created the world.”



Alade released her highly-anticipated sixth studio al- bum and tenth project overall, Rebel Queen (which also features five-time Grammy award-winning artist Angélique Kidjo) in July. The Grammy and Latin GRAMMY Award-winning artist says that this album signifies Alade’s “boundless, un- apologetic love” for her African heritage and her “commitment to charting her own path in the music industry”.



“It signifies a lot to me and my journey so far,” says Alade. “The one thing that I honestly wanted to do with this album was to go back to the music that I grew up listening to as a kid, when my parents took me to family parties. [I just wanted to make] nostalgic music, go back to the core of Afrobeats as I remember it. I wanted to give my take on that musically and my own rendition, as well as some of my experiences, my opinions, and just share that with the world.”



Known to the world for her feature on global icon Beyonce’s The Power, Alade was the first African female Afropop artist to hit over a hundred million views on YouTube and VEVO with her hit single Johnny, which is also one of the most- viewed music videos from Africa and among Afrobeats’ biggest songs of all time.



“I always tell my people [who are aspiring artists] is you need to be true to yourself if you have chosen to follow a dream. A dream is a big deal. A dream is what you see when you’re asleep. A dream is what no one else can see but you. It’s a physical and spiritual journey. If that is something that you truly want to chase in your real life, you must under- stand that it is not going to be easy, and it will come with its obstacles and hurdles. What’s important is that you maintain [your] vision.”

Yemi Alade 002 (1)

‘Going Back To The Music I Grew Up Listening To’: The Afropop Rebel Queen With A Dream

Mpumelelo Mhlongo went into the T44 100-meters final at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games filled with self-belief having claimed the World Championship title in the last two years, and he delivered a first gold medal for South Africa.



Medals for Africa as a continent have been hard to come by at the Games so far with Namibia’s Lahja Ishitile taking gold in the women’s T11 400-m and Algeria leading the way with two golds and two bronze.



But the sprint events are always marquee and the 30-year-old Mhlongo is a superstar, adding to his already sky-high reputation with Olympic gold.



He lives with constriction ring syndrome and club foot, but despite this, has excelled on the track, and now on the biggest stage available to him.



He won gold in a time of 11.12 seconds, edging Yamel Vives Suares of Cuba (11.20s) to first place.



“I didn&#8217;t execute as well as I could have. I think the whole atmosphere got to me. And almost at 60 meters, I had to wake up and say, ‘hey, I need to finish this race properly’,&#8221; Mhlongo said.



&#8220;I think my coach (Jason Sewanyana) made it simple. He said &#8216;don&#8217;t feel any pressure, it&#8217;s my plan, you just go out and execute. What has happened before doesn&#8217;t mean that the gold is guaranteed for you, but fight for it to the last step’, and that&#8217;s what I did.&#8221;



Mhlongo, who is also a chemical engineering PhD student at the University of Cape Town, felt the support of his family in Paris.



&#8220;With my wife in the stands, my mother for the first time ever, my mother-in-law. Having my family here is everything I could have asked for,&#8221; he said.



Mhlongo may not be done yet, he will also compete in the 200m and the long jump, though in both cases against athletes who are allowed to use prostheses, which will give them an advantage in the competition.



&#8220;We&#8217;ve got huge plans at the very least, two more events. My coach says &#8216;at least one record’. So let me make sure that I make my coach proud.&#8221;

Para Athletics – Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games: Day 4

Fighting To The Last Step: The South African Gold Medalist At The Paralympic Games In Paris

Amid the widespread global support for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there was an underlying concern among economists and financial advisors in the emerging and frontier markets: public sector and donor funds were stalled, if not regressing, and the funding gap to realize the SDGs was incre sing. The challenge was to incentivize and mobilize private capital, reduce risk-return profiles, and avoid conflicts of i terest such as institutions providing commercial financing and managing concessional resources.



In 2002, the European Bank for Reconstructio and Development provided project finance subsidies to multinational funders. Seven years later, a $30 million Clean Technology Fund Renewable Financing Facility was used to finance a 250MW wind project in Mexico. These were early steps in using a mix of public and private capital to support clean energy projects in developing countries.



Today, the term ‘blended finance’ is much more common, as multilateral institutions and donors invest more official development assistance (ODA) in this way.



Using development finance and philanthropic funds to drive private capital flows to emerging and developing markets is an accepted catalyst that helps to bridge the financing gap and contribute to the SDGs.



Blended finance is being used successfully in sectors including renewable energy infrastructure, urban transport, and agriculture. The Global Environment Facility —an independent financial organization established in 1991 comprising representatives from 32 constituencies — is a prime example, using blended finance to scale up financing for renewable energy technologies in developing countries.



South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) exemplifies how blended finance can help renewable projects. The government provided initial support and guarantees to mitigate risks for private investors and international financiers; development finance institutions offered concessional loans and guarantees to cover political/credit risks in this emerging market; and a robust regulatory framework with power purchase agreements ensured predictable investment returns. By blending public de-risking instruments with private capital, the program successfully unlocked renewable energy investment by addressing investor concerns upfront through an enabling policy environment.



Managing the risk



Blended finance clearly depends on public sector support to encourage private investment in emerging markets. However, legal frameworks, stability, and transparency must be addressed; clear laws and policies are essential, while ensuring clarity and accountability in complex financing arrangements. Governments and international institutions are crucial in facilitating this environment.



Blended finance fund recipients acknowledge that, while beneficial in attracting private investment for public projects, there are potential risks. In the worst case scenario, misalignment between the financial objectives of private investors and the social or environmental goals of public or philanthropic funders may lead to reputational damage if investments result in unintended negative social or environmental impacts. Therefore, it is essential to customize ODA by considering the appropriate use of blending in emerging markets.



Solving for the opportunity



Mitigating the risks requires a robust financial ecosystem that fosters public-private dialogue and partnerships, enhanced due diligence, and the involvement of local communities.



Multilateral development banks and international financial institutions can create the right climate for investment, encouraging participation by pooling capital from public, private and philanthropic sources to spread risk. They can also offer risk-sharing instruments such as guarantees or insurance products to protect against political, credit and currency risks, thereby mitigating potential losses and making projects more attractive to investors.



Banks and financial institutions on the ground, with longstanding market expertise, can help promote consensus among stakeholders to establish principles for structuring and allocating blended finance, which can prove valuable.



