Two Out Of Three Wild Polio Virus Strains Eradicated

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Two Out Of Three Wild Polio Virus Strains Eradicated

Global eradication of wild poliovirus type 3 announced on World Polio Day.

In a historic announcement on World Polio Day, an independent commission of experts concluded that wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3) has been eradicated worldwide. Following the eradication of smallpox and wild poliovirus type 2, this news represents a historic achievement for humanity.

“The achievement of polio eradication will be a milestone for global health. Commitment from partners and countries, coupled with innovation, means of the three wild polio serotypes, only type one remains,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization and Chair of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) Polio Oversight Board “We remain fully committed to ensuring that all necessary resources are made available to eradicate all poliovirus strains. We urge all our other stakeholders and partners to also stay the course until final success is achieved,” he added.

There are three individual and immunologically-distinct wild poliovirus strains: wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), wild poliovirus type 2 (WPV2) and wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3). Symptomatically, all three strains are identical, in that they cause irreversible paralysis or even death. But there are genetic and virologic differences which make these three strains three separate viruses that must each be eradicated individually.

WPV3 is the second strain of the poliovirus to be wiped out, following the certification of the eradication of WPV2 in 2015. The last case of WPV3 was detected in northern Nigeria in 2012. Since then, the strength and reach of the eradication programme’s global surveillance system have been critical to verify that this strain is truly gone. Investments in skilled workers, innovative tools and a global network of laboratories have helped determine that no WPV3 exists anywhere in the world, apart from specimens locked in secure containment.

At a celebration event at the headquarters of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, Professor David Salisbury, chair of the independent Global Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication, presented the official certificate of WPV3 eradication to Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Wild poliovirus type 3 is globally eradicated,” said Professor Salisbury.  “This this is a significant achievement that should reinvigorate the eradication process and provides motivation for the final step – the eradication of wild poliovirus type 1. This virus remains in circulation in just two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. We cannot stop our efforts now: we must eradicate all remaining strains of all polioviruses.  We do have good news from Africa:  no wild poliovirus type 1 has been detected anywhere on the continent since 2016 in the face of ever-improving surveillance.  Although the region is affected by circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses, which must urgently be stopped, it does appear as if the continent is free of all wild polioviruses, a tremendous achievement.”

Eradicating WPV3 proves that a polio-free world is achievable. Key to success will be the ongoing commitment of the international development community.  To this effect, as part of a Global Health Week in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in November 2019, the Reaching the Last Mile forum will focus international attention on eradication of the world’s deadliest diseases and provide an opportunity for world leaders and civil society organizations, notably Rotary International which is at the origin of this effort, to contribute to the last mile of polio eradication. The GPEI 2019–2023 Investment Case lays out the impact of investing in polio eradication.  The polio eradication efforts have saved the world more than US$27 billion in health costs since 1988. A sustained polio-free world will generate further US$14 billion in savings by 2050, compared to the cost countries would incur for controlling the virus indefinitely.

The GPEI is a public-private global effort made up of national governments, partners including the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a broad range of long-term supporters.

Quick Facts About (Payment for) Kwara Citizenship Certificate – KWIRS

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Quick Facts About (Payment for) Kwara Citizenship Certificate – KWIRS

1. The state of origin (citizenship) certificate is issued by the relevant LGA claimed by applicants.

2. Until now, different payments are to be made by two different sets of applicants for the certificate. There is N2500 (which comprises N2000 for the LGA issuing the certificate while the (Kwara State Internal Revenue Service) KW-IRS gets N462.50. The balance is for bank charges).

This N2500 is paid to the KW-IRS which then remits N2000 to the appropriate LGA. If you are a civil servant or you have evidence of Personal Income Tax (PIT), all you need to pay to get the certificate of state of origin (citizenship) is just the N2500. No more, no less. Any other charge is not known to the Kwara State Government. Two, there is extra N1500 Personal Income Tax which is collected at the point of collecting the certificate. But this N1500 applies ONLY to applicants whose parents (or themselves) are not civil servants or do not have evidence of payment of their Personal Income Tax.

3. What this (2) means is that there are two categories of applicants for the state of origin (citizenship). The first category pays *just* N2500. That’s because their parents (or they) are either civil servants (with evidence of PAYE) or have evidence of PIT payment. The second category pays N4000 (N2500+1500 PIT). This is because the applicants under this category have neither evidence of PAYE nor that of PIT. So the N1500 is for their PIT.

