APO News from Africa:
With 5.6 million Ethiopians in the grip of a worsening food crisis, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) today announced a significant expansion of its emergency response effort, including a four-fold increase in its appeal and a five-fold increase in the number of people targeted for support.
“The reports we are receiving from our Red Cross colleagues in Ethiopia, particularly as it relates to communities in the south and south-east, are extremely concerning,” said Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, IFRC Regional Director for Africa. “Livestock is emaciated and dying, water sources are drying up, and malnutrition rates are rising.”
The IFRC appeal is now seeking 13.7 million Swiss francs – increased from 2.6 million Swiss francs – to support the Ethiopian Red Cross Society in assisting nearly 320,000 people over the next nine months. To date, about 2 million Swiss francs has been received. Increased investment from partners will enable Red Cross volunteers and staff to provide food for tens of thousands of people, screen children for malnutrition, and improve access to health services and clean water.
It will also fund efforts to strengthen recovery and resilience, including through livelihoods interventions such as provision of fodder and feed, livestock restocking, and rehabilitation of livestock water facilities.
As is the case across East Africa, Red Cross and Red Crescent action will target communities that are yet to receive adequate support, including communities that are isolated and hard-to-reach, for example; Bidu in Afar region and Moyale in the Somali and Oromia regions of Ethiopia.
“The Ethiopian Red Cross Society has been responding to this emergency for more than 12 months. But continued failed rains, and a lack of funding for our appeal and for many other appeals, has meant that the situation has continued to worsen,” said Frehiwot Worku, Secretary General, Ethiopian Red Cross Society. “We cannot afford further delays. People need our help now.”
The food insecurity crisis began after the consecutive failures of the rains knows as Belg (March-May) and Kiremet (June-September) in 2015, combined with erratic weather conditions attributed to El Nino. As a result, almost every part of Ethiopia has experienced below average rainfall in the past two years, resulting in large numbers of people in need of emergency humanitarian support.
IFRC initially launched an Emergency Appeal in January 2016 for 2.2 million Swiss francs to support 35,000 people. The appeal was revised in June 2016 to 2.7 million Swiss francs targeting 65,000 people.
Distributed by APO on behalf of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
Maputo hosts the exhibition “Ever Closer Union”:
The exhibition titled “Ever Closer Union” was inaugurated on 21 March in Maputo to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the signing of the Rome Treaties in the world.
The exhibition was organized by the Italian Embassy to Mozambique at “Spazio Italia”, the Italian Trade Agency's showroom. It is scheduled to run until 21 April next. Ambassador Marco Conticelli inaugurated the exhibition before a large audience. Representatives, among others, of the main cultural and academic institutions of both countries (the Dante Alighieri Association, University Eduardo Mondlane and University Sao Tomas de Mozambique), also attended the opening ceremony.
Distributed by APO on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy.
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
Biogaran (www.Biogaran.fr), a French pharmaceutical company specialized in generic and biosimilar medicines, and a subsidiary of Servier (www.Servier.com), today announced the takeover of all the activities of Swipha, a Nigerian company that manufactures and distributes pharmaceutical products known for their quality. This is an important step forward in the internationalization of the French company Biogaran.
In order to develop new markets to meet its commitment to provide all patients with quality medication, Biogaran, a pioneer in generics and biosimilars, and a subsidiary of Servier, has just taken over Swipha, a Nigerian pharmaceutical company that produces medicines to meet local health needs. Its portfolio is mainly focused on three families of products: anti-anxiety and tranquillizers, antimalarial drugs and antibiotics, which treat Nigeria’s most widespread infections and health issues.
Swipha was the first Nigerian pharmaceutical company to obtain ISO 9001 certification in 2007. Approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2014, Swipha employs 300 people locally and generated record sales of NGN 4bn (approximately € 20 million) in 2012. Beyond its production unit, the company also has a wide distribution network covering most parts of Nigeria, Africa’s most dynamic country, with more than 184 million inhabitants in 2016 according to the IMF.
Health issues are particularly important in Africa. Beyond significant needs for good quality, affordable and efficient medicines, the problem of counterfeits is also becoming of concern. The WHO estimates that 100,000 deaths are due to fake medicines in Africa every year [1]. In this context, supplying Nigeria’s population with reliable medicines that are produced locally is a strong commitment made by Biogaran.
“Biogaran’s international expansion strategy is to create synergies by bringing its expertise and investment capacity in production tools to existing structures”, commented Pascal Brière, President of Biogaran. “Swipha’s know-how, network and reputation have immediately convinced us that it was the right partner for us. Likewise, Nigeria quickly came out as the best entry point on the African continent with its strong population and solid economic fundamentals, including a very dynamic market economy”.
[1] http://APO.af/UEDzYA.
Distributed by APO on behalf of Biogaran.
For more information:
35°Nord – Media relations agency
Nicolas Teisserenc
Tel: +33 6 18 09 66 90
Email: NT@35Nord.com
About Biogaran:
Biogaran (www.Biogaran.fr) is a French pharmaceutical company specialised in generics and biosimilars. Founded in 1996, it has become the French leader in generics with a market share of 27.5%. Over the year 2015-2016, Biogaran achieved a net turnover of € 700 million with 270 million units sold. Biogaran is present in Brazil through the company Pharlab. It is a full subsidiary of Servier.
About Servier:
Servier (www.Servier.com) is an international pharmaceutical company governed by a Foundation and headquartered in Suresnes (France). With a strong international presence in 148 countries and a turnover of € 4 billion in 2016, Servier employs 21,000 people worldwide. Corporate growth is driven by Servier’s constant search for innovation in five areas of excellence: cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, immune-inflammatory diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as by its activities in high-quality generic medicines. Being completely independent, without any shareholders, the Group reinvests 25% of its turnover, excluding generics, in Research and Development and uses all of its profits to generate growth.
Servier’s commitment in generic medicines is historical and is supported by the group’s dedication to provide all patients with the healthcare they need. Servier has announced its objective to internationalize its generics activities, today mainly in France, Eastern Europe and Brazil.
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- Image: Pascal Brière, President of Biogaran. Photo ©Biogaran
- Image: Swipha. Photo ©Biogaran
- Document: Swipha
Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
