Category: Africa

Source: APO

By Sanjay Govender, Head of GBS/BPO Solutions at Qrent (https://Qrent.co.za/).

The BPO industry has embraced AI as a technology capable of improving operational efficiency, enhancing customer experiences, and supporting business growth. But inside South African call centres, the opposite is quietly happening.

As AI tools become deeply embedded into customer engagement environments, many operators are discovering that the real cost of AI is not the software licence – it’s the infrastructure required to run it.

From voice neutralisation software and real time call assistance to AI driven first line support and live agent coaching, the processing demands inside modern BPO environments have increased dramatically over the past 18 months.

What many providers underestimated was the backend impact. AI does not run for free. It requires compute power, memory, networking throughput, low latency environments, and increasingly expensive infrastructure to support it at scale.

The result is that many BPOs are now facing a difficult and expensive decision. One approach is to run AI workloads directly on endpoint devices. This means moving away from standard workstation deployments toward higher specification machines capable of handling AI assisted applications locally.

In practical terms, this is driving a noticeable shift away from traditional Intel i5 deployments toward growing demand for i7 powered devices on the call centre floor. AI enhanced workloads are forcing hardware upgrades far earlier than many refresh cycles originally planned for.

The second option is to keep endpoint devices relatively standard while shifting the AI processing burden into the backend environment. In this model, AI applications and workloads are hosted centrally on servers, reducing the processing demand on the user device itself. While this avoids large scale desktop upgrades, it introduces a different problem – significantly increased server infrastructure requirements.

This is where many BPOs are starting to feel the financial pressure. Backend server environments capable of supporting AI driven workloads require substantially higher compute density, increased storage performance, more advanced networking, and far greater scalability than traditional call centre infrastructure.

The cost of expanding on premises server stacks to accommodate these workloads is rising rapidly, particularly as demand for AI capable hardware continues to grow globally.

According to Gartner, worldwide spending on AI optimised servers is accelerating sharply as organisations race to support enterprise AI workloads, contributing to overall global IT spending reaching $6.15 trillion in 2026 (https://apo-opa.co/4gTlf4e).

The third route many organisations are exploring is moving AI infrastructure off premises entirely through hyperscale providers such as Amazon Web Services or colocation environments like Teraco. In this model, the infrastructure is rented rather than owned, with AI workloads hosted externally and delivered to the BPO environment through cloud or hosted platforms.

While this removes the burden of large upfront infrastructure investment, it introduces ongoing rental and operational expenditure costs that must be managed carefully over time. For some BPOs, this creates far greater flexibility. For others, especially those operating at scale with strict latency and compliance requirements, the long-term cost equation becomes more complex.

What is becoming increasingly clear is that AI is fundamentally changing the economics of the BPO industry. For years, cost optimisation in call centres focused largely on labour efficiency. Today, infrastructure efficiency is becoming equally important.

The conversation is shifting from simply how many agents a BPO can support, to how much compute power it takes to support them effectively in an AI enabled environment. This is why the traditional procurement model is coming under pressure. Many operators still attempt to purchase server infrastructure outright through large capital expenditure projects.

But in a market where AI workloads are evolving rapidly, hardware demands are changing constantly, and infrastructure pricing remains volatile, locking large amounts of capital into fixed infrastructure is becoming increasingly risky.

A growing number of BPOs are instead exploring leasing and rental models for backend AI infrastructure. Rather than purchasing expensive server environments upfront, providers can deploy infrastructure through operational expenditure models that spread costs over time while maintaining flexibility as AI requirements evolve.

This approach also reduces the risk of overinvesting in hardware that may become insufficient or obsolete far sooner than traditional infrastructure cycles allowed for. In an AI driven environment, scalability and adaptability are becoming more valuable than ownership itself.

The uncomfortable reality is that AI is not automatically reducing operational costs inside BPOs. In many cases, it is increasing them. The difference is that the costs are shifting away from people and moving into infrastructure.

That changes everything, because the next competitive battle in the BPO industry may not be about who has the cheapest labour model. It may be about who can afford to power AI at scale.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Qrent.

