Uncategorized
#ISurvivedEbola App Connects Survivors to Share Life-Saving Tips
#ISurvivedEbola, the groundbreaking West African multimedia campaign, has launched a new, interactive mobile app that allows Ebola survivors to connect with each other, share public health advice, and update the world on the challenges they still face during their post-recovery lives.
The innovative digital tool debuted in Guinea on January 5.
It is being piloted by the first Guinean survivor to share her story with the #ISurvivedEbola campaign.
The updates from the app appear on the newly launched #ISurvivedEbola website- http://www.isurvivedebola.org, which also houses the stories of a growing community of Ebola survivors from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
In the first-ever message sent via the mobile app, Camara “Fanta” Fantaoulen of Guinea stated in French, “Yes, I survived Ebola, thanks to the help of the brave healthcare workers who treated me. And I’ve learned that together, we can defeat this virus and protect our families and communities.”
After losing her father and five other family members to suspected or confirmed Ebola, Fanta believed her death was imminent when she tested positive for the virus.
Thanks to a combination of early treatment, strict adherence to her treatment plan, and sheer determination, Fanta recovered from the virus and is now providing psychosocial support to Ebola patients.
The mobile app is the latest component of the #ISurvivedEbola campaign, which leverages survivor stories from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea to deliver vital public health information about Ebola to affected populations, and to reduce the stigma faced by Ebola survivors.
A key way in which the campaign does this is by documenting survivor stories in video, audio, and print formats; then disseminating these stories broadly via local, national, and international media, online platforms, and other distribution channels.
Educational radio dramas that tell fictional yet reality-based stories of survival, and radio call-in shows that feature Ebola survivors as guests, are among the equally important campaign activities.
Funded by Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions in response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa, #ISurvivedEbola is part of the #TackleEbola initiative (http://www.tackleebola.com) and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation’s commitment of at least $100 million for Ebola relief.
The campaign is implemented by PCI Media Impact in collaboration with UNICEF.
Carole Tomko, general manager and creative Director of Vulcan Productions, states, “The mobile app really changes the face of this campaign by empowering the people of West Africa to share stories about Ebola and survivorship with each other and the world. The app gives a human face to survivorship and has the potential to create a sense of community in which the survivors, rather than being stigmatized, become leaders and heroes in this fight. The new digital components of the campaign extend our reach beyond West Africa, allowing these very moving, personal stories to be seen and heard globally.”
Currently, campaign staff in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea are providing each survivor who has shared his or her story through the campaign with a smartphone installed with the app, thereby enabling these individuals to use the technology to share information about their lives after recovery.
The smartphones and the app were provided and developed with support from the charity fundraising website GlobalGiving.
Campaign staff expect survivors in all three countries to begin utilizing the app within two weeks.
The mobile app updates will be shared globally on the newly launched #ISurvivedEbola website.
With the release of the app and launch of the website, the #ISurvivedEbola campaign has completed Phase I of its roll-out in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
With active distribution of campaign products across radio, print, digital, and video platforms in West Africa and beyond, the #ISurvivedEbola campaign is also continuing to add stories of hope and resilience to the world’s focus on the Ebola outbreak. These stories include two additional survivor story videos from survivors in Liberia and Sierra Leone, respectively.
The latest Liberia video introduces the world to Decontee Davis, a 23-year-old who overcame Ebola but lost her fiancé to the virus.
Decontee now works in an Interim Care Center for children who have come in contact with Ebola patients and are under 21 days of observation.
Many of these children have lost one or both parents to the disease.
In the new Sierra Leone video, audiences meet Aminata Kargbo, a university student who, after surviving Ebola, has arisen as a leader in efforts to educate her fellow countrymen and women on the benefits of early treatment.
“The campaign is really accelerating, especially in the three countries hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak,” said Sean Southey, CEO of PCI Media Impact.
“We began in early December with the launch of the campaign and release of the first survivor video (https://vimeo.com/113323185) out of Liberia. Then, the campaign launched educational Ebola-focused radio programs in Liberia and released the premier survivor story out of Sierra Leone (https://vimeo.com/115082561). Now, we have activated the mobile app, released the first survivor story out of Guinea, and launched a website that will allow concerned citizens throughout the world to join the movement.”
The multiple #ISurvivedEbola campaign products and activities are reinforcing the existing work being done by organizations like UNICEF in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea to spread key messages on Ebola to the public.
“While treatment of Ebola patients is critical, the best way to end the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is to cut the chain of transmission and prevent further infections,” said Rafael Obregon, Chief of the Communication for Development Section at UNICEF.
Obregon added, “As the global UN lead for the Social Mobilization Pillar of the Ebola response in West Africa, UNICEF is at the helm of efforts to stop transmission by working with national governments and partners to educate the public in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea about how to protect themselves, their families, and their communities from the virus. #ISurvivedEbola is reinforcing our efforts by providing this information in multiple, highly entertaining forms, including through the testimonies of actual survivors.”

Uncategorized
NGX, UN Women Partner to Promote Gender Bonds in Nigeria
Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) and United Nations Women (UN Women) will partner on the integration of gender bonds and other gender-themed sustainable financing mechanisms as strategic instruments to drive gender equality and sustainable development in Nigeria.
This was deliberated at a high-level engagement between NGX and UN Women officials during the visit of the Regional Director for East and Southern Africa Region (ESARO) and interim Regional Director for West and Central Africa Region (WCARO), Dr. Maxime Houinato, to the Exchange.
During the engagement, the parties spoke on the need to galvanize public and private sector stakeholders to the development and adoption of gender responsive instruments in Nigeria’s capital market and the mobilisation of public and private capital towards investments that promote gender equality outcomes, among other focus areas.
