Category: MIL-OSI

Source: APO

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Philip Mshelbila, Managing Director of Nigeria LNG Limited, has been elected Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF). Mshelbila assumes the position from outgoing Secretary General Mohamed Hamel, who led the organization through a period of significant growth and development. As a leading voice in global gas dialogue, the GECF unites major producers under a common goal of promoting dialogue and advancing energy security worldwide. With leadership moving from one African to another, the GECF’s selection cements Africa’s prominence in global gas discussions and is expected to support the continent’s efforts to position gas as the energy solution of the future.

As the voice of the African energy sector, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) welcomes Mshelbila’s appointment as a momentous step for African representation within global energy governance. The AEC has long-advocated for the role natural gas plays, both in Africa’s and the world’s future energy mix. Under Mshelbila’s leadership, African gas producers will gain a stronger platform to influence global energy decisions, while aligning international policies with the continent’s development objectives. The AEC also commends Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekperikpe Ekpo, who has been selected as President for the 2026 GECF Ministerial Meeting.

“With African leadership at the helm of the GECF, we have the opportunity to shape global gas dialogue, advocate for fair investment and position our gas as a cornerstone of global energy security. We thank outgoing Secretary General Hamel, who has been a great friend and partner of the AEC and of Africa. He brought Mauritania, Mozambique, Angola and Senegal into the global gas family and championed the fight against energy poverty. With leadership moving from one African to another, the GECF will continue making gas the priority of our continent’s development,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.

The appointments come as African nations emerge as drivers of global gas production. From established gas markets such as Nigeria, Angola, Libya and Algeria, to emerging producers such as Senegal, Mauritania, Mozambique and the Republic of Congo, Africa is rapidly positioning gas as a central component of the continent’s development future. For Nigeria, the appointment of Mshelbila comes as the country continues to advance its LNG ambitions. With the Nigeria LNG facility producing since 1999, the country has put in place measures to strengthen capacity and exports. The development of a seventh train – which will increase production from 22 million tons per annum (mtpa) to 30 mtpa – is a cornerstone of this strategy. Train 7 is expected to come online in 2025.

Beyond Nigeria, Angola is developing its first non-associated gas project – led by the New Gas Consortium – which will provide feedstock to the Angola LNG plant. The project is expected to come online in late-2025 and following the country’s first gas discovery at Block 1/14 earlier this year. Algeria and Libya are also ramping up production with a view to increase exports to Europe. Algeria plans to increase production to 200 billion cubic meters by 2030 while Libya is developing a series of projects – including Structures A&E.

Africa’s gas production is expected to get a major boost through the emergence of new LNG players. In 2025, the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim development – situated on the maritime border of Senegal and Mauritania – began production. The first phase has a capacity of 2.3 mtpa, while a planned second phase will double production to 5 mtpa. Mozambique is also making forays into LNG production with a series of major projects in the Rovuma Basin. The country started LNG production at the Coral Sul FLNG vessel in 2022 and is now advancing the development of the TotalEnergies-led Mozambique LNG project, the ExxonMobil-led Rovuma LNG project and the Eni-led Coral North project. In 2025, Coral North reached a final investment decision (FID), while FID for the Rovuma project is expected in 2026. In Central Africa, the Republic of Congo recently joined the ranks of African LNG producers with the start of Congo LNG in 2024. The first phase of the project has a capacity of 600,000 tons per annum while a planned second phase increases output to 3 mtpa. The second phase will come online in 2025.

Meanwhile, new frontiers are fast emerging. Zimbabwe is pursuing its first natural gas development in the Cabora Bassa Basin, where exploration by Invictus Energy has already confirmed the presence of substantial hydrocarbons. Tanzania is advancing plans for a $42-billion LNG terminal in Lindi, expected to unlock more than 57 trillion cubic feet of reserves. Together, these projects illustrate a continental shift toward harnessing gas as a catalyst for industrialization, power generation, and sustainable growth.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

Source: APO – Report:

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In a society where emotional vulnerability among men is often masked by silence or coded expressions—and where resilience is expected above all—WHO Uganda is shifting the narrative, one conversation at a time.

Responding to the growing global dialogue on workplace mental health, especially during the current transition within WHO and across the broader UN community, WHO Uganda launched the ‘Men Talk’ series—a bold and timely initiative aimed at supporting the mental health and wellbeing of male colleagues. The series creates a safe, confidential space for open discussions on topics that deeply affect men but are rarely discussed.

The sessions have sparked enthusiastic participation, with many male colleagues sharing that the conversations have helped them reflect, connect, and heal in ways they hadn’t experienced before. Designed to be interactive and grounded in real-life experiences, the sessions resonate deeply with participants.