The private sector can provide technical assistance to strengthen project preparation, build the capacity of local partners, and ensure that projects are developed with sound governance practices and business plans.



Conclusion



Developing countries are still far short of the financing required to achieve SDG Agenda 2030. Leveraging private finance is only part of the solution – getting the finance to where it is most needed is what matters. Blended finance can, and should, play a crucial role in achieving global development goals facilitating large-scale capital mobilization and ensuring that such mobilizations are carried out responsibly and sustainably, ultimately contributing to a more equitable and sustainable global economy.

Sustainable energy circular chart

Expert-Speak: Blended Finance – Bridging The Gap In Emerging Markets In Support Of The SDGs

Cannes Lions International Festival Of Creativity 2024 – Day Three

The Top 10 Richest People In The World (September 2024)

Sunil Kaushal, the new Co-Head for Corporate and Investment Banking at Standard Chartered, has been with the group since 1998 and in the banking business for the last 36 years. In a chat with us in February this year, when he was Regional CEO for Africa and the Middle East, he talked about the bank’s strategies in the emerging markets of Africa, where he has been traveling to for the last two decades. Seated on Ghanaian-inspired sofas in his Dubai office – boasting a full view of the iconic Museum of the Future and the walls adorned with art from Africa – he also spoke about his simple, straightforward leadership style and what drives him to wake up at 4AM every day. Excerpts from the interview:



Focus on Africa including launching digital banks across nine markets 



Africa has been one of our most important markets in terms of differentiation. We consider our presence there to be very strategic and important. We are in all of Asia; the only bank in every ASEAN market&#8230; But when you talk about Africa, each country is different in its own way. Africa is not without challenges but it has been very resilient as well. I do believe that setbacks and a host of political as well as governance issues have resulted in Africa not performing to its potential, but hopefully, in the coming years, that will change… There’s huge potential in terms of demographics, infrastructure and technology; many markets have leapfrogged.



We remain very constructive on Africa, but are also conscious about the challenges there and have navigated them, because we’ve made those risk calls way ahead of the actual events happening. We repositioned our business eight to 10 years ago on the retail side towards digital, [when] there was no rush to get it done, but we made that call early on, and took some difficult decisions. And the last seven to eight years, for every award for digital banking across every category, Standard Chartered has stood out. Africa is a very dynamic market; it requires you to have a good feel for the pulse on the ground. Big changes are happening but the continent needs a lot more in the years to come, and that’s where the fantastic opportunity is.



On the growing Middle East-Africa ties



Not many people are aware that the Middle East has been investing in Africa in a pretty significant way; from investments in mines to ports to logistics. Basically, you step back and look at what’s happening is that Africa is a big market and this part of the world (the Middle East) has got the capital, and of course, it produces energy, petroleum and petroleum products. And there’s a market there waiting to be tapped, and they’re creating their linkages. We work with clients here and one of the topics in all our meetings with the government is around access into Africa, and there are not many banks that will provide that. So it is broad-based, it is capital being invested, it is products being sold, it is assets that are being acquired. So, there’s a whole area of activity taking place and it’s only going to increase, as they get a better understanding of the continent, and you get comfortable with doing business on the continent. We have to remember that the perceived risk of Africa is much higher than the actual risk and you can only appreciate that when you’re on the ground.



Promoting young entrepreneurs



I don’t think there’s any magic formula to it. We need to support the creation of business opportunities in the economy itself. If you really develop the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement, there will be more trade, more manufacturing, more entrepreneurs; if you invest in digitization, digital platforms themselves will create self-employment opportunities for entrepreneurs to come up with new, innovative ways of selling. So, I think it’s very important to create the enabling environment. Of course, the provision of finance is very important. And again, that gets allocated and becomes available if you have the right institutions, the right governance frameworks, the ability to lend in a transparent way or in an informed way, and get your money back when it’s due. So, finance is very important as well in terms of being one of the building blocks to really promote entrepreneurship. We try to do our bit through the Futuremakers Program, which was my focus, for education, employability and creating opportunities. We worked with various institutions to incubate firms, provide them small amounts of finance, hand-hold them in terms of how they manage businesses, governance, etc. We are doing our bit, but there’s lots to be done. And I think it’s a broader ecosystem that you create, which will then ensure that businesses take advantage of that.



Mentoring young people within the organization



We have started creating a very structured way of building the talent pipeline at various levels. We have a leadership program to mentor and interact with our talent in Africa and the Middle East. The idea is that they get opportunities to work on different projects. They have an opportunity to interact with senior regional management teams, and the progress is tracked based on performance and on the leadership skills in the sectors we serve. It’s a formal program, and we’re very proud about it, and now, it’s adopted globally. And then we have another program that’s more targeted with a smaller cohort, which is building a pipeline for very senior roles. And they are then addressed by the global management team, which I am also part of, and tracked very closely in terms of opportunities. Both cohorts would be in the running whenever big opportunities come on.



Perspectives on sustainability and climate change



The bank is deeply engaged. And I generally feel that in all forms of financing we do, sustainability is going to play a big part and link to climate change. But it’s broader than just climate change transition. It’s adaptation. And ESG investing. It is around how we manage in a way that our portfolios are well-protected. So, we’ve made various commitments around the financing. We have created a new business line out of it, and I think it’s going to be the most exciting, which is sustainable finance. It is an opportunity for us to really differentiate ourselves because we have started early. And we invest a lot in our people, in our products, and the accolades we receive are a testament that we are doing extremely well.



Personal leadership style 



It’s more about ensuring that when you have a strategy in place, execution becomes very important. And that comes through straightforward, simple communication and a sharp focus on delivery. That’s very important. Otherwise, I find you waste a lot of time in conversations without action. My own leadership style would be to really get the best out of people by engaging them and getting the buy-in on a common purpose. Otherwise, you sort of lose them. You can have very fancy aspirations, but if your team is not aligned or doesn’t buy in, it’s going to be extremely difficult. So, invest time to really get the alignment. Once you do, you need to focus on delivery. If you’re firm and fair, people generally see it and deliver their best. So, mine is a pretty straightforward, simple, no-nonsense style.



