Category: English

Source: APO – Report:

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Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, and Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Eng. Karim Badawi.

Spokesman for the Presidency Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy stated that the meeting reviewed a number of work files of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. This included efforts to implement the strategy to transform Egypt into a regional energy and gas trading hub, developments in seismic survey activities by sea and air, and efforts to expand onshore and offshore exploration for oil and gas. The discussions also touched on the plan to diversify gas supply sources and incentives offered to exploration companies, in order to make Egypt one of the most attractive countries for investment in this field. This includes a plan to diversify gas supply sources and incentives directed at exploration companies, with the aim of making Egypt one of the most attractive countries for investment in this field.

The meeting also discussed the government’s efforts and coordination between the Ministries of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and Electricity and Renewable Energy to secure Egypt’s gas needs, particularly for the summer of 2026. 

President El-Sisi also was briefed on developments related to Egypt’s mining sector, the size of geological reserves, and investment indicators in this important sector. The Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources pointed out that Egypt will launch, in the first quarter of the current year, the first comprehensive aerial survey of mineral resources in 40 years, with the aim of updating geological data and building a large database to attract Arab and international mining investments.

Eng. Badawi presented a report on his participation in the fifth edition of the International Mining Conference, held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, from January 13 to 15, 2026. During the conference, the Minister highlighted the comprehensive legislative reforms implemented by the Egyptian state to attract investors, the application of globally competitive models for the exploitation of gold ore and various minerals. He also underscored a new package of incentives for international exploration companies and the streamlining of licensing procedures, leveraging Egypt’s rich geological nature and integrated infrastructure.

President El-Sisi gave directives to settling the dues of oil and gas companies operating in Egypt and fulfilling obligations toward them, in a way that leads to increased domestic production of oil and gas.  This is to be alongside providing incentives to accelerate and intensify field development and production operations and to conduct new explorations. The President also emphasized the need to intensify efforts to expand the scope of exploration and benefit from successful experiences. President El-Sisi reaffirmed the importance of providing further incentives and facilitations for investors in the oil, gas, and mining sectors. This aims to bolster investment volumes and boost production to meet growing consumption and development needs.

– on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Source: APO – Report:

Africa Sports Unified (ASU) (https://ASUnified.com), a boutique strategic consultancy and intelligence platform focused on the Pan-African sports economy, today announces the release of its Africa Cup of Nations 2025 Overview Report.

Hosted by Morocco and staged for the first time in the December–January global football window, AFCON 2025 marks a major inflection point in the evolution of African football as a world-class sporting and commercial property. The tournament features 24 national teams and takes place across nine modernised stadiums in six Moroccan cities.

The report provides a data-driven analysis of how AFCON 2025 is being repositioned as a premium global sports asset, examining prize money growth, broadcast and media distribution, partnerships, host infrastructure, digital engagement and long-term commercial strategy.

Key findings include:

• A record USD 10 million prize for the tournament winner, part of a total USD 32 million prize pool, doubling AFCON’s financial scale compared to recent editions.
• Expanded international media reach, including landmark free-to-air coverage in the United Kingdom via Channel 4, alongside deals in Spain (Movistar), Portugal (Sport TV) and more than 85 global markets.
• The first fully HDR-produced AFCON, setting new broadcast and production standards across all host venues.
• Morocco’s integrated approach to stadiums, transport, fan technology and security as part of its wider 2030 World Cup preparations.

“AFCON 2025 represents a structural shift in how African football is positioned on the global stage,” said Gabriel Ajala, Founder of Africa Sports Unified. “This is no longer just a continental tournament, it is a global media, commercial and nation-branding platform. Our report gives governments, federations, investors, broadcasters and sponsors a single source of truth to understand where the tournament is heading and where the opportunities lie.”

The report also explores how AFCON’s upcoming move to a four-year cycle from 2028 will increase its scarcity, strategic value and commercial importance, requiring deeper long-term planning from CAF, host nations and partners.

To download the full AFCON 2025 Overview Report, please click HERE (https://apo-opa.co/3LGfkCJ).

– on behalf of Africa Sports Unified.

Media enquiries:
info@asunified.com

About Africa Sports Unified:
Africa Sports Unified is a Pan-African sports intelligence and strategic advisory platform. We support governments, federations, investors, brands and institutions by providing decision-grade research, strategic insight and convening power across Africa’s fast-growing sports economy.

Source: APO

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The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns that without urgent resources and action, the most vulnerable people in West and Central Africa are headed for yet another dire year. A staggering 55 million people in the region are expected to endure crisis levels of hunger, or worse, during the June–August 2026 lean season. Over 13 million children are also expected to suffer from malnutrition in 2026.

The latest analysis from the Cadre Harmonisé – the equivalent of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) for West and Central Africa – also projects that over three million people will face emergency levels of food insecurity (Phase 4) this year – more than double the 1.5 million in 2020. Four countries – Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger- account for 77 percent of the food insecurity figures, including 15,000 people in Nigeria’s Borno State at risk of catastrophic hunger (IPC-5) for the first time in nearly a decade.