So far, two sessions have been held:

• A man and his identity: What determines your worth? explored how societal expectations shape self-worth and emotional resilience.
• A man and his finances, tackled the pressures of financial responsibility and the emotional toll it can take.

These sessions have ignited honest conversations and deep personal reflection.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive:

“For the first time, I felt seen—not just as a team lead or a professional, but as a man navigating real challenges,” shares Christopher Chikombero, Team Lead, Country Support Unit.
“The sessions have addressed relevant and practical topics, especially during these times. They’ve also offered men a safe space to talk,” adds Nasan Natseri, Country Office Data Manager.

Benjamin Agaba, Finance Assistant, expresses his appreciation:
“The first session reminded us of the roles and responsibilities of men in society, both from a biblical and societal perspective. The second session was especially engaging. I believe fathers should share financial wisdom with their sons early on, rather than waiting until adulthood. Men need to learn how to manage their finances wisely—especially by living within their means.”

To keep the momentum, a WhatsApp group exclusively for male staff has been created. It has quickly become a virtual safe space where men share thoughts, offer support, and continue the conversation around healthy masculinity and vulnerability.

The excitement is palpable. Male colleagues are already asking about the next topic, eager to keep the dialogue alive. This is more than a series—it’s a movement helping men become better colleagues, husbands, and fathers.

Ultimately, this initiative is not just about mental health—it’s about transforming workplace culture. By creating space for men to speak openly, WHO Uganda is helping dismantle harmful norms and build a healthier, more empathetic work environment.

– on behalf of World Health Organization – Uganda.

Source: APO – Report:

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“As a midwife, I’ve held a torch in one hand while I prayed on one side that a mother didn’t die in childbirth,” said Angela Nguku, founder of the White Ribbon Alliance Kenya.

A midwife by vocation, Nguku said her 16-year journey as a talent advocate for pregnant women and newborns began in the delivery room, where she stood beside women giving life in dark birthing facilities with no electricity or medical supplies and without dignity.

Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity is no longer considered solely as a public health concern; it is also increasingly recognized as a human rights issue. With one woman dying every two minutes from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth today, according to 2023 estimates by WHO, this phenomenon continues to be the deadliest manifestation of gender-based discrimination.

In 2012, UN Human Rights presented a technical guidance to the Human Rights Council that offered a human rights-based approach to tackling the issue which primarily affects women and girls in low- and middle-income countries, as well as the most marginalized populations in high-income nations. An update to this technical guidance was presented recently at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

In the update, UN Human Rights reminded States that maternal deaths are not inevitable but only reflect their failure to uphold women’s human rights, especially the sexual and reproductive health and rights of those most marginalized. Women are not dying from untreatable diseases, they are dying because there is no political will to genuinely address the roots causes of maternal deaths, Nguku said.

“The reason I centre the voices of mothers is because I have walked with them. I have held their hands in labour wards. I have listened to their truths. Maternal mortality is not just a health statistic. It is a justice issue. It is women who are dying, yet most of the decisions about them are still made without them,” she added. “The world is still negotiating the worth of women’s lives. And when a woman dies giving life, justice is denied.”

Kenya’s maternal mortality ratio stands at 379 deaths per 100,000 live births as of 2023.While this represents a decline from earlier figures, it remains far above global targets.

Nguku also described the “poly-crisis” she said contributes to preventable maternal deaths, including economic, dignity, community, generational, cultural, social, and justice crises. “These overlapping crises primarily affect the underserved, including adolescents, Indigenous and pastoralist women, the rural and urban poor, migrants and refugees, and those living with disabilities. Yet most programmes still treat women as a single, homogeneous group, forgetting that their needs are shaped by specific contexts and lived realities,” she said.

Crucially, pregnancy and childbirth complications are among the leading causes of deaths of adolescent girls globally. According to WHO estimates, each year, adolescent girls have 21 million pregnancies in low- and middle-income countries, half of which are forced or unintended.

“Our mothers have to decide whether to use the money they have for the bus fare to get to the facility or use it to buy the supplies the hospital cannot provide for their stay or send their children to school or feed their families,” Nguku said. “Some women are disrespected at our healthcare facilities, they are not given any information or even called by their names. So, they prefer delivering their babies at home and risk death. But the minute a mother dies, the whole family collapses. This is what women told us through our unprecedented What Women Want campaigns. It shows the power of asking and listening.”