4. There is a new development, however. Until now, the PIT was being paid at the LGA. But this has changed as the KW-IRS has recently adjusted its website to allow applicants in Category II to pay for their PIT directly to the KW-IRS. This is because the PIT belongs to the KW-IRS under the Kwara State Law. Besides, this measure has been introduced to stop the alleged extortion of applicants who are made to pay extra charges that are not receipted. The state government feels this is unfair to the applicants. No applicant should pay any extra money for the purpose of collecting state of origin (citizenship) certificate in Kwara State.

5. Processing of the certificate still takes place at the LGAs because of the need to verify claims of applicants truly coming from the areas they claim to have come from.

6. The administration of AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has NOT added any extra charges to the application fees for the state of origin (citizenship) certificate. All the fees mentioned above are as inherited from the past administration. The only thing that has changed is that the new leadership of KW-IRS is collecting the PIT directly from applicants, instead of the previous arrangement where the LGAs were collecting it. This, as said before, is to eliminate incidents of extra charges as well as ensure that the PIT gets to the KW-IRS as prescribed by the law.

7. Lastly, one other benefit is that everyone pays the same charge for the certificate across the state. Uniform charge of either N2500 or N4000.

Kwara trains team ahead National Livestock Plan takeoff, Gov says initiative key to economic growth

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Kwara trains team ahead National Livestock Plan takeoff, Gov says initiative key to economic growth

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said his administration has keyed into the Federal Government’s National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) to drive economic growth, create jobs, and equip farmers/herders with necessary tools to thrive in the agribusiness.

The Governor dropped this hint at a two-day training programme in Ilorin, the state capital, on the implementation of the pilots under the NLTP for state livestock transformation officers and project management officers (SLTOs/PMOs). The training was held between Monday and Tuesday.

“We both have a shared goal of supporting investments in the livestock value chains that will catalyse sustainable economic growth, create more jobs and equip farmers with the necessary tools to thrive in the agricultural sector,” said AbdulRazaq, who was represented at the event by his Chief of Staff, Aminu Adisa Logun. The trainees, drawn from various sectors of the state, were taken through topics like Overview of NLTP; Technical Inputs on Economic Core Pilar; Investment Promotion: the Role of the State Team; and Technical Inputs on Conflict Resolution, Justice and Peace, Humanitarian Relief and Early Recovery.

AbdulRazaq said the government has assembled a robust project management team that will be supervised by a steering committee under the chairmanship of the Secretary to the State Government to fully benefit from the initiative.

He thanked Abuja for supporting the state’s agribusiness agenda, noting that Kwara has no option than to seek ways of increasing the productivity of its dairy and beef in order to remain competitive.

“We believe that strategic collaborations with critical stakeholders in the industry are pivotal to achieving defined and well-tailored objectives and results….We need to significantly increase the productivity of our livestock (dairy and beef) as well as reduce the cost of production if we are to remain competitive,” he said.

“Our cost of production of a kilogram of beef, estimated at $6 per kg, is one of the world’s highest, compared to $4/kg in the Netherlands and $2.5/kg in India.”

He maintained that Kwara needs to transform its “athletic cows” into “business cows” and to create several businesses along the chain to enhance sustainability and profitability.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agriculture, Dr. Andrew Kwasari, for his part, said the success of the federal government’s policy on agriculture lies solely on its adoption at the state level.

Stressing that Nigeria’s problem is not about policy formulation but the will to implement it, Andrew said the NLTP needs the critical support of all states of the federation to actualise the objectives.

He commended the level of competence and engagement of the participants, hoping that they will be able to make the NLTP a huge success in Kwara State.

Kwasari commended Abdulrazaq for putting together a vibrant and youthful team which he said was about the youngest he has seen any of the states participating in the programme so far. He also lauded the state government for playing an active role in maintaining a friendly relationship between the farmers and herdsmen in the state.

Anticipation rises for iPOWER Week

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Anticipation rises for iPOWER Week

Excitement and anticipation are on the rise for iPOWER Week, a week-long sales campaign offering best prices on various power products and solutions.

iPOWER Week runs from Monday, October 28th until Friday, November 1st, 2019.