“Vital humanitarian aid is a transformative and stabilizing force in volatile contexts,” said Sarah Longford, Deputy Regional Director for West and Central Africa. “The reduced funding we saw in 2025 has deepened hunger and malnutrition across the region. As needs outpace funding, so too does the risk of young people falling into desperation. It’s critical that we support communities in crisis, so that rampant hunger doesn’t drive further unrest, displacement and conflict across the region.”

A toxic combination of surging conflict, displacement, and economic turmoil has been driving hunger in the region, but reductions in humanitarian assistance are now pushing communities beyond their ability to cope.

In Mali, when families received reduced food rations, areas experienced a 64 percent surge in acute hunger (IPC 3+) since 2023, while communities that received full rations experienced a 34 percent decrease. But continued insecurity in Mali has disrupted critical supply lines to major cities – including for food – with 1.5 million of the most vulnerable Malians expected to face crisis levels of hunger. In Nigeria, last year’s funding shortfalls forced WFP to scale down its nutrition programmes, affecting more than 300,000 children; malnutrition levels in several northern states have since deteriorated from “serious” to “critical.”

The current dire funding outlook threatens to deepen the hunger crisis even further. In Cameroon, without urgent funding, more than half a million vulnerable people are at-risk of being cut off from life-saving assistance in the coming weeks. In Nigeria, WFP will only be able to reach 72,000 people in February, a drastic reduction from the 1.3 million assisted during the 2025 lean season. 

With adequate funding, WFP has consistently delivered measurable impacts that improve food security through resilience, social protection, and anticipatory action. Land restoration in the Sahel, for example, generates up to USD30 for every dollar spent. Since 2018, WFP and communities have rehabilitated 300,000 hectares of farmland across five countries to support more than four million people in over 3,400 villages.

WFP programmes in the region have supported infrastructure development, school meals, nutrition, capacity building and seasonal aid to help families manage extreme weather and security risks, stabilize local economies and reduce dependency on aid.

“To break the cycle of hunger for future generations, we need a paradigm shift in 2026. National governments and their partners must increase investment in preparedness, anticipatory action, and resilience-building to empower communities,” said Longford.

WFP urgently requires more than $453 million over the next six months to continue providing life-saving humanitarian assistance across the region.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).

Source: APO

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• Patients’ lives are at risk in Jonglei state, South Sudan, due to delays in referring them to specialised medical care.
• The delays come following restrictions on the movements of humanitarian organisations, including MSF.
• MSF calls for unhindered humanitarian access and the delivery of essential medical supplies in Jonglei state.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns that ongoing restrictions on humanitarian movements in parts of Jonglei state, South Sudan, are directly preventing the lifesaving referral to specialised care for at least 20 critically-ill patients, putting their lives at immediate risk. Each delay in referral increases the likelihood of death or permanent disability for patients who cannot be treated locally.

Since 30 December 2025, these access restrictions have significantly constrained the delivery of essential healthcare services to conflict-affected communities, and made it impossible for necessary medical supplies to reach the MSF hospital in Lankien and our healthcare centre in Pieri.

The affected areas are experiencing increased humanitarian needs due to ongoing conflict and displacement. Meanwhile, the interruption of health services increases the risk to the lives of children, pregnant women, and people living with chronic or life-threatening conditions.

“Lives are being put at risk every day because critically-ill patients cannot be referred for the care they urgently need,” says Gul Badshah, MSF operations manager. “Patient referrals are not optional or administrative procedures; they are lifesaving interventions.”

“MSF is requesting unhindered humanitarian access, including predictable and regular flights to Jonglei state, to allow timely referrals for all critically-ill patients, the delivery of essential medical supplies, and staff rotations,” says Badshah.

As of mid-January 2026, humanitarian organisations working in South Sudan have been unable to secure sustained and predictable access to parts of Jonglei state. The absence of humanitarian organisations is contributing to people’s deteriorating health conditions and increasing preventable illness and deaths.

“Health facilities supported by MSF are already facing critical service disruptions,” says Badshah. “In Lankien and Pieri, we are now able to offer only lifesaving and emergency care.”

“Before the access constraints, MSF was receiving 1,000 patients in Lankien, and 700 in Pieri, on a weekly basis,” continues Badshah. “To better illustrate the current situation, the total catchment area for both facilities is around 250,000 people.”

Insecurity has also led to people being displaced, with an unknown number of people fleeing to remote areas to avoid airstrikes and fighting. While some people have returned, many, particularly women and children, remain displaced and without access to basic healthcare. Continued access constraints are likely to exacerbate displacement, weaken community coping mechanisms, and further strain limited local healthcare capacity.

MSF was forced to evacuate some of our staff members from Lankien hospital on 31 December. The hospital currently offers only lifesaving and emergency care.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).

