APO News from Africa:
The NollywoodWeek Film Festival (www.NollywoodWeek.com) has today announced a strategic partnership with UBA’s REDTV ahead of the 5th edition of the festival which takes place in Paris from May 11-14th, 2017.
“We share a common vision,” says Bola Atta, the Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications at UBA Group. “Our aim is to showcase a positive Africa throughout the world and the NollywoodWeek festival does just that”.
As this partnership grows, REDTV is expected to join the ranks of other major strategic partners of NollyWood Week such as Total, Air France and Angenieux who have supported the festival for several years now.
Nadira Shakur, Co-founder of NollywoodWeek adds that “this is just the beginning of what we expect to be a strong and mutually beneficial partnership, when we look for partnerships we think long term and that is what we envision for our partnership with REDTV as well.”
As a direct consequence of this partnership, the Parisian audience will have an opportunity to get familiar with REDTV’s productions during a special session on web-series scheduled for Saturday, 13th May at 11:00am. Boutique Hotel, REDTV’s francophone web-series, will be screened and presented by Alexandra Amon, producer of the series and a leading actress.
This new partnership is without a doubt a step in the right direction for the future of the NollywoodWeek Film Festival and for the African creative industries in general.
Distributed by APO on behalf of Nollywood Week Paris Film Festival.
Contact:
Nadira Shakur – Communications Director
press@NollywoodWeek.com
+33652218704
Website: www.NollywoodWeek.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/nollywoodweek
About NollywoodWeek:
NollywoodWeek is a film festival organized by the French-based association Okada Media, headed by Serge Noukoué and Nadira Shakur. The festival was created to fill the void of quality Nigerian cinema in the French market. “France is the birthplace of cinema and Nigeria has the second largest film industry in the world- it just made sense”, Executive Director Serge Noukoué stated. “And this year again, we have the pleasure to announce that the Director of the winning film, voted by the audience, will be offered top-of-the-line equipment for their next production.”
NollywoodWeek Paris 2017 takes place from Thursday May 11th to Sunday May 14th in Paris, France at the Cinema l’Arlequin. More information can be obtained on their website: www.NollywoodWeek.com.
This year the official selection includes: 76 by Izu Ojukwu, Green White Green by Abba Makama, Gidi Blues by Femi Odugbemi, The Wedding Party by Kemi Adetiba, Dinner by Jay Franklin Jituboh and ends with the World Premiere of Catch[dot]er by Walter Taylaur.
The festival will showcase a selection of the following five short films: Aliyyah’s Wish, Lodgers, Plaything, Room 315, Silence.
About REDTV:
Launched in December of 2015, REDTV is a fast paced lifestyle channel that puts Africa on the global stage associated with the United Bank for Africa (UBA). REDTV is here to entertain and inform with a rich bouquet of content that features the very best in entertainment, fashion, news, design, music, sport, movies and travel shows from around Africa. REDTV collaborates with the most talented creative minds daring to believe in a New Africa. REDTV is a great believer in Nollywood and in addition to this new partnership with NollywoodWeek, it has invested in several award winning movies. Learn more about us on www.ItsRed.tv.
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- Image: NollywoodWeek Film Festival Poster (1)
- Image: NollywoodWeek Film Festival Poster (2)
- Image: NollywoodWeek Film Festival – REDTV
- Image: Schedule
- Image: Schedule (French)
Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
Africa’s CEOs are confident that the outlook for business on the continent remains positive notwithstanding the unpredictable economic and socio-political climate. PwC’s (www.PwC.com) Africa Business Agenda report shows that 85% of African CEOs (Global: 85%) are confident in their own company’s prospects for revenue growth over the next 12 months. Despite the fact that only 30% of CEOs in Africa (Global: 29%) believe the global economy will improve in the next year, no less than 97% (Global: 91%) are confident about the prospects for their own company’s growth in the medium term.
Hein Boegman, CEO for PwC Africa, says: “This level of optimism is the highest recorded since we started our research on Africa CEOs in 2012. However, in the past year we have seen a change in the outlook for some countries as external developments impact many of the drivers of Africa’s growth.