Among the cutting-edge products that have been put together for the promotion are generators, inverters, solar panels and big-power batteries from the iPOWER brand.  iPOWER Week will offer all categories of shoppers and consumers best prices and deals on the various items on offer. Furthermore, the prices have been heavily discounted as part of efforts at helping Nigerians save big on essential power products ahead of the festive season.

“The iPOWER Week is a one-week campaign through which Nigerians can enjoy best prices and special deals on power products,” disclosed Onochie Eche-Chukwuma, Research and Development Manager for the iPOWER brand.

“The prices on offer are unbeatable anywhere else in the market. Indeed, we have rolled out these heavily discounted prices as part of our desire to enable Nigerians shop essential power products ahead of the festive season at a cost that makes sense and without burning a hole in their pockets.”

Interestingly, the promotion will run online across the major e-Commerce platforms including Konga and Jumia. Prospective shoppers can take advantage of the promotion by placing orders for immediate delivery on both platforms.  In addition, the iPOWER Week promotion is available offline across multiple retail stores nationwide.

Further adding to the sense of excitement for iPOWER Week is the availability of freebies and other incentives for customers who shop during the duration of the campaign. These include electric kettles, sandwich makers, microwaves, toasters, coffee makers, among others.

Eche-Chukwuma continued: “For shoppers who purchase items during iPOWER Week, we have set aside some mouth-watering freebies. These exciting freebies which include kitchen appliances such as microwave ovens, toasters and electric kettles, among others, are targeted at adding value to the purchases made by our customers within the campaign period.”

In addition to enjoying swift delivery of their products, shoppers can also enjoy after-sales support nationwide for iPOWER products – a point emphasized by Eche-Chukwuma.

“iPOWER products are designed with state-of-the-art functionalities and engineered to resolve the power challenges faced by Nigerians. Customers are guaranteed a full 12 months’ warranty on the products. Also, our customers enjoy peace of mind with round-the-clock after-sales support nationwide,” Eche-Chukwuma concluded.

Meanwhile, anticipation is also on the rise for the launch of iPOWER generator which will coincide with the commencement of iPOWER Week on Monday. The formal launch of the revolutionary product which comes in various capacities between 2.5KVA – 7.5KVA will witness an activation event at the bustling Alaba market, Lagos for consumers to interact with the products.

Winners emerge in NSE Inaugural Hackathon (Photos)

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Winners emerge in NSE Inaugural Hackathon (Photos)

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (“NSE” or “The Exchange”) is pleased to announce the winners of its maiden edition of X-Kathon after a thorough review of entries received for the competition on Thursday, October 24, 2019. X-Kathon is NSE’s first Hackathon designed to encourage Tech enthusiasts to develop innovative Fintech solution to drive up millennials’ participation in the capital market.

The competition received over 100 applications from which the top 10 teams (Echo Trade; Requid; Koin-Jar; King; Finfit; Fantasy Stock Exchange; Stritbid; Trove; Investors Masterclass and Nigeria Learn) were selected. Team Requid emerged the overall winner of the competition and went home with the grand prize of Five Million Naira (N5,000,000) while Teams Trove and Investors Masterclass were first and second​ runners ​up, winning the sum of Three Million (N3,000,000) and Two Million (N2,000,000) Naira respectively.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Oscar N. Onyema, OON, Chief Executive Officer, NSE said, “the Exchange is fully aware of the tectonic shifts in the global business environment occasioned by the 4th Industrial Revolution and how smart, nimble tech start-ups have become global economic catalysts. We are poised to actively engage the massive potential of creative enterprise in our nation and provide a template for corporate venture capital that is much needed in our business environment. A cursory look at the entries received for the X-Kathon has revealed that our young people are blessed with amazing ideas and entrepreneurial hacks that can positively shape the Nigerian business clime”.

“The hackathon would be climaxed by the deployment of the solutions hashed from it over the next couple of months to drive our retail participation agenda. Working closely with our Enterprise Innovation Hub, we will on-board these ventures into our world-class incubation and acceleration programs and groom them for local success and global relevance”, added Onyema.

Mr. Nsikak John, Head, Enterprise Innovation Hub of The Exchange said, “We are very impressed with the depth and quality of entries received. This is proof that Fintechs are indeed critical to the growth of the capital market and we are excited about the emerging possibilities. The X-Kathon is just one of the several initiatives that we are leveraging to unlock the disruptive potential of the capital market by identifying solutions that steer the interest and eventual participation of millennials in trading and investment”.