My approach always has been, ‘don’t come up with problems’, because that’s the easiest way – to outsource your problems to your boss, and I have zero time for that. If you come with a problem, also come with a solution. If you don’t have the solution, don’t come with the problem. So, it forces people to think two steps ahead. It’s not that I don’t like to hear what the problems are, but then come up and say, ‘listen, if this is a problem, let’s try and do it this way, and I think it will work’. To me, that’s a more intelligent conversation. It’s my job then to clear the blockages and get them the resources to make that happen. I’m not expecting every junior person to have access to all the resources, but at least come up with ideas and become more stimulating. People appreciate that.



On the entrepreneurial mindset



That’s extremely important, but you also have to be nimble enough. You should recognize that if a certain thing is not working, even if you’re invested in it, you should have the ability to move on and be vulnerable enough to do that than say, ‘no, I’ll persist, and I’ll persist’. It does not mean you’re not tenacious. You have to be tenacious, but if you realize that you have made a mistake, you should have the humility to accept it and then move on and change course. [One of the] big things that kill people at top positions is ego. Particularly in this region, where things keep changing so dynamically, make a call. You get your best shot. If you realize you made a mistake, change course.



Secret to staying the course



Endurance! There is no shortcut to success. My advice to all youngsters is, first of all, ask yourself, ‘what are you trying to really achieve, and are you really good at it?’ And then, ‘are you investing enough on a daily basis to master it?’ Because if you’re saying ‘I’m going to be the number one in payments or cyber or digital’, then invest every day and try to be the best at it. Because this is something which builds on, it has the flywheel effect, once you’ve accumulated the knowledge base.



Growing up in Mumbai



My father was an engineer and from a family of doctors, so, when I took up finance, I was told that there’s nobody in the family who can help me as there was no one in finance. From my early teens, I decided I wanted to be a banker, I had no other desire. My father worked for a steel company, and we lived in this community close to the steel factory, and I used to visit his office, in town at Nariman Point, and I used to see all these fancy banks, you know, people in suits and ties. They dealt with money and I said, ‘okay, what do I need to do to deal with money?’ So, I learned finance. My very first job was at American Express in Mumbai and then I went to New York. But I was ambitious to learn about every facet of banking: treasury markets, corporate banking, retail banking&#8230;



Anecdotes on your first job



I used to dress up very well, always in dark blue. Those days, you had to travel in the Mumbai local train [to get to work], so I would fold my jacket and put it in my briefcase, and wore it at work. I did that for a year or so before getting my own first car, a Premier Padmini, which I loved.



Coming to the Middle East in 1998



That’s when the entire Sheikh Zayed Road stretch was developing. There was nothing but sand, and they said, ‘we’re going to have 700 buildings’. Dubai is a phenomenal story, [because of ] the leadership and there are so many lessons to learn from it. I am a big fan of Dubai.



Thoughts when you wake up everyday



That I want to make a difference. The one thing I can do sitting at the top is clear the blockages. And I say it with all sincerity. Many a time, people don’t tell you the full picture, so, you kind of probe them, or try to use your connections to figure out what’s blocking things. Because this is a great bank. It has a great history and massive potential. We are in the world’s most dynamic market. We are a super connector of capital, trade, etc. Not many banks can claim to have that, so how do you really clear the blockages? What frustrates me sometimes is if you’re not getting things done quickly.



Idea of relaxation



I play golf. I’m a very relaxed person. I sleep at 9.30PM and get up at four o’clock. I am able to switch off every day as you should. I love to go for holidays in Africa. I’ve traveled to South Africa many times but would love to do Serengeti, Masai Mara and Victoria Falls.

Sunil Kaushal (Image by Priscilla Selhorst)

CEO Strategies: The No-Nonsense Global Banker On His Straightforward Leadership Style

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



Managing the early stages of medication abortion care at home later in pregnancy is safe and cuts down time spent in hospital, according to new research&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01079-1/fulltext" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">published</a>&nbsp;on Thursday, which researchers say could boost access to the procedure as reproductive rights stand out as a key issue in the 2024 election.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



Almost all abortions in the United States are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/reproductive-health/data-statistics/abortion-surveillance-findings-reports.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">performed</a>&nbsp;at or before 13 weeks of pregnancy—the first trimester—according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and clinical guidelines typically recommend the procedure be performed exclusively in clinical settings after the 12-week mark so patients can remain under observation.



Medication abortions involve taking two types of pills to end pregnancy—mifepristone, which blocks a hormone needed for pregnancy to continue, and misoprostol, which makes the womb contract—and for abortions after 12 weeks patients are usually given mifepristone in a clinic and return to a day or two later to receive misoprostol until the procedure is complete, a process that frequently requires an overnight stay in hospital.



Based on a randomized control trial of 435 women having a medical abortion between 12 and 22 weeks published in the Lancet medical journal, researchers from universities and hospitals in Sweden found medical abortions conducted after 12 weeks of pregnancy were as safe and as effective when misoprostol was started at home instead of in hospital and that women managing the early stages of care at home spent less time in hospital.



Of the pregnant people starting misoprostol at home and returning to clinics to receive further doses—several are usually required to complete the procedure—71% spent fewer than nine hours in hospital, compared to 46% of those in the hospital treatment group, the peer reviewed study showed.



There were no differences in the pain reported by patients in either group, the type and number of side effects or rates of hospital admission earlier than what was planned, the researchers said, adding that a follow up survey revealed 78% of the home group said they preferred their allocated treatment option compared to just 49% of the hospital group.



One of the study’s authors Johanna Rydelius, a gynecologist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and researcher at the University of Gothenburg, said the findings offer a safe alternative to a practice that often requires overnight stays many women “find stressful and isolating” and could potentially lead to more “feelings of autonomy during a time where women can feel extremely vulnerable.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">Crucial Quote</h2>



“Increasing access to abortion later in pregnancy is a crucial component of the struggle for reproductive autonomy,” said Heidi Moseson and Caitlin Gerdts, researchers at Ibis Reproductive Health, a U.S. non-profit reproductive health research organization, in a linked comment piece published alongside the study in the Lancet. Given the “overwhelming preference for at-home” misoprostol administration among the pregnant people involved in the study, Moseson and Gerdts, who were not involved in the research, said reforming guidance and “moving towards a less clinically supervised model of medical abortion care later in pregnancy is an important first step” for improving access.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-do-current-guidelines-recommend-facility-based-medication-abortions-after-12-weeks">Why Do Current Guidelines Recommend Facility-Based Medication Abortions After 12 Weeks?</h2>



