Latest news with #Gaborone
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Hayo launches local operations in Botswana, Liberia and Malawi to accelerate digital growth across Africa
Gaborone, Botswana – Hayo, a global innovator in digital solutions, has expanded its African footprint with new offices in Gaborone (Botswana), Monrovia (Liberia) and Lilongwe (Malawi). The strategic expansion is part of Hayo's continued investment in emerging markets to support local digital economies with digital solutions, telecoms services and on-the-ground expertise. Hayo's growing in-country presence across Africa is supporting growing demands from hyperscalers, local governments, regulators, enterprises and mobile operators. Its operations in Botswana, Liberia and Malawi will enable faster delivery of local services to support digital adoption, as well as boost capabilities for global businesses looking to scale across some of Africa's most dynamic markets. 'Local presence plays a key role in supporting businesses, enabling digital innovation and having an impact on day-to-day life across African markets. It's the only way to work effectively and closely align with unique dynamics across countries,' said Feraz Ahmed, CEO at Hayo. 'Our offices in Botswana, Liberia and Malawi are not just operational hubs, they're a long-term investment in local people, partnerships and digital progress.' The contribution of Africa's digital economy to the continent's GDP has increased from 1.1% in 2012 to 4.5% in 2020, and is projected to reach 5.2% by 2025 and 8.5% by 2050. Hayo's move into Botswana, Liberia and Malawi aims to support this growth, create local job opportunities and build stronger partnerships with national stakeholders. Its local offices will support a range of region-specific solutions, spanning GovTech, IoT, voice, messaging, cloud communications and more. 'The future of Africa's digital economy deserves to be built by local talent to serve local needs,' said Sergio Rodrigues, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Product at Hayo. 'By expanding our on-the-ground teams across key markets, we can better support communities, understand local challenges, and work with partners to build a digital ecosystem that makes a real difference to businesses and communities.' Hayo serves 100+ leading mobile operators with extensive coverage across Africa and the Middle East, as well as connecting customers globally via a growing ecosystem of 500+ partners. The news comes after the recent launch of Hayo's National Mobile Registry (NMR) platform, which supports governments in emerging markets to bring their national mobile ecosystems under control. The solution implements systems that enhance compliance, protect citizens, and unlock sustainable public revenue with a controlled entry process for mobile devices. About Hayo Hayo is a global digital service provider that is unlocking the full potential of communications, transformation and innovation in Africa, the Middle East and around the world. It combines networking, technologies, and digital solutions to deliver on-the-ground innovation that has a positive impact on local people's lives. It has extensive coverage across the African continent, as well as over 500 service provider relationships globally. Hayo provides bespoke digital solutions for governments, service providers, mobile operators, enterprises, retailers and regulators, spanning voice, SMS, CPaaS, security, IoT and more. Hayo: Bringing Innovation to Life
Forbes
5 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
Why $500 Million In U.S. Aid Cuts Threatens Global Black Motherhood
Bill Gates gives to a child a rotavirus vaccine in Ghana. Few issues in global health make the stakes clearer than childbirth and Black maternal health. When a U.S. rescission package cuts $500 million earmarked for USAID family planning and reproductive health programs, the results can be far reaching. It lands in packed maternity wards from Lagos to Gaborone, in supply rooms where oxytocin vials are already in short supply, and on the balance sheets of multinationals that depend on a stable, healthy workforce. How Reproductive Health Funding Cuts Create Medical Care Chaos According to Mihir Mankad, director of global health advocacy and policy at MSF USA, the rescission has particularly devastated the medical community abroad. 'Humanitarian and medical groups have been left scrambling to carry out lifesaving services without money, staff, or certainty about what comes next,' Mankad said. 'Doctors don't know what to tell their patients when they ask where they'll be able to continue their HIV or tuberculosis care.' The proposed rescission would claw back half a billion dollars entirely from family-planning and reproductive health accounts. No exemption shields safe delivery kits, contraceptives or the mentorship programs that empower local nurse midwives to become clinical leaders. According to Mankad, the cuts have created devastating consequences for the world's most vulnerable populations. 'The revocation of nearly $500 million for family planning and reproductive health services is particularly devastating, given that the US government previously provided more than 40 percent of global support in this area,' Mankad said. 