Application for the X-kathon was opened on September 20, 2019 and closed on October 8, 2019. Out of the 100 applications received, 10 most innovative solutions were selected by subject matter experts in the Fintech space.  A 2-day Bootcamp was held for the top 10 applicants in preparation for the grand finale.

War of the Worlds to premiere this October on Fox

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War of the Worlds to premiere this October on Fox

The critically acclaimed ensemble cast includes Gabriel Byrne, Elizabeth McGovern, Léa Drucker, Adel Bencherif, Natasha Little, Daisy Edgar Jones, Ty Tennant, Stephen Campbell Moore, Bayo Gbadamosi, Aaron Heffernan, Stéphane Caillard and Guillaume Gouix…

The eagerly awaited series War of the Worlds will premiere on Fox (DStv 125) on Wednesday, 30 October, at 20h45 CAT. This contemporary reimagining of H.G. Wells’ timeless classic is produced by Urban Myth Films in partnership with Canal+, Fox Networks Group (FNG) Europe & Africa and AGC Television. It is Fox Networks Group’s second production after the successful Deep State series, parts of which were filmed in South Africa.

Set in present-day Europe, War of the Worlds is a multi-faceted series, written and created by the BAFTA award-winner Howard Overman (Misfits, Crazyhead, Merlin) based on the timeless story by H.G. Wells. This fresh interpretation of the classic novel places the intricacies of human relationships at its heart, whether between parents and children, lovers, or strangers.

When astronomers detect a transmission from another galaxy, it is definitive proof of intelligent extraterrestrial life. The world’s population waits for further contact with bated breath. They do not have to wait long. Within days, mankind is all but wiped out by a devastating attack; pockets of humanity are left in an eerily deserted world.

As aliens hunt and kill those left alive, the survivors ask a burning question – who are these attackers and why are they hell-bent on our destruction? War of the Worlds is a story of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances – but they are more than just victims in a brutal war. “For, as we will come to realise, the aliens’ savage attack on earth is not arbitrary: its seeds are being sown before our very eyes,” said Overman.

The alien attack and subsequent fallout exposes the deepest vulnerabilities of the characters as they navigate a new, dangerous world. “Our War of the Worlds is, at its core, a story about humanity. If aliens attacked tomorrow and life as we know it was destroyed, how would we cope? What would it tell us about each other, and more importantly, about ourselves?” Overman added.

War of the Worlds features a critically acclaimed ensemble cast of Gabriel Byrne, Elizabeth McGovern, Léa Drucker, Natasha Little, Daisy Edgar Jones, Stéphane Caillard, Adel Bencherif and Guillaume Gouix. Gilles Coulier (De Dag, Cargo, The Natives) directed the first four episodes with Richard Clark (Innocent, Versailles) directing episodes five to eight.

“We can’t wait for this bold recreation to premiere on African screens. We look forward to this world-class production based on a timeless story, that promises a unique combination of character-driven human drama and the very best science fiction,” said Evert van der Veer, for Media Networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa.

Olam Cocoa Commits To Living Incomes For Farmers, A Child Labour Free Supply Chain And Greater Forest Protection By 2030

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Olam Cocoa Commits To Living Incomes For Farmers, A Child Labour Free Supply Chain And Greater Forest Protection By 2030

Olam Cocoa, the world’s foremost focused supplier of cocoa beans and cocoa ingredients, today announced its sustainability ambition for the future of the cocoa sector. Cocoa Compass aims to support the creation of an environmentally positive, professionalised and quality-focused cocoa supply chain comprising farmers earning a living income and whose children have access to education.

The company is tackling the most pressing challenges currently facing the cocoa industry, and today outlines its plans to address these issues. Cocoa Compass targets areas for action that will have the greatest positive impact under the three pillars of Focused on Farmers, Empowered to Grow and Investing in Nature.