This is because of the greater risk of complications the procedure carries in later stages of pregnancy that may require additional care. This could include pain, bleeding, infection or an incomplete abortion (material remaining). But despite “profound” implications for access, the requirement to administer medications in clinical settings is “driven primarily by the absence of data on alternative models of care,” Moseson and Gerdts explained. This system “limits the number and type of facilities that can offer abortion care after 12 weeks,” they added, pointing to limited bed spaces and staffing requirements needed to keep people overnight.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, many states across the U.S. have harshly restricted access to abortion. The procedure is now&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2024/jul/29/abortion-laws-bans-by-state" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">banned</a>&nbsp;from conception in 14 states and from six weeks—a time many people are not even aware they are pregnant—in four states, with the future of abortion uncertain in a handful of other states due to legal challenges. While exceptions are made under limited circumstances in states banning abortion, these vary by state and clinicians and health experts have complained the vague or inconsistent language setting out exceptions are out of touch with medical reality and unworkable in practice. This fits within broader efforts to roll back reproductive care even further, such as Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2qq1wqw3w2o" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">attempts</a>&nbsp;to restrict access to mifepristone. The matter has polarized the country and both Democrats and Republicans have seized upon reproductive healthcare as a major dividing issue for the upcoming presidential election.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">Big Number</h2>



625,978. That’s how many legal induced abortions there were in the U.S. in 2021,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/reproductive-health/data-statistics/abortion-surveillance-findings-reports.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to the CDC, excluding California, Maryland, New Hampshire and New Jersey, which did not submit data to the agency. Almost all of these, 93.5%, happened at or before 13 weeks.

Woman holding pills and glass of water while standing in kitchen at home

Self-Managing Some Abortion Care Later In Pregnancy Is Safe, Effective And Boosts Access, Researchers Say

Leadership lessons from Imtiaz Patel, the man who began by teaching accountancy and playing cricket in apartheid South Africa, going on to help transform the country’s sports and entertainment landscape. 



It was 1988, the year London’s Wembley Stadium beamed to the world a jam-packed pop music concert in tribute to Nelson Mandela on his 70th birthday.



Far away, in apartheid South Africa, the collective global cry to free incarcerated revolutionary activist Mandela echoed. The first stirrings of change could also be seen in the country’s cricket grounds, signifying the potential of sport to influence social transformation.



South Africa was inching tantalizingly close to getting back to international cricket (after a global boycott of apartheid sport for over three decades), and in the townships, young Black children were taking to the game with new zeal.



Imtiaz Patel was a lanky 24-year-old at the time, from small town Schweizer-Reneke in the country’s North West province, joining the cricket development program to fully commit to pursuing the sport.



“It was at the height of a very passionate, positively-emotive time. The cricket development program [founded by South African cricketer Ali Bacher] was taking cricket to the townships, and we were all talking unification, we were all making a difference to people’s lives, and building facilities. We were so passionate, those were dreamy times,” recalls Patel, his eyes sparkling at the thought, on a warm afternoon in June as we sit in the larney mezzanine floor lounge of the Grosvenor House hotel where he stays in Dubai.



It’s a million miles from those times before democracy in South Africa, but Patel, who helmed pan-African video entertainment business MultiChoice in various capacities for almost a quarter of a century, paints the picture like it was yesterday, full of hope, full of excitement for what was to come, a future that included him.



“I ran the cricket program in Gauteng, which included all the townships such as Alexandra and Soweto; they devolved the program to the provincial units, so I worked for Gauteng cricket,” he says.



In the “deep, dark days” of apartheid, 300kms from Johannesburg in his hometown, where his grandfather had started a business in the 1930s, Patel had a conservative upbringing but “conscious” of the social misgivings of the time, and the family loved cricket.



“In many ways, your experiences in your formative years shape you,” he states. The family owned a store in a “beautiful rock building” in the center of Schweizer-Reneke, and his grandfather showed the young Patel his ledgers and books.



“He always talked about how, during the Great Depression, he helped farmers get goods and stuff from him, and they only paid him three to four years later; and these were White, Afrikaans customers,” says Patel.



“My grandfather used to be sent a train ticket in the 1930s by the Kohinoor Club in Johannesburg. He would travel all night on a Friday by train, play cricket on the weekend, and return home Sunday night. And my father played for non- White South Africa… Cricket was in our blood, in our family, in our history. But because I grew up in this little town with Indian families, our school was a shop, because the community had to support the school.” They couldn’t attend a White Afrikaans school because of the segregating structures of apartheid. “We were 20 kids in school. Each desk was a class; the desk next door was another class; the desk next to that was another class. And there was one teacher teach- ing four classes in one go.”



Sometimes, on Saturday afternoons, Patel would venture with his father to watch a game of rugby or tennis but had to sit outside the fence, or inside the car. “I used to wonder, ‘but why can’t I play with you [White people]?’ I never got bitter, but I said, ‘hold on, you were in our business this morning as our customers, but I can’t play tennis with you’? I think that’s where one learned the ability to hold contradictory thoughts, because there’s this contradiction of ‘you love your customers, but they are also representative of an oppressor’, and you can’t mix with them. It was a very difficult concept. And then, because it was a small town, I spent many hours alone. Solitude was an interesting thing…



“When I played a higher level of cricket in Gauteng, I just took a view that you can’t be bitter, because, where do you go with bitterness? I felt, in a sense, a bit sorry even for the people who were privileged. I felt they had this view naively, so, I think in everybody’s heart, there’s some goodness.”



Patel went to high school in Kimberley in the Northern Cape province where he roughed it out until a stint at Wits University in Johannesburg.



In 1987, raising his own funds and on his own steam, he traveled to play cricket in England, the first time with White South Africans, many of who he subsequently became good friends with.



“I realized early in life that there were too many barriers between us, that systems were creating walls and the walls created problems that didn’t allow people to connect, to see each other as human beings.”



He decided to teach accounting to students in Soweto for three years, which is when he also met the man who had “a remarkable in- fluence” in his life, a mathematician and headmaster at Wits named TW Kambule. Patel taught accounting in the morning, was a cricket coach in the afternoons, and in the evenings, would sell broken biscuits out of the boot of his Volkswagen Citi Golf hatchback. He soon took up the role as Director of Professional Cricket un- der the United Cricket Board of South Africa (now Cricket South Africa), guided and mentored by Bacher, where he stayed two years. It was a heady time for South African cricket and one of the companies Patel dealt with commercially in the late 1990s was South African sports broadcaster SuperSport. This was going to chart the next 25 years of his life.



