Category: English

Source: APO

The East African Community (EAC) Council of Ministers has lifted the moratorium on recruitment in the Organs and Institutions of the Community and approved a phased recruitment plan commencing in FY 2026/2027. 

The Council held a Dedicated Meeting to finalise urgent staffing matters in the Organs and Institutions of the Community in Mombasa, Republic of Kenya, from 18th to 21st August, 2026.

The Meeting was chaired by the Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Community Affairs in the Republic of Uganda, as Chairperson of the Council of Ministers. It was attended by Ministers/ Cabinet Secretaries, Principal, Permanent and Under Secretaries and delegates from the Partner States, the Secretary General and Staff of the Organs and Institutions of the Community.

In a bid to ensure continuity in the operations of the Organs and Institutions of the Community, the Council directed the Secretariat to advertise 69 priority positions in all the Partner States and commence the recruitment process without further delay.

The Council approved the use of the electronic recruitment system for recruitment of staff for the Organs and Institutions of the Community.

The Council also approved job descriptions validated by Partner States Experts for the Organs and Institutions of the Community.

The Council appointed Ms. Pascaline Balisanga Nyiramutuzo from the Republic of Rwanda, as Executive Director for the East African Community Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA) for a period of three years.

The decisions are expected to facilitate the recruitment process and strengthen the capacity of the Organs and Institutions of the Community to effectively deliver on their mandates and implement the 7th Development Strategy of the Community, which was launched by the Summit of EAC Heads of State in March this year. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of East African Community (EAC).

Source: APO

CIT VERICASH (https://www.CITVericash.com/), the fintech enablement platform serving banks and financial institutions across Africa, has been awarded Best Digital Financial Services Platform 2026 by Global Business Outlook, the UK-based international business publication known for its annual awards recognizing transformative performance across global financial markets.

The recognition marks the latest in a series of industry acknowledgements for the company, which in 2025 was awarded Best Digital Transformation Platform, Fintech Strategic Partner of the Year, and Best Financial Services Platform Africa. For CIT VERICASH, the Global Business Outlook award extends the company’s growing international profile at a moment when digital financial services adoption across sub-Saharan Africa is accelerating at institutional scale.

Those numbers are difficult to dispute. A single deployment of the VERICASH platform currently powers the digital banking operations of a pan-African banking group across 22 countries, processing over 500 transactions per second, handling more than 30 million digital services per day, and maintaining more than 7 million active subscribers. In the client’s first five years of full digital platform operations, the results compounded: 5x growth in digital subscribers, 10x growth in monthly transactions, and 30x growth in monthly financial transaction value, translating directly into higher fee income and lower servicing costs.

Building the Backbone of African Digital Finance

CIT VERICASH, a division of CIT GLOBAL, draws on the parent company’s 30-plus years of system integration and software expertise since its founding in Toronto in 1993, delivering award-winning technology to clients across more than 50 countries.

The cornerstone of the company’s performance is the VERICASH Fintech Enablement Platform, a centralized, integrated ecosystem designed to enable financial institutions to launch, operate, optimize, and continuously scale digital financial services through a single platform. Powered by an agile, low-code/no-code service builder, the platform allows commercial banks, digital banks, microfinance institutions, mobile money operators, and fintechs to rapidly deploy and evolve digital banking, agency banking, mobile wallets, payment ecosystems, lending, and other financial services while reducing complexity, accelerating time-to-market, and maximizing the value of existing infrastructure. Currently live in approximately 25 markets across Africa, the platform supports Tier 1 banks, digital banks, neobanks, and fintech operators with the technology, operational capabilities, and strategic enablement required to drive sustainable digital growth.

Global Business Outlook, in selecting CIT VERICASH for the 2026 award, pointed to the platform’s demonstrated ability to operate at institutional scale across fragmented regulatory environments, a challenge that continues to frustrate expansion-minded financial institutions across the continent.

Strategic Partnership That Goes beyond software delivery

To ensure sustainable, long-term client growth, CIT VERICASH anchors every deployment in a Strategic Partnership Model that extends far beyond traditional software delivery. Rather than acting as a technology vendor, CIT VERICASH operates as a long-term strategic partner, aligning technology, operational excellence, and business growth around shared success.

