MIL Africa Engine

Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, marks ‘World Hypertension Day 2025’ in partnership with Africa’s First Ladies, Ministries of Health, Medical Societies and Academia through their “Nationwide Diabetes & Hypertension Blue Points Program, by reinforcing its commitment to improving cardiovascular and diabetes care across Africa, and beyond.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation stated, “At Merck Foundation we observe “World Hypertension Day” by expanding access to quality and equitable care in Hypertension, Diabetes, Endocrinnology and Cardiovascular preventive care, which are all co-related, by providing scholarships for young doctors from across Africa and beyond.

“Together with our Ambassadors, The First Ladies of Africa, and partners like Ministries of Health, Medical Societies and Academia, we have till today provided more than 860 scholarships for young doctors from 52 countries, of One-Year Online PG Diplomas and Two-Year Online Master’s Degrees in Diabetes, Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, Endocrinology, Cardiology, and Obesity & Weight Management, as well as One-Year Clinical Cardiovascular Care and Clinical Diabetes Onsite Fellowship Programs in India, a special 3-month Diabetes Mastercourse in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish languages.

What is special about these scholarships is that they have been provided not only to doctors from capital cities, but also to those from across the country — ensuring wider geographic coverage of healthcare capacity. We remain committed to continuing our efforts to improve healthcare capacity and access to hypertension and diabetes care.”

Merck Foundation has in total provided more than 2270 scholarships for doctors from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties.

Dr. Dzifa Ahadzi, Merck Foundation alumnus from Ghana shares, “I have completed my Postgraduate Diploma in Cardiology and currently pursuing MSc in Cardiology. Being a practicing cardiologist, this program has provided me with the opportunity to consolidate my knowledge and apply current advances in cardiovascular care to my clinical practice. Since completing the PG Diploma in Cardiology, I have been involved in establishing a Heart Failure clinic in my hospital that caters to the needs of a diverse population of Heart Failure patients including women with Postpartum cardiomyopathy and Cardio-oncology patients.

I am extremely grateful to Merck Foundation for the support and exposure it has provided me. It has inspired me and helped me to improve cardiovascular care amongst the population that I serve.”

Merck Foundation scholarships are of great value, given that as per WHO data, the African region has the highest prevalence of hypertension, with approximately 27% of adults affected.

Therefore, Merck Foundation has launched several community awareness programs to emphasize on the importance of a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about diabetes and hypertension prevention, early detection and management.

Merck Foundation, together with The First Ladies of Africa has launched a storybook and its adapted animation Film “Mark’s Pressure”.

“I believe early education is key to building a healthier community. Through our storybook and animation film “Mark’s Pressure”, we aim to instill healthy habits in children and youth — like reducing salt and sugar, eating well, exercising, and avoiding smoking. I believe that this is the only way to to prevent and manage hypertension and diabetes, which are major risk factors for many serious complications and illnesses.”

Watch the “Mark’s Pressure” Animation Film here:

https://apo-opa.co/45pQuid

Moreover, Merck Foundation’s pan African TV program “Our Africa” conceptualized, produced, directed, and co-hosted by Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation has episodes dedicated to raising awareness about Diabetes and Promoting Healthy Lifestyle.

Watch the Episodes here:

https://apo-opa.co/4jMij7M

https://apo-opa.co/43VGaf9

“Our Africa” TV Program has been broadcasted on National and Prime TV stations of many African countries like Burundi, Botswana, Ghana, The Gambia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia and is currently on social media handles of Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej [Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/4jMijEO), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/4jPaTkd), Twitter (https://apo-opa.co/43XKSco) and YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/4l3tpX8)] and Merck Foundation [Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/445Av6G), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/3SMH2Ok), Twitter (https://apo-opa.co/403N1Cb) and YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/3HD4xXz)].

Additionally, Merck Foundation together with African First Ladies, also launches annually, their Awards for best Media, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, Musicians/ Singers, and new potential talents in these fields from African countries to Promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

1. Merck Foundation Media Recognition Awards 2025 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: Media representatives are invited to showcase their work through strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about the prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

Submission deadline: 30^th October 2025.

2. Merck Foundation Film Awards 2025 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: All African Filmmakers, Students of Film Making Training Institutions, or Young Talents of Africa are invited to create and share a long or short FILMS, either drama, documentary, or docudrama to deliver strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

Submission deadline: 30^th October 2025.

3. Merck Foundation Fashion Awards 2025 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: All African Fashion Students and Designers are invited to create and share designs to deliver strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about the prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

Submission deadline: 30^th October 2025.

4. Merck Foundation Song Awards 2025 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: All African Singers and Musical Artists are invited to create and share a SONG with the aim to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about the prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

Submission deadline: 30^th October 2025.

Entries for all the awards are to be submitted via email to:

submit@merck-foundation.com

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.