'This decision crystallizes the significant service gaps that have emerged in the wake of the U.S.' abrupt withdrawal of funding for these critical programs in January.' Nurses give aid to a pregnant woman before delivering a baby at the maternity ward of the central ... More hospital in Freetown. Private philanthropy is scrambling to fill the void. The Gates‑backed Beginnings Fund, also $500 million, will target 10 African nations with the goal of improving the quality of care for 34 million mothers and their infants and saving the lives of 300,000 mothers and newborn babies by 2030. Matching dollars, however, is not the same as matching reach because one operates on a multiyear venture model, and the other has long underwritten national health budgets at scale. Maternal mortality remains worst where women of African descent predominate. The African region records 448 deaths per 100,000 live births, and even though progress has been made, it's been slower than desired. These statistics are not abstract. Each death severs family income streams, depresses local consumption, and deepens intergenerational poverty. For investors tracking frontier markets, the numbers should jolt. The United Nations Population Fund estimates that every dollar invested in modern contraception cuts pregnancy-related medical costs by $1.47. Put differently, the threatened rescission destroys a stream of avoided costs that would otherwise exceed the outlay itself. Add workforce participation gains and education dividends and the net present value climbs further and the operational risks are equally concrete. U.S. firms with African supply chains learned this during Ebola and COVID‑19. Procurement delays spiked when nursing staff fell ill or walked out in protest of unsafe conditions. If maternal deaths rise, skilled labor attrition will follow. The domestic aftermath of this is equally loud. Black women in the United States die in pregnancy at 49.5 per 100,000 live births, which is more than double the national average, according to the CDC. These parallel crises, domestic and global, should sound alarms in corporate risk management departments. Boardrooms should treat the rescission as a contingent liability because multinationals already report climate risk, but a reproductive health risk is its understudied sibling and is equally capable of causing a rupture in operations. Maternal deaths destabilize workforces by removing experienced employees, triggering absenteeism as families grieve, and creating labor shortages that cascade through global supply chains. Poor maternal health outcomes also trigger workforce attrition, supplier instability and market contraction, which are the same operational vulnerabilities that climate events create. Global Black maternal health sits at the intersection of public health, human capital and economic growth. Foreign assistance typically represents approximately only 1 percent of the US' federal budget but saves countless lives around the world. A half a billion dollars is budget dust on Capitol Hill, yet it equals the annual obstetric supply bill for dozens of third-world countries. To cut it is to leave the world's most vulnerable mothers paying the price for a political compromise they never made.
Forbes
28-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Botswana's Sustainable Natural Diamond Story Sparkled At JCK
Diamond exports provide Botswana's economy with strong supplies of foreign exchange and have helped ... More finance industrial development, improvements in Botswana's infrastructure plus nationwide free education. Various jewelry trade fairs run simultaneously during the annual June Las Vegas jewelry week, but the JCK show, presented by RX Global at The Venetian Expo from June 6 to June 9, and its high-end companion fair, Luxury, generated consequential events and design news while marking milestones along the industry's path toward sustainability. More than a global trade show, JCK is also a dynamic seminar site programmed with JCK Talks educational panel discussions and presentations delivered by experts from various jewelry industry realms-- and countries. Bogolo Kenewendo, Botswana's Minister of Minerals and Energy, formed part of the Botswana delegation ... More at JCK 2025. According to RX Global figures, JCK 2025 drew 30,000 industry professionals, including over 17,000 attending buyers, decision-makers, store owners and media reporters. For designers and retailers, some of the most relevant and intriguing exhibitors included the AGTA GemFair, GEMS Pavilion and the Hong Kong Pavilion. JCK's most industrially and globally influential attendees however, included The President of Botswana, His Excellency, Duma Boko, Botswana's Ambassador to the U.S., Mpho Churchill O. Muphoting and Botswana's Minister of Minerals And Energy, Bogolo Kenewendo. President Boko, leader of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) party, has been in power since November 2024; presidential terms in his country run for five years. A human rights lawyer and graduate of Harvard Law School, President Boko and his administration advocate a human rights-centered approach to governance. Besides being one of the world's most economically and culturally dynamic jewelry trade shows, JCK ... More is also an internationally valued news source via its print JCK Magazine and online version President Boko, Ambassador Muphoting and their delegation came to JCK because "After Russia, Botswana is the world's second most important natural diamond producer,' said Lisa Koenigsberg, Ph.D., President of Initiatives in Art and Culture (IAC). Founded by Dr. Koenigsberg, this New York-based nonprofit organization organizes cross-disciplinary, international conferences regarding diamonds and gold that have included leading figures from Botswana's diamond industry. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder This is an aerial view of Botswana's Jwaneng mine, which is the world's richest diamond mine and the ... More second largest. It is located in south-central Botswana, about 110 miles southwest of the nation's capital, Gaborone. Dr. Koenigsberg continued, 'Data published in the June 2025 Kimberley Process Certification Scheme stated that, in 2024, Botswana produced 28.2 million carats of diamonds, and nearly matched Russia in terms of value by generating $3.308 billion, or 28.8 percent of global output.' In comparison, The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme reported that Russia accounted for 32% of global rough diamond production by volume, which translates to 37.3 million carats. In terms of value,' she added, 'Russia contributed 29% of global output, totaling $3.335 billion.' According to Sarin Bachmann, senior vice-president of the RX Jewelry portfolio. "President Boko and ... More Ambassador Muphoting demonstrated at JCK how Botswana's commitment to sustainable diamond mining and achieving carbon neutrality exemplifies the forward-thinking leadership that our industry needs." As Sarin Bachmann, senior vice-president of the RX jewelry portfolio wrote in an email, 'At JCK, President Boko and Ambassador Muphoting demonstrated that Botswana's commitment to sustainable diamond mining and achieving carbon neutrality exemplifies the forward-thinking leadership that our industry needs.' As leaders of the world's second-most significant diamond producing nation, Bachmann continued, 'Botswanans see JCK as the ideal platform to make a presentation and to engage deeply with the global community of retailers, manufacturers, designers, and media professionals who are in a position to drive change.' In summary, 'President Boko and the Botswanan delegation reaffirmed the global access and influence that JCK encourages and provides. The Botswanans,' Bachmann continued, 'dedicated significant time to connecting with industry professionals and meeting with members of the media in their Botswana House pavilion on the JCK show floor, as well as working with their partners in the Natural Diamonds Council in that organization's members-only Lounge.' Natural diamonds can look and feel manifestly magical: this cathodoluminescence image of a diamond ... More documents how the gemstone emits light when bombarded by an electron beam. Any discussion of Botswana diamonds must note that before diamonds were discovered there by the De Beers Group in 1967, the country's per capita income hovered around US$80 a year. Today, according to the World Bank, Botswana's diamond wealth, robust institutions, wise economic management, and relatively small population of about 2.5 million have made it an upper-middle-income country (UMIC). In 2025 Botswana's purchasing power, as measured by GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP), is estimated to reach around $17,044. (PPP indicates the value of goods and services that can be purchased in Botswana with one unit of a common international currency, adjusted for price differences between countries.) The Natural Diamond Club lounge at JCK 2025 was sponsored by the Natural Diamond Council, which ... More hosted various dynamic community-building events for industry professionals. President Boko and Ambassador Muphoting, described how Botswana is retaining maximum value from each stone by training Botswanans to cut and polish their country's diamonds rather than sending them abroad and losing revenues generated from cutting and polishing. The statesmen also mentioned how climate change-induced problems affecting the country's lands and citizens are driving the nation's energy and environmental policies. Their forward-thinking comments were of great interest to Dr. Koenigsberg, whose organization IAC is staging its 15th annual Gold + Diamond conference in New York this July 14, 15 and 16. 'Some of the conference panels and speakers address similar issues that Messrs. Boko and Mophuting touched on in their JCK talks." For example, she related, 'Among other subjects, this July's Gold + Diamond Conference will discuss how natural diamond producing countries, such as Botswana, can act to retain maximum value from their diamonds and thus enrich citizenry. She added that, 'Global directives compel increased environmental and climate regulation in countries such as Botswana. While greener practices can create both positive and negative impacts, who, and what, will bear the costs?" The Gold + Diamond Conference attendees will examine these questions examination and the formation of effective solutions.' As President Boko's press secretary Emang Mutapati explained to this writer in Botswana House, 'There is no better representative than Botswana's president to bring the country's natural diamond story to this show." In Botswana House, Mutapati explained, the theme and motto of the space was 'Rooted in Organic Luxury'. "This concept of working with nature,' she continued, 'is helping create a strong future for Botswana, its diamond industry, and its people' As President Boko, Ambassador Muphoting and Ms. Mutapati all related, elements of Botswana's short term and long term sustainability strategy involve implementing pre-emptive measures to enhance Botswana's ability to successfully deal with the effects of drought and floods. In addition to expanding weather warning systems and water management projects, distribution of drought-tolerant seeds and drought-tolerant cattle breeds are now in the works. Botswana is also investing in mitigation efforts by phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and promoting various energy efficiency measures. While President Boko and Ambassador Muphoting outlined Botswana's long-term plans for becoming a net-zero, climate-resilient, and prosperous nation by 2050, they also emphasized how the country is working to increase its proportion of renewable energy in its power generating-sources, with a goal of reaching 30% renewables by 2030. Reaching this goal is vitally important, as coal-rich Botswana relies heavily on coal for electricity generation, and coal burning is a key contributor to global warming. The good news is that Botswana is taking steps to develop 1.5 GW of solar power projects by 2030 to help reduce its reliance on coal.