Media Contact:
Sanjay Govender
sgovender@qrent.co.za

More about Qrent:
Qrent is a leading provider of sustainable IT asset management solutions, specialising in the refurbishment, rental and sale of refurbished high-quality computers, laptops, and other IT equipment. Based in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, Qrent offers businesses an eco-friendly alternative to traditional IT procurement by extending the lifecycle of technology through refurbishment, reducing e-waste, and lowering carbon footprints.

With a commitment to the circular economy, Qrent helps companies meet their sustainability goals while maintaining the performance and efficiency of their IT infrastructure. Through their comprehensive IT asset management services, including equipment rentals, sales, and responsible recycling, Qrent ensures businesses can make a positive environmental impact without compromising on cost-effectiveness or quality.

As an advocate for green tech solutions, Qrent plays a key role in reducing the growing global e-waste crisis, empowering organisations to adopt smarter, more sustainable IT practices. By choosing Qrent, businesses not only benefit from superior tech solutions but also contribute to a more sustainable future for all.

Source: APO

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President of the Republic of Seychelles, Dr Patrick Herminie, has expressed his solidarity with the people of Nepal following the devastating flash floods that struck the country on 26 August 2026.

In a message, President Herminie said: “The devastating flash floods in Nepal are truly heartbreaking. Seychelles is home to a significant Nepalese community, and I hope we can acknowledge this tragedy and let them know that the people of Seychelles stand with them during this painful time. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost loved ones and everyone affected by this disaster.”

The President’s message comes as Seychelles stands in solidarity with its Nepalese community and with the people of Nepal during this time of profound loss and uncertainty.

The flash floods struck northern Nepal on Wednesday, particularly along the Bhote Koshi River near the border with Tibet, sweeping through communities and causing widespread destruction to homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure. The flooding was linked to an ice-and-rock avalanche or glacial collapse, which caused a sudden surge of water downstream.

According to the latest reports, at least 160 people have died in Nepal and hundreds remain missing, while Nepal’s Tourism Board has reported 403 tourists unaccounted for, including 341 foreign nationals. Rescue and search operations remain ongoing as authorities continue to assess the full extent of the damage and reach affected communities.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Seychelles.

Source: APO

Facing a projected shortage of more than six million health professionals by 2035, African countries are stepping up efforts to strengthen their workforce, with a new decade-long plan announced on Wednesday during a meeting of health ministers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Key points

• The new plan calls for coordinated investment to ensure countries have a skilled, motivated and adequately supported workforce capable of meeting Africa’s rapidly growing health needs
• The agenda marks a shift from simply training more health workers to building sustainable, well-planned and equitably distributed health systems 
• African health ministers also endorsed a new regional strategy to give every child the best possible start in life

Adopted during the 76th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa, the Health Workforce Management Programme in Africa (2026–2035) aims to transform health-sector labour markets.

The ministers approved a 10-year programme to train, employ and retain three million additional health workers in a major push to bolster health systems across the continent.

“Our Member States have recognised that training health professionals is only the beginning,” said Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO regional director for Africa.

“This programme turns evidence into concrete action and political commitment into sustainable investments for Africa’s health workforce and, ultimately, for the health and well-being of our populations,” 

More health workers, but still not enough

The commitment comes as Africa’s health workforce has grown significantly over the past decade, reaching nearly 5.72 million professionals in 2024.

Yet, the increase remains far short of what is needed. The continent currently has only about 46 per cent of the health workers required to meet its needs, leaving millions of people without adequate access to essential health services.

Without decisive action, the shortfall could exceed six million professionals by 2035.

Chronic staff shortages

At the same time, Africa faces a striking paradox: health facilities are struggling with staff shortages while nearly one million trained health professionals are unemployed, with recent graduates particularly affected.

In many countries, more than half of newly qualified nurses, doctors and midwives are unable to find work shortly after completing their training.

For WHO, the situation underscores the need to better align education and training with labour-market demand, job creation and sustainable financing, while strengthening long-term workforce planning.