Contact:
Mehak Handa
Community Awareness Program Manager 
Phone: +91 9310087613/ +91 9319606669
Email: mehak.handa@external.merckgroup.com

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About Merck Foundation:
The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to quality & equitable healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare & scientific research capacity, empowering girls in education and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website. Please visit www.Merck-Foundation.com to read more. Follow the social media of Merck Foundation: Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/445Av6G), X (https://apo-opa.co/403N1Cb), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/3SMH2Ok), YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/3HD4xXz), Threads (https://apo-opa.co/4l5X9CL) and Flickr (https://apo-opa.co/4jMiwrA).

The Merck Foundation is dedicated to improving social and health outcomes for communities in need. While it collaborates with various partners, including governments to achieve its humanitarian goals, the foundation remains strictly neutral in political matters. It does not engage in or support 

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

Amid an exceptionally challenging macroeconomic environment, MultiChoice Group (www.MultiChoice.com) continued to navigate external pressures through focused strategic interventions.

Download Factsheet (PT): https://apo-opa.co/45fegNJ

The Group delivered ZAR3.7bn in cost savings, well ahead of the revised ZAR2.5bn target set at the interim stage and almost double the ZAR1.9bn saved in FY24.

A disciplined approach to inflationary pricing, with increases of 5.7% in South Africa and an average of 31% in local currency in Rest of Africa, also helped to mitigate the impact of subscriber losses and supported 1% year on year (YoY) organic revenue growth.

“Our performance reflects both the challenges we’ve faced and the resilience of our teams. While macroeconomic pressures and currency volatility have weighed on our results, our disciplined execution, cost management and investment in new long-term growth opportunities position us well for the future,” says Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO.

 “We remain focused on being Africa’s entertainment platform of choice. Our strategy is shaped by developments in our industry such as changes in technology which are driving shifts in consumer behaviour, as well as the impact of a rise in piracy, streaming services, and social media,” says Mawela.

Highlighting the Group’s ability to adapt to these changes in the global video entertainment landscape, new products and services delivered strong YoY growth. Revenue from DStv Internet grew by 85%, KingMakers 76% (in constant currency) and DStv Stream 48%. Showmax active paying customers increased by 44% YoY.

Importantly, the group returned to a positive equity position through a combination of cost savings, a stabilisation in currencies, and the accounting gain on the sale of 60% of the Group’s shareholding in its insurance business (NMSIS) to Sanlam.

Financial Results Overview

Subscriber base: The rate of subscriber decline has decelerated, with the active linear pay-TV subscriber base of 14.5m reflecting a decline of 8% compared to 11% (14.9m) in FY24. The pressure was mainly due to a weak consumer environment across markets.

Group revenues: On an organic basis, revenues increased by 1% YoY, driven by pricing and new product growth. On a reported basis, revenues declined by 9% YoY to ZAR50.8bn, primarily due to an 11% drop in subscription revenue, as well as the impact of currency headwinds, and the deconsolidation of the NMSIS insurance business from December 2024.

Group trading profit: Trading profit increased by 20% YoY, before accounting for the investment in Showmax, the impact of currency weakness and M&A activity. After incorporating Showmax’s trading losses and ZAR5.2bn in foreign currency revenue losses, and partially offset by the ZAR3.7bn in cost savings, trading profit on a reported basis declined to ZAR4.0bn.

Adjusted core headline earnings is the board’s measure of the underlying performance of the business. The Group posted a loss of ZAR0.8bn, as a result of the lower trading profit and hedging losses compared to hedging gains in the prior year, partly offset by smaller losses from repatriating cash from Nigeria.

Cash flow and liquidity: The Group recorded a free cash outflow of ZAR0.5bn, due to lower profitability and higher lease repayments due to timing. This was partly offset by improved working capital management and a 29% YoY reduction in capital expenditure.

At year-end, the Group held ZAR5.1bn in cash and cash equivalents and had access to ZAR3.0bn in undrawn general borrowing facilities.

Operational update

General entertainment and sport

Local content remains a key differentiator. The Group added over 5,340 hours of local content in the year, bringing the total local content library to more than 91,470 hours and cementing its position as Africa’s largest producer of original content.

Flagship reality show, Big Brother Mzansi, drew a record-breaking 3.8 million views for its season finale and received 293 million votes. In Nigeria, Big Brother Naija, continued to attract strong viewership into its ninth season.

Sport also plays a critical role in the Group’s content offering. SuperSport broadcast 47 839 hours of live coverage (+7% YoY) and produced 1 029 live events. Key highlights included the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, EURO 2024 football, three major ICC cricket tournaments and the SA 20 Season 3.

SuperSport Schools continue redefine the landscape of school sports broadcasting. Its app saw 46% growth in registered users to reach 1.2 million, while the platform reached nearly 11 million unique viewers through the app and Channel 216 on DStv and delivered over 50 000 hours of new content.