Zawya
24-06-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Fewer babies in Botswana acquire Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) thanks to dedicated push to eliminate mother to child transmission
Eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV is possible. And Botswana is celebrating becoming the first country in Africa – and the first country with a high burden of HIV - to be awarded a Gold Tier status by the World Health Organization (WHO), for its efforts to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV completely. This is a huge accomplishment for a country with one of the most severe HIV epidemics in the world, which in 1999 had an estimated HIV prevalence among adults as high as 30%. Women living with HIV who do not receive antiretroviral (ARV) medicine have a 15–45% chance of transmitting the virus to their children during pregnancy, labour, delivery or breastfeeding. That risk drops to less than 5% if treatment is given to both mothers and children throughout the stages when transmission can occur. According to UNAIDS' Spectrum report 2024, around 360,000 people are currently living with HIV in Botswana, with 98% of pregnant women living with HIV receiving treatment. Vertical transmission has dropped to just 1.2%, resulting in fewer than 100 infants being born with HIV in 2023. The goal is to reach zero. The Path to an HIV-free Botswana The Triple Elimination Initiative, led by WHO, in close collaboration with UNICEF and UNAIDS, aims to halt vertical transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B, by encouraging countries to integrate services to improve the health of mothers and children. In May 2025, Botswana's Gold Tier status on the Path to Elimination of HIV, was unanimously agreed by the global validation committee, which assesses programme interventions, laboratory services, engagement of Civil Society Organisations and evaluates data against a set of elimination criteria. The attainment of 'Gold tier' status by Botswana can be attributed to several high impact initiatives: Pioneering interventions over the years, such as the early adoption of Option B+ (lifelong treatment for all pregnant and breastfeeding women with HIV), free antiretroviral therapy for all, including non-citizens since 2019, and decentralisation of services through District Health Management Teams. Digitising data collection systems with the Open Medical Record System (Open-MRS); Championing the empowerment of community health workers (CHWs) through increased training; Strong government leadership, including committing domestic resources. Embracing the crucial importance of Civil Society Organisations, which engage communities in reducing stigma and violence, testing partners and encouraging adherence to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and treatment; Support from 2gether 4 SRHR 2gether 4 SRHR is a joint UN Regional Programme, in partnership with Sweden, which brings together the combined efforts of UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of all people in Eastern and Southern Africa. The regional validation secretariat of the Triple Elimination Initiative includes the same UN agencies, which continue to support Botswana through its validation process, with funding support from 2gether 4 SRHR. In phase one of the programme (2018-2023), Botswana was supported as the first country globally to apply for the Path to Elimination of HIV. To meet these rigorous data requirements, 2gether 4 SRHR established a data mentorship programme, aiming to build the capacity of Ministries of Health across the region, to analyse and use data to prove progress on the path to elimination of vertical transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B. Countries including Botswana also received financial support from 2gether 4 SRHR to develop HIV Prevention Roadmaps. These evidence-based, people-centred, HIV prevention plans focus on reducing new infections and ensuring long-term sustainability of prevention programming which can withstand funding shocks. Botswana was also one of ten countries to develop action plans to engage men in HIV prevention and leveraged the existing 'Brothers Arise' #Nanogang campaign, to work with men to increase their uptake of HIV services and create male friendly platforms to discuss norms. In consultation with the Ministry of Health, a guide for best practice services for men and boys is now in use. This major milestone should be celebrated not only in Botswana, but across the Region. With 2.6 million new HIV infections in children averted since 2010, the 57% decline in new HIV infections among children in Eastern and Southern Africa is one of the top global public health achievements in decades. Botswana demonstrates that an AIDS-free generation is possible. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UNFPA - East and Southern Africa.
Reuters
16-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Botswana's Debswana to approach capital markets to fund Jwaneng underground project
GABORONE, June 16 (Reuters) - Botswana's Debswana Diamond Company is looking to international capital markets to help fund its $6 billion Jwaneng underground project, a director said on Monday, as dwindling revenues have limited its ability to finance capital projects. Despite the downturn in the global diamond market since the second half of 2023, the company is pressing ahead with its plan to prolong the lifespan of its flagship Jwaneng Mine to 2054 by converting it into an underground operation, managing director Andrew Motsomi said at a mining conference in the capital Gaborone. Debswana cut production by 27% in 2024. The company announced plans last week to further reduce output by 16% to 15 million carats in 2025. Debswana, a 50-50 joint venture between Botswana's government and global giant De Beers, has previously financed its capital projects mostly from internally generated funds or injection from shareholders. The company is now working on acquiring an international credit rating to enable it to access capital markets, Motsomi said. He did not say how much funding it was seeking. "With revenues declining, the company is facing escalating capital requirements. Debswana expects an increase in capital expenditure from an average of 5 billion pula ($373 million) per annum for the past five years to 8 billion pula per annum over the next five-year period," he said. With open pit operations expected to reach their economic limit around 2034, Debswana started the Jwaneng mine underground project in May last year. Also speaking at the conference, Botswana's Minister of Minerals and Energy Bogolo Joy Kenewendo said she was hopeful for a recovery in diamond sales starting in 2026, supported by key structural shifts and long-term strategic investments. "Since January, we have begun to see positive signs in the market. While we are not yet where we want to be, the upward trend is encouraging and gives us hope for a more robust recovery in the latter half of the year," she said. ($1 = 13.4048 pulas)