“As countries around the globe try to make sense of the increased levels of risk and uncertainty that have gripped the world, Africa needs to continue rising by capitalising on all the opportunities that lie ahead.”
The report suggests that one of the reasons for such optimism on the Africa continent is that CEOs have learned to look for the upside and seize on opportunities that may arise in the face of uncertainty. In the wake of climate of muted growth, CEOs have also acknowledged that while they focus on organic growth and cost reductions, they also need to prioritise investment in new strategic alliances and joint ventures to expand their markets and grow their customer bases. According to the survey, organic growth (Africa: 80%; Global: 79%) and new alliances (Africa: 69%; Global: 48%) are the top activities CEOs are planning in order to drive corporate growth or profitability.
The Agenda compiles results from 80 interviews with CEOs across 11 countries in Africa and includes insights from business. The results are benchmarked against the findings of PwC’s 20th Annual Global CEO survey of 1 379 CEOs in 79 countries conducted during the 4th quarter of 2016. The Agenda provides an in-depth analysis and insights into how businesses are adopting to meet the challenges of operating in Africa.
Notwithstanding the current climate and challenges, it is notable that there remains a significant amount of potential to unlock more growth on the continent. African CEOs are looking to international markets for opportunities, with the US (31%), China (28%) and the UK (24%) considered the top three countries for growth. Johannesburg (36%), Lagos (16%) and Cape Town (14%) are considered the top three African cities for growth opportunities.
Main risks to doing business in Africa
Although the returns for doing business on the continent can be high, so too can the risks. Africa’s CEOs are working in difficult times – finding the right talent for their business, dealing with hurdles that come with working with governments, and managing expansion plans across the continent.
In addition, infrastructure remains a challenge as it lags well behind that of the rest of the world. More than two-thirds of African CEOs (69%) are concerned about inadequate basic infrastructure (Global: 54%) and a stronger focus on expanding power supply is required to solve one of the biggest challenges in the business environment.
Other clouds on the business horizon include exchange rate volatility (Africa: 90%; Global: 70%); social instability (Africa: 85%; Global: 68%); geopolitical instability (Africa: 79%; Global: 74%); unemployment (Africa: 79%; Global: 45%); and climate change and environmental damage (Africa: 64%; Global: 50%). For most of these factors, the level of concern among African CEOs is higher than the global average. In addition, over-regulation features on the list of concerns this year, with almost half (46%) (Global: 42%) of African CEOs saying they are “extremely concerned”.
CEOs also believe social instability resulting from inequality, an increasing tax burden, a lack of economic diversity with an overdependence on natural resources, and corruption remain problems in many countries.
Globalisation
Overall, globalisation has benefitted connectivity, trade and mobility. However, just over half of African business leaders say globalisation has done nothing to promote equality, in particular in closing the gap between rich and poor – in fact, this gap may well be widening.
A number of CEOs think it is vital to address social challenges. CEOs believe the corporate community can assist in spreading the benefits of globalisation more widely. The majority say the best way is to collaborate, particularly with government. “While Africa’s potential is undoubted, its achievement remains in question. Business, government and civil society will need to work harder to turn potential into tangible gains against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world,” Dion Shango, CEO of PwC Southern Africa adds.
Talent and technology
The forces of globalisation and technology are increasingly transforming the workplace. Over half of African CEOs (53%) are exploring the benefits of humans and machines working together in the workplace. Over a third of African CEOs (36%) are considering the impact of artificial intelligence on future skills needs.
In some sectors, automation has already replaced some jobs entirely. “As automation takes deeper root in the workplace, companies in Africa will have to increasingly focus on achieving the right cognitive re-apportionment between man and machine,” Shango adds.
However, as CEOs develop their services, they are finding that human interaction in the workplace is still important and place the investment in talent as a top business priority. Just over half of African CEOs (51%) plan to increase their headcount in the next 12 months. Conversely, 23% plan to cut their company’s headcount over the coming year, with more than two-thirds of expected reductions being attributed to automation and other technologies.