Source: APO

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The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, congratulates the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria on the successful launch of the Alsat-3A Earth observation satellite, marking a significant advance in Africa’s space and geospatial capabilities.

“This achievement underscores Algeria’s leadership in space science and its commitment to harnessing satellite technologies for sustainable development, environmental monitoring, disaster risk reduction, for an informed policymaking”, said H.E. Mr. Youssouf

The Chairperson hopes that the enhanced high-resolution data from Alsat-3A will contribute to national and continental priorities in line with Agenda 2063 and the African Space Policy and Strategy.

The African Union Commission welcomes the strong spirit of international cooperation in the launch of the satellite and commends Algeria’s continued investment and peaceful uses of outer space for Africa’s collective progress.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).

Source: APO

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The United Arab Emirates has condemned in the strongest terms the attack carried out by an armed group in southern Chad, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of a number of members of the Chadian armed forces.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed the UAE’s strong condemnation of these criminal acts, and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence, extremism and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability.

The Ministry expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, and to the government and people of Chad, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured in this heinous attack.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Arab Emirates, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Source: APO

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The UN World Food Programme (WFP) issued the warning on Friday, citing latest analysis from the food security framework Cadre Harmonisé, the regional equivalent of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) that uses a one to five scale – with five spelling catastrophe/famine – to inform response. 

It projects that 13 million children are also expected to suffer from malnutrition this year while over three million people will face emergency levels of food insecurity – more than double the 1.5 million in 2020.

Communities cannot cope 

Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger account for 77 per cent of the food insecurity figures, including 15,000 people in Nigeria’s Borno state at risk of catastrophic hunger for the first time in nearly a decade. 

Although a combination of conflict, displacement, and economic turmoil has been driving hunger in West and Central Africa, the slashes to humanitarian funding are now pushing communities beyond their ability to cope. 

 “The reduced funding we saw in 2025 has deepened hunger and malnutrition across the region,” said Sarah Longford, WFP Deputy Regional Director. 

“As needs outpace funding, so too does the risk of young people falling into desperation.” 

Rations reduced, hunger soars 

WFP urgently requires more than $453 million over the next six months to continue its humanitarian assistance across the region, where the impacts of the aid budget cuts are evident. 

In Mali, when families received reduced food rations, areas experienced a nearly 65 per cent surge in acute hunger (IPC 3+) since 2023, compared with a 34 per cent decrease in communities that received full rations.  

Continued insecurity has disrupted critical supply lines to major cities – including for food – and 1.5 million of the country’s most vulnerable people are on track to face crisis levels of hunger.  

Malnutrition levels deteriorate 

In Nigeria, funding shortfalls last year forced WFP to scale down nutrition programmes, affecting more than 300,000 children.  Since then, malnutrition levels in several northern states have deteriorated from “serious” to “critical.” 

The UN agency will only be able to reach 72,000 people in Nigeria in February, down from the 1.3 million assisted during the 2025 lean season.  

Meanwhile, more than half a million vulnerable people in Cameroon are at risk of being cut off from assistance in the coming weeks.  

‘Paradigm shift’ needed 

WFP underscored the importance of having adequate funding for its operations, which have helped to improve food security in the region.   

For example, teams have worked with local communities in five countries to rehabilitate 300,000 hectares of farmland to support more than four million people in over 3,400 villages. 

WFP programmes have also supported infrastructure development, school meals, nutrition, capacity building and seasonal aid to help families manage extreme weather and security risks, stabilise local economies and reduce dependency on aid. 

“To break the cycle of hunger for future generations, we need a paradigm shift in 2026,” Ms. Longford said. 

She urged governments and their partners to step up investment in preparedness, anticipatory action, and resilience-building to empower local communities. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.

Source: APO

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A meeting with a view to reviewing the implementation of activities of 2025 was conducted on 15 January in the Central Region. The meeting also discussed programs for 2026, focusing on enhancing social welfare programs and community support.

Ms. Jim’a Ibrahim, head of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare in the region, said that in 2025 commendable activities were conducted to improve the socio-economic capacity of citizens under the objective of equitable distribution of resources and services.

According to reports presented at the meeting, out of the 24.8 million Nakfa distributed to 1,167 citizens in the form of loans, 99.6% has been returned; over 53.5 million Nakfa has been disbursed to families of martyrs; and over 2 million Nakfa contributed by nationals inside the country and abroad has been distributed to 86 families of martyrs.

Furthermore, the report indicated that school material support was extended to 1,729 disadvantaged students; 684 thousand Nakfa was extended in support of foster families; and material support worth 122,420 Nakfa was provided to 25 disabled children.

Vocational training, in collaboration with Harat Transportation Company, was provided to 44 disadvantaged children.

Speaking at the occasion, Ms. Leul Gebreab, Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, commending the activities conducted by the office branch, urged reinforced efforts for better outcomes.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.