Business segments

MultiChoice South Africa focused on subscriber retention and win-backs, identifying remaining growth opportunities, as well as optimising processes and systems to improve customer experience and operational efficiency. To enhance its value-proposition, the business tiered down certain channels, reintroduced the second concurrent stream at no extra cost and priced down its DStv ADD Movies package from R79 to R49. It also entered into new strategic partnerships with Capitec, MTN and PEP to expand its market presence.

Faced with a tough operating environment, MultiChoice Africa implemented inflation linked price increases and continued its cost-containment measures by reducing spend in subsidies, marketing, content and transmission costs. Post year-end it piloted weekly subscriptions in Uganda to better align subscription periods with customers’ cash flows.

As a start-up business, Showmax focused on improving customer affordability and reach through distribution partnerships, improving customer sign-up journeys, improving platform development and continuing to expand payment options. Although subscriber growth has lagged initial exponential growth targets, Showmax still delivered a healthy 44% growth in active paying subscribers and gained market share in a regional streaming market which experienced muted growth.

Irdeto grew revenue by 8% YoY on an organic basis (5% reported), increasing external revenue in all three market segments namely Video Entertainment, Gaming and Connected Transport. Revenues generated from new service lines increased to a pleasing 42% of total revenue, underpinned by innovative solutions to enhance security and interoperability in the transportation sector.

KingMakers delivered strong organic growth in sports betting and i–gaming. BetKing Nigeria continues to gain strong momentum, especially in its online business. SuperSportBet, the South African business launched in 2024, is showing early signs of success and reported a material increase in monthly net gaming revenue during the year.

Live in 44 African countries, Moment continues to scale rapidly, with total payment volumes (TPV) reaching USD635m, seven times higher than FY24. Moment processed 56% of the Group’s payment volumes, compared to only 20% a year ago, and at the end of March this year, its annualised payments run rate exceeded USD1bn.

Looking Ahead

The Group remains focused on building a sustainable, long-term future by executing against its key strategic priorities. For the year ahead, there are three clear priorities:

• Stabilise the topline in the video businesses through focused retention initiatives, while supporting rapid topline growth in the group’s interactive entertainment, fintech and insurance investees, 
• Continue to drive operating, cost and working capital efficiencies into the group to protect profitability and cash flows,
• Continue to work with Canal+ towards a successful close of their mandatory offer in order to unlock significant long-term benefits for the combined entities and their respective stakeholders.

Management has set a cost saving target of ZAR2.0bn for FY26 in an ongoing effort to reset the business for a shifting trading environment.

On the back of its topline initiatives and cost and cash flow interventions, the group aims to deliver margins for MultiChoice SA in the mid-twenties range, to return MultiChoice Africa to profitability while limiting its funding and narrow trading losses in Showmax.

– on behalf of MultiChoice Group.

At the Viva Technology trade show in Paris, Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA) (www.Orange.com), represented by its CEO Jérôme Hénique, and risingSUD, represented by its President Bernard Kleynhoff, signed a strategic partnership to support the establishment and growth of African startups in the Orange Digital Center network in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, in the South of France.

This three-year partnership aims to bring together innovation ecosystems in Africa, the Middle East, and the South of France. Specifically, startups from the Orange Digital Center network will benefit from tailored support from the teams at risingSUD, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region’s economic attractiveness and development agency, to establish themselves in the South of France. They will thus join a dynamic region that is already home to 500,000 companies, including global leaders and startups that are inventing the world of tomorrow.

With this partnership, OMEA strengthens its support for the internationalization of startups from Africa and the Middle East and reaffirms its commitment to developing the continent’s entrepreneurial ecosystems. Deployed in 17 countries in Africa and the Middle East and eight countries in Europe, the Orange Digital Center network is a free and accessible ecosystem for all. It brings together, in one place, digital skills training for young people, support for project leaders, incubation, acceleration, and startup financing.

In 2024 alone, risingSUD supported the establishment of 14 African companies in the South of France, including the startup from the Orange Digital Center in Tunisia, Guépard, which opened an office in Marseille. This partnership will allow more startups from Africa and the Middle East to benefit from risingSUD’s expertise, ranging from project development to access to financing and networking with international partners. It will also facilitate access for talent and startups from the South region to the Orange Digital Centers network.

​​​Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, commented: “This partnership with risingSUD marks a key step in our ambition to promote African innovation internationally. It is a continuation of the support we offer startups through our Orange Digital Centers. By facilitating their establishment and acceleration in France, particularly in the South region, we are giving young African companies the means to accelerate their growth.”

Bernard Kleynhoff, President of risingSUD and President of the Economic and Digital Development, Industry, Export, Attractiveness and Cybersecurity Commissions of the Sud Region, added: “Thanks to its strategic position, its historical trade flows and its commitment to innovation, the South of France is a natural bridge between Europe, Africa and the Middle East. It is now the leading French region for hosting African investment projects. This partnership opens up new economic opportunities and constitutes a real springboard for the development of businesses on both sides of the Mediterranean.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Orange Middle East and Africa.