“I didn’t want to die thinking the only thing I knew was cricket; I had an interest in business. So, when I got [a job] offer from SuperSport, I accepted. Frankly, in terms of position and title, I was going backwards, but I felt I wanted to go and learn, and it was a much bigger organization. It was a leap of faith,” says Patel. “Ali Bacher was so angry he didn’t speak to me for two years because he was disap- pointed, as he had thought his protege would take over from him.”



A new South Africa was calling. “Because the country had just come out of apartheid, every organization was White. I felt like, ‘we can’t be having walls’. So, I had no problem joining SuperSport (owned by Naspers), even though my friends attacked me heavily for joining a White organization (at the time).”



In 2003, Bacher invited him to the final of the Cricket World Cup for coffee, shook hands and made peace. “He said to me he was just very angry because he saw me as the anointed successor, and I left.”



In 2005, Patel became the CEO of SuperSport South Africa and in 2007, the CEO of SuperSport International. A year later, he was headhunted to replace Malcolm Speed as CEO of the International Cricket Council (ICC).



“In fact, the interviews for that were here, in this hotel [Grosvenor House in Dubai], believe it or not, how is that for a coincidence?” laughs Patel. “I remember this because the interview process took so long… [and] my heart told me this wasn’t the right thing. So again, I did a crazy thing, I turned it down, which surprised many, and I stayed with SuperSport.



“It was hard to say no to the ICC offer, because it was a very high- profile position, you fly first-class and would be mixing with kings and queens, but I’m grateful I said no. There’s always a guiding light.” At this point, Patel relates his memorable encounter with Naspers’ chief Koos Bekker. “I flew to Cape Town to meet Koos, who was my ultimate boss, to tell him that ‘I’m considering the ICC appointment’. Soon after I landed, my wife called and said ‘by the way, they’ve announced the ICC appointment, it’s all over the wires’. I was supremely embarrassed to go see Koos, because I was going to tell him, and it had already been announced. I was very disappointed, but I was honest to him and said ‘I came here be- cause my wife and I were thinking about a new life, I have a passionfor cricket, as you know, this is a very big thing, it’s a dream etc, and my problem is, they’ve announced it’.



“But you know, there’s a very important lesson in this. I think smaller people like myself would have been very angry and said, ‘you’ve gone behind our back’, but Koos was understanding and supportive. He didn’t want me to go, and said ‘take your time, I’m not angry with you’…



“I am very grateful for the people around me and the big leaders like him I learned a lot from.” Patel stayed with the group and in 2010, became the Group CEO of Multichoice South Africa; in 2015, the Group CEO of Naspers Video Entertainment; and in 2019, became Chairman of Multichoice Group. During his innings at SuperSport, he secured the rights to numerous sporting properties, including the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League. After pioneering cricket’s Twenty/20 format in South Africa, he went on to conclude the transformative broadcast deal with South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) that entrenched DStv in the mass market in South Africa. They had a partner in Dr Irvin Khoza, the head of PSL, who was steadfast in his belief the partnership would work.



“I had the support of our board and our business, and then the fact that we fundamentally knew that this was for the greater good, that everybody would benefit, economically, the players, the referees, the facilities, the clubs, and today, it’s a machine. It’s in the top leagues in the world. So, I think we transformed local football, and that vision and that conviction allowed us to continue.



“The late Essop Pahad, who was a minister in the presidency, too had a strong conviction about the national imperative that foot- ball must be available to the masses. He guided us, but was also tough on us. We had many meetings at the Presidential guest house in Pretoria on Sunday afternoons. He took no prisoners, and when you were out of line, he let you know; he was such a formidable personality.”



Currently an advisor for MultiChoice, among other things, including his role as the Chairman of the South African Business Council in Dubai, Patel is also the Chairman of Moment, a fintech company aiming to revolutionize Africa’s payments landscape; a collaborative effort of MultiChoice, Rapyd, and General Catalyst. It’s a whole different ball game but Patel is getting into the swing of things.



“First of all, the philosophy is not retirement, there is no such thing as retirement. I have a learning mindset. I want to spend a lot of time with young people, and this will keep me busy. You learn, you earn, and you return.” Although he is on an Emirates flight to South Africa every six weeks – “my heart is in Africa” – he is all praise for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which he also calls home. “How many countries in the world have achieved what the UAE has in such a short space of time? They have created belief and a level of trust and credibility that is remarkable.” For a 60-year-old who has a lifetime of anecdotes to recall of his meetings with some of the world’s greatest sportsmen, there are newer vistas ahead. “There isn’t an end game. You can never say you have made it,” says Patel. 



“I have been fortunate to have had luck, God’s grace and people who believed in me and gave me op- portunities. And it’s circular; the only way you can thank them is to do the same for others. It’s a flywheel of positivity and a really powerful thing.”

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CEO Strategies: 60 Not Out – The South African Game-Changer In Business

We met Africa’s largest lender in one of the world’s most dynamic financial markets. In Dubai in June, we spoke with the Johannesburg-based Kenny Fihla, the Chief Executive Of Corporate and Investment Banking at Standard Bank, a 160-year-old institution with a footprint covering 20 African countries.



Kenny Fihla, the Chief Executive of Corporate and Investment Banking at Standard Bank, talks about renewable energy, sustainability-linked financing solutions, impacting emerging markets, and the lessons that can be replicated across the continent. More in this insightful interview with the man who started his career in the trade union movement in the 1980s in South Africa, and has been with the bank for over 18 years.



Q. In your role at Standard Bank, you have spearheaded several transformative initiatives, and have a passion for climate change and are also involved in leading renewable energy projects. With its energy deficit and energy poverty that makes Africa vulnerable, you’ve been scaling up these initiatives. Can you tell us what you have planned?



A. The demand for energy transition in Africa is huge. It is estimated that Africa will need about $1.2 trillion worth of investment to enable, firstly, energy security and, secondly, the transition away from fossil fuels into more sustainable energy. That’s a lot of money, and that amount is not readily available within the African continent, which requires then partnerships with other investors and pools of capital from outside of the continent. From a Standard Bank point of view, we have committed to originating and raising, and we’ll also put our own money – anything between ZAR250 billion to ZAR300 billion ($13.6 billion to $16.4 billion) – in the space of five years. We are already 40% of the way there, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. That’s just one institution, and given the total amount of money required, it is just not enough. We need the partnerships of a range of financial institutions to enable Africa to have energy security and transition.