Nguku stressed that such a complex, multi-faceted issue as preventable maternal mortality and morbidity requires a holistic, integrated approach to resolve, which would include various stakeholders such as the women and girls themselves, the health practitioners, those in charge of the programmes and the policymakers in various sectors.

She also pointed out the need to take a multi-sectoral and intersectional tactic that would go beyond the health sector and focus on better education, including sexual and reproductive health education, water and sanitation, improved civil infrastructure and public financing, and the participation of the private manufacturers of the products that women and girls need.

“Until we stop looking at maternal deaths from the lens of development only and look at it from a comprehensive human rights perspective, we won’t be able to realise that we are talking about justice and we will keep failing women,” Nguku said.

At the 60^th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, a resolution was adopted that reaffirms the importance of adopting a human rights-based approach, including the fulfilment of sexual and reproductive health and rights, in eliminating preventable maternal mortality.

Compounded injustices and systemic failures as a cause

In Colombia, Dr. Jezid Miranda, an obstetrician and maternal foetal medicine specialist, and professor at the University of Cartagena has, for the past 15 years, focused his research on improving pregnancy outcomes, particularly for conditions such as preeclampsia, and understanding how social inequalities influence these outcomes. He also serves as Chair of the Health System Strengthening Committee at the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), where he contributes to global discussions on the importance of robust health systems for improving maternal health worldwide.

“Although this happens around the world, what was shocking to me was seeing many women in my country face discrimination or neglect during pregnancy and childbirth, especially those from marginalized communities,” Miranda said. “Protecting women’s health is inseparable from protecting all their human rights, and research and advocacy are ways to make those rights visible and, in some way, actionable.”

Facts about maternal mortality and morbidity

• A woman dies approximately every two minutes from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.
• Women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa are up to 400 times more likely to die from these causes than women in high-income countries.
• Women and adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries and from marginalized communities in high-income countries are most affected.
• Sixty-one percent of maternal deaths occur in crisis settings.
• Unsafe abortion remains a leading cause of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity in certain countries.
• Under international human rights law, governments have legal obligations to maintain the highest possible standard of health, including sexual and reproductive healthcare.

For Miranda, these preventable deaths and injuries occur against a backdrop of growing misinformation, distrust in science and global pushbacks against gender equality. Women continue to face abuses, disrespect and systemic barriers linked to poverty, ethnicity, language and legal status. Healthcare systems are also under pressure, he said, because of underfunding, the privatization of healthcare, and fragile health systems — especially in contexts compounded by crises such as migration, violence and armed conflict.

“Women’s health should not be covered by private interests, it should be a human right, but this is not the reality of our world today,” he said. “Women must pay to give birth in dignity. Some economies argue that this is how they keep their health systems on track, but it is a question of priority. With a better health system, comes healthier populations and healthy populations drive stronger economies.”

As stated in the UN Human Rights update to the technical guidance, the root causes of maternal mortality and morbidity lie in engrained gender inequalities, compounded by socio-economic injustices and systemic failures. These intersecting factors perpetuate disadvantages and risk, restricting women’s access to sexual and reproductive healthcare.

These injustices and failures, the report states, can manifest in lack of access to contraception to ensure adequate birth spacing, or denial of autonomy over pregnancy decisions or essential antenatal care; delays in reaching an appropriate health facility; underfunded and ill-equipped health systems, lacking the necessary interventions, medications or capacity to prevent and treat life-threatening complications; and discriminatory laws and lack of access to essential sexual and reproductive health services and information, or even their criminalization in some countries.

“When I look at maternal health, I see more than biology; I see rights, dignity and justice.“ – Dr. Jezid Miranda, obstetrician and professor at the University of Cartagena, Colombia

Miranda provided examples of how countries like Colombia have been able to reduce maternal mortality rates from 95 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 42 in 100,000 today. This comprised focusing on community-based solutions and training, including in Indigenous territories, and political commitment, rather than solely relying on expensive medical equipment.

He also highlighted the critical role of global organizations like UN Human Rights in supporting the implementation of relevant standards and pushing countries to respect women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The importance of disaggregated data

In India too, the health system has improved pregnancy outcomes with increasing institutional births, although the quality of care in these institutions still needs much improvement, according to Dr. Subhasri Balakrishnan. An obstetrician by training, she has been working for more than 20 years in civil society organizations, including now at Common Health India that has adopted a human rights-based approach to maternal and reproductive health.

Balakrishnan’s organization has used ‘social autopsies’ to acquire data on maternal deaths in different states in India that analyse the social determinants of maternal mortality and morbidity through a human rights lens. Women in India are increasingly choosing to give birth in health facilities and maternal mortality has improved tremendously over the past two decades, she said. However, this improvement does not translate in the quality of care provided to women by medical institutions.