According to the survey results, no less than 80% of African CEOs (Global: 77%) see the availability of key skills as the biggest threat to growth (ahead of volatile energy costs and cyber threats). They are finding it particularly difficult to source soft skills – adaptability, problem solving, creativity and leadership.
Technology & trust
Technology has brought about a number of advancements in efficiency and the ease of doing business in Africa. No less than 91% of African respondents (Global: 90%) believe technology has changed competition in their industry in the past five years.
While the digital era offers a host of opportunities, it also creates significant challenges and constraints in the arena of privacy and security. Organisations are holding increasingly large volumes of personal data about their customers, suppliers and employees. According to the survey results, 71% of African CEOs (Global: 61%) say they are concerned about cyber threats. Furthermore, the vast majority of African CEOs (93%) (Global: 91%) believe that cybersecurity breaches affecting personal information or critical systems will negatively impact stakeholder trust levels in their organisations in the next five years. A high 96% of business leaders are also concerned that IT outages and disruptions could impair trust in their respective industries over the next five years.
As disruptions gain more speed, the ability to ensure trust, security and privacy across all interactions will become critical to businesses’ competitiveness. But almost two-thirds of African CEOs (61%) (Global: 59%) are concerned that they are not prepared to respond to a crisis in their business, should one arise.
“In the face of economic and socio-political uncertainty, we remain confident that the outlook for business in Africa remains positive. But to succeed, businesses need to adapt swiftly to change,” Shango concludes.
Distributed by APO on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC).
Media contacts:
Sandy Greaves Campbell: Managing Director, Change the Conversation, South Africa
Office: + 27 11 028 7753/54
Email: Sandy@ChangeTC.co.za
OR
Sanchia Temkin: PwC Head of Media Relations, South Africa
Office: + 27 11 797 4470
Email: Sanchia.Temkin@PwC.com
About PwC:
At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We’re a network of firms in 157 countries with more than 223,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.PwC.com.
PwC has a presence in 34 Africa countries with an office footprint covering 66 offices. With a single Africa leadership team and more than 400 partners and 9000 professionals across Africa, we serve some of the continent’s largest businesses across all industries.
PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.PwC.com/structure for further details. ©2016 PwC. All rights reserved
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- Image: Dion Shango, CEO of PwC Southern Africa
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
UN rights expert visits Sudan to follow up implementation of his recommendations:
United Nations Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, Aristide Nononsi, will carry out his fourth mission to the country from 11 to 21 May to continue his engagement with the Sudanese authorities and discuss the implementation of his recommendations.
“I will follow up with the Government of the Sudan on issues of concern that I identified during my mission in February 2017, and discuss the status of implementation of the recommendations contained in my report of September 2016 to the Human Rights Council,” Mr. Nononsi said.
During his eleven-day mission, the expert will also follow up on the implementation of the recommendations made by other human rights mechanisms, including those from the Universal Periodic Review*.
The Independent Expert will meet with relevant stakeholders, including the Sudanese authorities, civil society actors, academia, community leaders, members of the diplomatic corps, and UN entities in order to ensure that all relevant information is reflected in his next report to the UN Human Rights Council.
Mr. Nononsi, who visits Sudan at the invitation of the Government, will hold meetings in Khartoum and Blue Nile.
On Sunday 21 May at 2:00 pm, the expert will hold a press conference at the United Nations Development Programme Office (UNDP) in Khartoum, to share with the media his preliminary observations on the visit. Access to the press conference is strictly limited to journalists.
The Independent Expert on Sudan will present his findings and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2017.
(*) The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all UN Member States by other States, in order to improve the human rights situation in all countries and address human rights violations wherever they occur. While ensuring equal treatment for every country when their human rights situations are assessed, the UPR provides the opportunity for each State to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfil their human rights obligations. The UPR process reminds States of their responsibility to fully respect and implement all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Distributed by APO on behalf of Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