The second challenge is ensuring that people who are not connected and do not have access to electricity actually get access. It is estimated that less than 50% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa has access to electricity. That’s over 700 million who do not have access. We need to provide them with reliable, cheap, and sustainable energy well into the future. We also have to look at transitional measures to enable access.



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The third element has to do with the impact of moving away from fossil fuels into renewable energy projects. Some towns, like those built around coal mines and coal-fired power stations in South Africa, will need to transition in a manner that does not create massive unemployment and poverty to those small towns. So, a just transition is key. We must undertake it responsibly so that it does not cause hardships for ordinary people. We have partnered with various players and initiated renewable energy projects in South Africa, expanding to other geographies. We have also seen the entry of players who aggregate and generate the electricity and rent out, or people pay based on the amount of electricity they use. And we call those aggregators, because people don’t have to initiate the capital outlay upfront, but rather can pay as they use. And we think that’s going to expand and cover most of sub-Saharan Africa. That solution is going to enable decentralized energy, where you don’t have to invest massive sums of money building the national grid, but you create localized grids that give people access to electricity and deal with energy poverty and energy shortage.



Q. Your mandate is to achieve a portfolio mix that is net zero by 2050, transitioning to a low-carbon economy. In emerging markets such as the DRC and Namibia, how far have these projects come in terms of realization?



A. There’s a lot of ground that has been covered. We have already enabled about 3.5 gigawatts of electricity that is under construction at the moment, in the form of solar installations, power plants and wind plants that have been developed. We’ve also partnered with a number of institutions, including governments, who are working on various initiatives, the first set being those driven by state-owned entities, where they will issue tenders, invite the private sector to build renewable energy generation, which will then fit into the grid. That has been the bulk of what we have been doing up until now. The second set relates to private companies building their own self-generation initiatives, either for their own buildings or their own plants. That portion of our work is covered in South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and expanding to even more countries. We think the biggest growth is going to come from that second piece of work that we do with private companies. The third set that we do, is with companies who effectively are in the business of managing and running solar or energy generation. They can do that on behalf of government, or they can do that in order to supply to individual homes. That portfolio is also growing, and we will invite investors to come into sub-Saharan Africa, partner with us as we identify these projects; invest because we think it is good business to be done, but it also has a massive impact in terms of unlocking the economic growth potential and just improving the quality of life of ordinary people within Africa.



Q. Speaking of the private sector, how do you incorporate your activities with the SME sector? How are you unlocking support for them in terms of sustainability-linked financing solutions?



A. The solutions that we’ve developed cover a wide range of banking products, from giving people access to the sort of existing loans to fund solar or wind initiatives. That’s much easier for individuals, because you can use your home loan to effectively take a little bit extra in order to put solar panels on the rooftop. For small businesses, the best solution lies in the use of aggregators who can develop solutions for a specific area and get individual companies within that area to effectively subscribe and have access to reliable, cheap and much more sustainable energy over a long period of time without having to fork out massive capital upfront, because small businesses tend to run on very tight cash flows. Aggregators provide an appropriate solution for them.



Q. In practising responsible investment, how difficult is it to get multilateral, multi-stake-holder support and from governments? What are the regulatory hassles and risks?



A. The situation has improved over the last couple of years, and I wish some of the changes were made much earlier. South Africa had a limit on what people could self-generate; [it was] one megawatt. That limit effectively stopped the private sector from investing and generating electricity on their own. That limit has been removed completely in the last three to four years, and we have seen an explosion of private sector self-generation, and of investment into the energy sector within South Africa, which just shows how regulations can stall the development of a particular sector and deprive the country of access to additional funding as well as to new energy forms and new energy supply.



The second set of regulations that needed to be sort of resolved was harmonize the rules between national government, the energy department, Eskom (national power utility) as well as municipalities. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done in that space, but a lot of ground has been covered. For example, if someone generates electricity in one part of the country, and there’s already surplus supply in that area, but the demand lies tens or hundreds of kilometers away, how do you transport or wheel that electricity to the other end? You need great infrastructure. What is the tariff regime between the supplier and the demand? And how do you know that the electricity that is supplied by a private supplier on this end will actually go to a customer who’s contracted to that supplier on the other end; what are the pricing mechanisms between the two? And what is the pricing mechanism with regards to the grid? What are the rules of dispute resolution, legal contracting and so on. All of those is being sorted out, and we think over time, those roles will settle and make it easy for integrated electricity supply that has multiple players, with the national grid providing the sort of transportation infrastructure to move from one end to the other. South Africa is slightly advanced in that regard, but we think the policy framework and rules are replicable in other parts of Africa.



Q. Do you see a point where Africa is exporting these concepts to the rest of the world?



A. I think there’s a lot that Africa can export to the rest of the world. I mean some of these bad experiences are, in themselves, good lessons. The whole concept of loadshedding, where you proactively manage demand and supply and plan when to switch off in [certain areas], is on its own, a useful experience in order to protect the grid, but you don’t want to live perpetually in that situation. And so, the second lesson is that if governments and regulators quickly remove the regulatory obstacles, you can unlock massive potential from the private sector and from your community. And South Africa is a case in point. There are about 12 gigawatts worth of electricity currently under development; that is about 20% of the installed capacity of Eskom. That’s quite a lot, and that has happened in the last couple of years, which just shows that if you create the right regulatory environment, you can unlock the potential and the power of the private sector. And there’s something powerful in that, and there’s a lesson that can also be replicated in other sectors; that government needs to set the rules, but those rules must enable society to grow and to develop, and must be aimed at tapping into the potential and the capacity of the rest of that society. The third lesson is that partnerships are a powerful way of dealing with challenges and problems that confront many of our countries. We all want to get to the best possible out come, and if we try and do it individually, unfortunately, our efforts will have limited impact, but if we align the interests of different stakeholders, suddenly, the impact is substantially bigger, and we get to the desired goal much quicker.



Q. South Africa is going through a historic phase right now after 30 years of democracy. The country has entered an era of coalition politics. From a banker’s point of view, how do you view the current political landscape?



