COVID-19
NPHCDA: Over 1 million Nigerian residents receive second dose of coronavirus vaccine
The executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, says 1,005,234 people have received the second dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Shuaib disclosed this on Thursday, during a media briefing in Abuja. He said the agency has extended the timeline for the administration of second dose by 11 days — from June 25 to July 5 — to enable more people to be vaccinated. He said those who received their first doses before May 13, can go to any centre to get the second dose. For those who have received the first dose, Shuaib said the figure now stands at 2,099,568. He added that the administration of the first dose is ongoing, and urged those who fall within the approved category to approach the designated centres to receive the vaccine...
Netherlands Nightlife to Return to Full Capacity
This Saturday at exactly 12:01 AM, Netherlands nightclubs will be thumping as loud as ever before once the country moves into its fourth phase of reopening after the COVID-19 lockdowns brought the live music scene to a screeching halt. The country’s nightlife industry will now reopen at full capacity beginning June 26th. Initially planned for June 30th, the return will take place four days early after the Netherlands government made the decision to move ahead into phase four, following phase three just two weeks ago. That phase saw restaurants, cafes, and bars reopen for indoor service, and an increase on the limit of permitted house guests. Under phase four, “events where guests don’t have an assigned seat, will be allowed subject to 1.5-metre distancing or e...
Save Our Scene to Host “Freedom to Dance” Event in Protest of UK Restrictions
Save Our Scene, an organization formed to protect the music and hospitality sectors in the UK, has announced what they’re calling the “largest creative industry demonstration ever in the UK.” For those unfamiliar with the status of the industry in the UK, COVID-19 restrictions pertaining to the hospitality sector were scheduled to be lifted on Monday, June 21st before the government delayed to July 19th. As we reported earlier in the month, a recent survey suggested that 50% of the region’s nightlife will not survive without government aid. In response to the contentious delay, Save Our Scene has organized a large march and performance in London that will feature industry players, supporters, and a spate of artists, NME reports. The organization...
How Mobile Money is Supporting Merchants in Emerging Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa
Image sourced from WeeTracker. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_3a1.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_3a1.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } While the world continues to deal with the challenges of the pandemic, it is emerging markets such as Sub-Saharan Africa that have faced the biggest challenges. According to the World Bank, Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit the hardest by the economic impact of COVID-19, with an estimated 23 million people in the region projected to be pushed into poverty by the pandemic. SMBs Need Support with Challenges Caused by COVD-19 /* custom css */ .tdi_3_0ed.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_0ed.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } While there are some sectors in the region that have accelerated their adoption of digital technology throughout the pan...
Speaker Gbajabiamila celebrates Governor Sanwo-Olu at 56
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has congratulated the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on his 56th birthday. Gbajabiamila, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, described Sanwo-Olu as a silent achiever, whose performance in office speaks for itself. He said Sanwo-Olu has proven to be a man of the people since he assumed office two years ago. The Speaker, who said it was not a mere coincidence that he and the governor share the same birthday, noted that they have a lot in common, especially in the area of serving the people. According to him, “I recall how Sanwo-Olu had sleepless nights at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic last year to ensure that the people of Lagos were safe, being the worst-hit state i...
Tomorrowland Officially Cancels 2021 Festival: “The Entire Team Fought Till the End”
After a tumultuous week for Tomorrowland, the organizers of the world-famous music festival have been forced to abandon its 2021 edition due to COVID-19 safety concerns. “It is with heavy heart that our organization must announce that the 16th edition of Tomorrowland Belgium cannot take place in 2021,” reads a statement shared on the festival’s Instagram. “The entire team fought till the end and did everything in its powers to write a new chapter in the history of Tomorrowland.” “Our dream was to welcome the People of Tomorrow, who we’ve been missing for too long, to celebrate life to the fullest,” the post continues. “But unfortunately, the local government has not given the permit to organize Tomorrowland.” The news arrives after Belg...
Microsoft Reaches $2-Trillion Valuation Driven by Cloud Computing Offerings
Image sourced from NS Energy. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_df0.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_df0.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Microsoft has taken its place as the second US publicly traded company in history to reach a $2-trillion market value, joining predecessor Apple in a very exclusive club. The company has been buoyed by betting its dominance in enterprise cloud computing with Microsoft Azure. Microsoft seems set on continuing to release future enterprise software to users in a post-pandemic world. Its shares rose as much as 1.2% in New York on Tuesday, allowing Microsoft to briefly join Apple as one of only two companies trading at such a golden value before closing a little bit lower than the mark at $265.51. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_eb4.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left...
Belgian Mayors Unwilling to Reverse Permit Rejection for Tomorrowland 2021
Tomorrowland may very well have just been dealt its death blow as far as its prospects for a 2021 edition are concerned. Late last week, news had dropped that the Mayors of Boom and Rumst were not willing to move forward with granting Tomorrowland a critical permit to take place in 2021, citing multiple factors they deem risks to public safety. This rejection at the local level came as somewhat of a surprise given the national government had conditionally green lit the event under a specific series of stipulations. Mayors Jeroen Baert and Jurgen Callaerts then went on to reject the permit request, saying that the federal government’s previously promised event guidelines, which would permit 75,000 person events, have not yet been enacted. They also cite a lack of poli...
Investing in STEM Crucial for African Countries to Benefit from 4IR
Image sourced from STEMpedia. To ensure African economies benefit fully from the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), and the data economy it will bring, there are several trends that industries on the continent need to fully embrace. These include artificial intelligence, cloud, machine learning and the Internet of Things. Enabling the utilisation of these, however, requires two pivotal focuses. The first is an investment in infrastructure. The second is Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills development, so that African economies have the core competencies needed to participate in the data economy, says Adesh Nathalal, Education Manager at SAS in South Africa. The clock is ticking. By 2030, the above needs to be accomplished to ensure African economies can leapfrog devel...
New Renewables Offer Energy Security for SA’s Beleaguered Economy
Sourced from Saur Energy. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_bb6.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_bb6.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } In a bold move last year, the South African government launched an emergency energy procurement plan with a view to relieve the current energy crisis and limit load-shedding. The shortfalls are currently partially alleviated, however at great expense, as there is extensive use of diesel-based open cycle gas turbines. Such fossil-fuel-based contingencies undermine our ability to reduce carbon emissions, curb global warming, and achieve sustainable development. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_b0f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_b0f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Dubbed the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (RMIPPPP), t...
Uber South Africa is Offering 100,000 Free Rides to Get Teachers Vaccinated
Sourced from CNet. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_09d.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_09d.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The South African government has fast-tracked the vaccine rollout for teachers and staff at schools across the country. Educators and staff of schools will begin receiving their COVID-19 jabs on Wednesday 23 June in a two-week push project aiming to administer 582,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine. Teacher Vaccines Fast-Tracked Fast-tracking the rollout for teachers and schools staff is a major step in managing the country’s school system that has become embattled since the pandemic began in earnest. Thousands of teachers have succumbed to COVID-19 since March of 2020, and students have been living in anxiety of school closures and from h...
French, German leaders urge EU coordination on reopening borders
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron called on Friday for European Union countries to coordinate their COVID-19 border reopening policies and guard against new variants of the virus. Macron said EU countries must be careful not to allow new variants to spread, adding that the EU was watching developments in Britain, which has seen a steep rise in the weekly reported cases of the Delta variant. “Some countries have reopened their borders earlier for tourist industry reasons, but we must be careful not to re-import new variants,” he told a joint news conference with Merkel before a working dinner at the chancellery in Berlin. Merkel added: “We can’t act as if the coronavirus is over.” “Caution is still necessary so that we have a summer of many freedoms, if no...