Small investment, potentially big returns

The new programme provides countries with a roadmap to improve workforce planning, expand quality training, create more employment opportunities and retain skilled professionals in the areas where they are most needed.

WHO also highlights the economic case for investing in health workers. Closing Africa’s workforce gap would require an additional $4 to $6 per person each year.

The potential returns, however, are substantial. Every dollar invested in health workers could generate up to $10 in economic benefits and roughly 30 times that amount in broader social returns, through better health, higher productivity and stronger economies.

New regional strategy

Deliberations on the policies and priorities are expected at the Addis Ababa meeting through 28 August, with decisions shaping the region’s health agenda in the coming year and beyond, including a newly endorsed regional strategy to give every child the best possible start in life. 

The strategy calls for coordinated action across health, nutrition, social protection, water and sanitation, education, finance and other sectors, recognising that no single sector can meet the needs of children alone. 

At its heart is a commitment to supporting parents, caregivers and communities, who play the most important role in helping children survive, grow, learn and thrive, according to WHO.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.

Source: APO

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Millions of people in Africa rely on medicines, vaccines, diagnostic tests and medical devices without worrying about the systems that ensure they are safe, effective and of good quality. Behind every product that reaches a patient is a regulatory system working to protect public health.

Today, Ministers of Health from across the WHO African Region took an important step to strengthen those systems by endorsing a new regional strategy that will help countries improve the regulation of medical products over the next decade.

The Regional Strategy on Regulation of Medical Products in the African Region (2026–2035) comes at a time when countries are expanding access to essential health products, strengthening local manufacturing and preparing for future public health emergencies. Effective regulatory systems are fundamental to these efforts, ensuring that medicines, vaccines, blood products, diagnostics and medical devices consistently meet internationally accepted standards of quality, safety and effectiveness.

Over the past decade, the African Region has made progress in strengthening regulatory systems. The African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization initiative has expanded collaboration among countries, while the African Medicines Agency has become operational, creating new opportunities for regulatory cooperation across the continent. The number of national regulatory authorities achieving WHO Maturity Level 3, an internationally recognized benchmark indicating a stable and well-functioning regulatory systems, has increased from one in 2018 to eight in 2025. Yet significant gaps remain, with most countries continuing to strengthen their regulatory capacity.

“Strong regulatory systems protect lives, strengthen confidence in health systems and create the foundation for local innovation, manufacturing and faster access to quality-assured health products. This strategy reflects our collective commitment to ensuring that everyone in Africa can benefit from medical products they can trust,” said Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

The new strategy outlines a roadmap for the next decade to strengthen regulatory systems across the Region. It aims to increase the number of regulatory authorities reaching WHO Maturity Level 3, support the development of regulatory authorities operating at internationally recognized levels of performance, strengthen the African Medicines Agency, expand the use of digital regulatory systems and improve preparedness for future public health emergencies.

Recognizing that no country can address increasingly complex regulatory challenges alone, the strategy also promotes greater collaboration through joint product assessments, shared inspections and increased reliance on regulatory decisions made by trusted authorities. These approaches will help improve efficiency, reduce duplication and accelerate access to quality-assured medical products while making the best use of limited resources.

As countries implement the strategy over the next decade, stronger regulatory systems are expected to improve access to quality-assured medical products, reinforce public confidence in health systems and support Africa’s growing ambition to manufacture and regulate more of the health products its people need. Together, these efforts will help build resilient regulatory systems that protect public health, support universal health coverage, strengthen health security and foster sustainable development across the African Region.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.

Source: APO

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African health ministers, development partners, heads of African Union and regional health institutions today agreed on a renewed continental agenda to accelerate the elimination of multiple diseases in the region, committing to ensuring that disease elimination remains a priority within broader health and development agenda.

Meeting during a high-level ministerial side event held on the margins of the Seventy-sixth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, the health leaders also endorsed the Addis Ababa Call to Action on Protecting and Accelerating Multi-Disease Elimination in Africa which aims to boost country ownership, domestic investment in health and improve resilient health systems that are capable of responding to multiple public health challenges.