Aligned with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)1 and with milestones for action in 2020 and 2024, Cocoa Compass sets concrete goals for 2030 across the company’s global, direct cocoa supply chain. These goals address living incomes for farmers, child labour, education, deforestation, and the environment to help achieve Olam Cocoa’s vision for the future of the cocoa sector:

  • Improve cocoa farmer livelihoods and enable 150,000 cocoa farmers to achieve a defined living income2 level, not just lift them out of poverty (the extreme poverty line for an average cocoa-growing family in Côte d’Ivoire is USD$2,300 per year and the living income line is USD$7,300 per year)3
  • Eliminate child labour
  • Ensure all children of cocoa farmers have access to education
  • Protect forests through a net increase in tree carbon stock4
  • Mitigate environmental impact through a 30% reduction in Natural Capital costs5

Gerard A. Manley, CEO of Olam Cocoa, comments: “For over a decade with our customers and partners, we have been present on the ground, supporting cocoa communities around the world to improve their livelihoods and protect forests, while also providing a stable route to market for farmers through in-country cocoa processing. With our living income goal, we are focusing our efforts on supporting the farmers we believe can be the backbone of a sustainable cocoa supply chain while continuing to provide holistic support to all cocoa farmers in our sustainability programmes. We know there is still more to do which is why we are challenging ourselves, and the industry, to have an even greater positive impact on the future of cocoa.”

Cocoa Compass builds on Olam Cocoa’s 15 years of sustainability progress, achieved in partnership with its customers, governments, NGOs and farming communities, and in line with Olam International’s purpose to re-imagine global agriculture and food systems. The company has already achieved 100% traceability of its sustainable supply chain in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana under its 2020 traceability commitment6 and its pledge to combat deforestation as part of its Cocoa & Forests Initiative action plans. Other highlights include paying USD$136 million in sustainability premiums to farmers and farming cooperatives in partnership with customers, issuing over 64,000 tailored Farm Development Plans to increase farmers’ productivity and incomes through the Olam and Farmers Information System, and establishing Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation Systems7 which cover 95,000 cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.

Andrew Brooks, Head of Cocoa Sustainability, concludes: “Transparency and traceability are core to Cocoa Compass. We remain focused on leveraging social and environmental insights to refine our sustainability programmes to meet the needs of farmers and their communities. source will be the platform through which we deliver these programmes in cocoa-growing regions and through which we are able to better understand and report the improvements required to reach our goals. It is tailored towards achieving the objectives of both the Cocoa Compass strategy and our customer’s own sustainability goals.”

The company will publish an annual Cocoa Compass Impact Report to share data collection methodology and update on progress against its goals.

Jumia Rallies Sellers, Calls For Best Deals, Quality Products During Black Friday

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Jumia Rallies Sellers, Calls For Best Deals, Quality Products During Black Friday

In a bid to give consumers an unrivalled shopping experience as the year nears its end, leading e-commerce platform, Jumia Nigeria has called on all sellers on its platform to prioritize offering the best deals and quality products during its upcoming Black Friday campaign.

The company also restated its commitment to selling only genuine and quality products on the platform.

Omolola Oladunjoye, the company’s chief operating officer made the clarion call while addressing the sellers during the company’s Annual Sellers’ Conference which held in Lagos recently.

She urged the sellers to align with the company’s quality control process by uploading correct images that correspond to the packages that are eventually delivered to consumers, especially as Black Friday – scheduled to hold 8th through 29th November 2019 – approaches. She emphasized that selling good quality and genuine products on the platform is consequently tied to the sellers’ revenue.

“If you listed sub-par products on the Jumia platform and a consumer discovered it after a purchase, the product will be returned to the seller and the consumer will be refunded 100%. What this means for you as a seller is zero revenue. But as a business, that’s not the kind of experience we want to give our consumers. The satisfaction consumers derive from buying genuine products has good implications on your revenue too,” she noted.

Jumia also offered a free masterclass to the sellers on how they can make their products attractively competitive for consumers during the upcoming Black Friday campaign. “You need to start thinking of the deals that will attract and appeal to our consumers. We have shared with you data on some of the fast-moving products on the platform. One strategy to drive sales during Black Friday is to make as many deals as possible available and ensure your prices become relatively cheaper than the competition,” Salma Bencherif, chief marketing officer at Jumia said.

Over half a dozen sellers were rewarded with award plaques across several categories such as Top Sales Award of Excellence; Jumia Commercial Sales Award; Jumia Top Rated Seller Award; Jumia Lifetime Seller Achievement Award; Quality Award of Excellence; Referral Winner; and Assortment Challenge Winner.

The Annual Sellers’ Conference holds a few weeks before the company’s annual Black Friday campaigns.

Standard Chartered And IFC Create US$1 Billion Facility To Boost Trade Finance In Emerging Markets

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Standard Chartered And IFC Create US$1 Billion Facility To Boost Trade Finance In Emerging Markets

Standard Chartered and International Financial Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, have established a US$1.0 billion facility to boost trade finance in emerging markets, helping to sustain trade flows in developing countries and narrow the gap in global trade finance.