A. I think it’s an interesting scenario, we live in interesting times. But if one looks at what has been happening globally, coalition governments are not new. They have been in existence in many of the European countries for quite a while. Some of them are much more stable and better functioning, others are stable but dysfunctional. And so, we would want to gravitate towards a more stable and better functioning coalition government and South Africa has had a history of a government of national unity after its first democratic elections, where President Nelson Mandela went out of his way to create a government of national unity, despite the fact that the African National Congress (ANC) had the majority. Now we’re forced by circumstances, because no party has won a majority in parliament, but there are some positive things that have come out. The ruling party has accepted that it has lost its majority, it has endorsed the outcome of the election, and is managing the transition in a responsible manner that is something extremely positive and good for Africa and for the developing world. Secondly, there’s engagement across political parties, and the initial reaction from some of the major parties has been extremely positive, with all of them committing to work in the interest of the country, bar one or two who have objections for their own reasons, but by and large, most political parties have committed themselves to working together in the interest of South Africa with a view of stimulating economic growth and ensuring that the will of the South African electorate is respected. I think that alone demonstrates a high degree of maturity, and it’s something that must be cherished.



So, I’m far more optimistic about the future of South Africa. Of course, it will bring new dynamics, it will change the rule of the game, but I think it’s going to have much stronger checks and balances, and if managed properly, it could actually stimulate massive economic growth in South Africa and send a very positive signal about the art of the possible, if people rise above their petty political differences and act in the interest of the country.



Q. As a bank, how are you leveraging AI, blockchain, and other new technologies in the world of financial services?



A. The financial services industry is in a process of continuous change. We have seen the emergence of new technologies, of much cheaper forms of providing banking services. Old banks have convoluted IT infrastructure, more like spaghetti, with massive risks and a lot of manual work in order to try and pull things together, but technology has enabled the simplification of many of these services. Payments now have become easily acceptable, covering a range of players, even beyond banks; the cost associated with those services has become significantly cheaper, and blockchain is providing an avenue to modify that even further and also reduce inefficiencies and improve the effectiveness of financial institutions. We’ve also seen the use of technology which enhances the leveraging of data. Banks are sitting on a massive amount of data on the basis of client behavior and so on; that data is not currently being optimally used to benefit clients, to anticipate what their needs are likely to be and proactively offer solutions best suited for them. Suddenly, with AI, we can do that, and we have started to do that as Standard Bank in some of our product offerings. But of course, there are also risks that come with AI; AI is dependent on the data you have, the historical patterns, and if those historical patterns were discriminatory, we are likely to have discriminatory practices being perpetuated now by machines, because they are picking up on those data and patterns and using them to develop new solutions… You also need, therefore, a human being to work with machines in order to look out for discrimination for inherent practices that may not be fair and equitable across your entire time with the client base.



Q. We’re in Dubai, known for its digital economy and for being a leading hub for attracting foreign direct investment. What lessons can be learned from the city’s success? You have a presence here at the Dubai International Financial Centre. Please tell us about your association with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).



A. I see a lot of potential the African continent can derive from the association and interaction between corporate funds from the UAE and the Middle East, broadly speaking, with opportunities in the African continent. We spoke about the energy transition and the amount of capital required. This region has well-established sovereign funds and entities that have the capital and are looking for opportunities. Our office here seeks to make those connections so we can leverage what we don’t have and offer clients, as well as investors from the Middle East, opportunities that sit in the African continent, which have significantly higher return and massive growth prospects into the future. The second-most important lesson here is about the leadership, demonstrated by the UAE’s President as well as other leaders. It’s unbelievable, where a place not endowed with arable land, not endowed with minerals, and not endowed with a large population, has been able to transform itself into a significant hub that connects the Middle East to Europe, to Africa, to the Americas, to Asia… The transformation is unbelievable, which just shows the power of leadership and of having a proper vision and being able to execute that vision with diligence, discipline and consistently, over a period of time.



Updated on August 30 2024; Kenny Fihla has now been appointed as the Deputy Chief Executive of the Standard Bank Group and Chief Executive of Standard Bank South Africa. His responsibilities will include the Group&#8217;s Africa regions and offshore businesses.

LOTU7002

CEO Strategies: South African Corporate Titan On Impacting Emerging Markets And ‘The Art Of The Possible’

The diamond, discovered using Lucara&#8217;s Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-ray Transmission (XRT) technology, is the second-largest ever found, following the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond from South Africa in 1905.



Diamond exploration and mining company Lucara indicates that it could take between three months to a year to determine the value of the 2,492-carat diamond recently recovered from its Karowe Diamond Mine in Botswana, the landlocked southern African nation where diamonds contribute over 90% of total exports and are a major source of fiscal revenues.



Managing Director of Lucara Botswana, Naseem Lahri, explains to FORBES AFRICA, “We are not in a hurry at this point in time. We don’t want to make any mistakes, especially looking at the impact of the stone, the provenance, and the way it is sold. We really want to make the best of this.”



Lahri emphasizes the importance of strategic planning, stating that the process will involve close collaboration with the Botswana government.



“For us, the first step is to look at the provenance, and to market the provenance, and to show people that natural diamonds bring a lot of benefit to the communities and the country itself,” she adds.



This find adds to the list of significant diamonds recovered from the Karowe Diamond Mine, including the 1,758-carat Sewelô and the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, previously the second-largest ever diamond eventually sold for $53 million.



About interests attracted, Lahri notes, “Everybody will definitely be interested in something of that historical magnitude. You will never get a lab-grown diamond of this size; it will never ever happen. And these are natural diamonds coming out of the ground, you know, from Mother Earth.”



The analysis and strategy development for this diamond are critical, given its potential impact on both Lucara and on Botswana&#8217;s economy.



“We want to change the narrative on natural diamonds; they are not conflict diamonds, they actually benefit the communities that the diamonds are recovered in. The diamonds of Botswana benefit every citizen,” Lahri says.

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‘Diamonds Of Botswana To Benefit The Communities’: Lucara To Analyze And Determine Value Of Giant Diamond, The World’s Second-Biggest

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



A pair of listeria outbreaks in the U.S. in recent weeks have led stores and brands—including Boar’s Head, Wiers Farm and Freshire Farms—to recall products like deli meat in 23 states, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/s0828-listeria-outbreak-deli-meats.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">officials</a>&nbsp;say five more people died in relation to one outbreak.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Key Facts</h2>



A listeria outbreak in deli meats was first reported last month, and as of Wednesday, it has been linked to 57 cases across 18 states, with all of those cases resulting in hospitalization,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/s0808-listeria-deli-meats.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">according to</a>&nbsp;the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



Those cases include eight deaths: one in Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico, Virginia, Illinois and New Jersey, and two in South Carolina, the CDC said Wednesday.