This meeting comes at a time when the region is making major progress in eliminating and controlling diseases that have long-burdened communities. Over the past decade, for example, there has been significant progress in the elimination of neglected tropical diseases. Leprosy has been almost completely eliminated as a public health problem in the region with only one country yet to achieve the elimination target. In addition, 41 African countries have to date been certified free of Guinea worm disease, a debilitating parasitic infection. In 2025 alone, Burundi, Mauritania and Senegal eliminated trachoma; Niger became the first African country to eliminate river blindness; and Guinea and Kenya eliminated sleeping sickness. In other disease areas, Botswana achieved gold tier status on the Path to Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV as a public health problem and Cabo Verde, Mauritius and Seychelles eliminated measles and rubella.

“As a region, we have made great strides towards multiple disease elimination goals,” said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “These achievements highlight the impact of sustained political commitment, strong health systems and effective partnerships. What we need now is to sustain these gains, invest more and push further”.

The Addis Ababa Call to Action emphasized the need to move beyond disease-specific interventions towards integrated approaches that strengthen primary health care and deliver results across multiple disease programmes. Partners reaffirmed commitment to supporting country-led elimination efforts and underscored the need for continued collaboration to ensure that recent achievements are sustained and expanded to benefit more communities across the region.

Participants also acknowledged persistent challenges, including funding constraints, limited integration of disease programmes into national health systems, weak diagnostic and data management capacity and insecurity in some countries. These challenges, they noted, could reverse hard-won gains if not addressed through coordinated action and sustained investment.

WHO reaffirmed its commitment to working with Member States, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and partners to provide technical support, facilitate partnerships and monitor progress towards elimination targets.

“The call to action from this meeting reflects the region’s collective determination to protect hard-won gains and ensure that elimination efforts remain a priority,” said Colonel-Major Dr Garba Hakimi, Minister of Public Health, Population and Social Affairs, Niger. By strengthening country leadership and investing in resilient health systems, we can accelerate progress and improve the health and well-being of millions of people across the region.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.

Source: APO

The construction of Bunyoro University will soon commence following the approval of architectural designs and the UPDF Engineering Brigade lined up to undertake the first phase of the project.

The revelation was made by the Minister of State for Education and Sports, Hon. Peter Ogwang said that Shs4 billion has been allocated in the current financial year to start construction of a multipurpose building.

“We plan to start the phase with the available resources as we mobilise for additional funds. Government remains committed to the establishment of Bunyoro University,” Ogwang said during the sitting of the House on Wednesday, 26 August 2026.

Ogwang’s pronouncement followed a motion moved by Hoima City Woman Representative Asinansi Nyakato calling for establishment of the university.

He said the first phase of infrastructure development requires Shs177.5 billion, leaving a substantial funding shortfall. The minister added that the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has been engaged to mobilise additional resources for the project.

Ogwang added that the government is finalising a memorandum of understanding with the UPDF Engineering Brigade to allow construction to commence.

Nyakato said the establishment of Bunyoro Public University was long overdue, despite repeated government commitments. She added that that the continued delays have denied residents equitable access to affordable university education.

“Establishment of the university constitutes both a matter of regional equity, skills development and qualification attainment for Uganda’s oil and gas sector development and broader industrialization,” Nyakato said.

She said the university will provide relevant technical and professional training, support research and innovation and prepare the locals participate in the oil economy.

Bugangaizi East County MP, Hon. Onesimus Twinamasiko supported the proposed focus on engineering, science and other programmes relevant to the emerging oil industry saying this will be both timely and beneficial.

Hoima West Division MP, Hon. Ismail Kasule described the establishment of the university as a matter of equity noting that Bunyoro comprises 13 districts but does not have a public university.

Hon. Jane Avur Pacuto (NRM, Pakwach Woman MP) asked the government to incorporate the university firmly into the National Development Plan saying it will create employment, strengthen human-capital development and expand the national tax base.

“In the National Development Plan IV, government is focusing on human development and the university should be one of the outputs.  We have been talking about how we are grappling with unemployment, through this university many people will be employed,” Pacuto said. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.