The partnership model combines a scalable fintech platform with dedicated Centres of Excellence, 24/7 operational monitoring, continuous platform optimization, development and customization capabilities, business intelligence and performance analytics, application quality support, and proactive fraud monitoring. Beyond technology operations, CIT VERICASH works alongside clients to evaluate business models, support licensing requirements, build operational teams, develop financial forecasts, and accelerate go-to-market execution for new digital service offerings.

Supported by a collaborative revenue-sharing model that aligns incentives between CIT VERICASH and its partners, this approach enables financial institutions to reduce technology risk, accelerate profitability, continuously evolve their digital capabilities, and unlock sustainable long-term growth.

This enterprise-grade approach has translated into critical long-term alliances. In East Africa, CIT VERICASH has formed a strategic alliance with Bluechip Technologies, combining the VERICASH platform with Bluechip’s localized market expertise to deliver agency banking, digital payments, and mobile wallets to banks, telcos, and fintechs. Further across the continent, a decade-long partnership with CWG PLC in West Africa that powers large-scale financial ecosystems.

A key differentiator shaping CIT VERICASH’s product direction is its approach to artificial intelligence. Rather than positioning machine learning as an optional layer, the company operates under a clear philosophy: “AI is not a feature. It is how the digital channel thinks, decides, and acts.” By embedding 360° AI-powered capabilities across retail, SME, and corporate banking, including personalized customer experiences, automated credit scoring, real-time transaction risk scoring, and proactive fraud prevention, the platform is built for the next generation of digital finance infrastructure, not the last.

A Pattern of Recognition

What distinguishes CIT VERICASH’s recent run of awards from standard industry noise is the consistency. Three industry recognitions in 2025, now followed by an international designation from Global Business Outlook in 2026, suggest a narrative that is beginning to cut through: a company that has spent years building infrastructure continues to be acknowledged because its clients are scaling profitable, inclusive digital services.

The timing is not incidental. Digital financial services adoption across sub-Saharan Africa accelerated sharply following the pandemic, and the institutions that emerged well-positioned were largely those that had invested in scalable ecosystems rather than attempting to build proprietary stacks. CIT VERICASH positioned itself on the right side of that structural shift.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of CIT VERICASH.

About CIT VERICASH:

CIT VERICASH (https://www.CITVericash.com/) is a division of CIT GLOBAL (https://CITGlobal.com/), an international leading provider of innovative eCommerce and mCommerce software solutions and services with solid expertise spanning 30 years, since its establishment in Toronto, Canada, in 1993. CIT Global has delivered innovative and award-winning solutions to its clients in more than 50 countries, serving leading brands from North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa.

CIT VERICASH has been empowering Financial institutions and Financial Services providers to deliver innovative digital financial services, capitalizing on the VERICASH Fintech Enablement Platform, currently live in around 25 markets across Africa and the Middle East.

Source: APO

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H.E. Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, is scheduled to pay an official visit to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia during 25 – 29 August 2026 and meet with high-level representatives to promote Thailand’s engagement with Africa across all dimensions under the Thailand–Africa Initiative (TAI). The visit also aims to advance the Government’s economic diplomacy agenda by enhancing trade and investment cooperation with key emerging markets in Africa, particularly Nigeria and Ethiopia.

During the visit to Nigeria, the Deputy Prime Minister is scheduled to meet with H.E. Mr. Kashim Shettima, Vice President of Nigeria, H.E. Mrs. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, and Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja. He will also lead a Thai business delegation to attend the Thailand–Nigeria Business Forum in Lagos.

In Ethiopia, the Deputy Prime Minister is scheduled to meet with H.E. Mr. Gedion Timothewos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, as well as a high-level representative of the African Union Commission. He will also host a reception to relaunch the TAI policy to members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the public and private sectors, and international organizations based in Ethiopia. He will also lead a Thai business delegation to attend the Thailand – Ethiopia: Building Business Bridges event in Addis Ababa, which aims to foster networking and strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors of the two countries.