During the investigation into the outbreak, Boar&#8217;s Head recalled a number of deli meats and the United States Department of Agriculture&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/07/26/listeria-outbreak-deli-meat-liverwurst/8b245002-4b5d-11ef-9149-c75da5dd9201_story.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;it was conducting testing to determine if those products were connected to the outbreak.



In early August, Boar’s Head&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inquirer.com/health/boards-hed-deli-lunch-meats-listeria-outbreak-20240731.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">recalled</a>&nbsp;7 million pounds of deli meats—significantly more than the initial 200,000-pound recall—and added 71 products made over the course of six weeks to its list, including pre-packaged meat and poultry products for the first time.



The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/boars-head-provisions-co--recalls-ready-eat-liverwurst-and-other-deli-meat-products" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Department of Agriculture</a>&nbsp;also said in early August more than a dozen pre-packaged and bulk summer vegetables were being recalled due to possible listeria contamination, though no illnesses have been reported in association with that recall—the two do not appear to be related.



<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/faq.html#:~:text=Listeria%20can%20sometimes%20infect%20other,1%20in%206%20people%20die." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Listeria</a>&nbsp;is a foodborne illness most often contracted by eating improperly processed deli meats (listeria spreads easily among deli equipment, surfaces, hands and food, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/prevention.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">CDC says</a>) and unpasteurized milk products, and the hearty bacteria can survive refrigeration and even freezing.



Most healthy people rarely become ill from listeria infection, but it does disproportionately impact people older than 65, newborns and pregnant women, who may themselves experience only mild symptoms, but babies in utero can die from Listeria.



Almost all cases (87%) require hospitalization and one in six people die from the illness,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/faq.html#:~:text=Listeria%20can%20sometimes%20infect%20other,1%20in%206%20people%20die." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">according to</a>&nbsp;the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Where Have People Gotten Sick From Listeria In Deli Meat?</h2>



The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/delimeats-7-24/map.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">18 states</a>&nbsp;where cases have been recorded, according to the CDC, include: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. New York and Maryland have reported the most cases, with 17 and eight, respectively.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Deli Meats Have Been Recalled For Listeria?</h2>



Boar’s Head Provisions Co. recalled liverwurst after a sample of the product in a Maryland store tested positive for listeria, and the company has also recalled meats sliced on the same day on the same line as the liverwurst at a Virginia plant. Those include Virginia old fashioned ham, Italian Cappy style ham, extra hot Italian Cappy style ham, bologna, beef salami, steakhouse roasted bacon ham and garlic bologna with an Aug. 10 sell-by date. Boar&#8217;s Head second recall, announced last week, includes 71 different products made between May 10 and July 29. More specifics can be found on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/boars-head-provisions-co--recalls-ready-eat-liverwurst-and-other-deli-meat-products" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">USDA&nbsp;</a>website. The outbreak has been linked to meat sliced at deli counters, not prepackaged meats.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How Does Listeria Spread Among Deli Meats?</h2>



The listeria bacteria&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/listeria-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20355269" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">can be found</a>&nbsp;in soil, water, animal feces and raw materials.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/prevention.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">The CDC says</a>&nbsp;cold cuts, cheeses and other deli products are at particular risk of listeria because of how easy it is for the bacteria to spread among deli equipment and surfaces. While meats are kept refrigerated, refrigeration does not kill listeria, and it can be a tough bacteria to eliminate. When meats are prepared at a facility where listeria persists, the bacteria can spread on surfaces, hands and through the food itself. One person died and 16 were sickened due to a listeria outbreak among deli meats and cheeses in six states in 2022, and a similar outbreak killed one and sickened another 12 in four states in 2020.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Stores Have Recalled Produce For Listeria, And In What States?</h2>



Walmart has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/wiers-farm-inc-expands-voluntary-recall-whole-and-salad-cucumbers-due-possible-contamination" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">recalled</a>&nbsp;bagged and bulk produce in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Aldi locations in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia have done the same. Other stores, including Save-a-Lot, Kroger, Shop &#8216;n Save, have also recalled products in the states listed above and Maine, Missouri, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Tennessee.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Vegetables Have Been Recalled For Listeria?</h2>



Bagged poblanos, cubanelle peppers, green beans, salad cucumbers, serranos, organic bell peppers, cucumbers, yellow squash and zucchini from the Wiers Farm have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/wiers-farm-inc-expands-voluntary-recall-whole-and-salad-cucumbers-due-possible-contamination" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">recalled</a>, as have bagged green beans and jalapenos from Freshire Farms. Bulk Anaheim peppers, clinanto, cubanelle peppers, cucumbers, green beans, green bell peppers, habanero peppers, hungarian wax peppers, jalapeno peppers, mustard greens, pickling cucumbers, parsley, poblanos, serranos and tomatillos have also been recalled, though no specific brand names were mentioned. The barcodes for each recalled product can be found on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/wiers-farm-inc-expands-voluntary-recall-whole-and-salad-cucumbers-due-possible-contamination" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">FDA&#8217;s website</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Surprising Fact</h2>



A Missouri couple&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lawsuit-filed-against-boars-head-on-behalf-of-missouri-woman-hospitalized-in-listeria-outbreak-linked-to-deli-meats-302207602.html#:~:text=MINNEAPOLIS%2C%20July%2026%2C%202024%20%2F,St.%20Louis%20County%20Circuit%20Court." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">has sued</a>&nbsp;Boar&#8217;s Head and Schnucks Markets after they purchased contaminated liverwurst in June. Sue Fleming, 88, became &#8220;deathly ill&#8221; and was hospitalized with a listeria infection, according to her lawyer. She did recover from the illness after a long stay in a hospital, followed by a stay at a rehabilitation facility. The couple is<a href="https://nypost.com/2024/07/27/us-news/boars-heads-sued-over-multistate-listeria-outbreak/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">&nbsp;now suing</a>&nbsp;for $25,000 in damages and claims the illness caused “loss of enjoyment of life” and “damage to the marital relationship.&#8221;

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