“UN Women has been on the forefront of female advocacy which is a major priority of the work we have been doing with International Finance Corporation on the Nigeria2Equal project. “We are committed to this collaboration with UN Women to further deepen impact in the capital market and broader private sector, ” said Divisional Head, Business Support Services and General Counsel, NGX, Irene Robinson-Ayanwale.
Speaking, Chidinma Chukwueke-Okolo, Head, Product Development, NGX said, said “Our collaboration with UN Women will primarily border on capacity building for issuers and investors, specifically for the development of a framework for gender bonds issuance in the Nigerian capital market.”
Houinato, during his remarks stressed the importance of female participation in the leadership in the private and public sectors. He emphasized the necessity of more men in the private sector driving the advocacy for women and also touched on UN Women’s work on female advocacy.
Uncategorized
Simba Solar Unveils the Revolutionary Simba Talegent in Nigeria
Simba Solar is thrilled to announce the launch of its newest product, the Simba Talegent solar hybrid inverters. This state-of-the-art innovation was launched at the Nigeria Energy Exhibition and presented to the Honourable Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.
Ravi Srivastava, Business Head at Simba Power, shared his excitement about the Simba Talegent, emphasising its unmatched quality and the brand’s dedication to resolving Nigeria’s power issues.
“Simba has consistently led the charge in delivering exceptional power backup solutions. The Simba Solar Talegent is a testament to our commitment, setting a new benchmark in the Nigerian solar market,” remarked Srivastava.
The Simba Talegent inverters have features, including pure sine wave solar inverter compatibility with AC mains or generator power, battery-independent operation flexibility, multi-unit linkage capability, and robust lithium battery support.
“What truly differentiates us is our unwavering focus on product quality and our unparalleled after-sales service, which boasts the largest network in Nigeria,” Srivastava emphasised.
With a legacy spanning 35 years in the Nigerian market, Simba’s allegiance to quality and service remains steadfast. The company continues its journey, driven by a mission to elevate the lives of Nigerians through pioneering innovations.
Uncategorized
Transcorp Delivers Strong Performance as H1 2023 Financials Show Sustained Growth
Transnational Corporation Plc (Transcorp Group), Nigeria’s conglomerate with investments in Power, Hospitality and Energy sectors has announced reported its financial results for the first half of the year ended June 30, 2023, recording commendable growth across all its major indices.
The Group achieved an impressive revenue of N82.1 billion in H1 2023, compared to N62.9 billion in H1 2022, marking a substantial 31% growth year-on-year while operating income also grew by 46% to close at N29.9 billion as of June 2023, compared to N20.5 billion in June 2022.
The Group’s total revenue for the half year ended June 30, 2023, was N82.1 billion, compared to N62.9 billion in June 30 2022, signifying a 31% increase.
Operating Income grew by 46% from N20.5 billion in June 2022 to N29.9 billion in June 2023. Operating expenses for the period ended June 30, were N15.9 billion, an increase of 40% compared to N11.3 billion of the corresponding previous year.
In its financial report filed with the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), Transcorp reported an 39% growth in profit before tax to N18.5 billion in H1 2023, from N13.4 billion in H1 2022. Interest Cost declined by 9% to N6.6 billion in June 2023 from N6.1 billion in the same period under review.
Transcorp continues to maintain a strong balance sheet, with Total Assets rising to N495.3 billion, representing a 12% increase over the N442.7 billion recorded at the end of June 2022, due to the increase in Debt and equity securities (+61%) and Trade and Other Receivables (+40%) which cushioned the effect of the decline in Inventories (+68%).
Transcorp shareholders’ funds remained very strong at N176.3 billion up from N154.8 billion recorded in the same period in 2022, further reinforcing the company’s commitment to delivering long-term value to its shareholders.
Commenting on the result, Transcorp’s President/Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr. (Mrs) Owen D. Omogiafo OON, mentioned that the Group continues to sustain growth and improvement, showing resilience despite, a challenging operating environment, characterised by foreign exchange volatility, gas supply constraints, and rising inflation, amongst others.
She said, “The first-half financial results affirm our dedication to driving innovation and seizing opportunities for sustainable growth, positioning Transcorp as a trailblazer in the Nigerian business realm.
In spite, of the challenging environment, our power businesses (Transcorp Power Limited & Transafam Power Limited) have sustained revenue growth increase by 32% and 30% respectively while our hospitality continues to outperform across all indices.
“We remain focused on efficiency, cost leadership, and meeting market demand to consistently deliver profitability and value to all our shareholders,” asserted Dr Omogiafo
Transnational Corporation Plc (Transcorp Group) is a publicly quoted Conglomerate with a shareholder base of approximately 300,000. The Group’s diverse portfolio comprises strategic investments in the Power, Hospitality, and Energy sectors. Among its notable businesses are Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Transcorp Hotels Calabar, Transcorp Power, Transafam Power, and Transcorp Energy.
- E-Financial22 hours ago
PenCom Sets Modalities to Handle Customers’ Complaints
- News1 day ago
JAMB Registrar, Prof Oloyede to Chair 2023 GOCOP Conference in Abuja
- E-Financial1 day ago
CBN, Partners Announce Date for Second International Financial Inclusion Conference
- Telecom1 day ago
Danbatta Highlights Achievements Says Broadband Penetration on Fast-tract
- E-Business1 day ago
How Sophos Excels in MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK® Evaluations with 99% Detection Coverage
- News23 hours ago
12 African Start-ups Emerged for Flapmax AI Innovation
- Telecom1 day ago
NIGCOMSAT, Thales Alenia Space Renew Satellite Deal
- E-Financial1 day ago
Infrastructure Bank Earmarks N13Bn to Support FG’s Palliative Fund