This official visit to Nigeria and Ethiopia marks the inaugural official visit of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to the African continent, reflecting the Thai Government’s commitment to advancing strategic initiatives and elevating bilateral relations with its partners in Africa.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand.

Source: APO

One hundred days have passed since the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared the ongoing Ebola outbreak, which has now become the country’s fastest growing. Transmission is outpacing control efforts, requiring a substantial scale-up across all areas of response to halt the spread of the virus. 

A daily average of around 90 confirmed cases has been recorded in the first three months, markedly higher than the rate observed in the same period during the 2014–2016 West Africa and the 2018–2020 Democratic Republic of the Congo outbreaks. The outbreak has now expanded to a sixth province, with Ituri remaining the epicentre, accounting for about 85% of cases and 79% of deaths.  

“We can bring the Ebola outbreak under control but only through scaled-up action in affected communities that is led by national, provincial and local leaders and the affected communities, sustained by needed resources and backed by committed collaboration by all partners in DRC and beyond,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “WHO and partners will continue to support the DRC government, communities and neighbouring countries in delivering the response needed to end the outbreak.” 

Mortality is high both in communities and among patients in treatment facilities. Community deaths—those occurring outside Ebola treatment centres—accounted for around 60% of the 260 weekly fatalities recorded over the past six weeks. This highlights the persistent challenges in early detection, referral and access to treatment, while mortality among patients reaching treatment facilities may reflect late admission and severe stage of the disease. 

The response needs to be rapidly ramped up and adapted to local transmission patterns and operational gaps. All response partners need to reinforce operations in areas with high virus transmission and community deaths, as well as in high-risk areas and in areas reporting new cases.   However, the response faces many challenges such as insecurity and recurrent conflict, population displacement, attacks on health facilities, community reluctance and difficult access. Scaling up and adapting the response requires intensified action and resource intense mobilization, stronger disease surveillance, preparedness and coordination across provinces, along the Congo River and national borders. 

“This outbreak has reached a defining moment. The progress made over the past three months shows that stronger action delivers results, but it also reminds us that incremental gains will not be enough. We now need to significantly step up the response: moving faster to detect cases, reaching communities sooner and strengthening operations where they are needed most. The choices we make now will determine how quickly we can bring this outbreak under control, protect and save lives,” said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa. 

Despite the challenges, important outbreak response efforts have been made over the past three months. Laboratory capacity has expanded from one testing site to 19 laboratories capable of processing more than 3000 samples a day. Treatment capacity has increased from fewer than 10 beds to more than 1300, while over 900 health facilities have received infection prevention and control support. Community engagement activities have reached more than 2.5 million people and contact follow-up has improved from 9% during the first week of the outbreak to 84% as of 18 August.  

Scientific efforts are also advancing, including clinical trials of potential treatments, evaluation of candidate vaccines and deployment of the first emergency-listed molecular diagnostic test for Bundibugyo virus disease. In countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond, preparedness is being reinforced through closer cross-border collaboration, harmonized disease surveillance, information sharing and joint planning to detect and contain imported cases. 

National authorities, supported by WHO and partners, are reinforcing disease surveillance and contact tracing, expanding laboratory testing and clinical care, strengthening infection prevention and control, and working with communities to encourage early reporting, care-seeking and safe and dignified burials. WHO has deployed over 260 experts, delivered more than 330 tonnes of essential medical and operational supplies. 

Bringing the outbreak under control will require sustained national leadership, strong community engagement, secure access to affected communities, regional and global solidarity and continued investment to rapidly strengthen response operations where they are needed most. A halt in conflict is also critical to enable frontline teams to reach affected communities. The coming months will be critical to building on the gains made over the first 100 days, closing remaining operational gaps and accelerating efforts to contain the outbreak.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Democratic Republic of Congo.

Source: APO

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has in terms of section 98 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996, appointed Minister Stella Ndabeni as Acting Minister of Health with effect from 24 August to 30 September 2026.

Minister Ndabeni will undertake all functions of the Minister of Health for the said period while Minister Motsoaledi remains on sick leave.  

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.