The initiative will support significant trade flows in emerging markets by allowing IFC and Standard Chartered to share the risk of a portfolio of corporate and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) trade flows on a 50-50 basis.

The risk-sharing arrangement is expected to enable over US$4.0 billion in trade finance across markets in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa over a three-year period. By promoting trade facilitation, the facility will help narrow the US$1.5 trillion global trade finance gap at a time when some banks are exiting the trade space.

The partnership builds son Standard Chartered’s long-standing presence in emerging markets and leading trade finance capabilities, and IFC’s global reach and market coverage to increase the availability of trade finance in some of the most challenging markets, including some of the world’s poorest countries. This will bring trade finance to local and regional companies, some of which are credit-constrained and rely on bank trade facilities to manage cash flows and purchase raw inputs.

“Trade is a key driver of economic growth in emerging markets,” said Paulo de Bolle, Senior Director of IFC’s Financial Institutions Group. “This facility is a unique partnership that can help counter de-risking trends in developing countries and support real-sector demand for trade finance.”

“As a leader in trade finance connecting our clients across the world’s most dynamic corridors, we are committed to facilitating global trade and driving the growth and prosperity of local economies. We are delighted to be partnering with IFC to further our efforts,” said Nicolas Langlois, Global Head of Trade Distribution, Standard Chartered.

Nigeria’s Dangote Cement PLC Turns To GE To Digitize Its Cement Plants To Boost Reliability And Power Supply Efficiency

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Nigeria’s Dangote Cement PLC Turns To GE To Digitize Its Cement Plants To Boost Reliability And Power Supply Efficiency

GE Will Modernize Seven GE LM6000PC Aeroderivative Gas Turbines and Install Its Asset Performance Management (APM) Digital Solution at Dangote Cement Plants in Obajana and Ibese, Nigeria;Contract Includes Service Agreement Extension for Additional 50,000 Operating Hours for Each of the Seven GE LM6000PC Aeroderivative Gas Turbines; GE’s APM Digital Solution Will Help Reduce Unplanned Downtime and Enhance Operational Performance; GE’s Total Plant Solutions Will Improve Power Supply Efficiency and Help Extend the Life of the Cement Plants.

GE and Africa’s leading cement producer Dangote Cement Plc signed an agreement to deploy GE’s Asset Performance Management (APM) digital solution to reduce unplanned downtime and enhance performance at its two cement plants in Obajana and Ibese, Nigeria. The project includes extending the current service agreement for an additional 50,000 operating hours for the seven GE LM6000PC aero-derivative gas turbines installed at the sites. GE’s total plant solutions will improve efficiency, reliability essential to continuous operations and the plants’ business strategy.

“Power supply is both a key input and a major cost in our manufacturing process,” said Ravi Sood, Operations Director, Dangote Cement Plc. “Operational performance is crucial to our cement plant’s overall productivity, directly affecting end products. Being at the front of cement production in Africa, we believe extending our services agreement with GE and the introduction of digital solutions will allow us to improve efficiencies, anticipate further reductions in unplanned downtime and become more self-sufficient in power production in a country which, with approximately 190 million inhabitants, is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world.”

APM leverages cutting-edge technology to monitor the performance of power generation assets to reduce downtime, avoid turbines damage and remotely predict and resolve issues. APM sensors will be installed not only on the seven aero-derivative turbines but also on their associated generators and gearboxes to predict and accurately diagnose issues with greater accuracy before they occur.

“Energy infrastructure is getting smarter, and digital solutions allow not only the shift from traditional calendar-based repairs to predictive maintenance, but they also increase power asset availability and reliability,” said Elisee Sezan, CEO for GE’s Gas Power businesses in sub–Saharan Africa. “We are proud to continue our 13-year collaboration with Dangote Cement to help them support Nigeria and other African countries towards achieving self-reliance and self-sufficiency in the world’s most basic commodities.”

The agreement underscores GE’s commitment to work collaboratively with its customers using the APM software to optimize their performance of assets, increase reliability and availability, minimize costs and reduce operational risks. Earlier this year, GE announced the first digital solutions order in sub-Saharan Africa for Azito in Ivory Coast improving power plant output, reliability, availability and operational performance.

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