“There is a huge gap in terms of availability of human resources and supplies, in a diverse country like India, especially in states where health systems have historically been under-resourced and under-funded,” she said. “There has also been a lot of disinvestment in health systems over the years, in terms of privatisation, both overtly and covertly, which has resulted in increased contractualization of the workforce.”

Balakrishnan further pointed out that the women still dying from preventable maternal causes belong to historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities, such as Indigenous women and those living in remote areas, who still face discrimination in accessing healthcare. She stressed that maternal deaths are deeply tied to social determinants such as poverty, nutrition, caste, and gender and that these broader factors need to be adequately addressed.

For UN Human Rights, eliminating preventable maternal mortality and morbidity requires bold, systemic changes and solidarity. This would include establishing comprehensive data-collection systems. Balakrishnan confirmed that India has a sample registration system that counts maternal deaths from representative samples across the country, which, she said, is probably the most credible data that can be retrieved from the country’s large data sets. However, although that system provides some geographical disaggregation, it hasn’t proven useful in specifically identifying which communities are mainly affected.

“Caste is a huge determinant of access to health or discrimination in health in India and smaller studies or data sets would show that the most marginalised castes are disproportionately more represented in maternal deaths than the rest of the population,” Balakrishnan said. “Nor do we have cause of death data. The Sample Registration System doesn’t provide any cause of death data or disaggregated data by community. And unless we know those kinds of details, how are we actually going to address these issues?”

Balakrishnan stressed that it was essential to invest in strengthening the whole healthcare system to adequately start preventing maternal mortality and morbidity. This includes providing better working and contractual conditions for healthcare workers, supporting continuous training, and promoting their human rights.

In India, maternal mortality and morbidity have significantly decreased from 200 per 100,000 live births to half that amount in two decades. Balakrishnan credited political will, international frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals, and civil society accountability initiatives for these results. She also included the country’s maternal death surveillance and response system and emergency transport systems as examples of good practices.

“Civil society organizations have been able to document maternal deaths and brought attention to them, to a smaller scale. But there are no real accountability spaces,” Balakrishnan said. “The update [to the technical guidance] is useful in the sense that it gives us a document to support our accountability efforts and keep the attention on the issue.”

According to the update to the technical guidance, eliminating preventable maternal mortality and morbidity is a moral and human rights imperative involving clear State obligations. Because it is a matter of justice, only a human rights-based overhaul will ensure that no more women and girls die from preventable causes.

Tackling gender inequalities and the underlying social determinants of health, including sexual and reproductive health; addressing intersecting forms of discrimination; and addressing harmful dominant economic systems that prioritize profit over human rights were among recommendations made to States in the report.

– on behalf of United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Source: APO – Report:

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President John Dramani Mahama has announced that Damongo, the Savannah regional capital, will host two major projects: a Catholic Science and Technology University and a regional hospital that will serve as a teaching facility.

The President made the announcement during a courtesy call by Most Reverend Philip Naameh, Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale, at the Presidency in Accra.

According to President Mahama, initial funding for the proposed university will come from the grant promised by the Chinese President.

The regional hospital, he explained, “shall also serve as a teaching facility for the proposed Catholic Science and Technology University, which will have a Faculty of Medical Sciences to train medical doctors and other allied health professionals.”

The President reiterated the government’s commitment to revamp the nation’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions during the discussions.

The name and location of the proposed university in Damongo were proposed by Archbishop Naameh and his delegation, who raised various educational and social issues affecting the northern sector of the country and made a passionate plea for redress.

Present at the meeting were Haruna Iddrisu (MP), Minister for Education; Joyce Bawah Mogtari, Presidential Advisor and Special Aide to the President; Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Office of the President; and Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs.

– on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.

Source: APO – Report:

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President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday reinforced his administration’s commitment to an independent yet accountable judiciary at the induction of 37 new High Court judges.

“Judicial independence is the lifeblood of our democracy, and it must never be compromised,” President Mahama declared during the swearing-in ceremony. “But independence does not mean isolation. Courts must remain open to accountability, must be guided by transparency and fidelity to the Constitution of the Republic.”

The President said the judiciary plays a critical role in Ghana’s development aspirations, particularly as the government pursues its Resetting Ghana Agenda, including the 24-Hour Economy initiative and the Big Push infrastructure programme.

“Your judgments will shape not only our jurisprudence, but also affect investor confidence, human rights, and our national stability,” he told the new judges, stressing that Ghana needs “a judiciary that is both firm and facilitative, one that enforces contracts fairly, protects innovation, and delivers justice without undue delay.”

President Mahama reminded the judges that their work extends beyond legal documents to the lives of real people.

“Behind every written affidavit was a human story of loss of hope, of survival, a dismissed teacher, a family displaced, a young person wrongfully accused,” he noted.

He urged the newly sworn-in judges to reject unnecessary delays and embrace modernisation.
“For as the saying goes, when lawyers play with time, justice becomes a casualty. Let the High Court be both the temple of the law and the house of humanity.”

Reaffirming executive support for the judiciary, the President stated: “As President, I wish to reaffirm my government’s unwavering commitment to defending judicial independence. Yet with that freedom comes the sacred duty to uphold ethical discipline and professional excellence.”

Responding on behalf of his colleagues, Justice Francis Asong Obuojo expressed gratitude for the appointment and pledged impartial service.

“We are here to assure you, the President, that for the confidence imposed in us and for this appointment, we will deliver justice to the people and the citizenry,” he said, committing to uphold justice “with integrity and without partiality.”

– on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.

Source: APO – Report:

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Cassava Technologies (Cassava) (www.CassavaTechnologies.com), a global technology leader of African heritage, proudly announces that it has received an investment from NVIDIA.  

According to Hardy Pemhiwa, President & Group CEO of Cassava Technologies, “Cassava is Africa’s leading technology company, driving the continent’s digital transformation with digital infrastructure and digital services. Securing this investment is an important milestone that we expect to unlock additional value from and catalyze the further expansion of our digital infrastructure and services to bridge the digital divide on the continent” 

Cassava’s impressive roster of investors now includes Econet Group, British International Investment, DFC, Finnfund, Fund for Export Development in Africa (Afreximbank/FEDA), Gateway Capital, Google LLC, International Finance Corporation (IFC), NVIDIA, Public Investment Corporation and Royal Bafokeng Holdings. 

Cassava Technologies operates across Africa, the Middle East and Latin America through a strong portfolio of business units comprising Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Africa Data Centres, Liquid C2, Cassava. ai, and Sasai Fintech, all of which are leaders in their respective sectors. The organisation will continue collaborating with its partners and customers on the continent and beyond, establishing it as a leading technology company of African heritage. 

– on behalf of Cassava Technologies.

About Cassava Technologies:
Cassava Technologies is a global technology leader of African heritage, providing a vertically integrated ecosystem of digital services and infrastructure, enabling digital transformation. Headquartered in the UK, Cassava has a presence across Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the United States of America. Through its business units, namely, Cassava AI, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Liquid C2, Africa Data Centres, and Sasai Fintech, the company provides its customers’ products and services in 94 countries. These solutions drive the company’s ambition of establishing itself as a leading global technology company of African heritage. 

Source: APO – Report:

Special Representative of the Secretary General for Libya Hanna Tetteh joined thirty-five young women from across Libya on Monday in a discussion on youth empowerment as they started their journeys on the UN in Libya’s annual Ra’idat training programme. 

In a panel discussion alongside UN Women’s Representative Florence Batsy, UNICEF’s Deputy Representative Abdulsalam Al-Souhigi and UNDP Project Manager, Filip Warnats, the SRSG highlighted how the skills taught in the programme teach young women to become leaders, build a network and ensure that their voices are heard. 

“The young women on the Ra’idat programme have been selected because they are talented, and because they want to be leaders in their communities, bringing issues they care about to the attention of leaders at all levels of society – municipal to national,” said SRSG Tetteh. “It is important for Libya, and society, that young women’s voices are heard and their concerns addressed.” 

The Ra’idat participants posed questions to all the panelists on leadership, how to manage online hate speech and how to build confidence and knowledge in order to convince people to listen to their ideas. It was stressed that the programme is about building a supportive network of women who can work together on challenges they think are important. 

“Women in Libya are very resilient,” said UN Women Representative Florence Batsy. “They are educated, have a lot of skills, and are leaders. We need to focus on them as this is a great opportunity for the country to move forward,” she added. 

SRSG Tetteh highlighted the role that youth and women will play in the roadmap implementation, including in the Structured Dialogue. There will be dedicated mechanisms to ensure youth and particularly young women, have the ability to engage in the process and be represented. 

The Ra’idat programme takes thirty-five young women annually for an intensive year of training focused on building communication, leadership, teamwork and advocacy skills. This year, the programme received 899 applicants, with 85 selected for interview. Cohort 3 of the programme runs until August 2026 and is generously supported by the governments of Italy and Germany.

– on behalf of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).