Author: Ewang Johnson
Getty ImagesForty-three years ago this week, the BBC reported on the death of Roberto Calvi, an Italian banker whose body was found in strange circumstances in the centre of London. His bank was linked to the Vatican, a masonic group and the Mafia – and his murder left many unanswered questions.Roberto Calvi was the chairman of the prestigious Banco Ambrosiano, the largest private bank in Italy. He was so closely connected to the Roman Catholic Church that he was known as “God’s Banker”. Warning: This article contains references to suicide and murderBut in June 1982, the 62-year-old Calvi went missing. And…
Mature assets by definition are oil and gas fields that have been producing for upwards of twenty-five years. Thus, the Niger Delta Basin is considered a mature oil and gas producing region, one with an abundance of highly prolific hydrocarbon dicoveries which includes several undeveloped prospects. Mature assets present a distinct mix of challenges and opportunities, especially at a time when a wave of ambitious indigenous operators—grappling with widespread production decline—are projected to contribute around 60% of the country’s output. Maturity in the Niger Delta signifies decades of sustained exploration and production activity. With the region currently accounting for up…
Forty years on, Richard Avedon’s iconic series “In the American West” still resonates with the United States’ current political and social landscape. The New York photographer’s powerful portraits of working-class Americans challenge the myth of the cowboy in an idealised West. The full exhibition is now on view at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris until October 12. Source link
Sun King, Kenya’s most trusted off-grid solar company, is proud to announce the official opening of its first customer experience centre in Mombasa, bringing clean, reliable energy solutions closer to customers along Kenya’s coast. Located along Digo Road – adjacent to Huduma Centre and opposite Nomaneno Bazaar– the new experience centre is designed to provide faster service, interactive access to Sun King’s full product range, and high-quality customer support. The opening marks a significant milestone in the company’s mission to expand access to affordable solar solutions across Kenya, especially in under-electrified coastal counties. Speaking during the launch celebrations, Victor Agandi, Vice…
The Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, a member of the Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies, has officially opened applications for its annual High School Scholarship Programme. Eligible Grade 6 learners from across South Africa are encouraged to apply. The High School Scholarship is dedicated to nurturing entrepreneurial potential among the youth, with the goal of cultivating confident scholars equipped with entrepreneurial thinking, leadership qualities and a drive to create meaningful solutions for South Africa’s most pressing social and economic challenges. To be successful recipients of this Scholarship, Grade 6 learners must demonstrate an interest in entrepreneurship and the desire to pursue it…
In this edition of our arts24 music show, Jennifer Ben Brahim chats with UK-based Nigerian musician Obongjayar. He’s just released his second album called “Paradise Now”, a danceable record inspired by partying. He even hosted a series of parties of the same name in London as he was producing the record. The Ivor Novello-nominated musician moved from Nigeria to London as a teenager and his music is infused with West African rhythms, pop, punk and dance. Aside from nightlife, “Paradise Now” also talks about love, religion, belonging and calling out political inaction – like on the diss track “Jellyfish”. Source link
Built on agentic AI, CXOP delivers intelligent, hyper-personalized experiences across the full customer journey Global cloud communications platform Infobip announced its Conversational Experience Orchestration Platform (CXOP) — a game-changing solution that places agentic AI at the heart of every customer interaction. CXOP enables brands to move beyond static, rules-based workflows to deliver dynamic, goal-oriented conversations across marketing, sales, and support — at scale. The announcement builds on Infobip’s AI Hub, marking a major step forward by natively infusing agentic AI across Infobip’s entire award-winning product stack — unifying channels, data, and automation into a single intelligent platform. Built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models, CXOP…
British author Frederick Forsyth died age 86, his literary agents announced on Monday. Forsyth was a pilot and a journalist before he turned his hand to literature, writing over 25 books including global bestseller “The Day of the Jackal”. Source link
By Drisha Kirkman, Head of Programme Management and Sustainability at Paymentology Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing a paradox in its financial transformation. Mobile network coverage now extends to 84% of the population, yet only 25% are actively connected, leaving a 59% usage gap. While the connectivity infrastructure is largely in place, hundreds of millions remain disconnected from the digital financial tools with this disparity highlighting a deeper issue: access alone is insufficient to drive financial inclusion. Ultimately, the challenge lies in adoption, education and trust. Barriers to adoption Despite extensive mobile network coverage, 45% of sub-Saharan Africans aged 15 or over were unbanked in 2021. Low digital literacy holds…
This week Valérie Fayolle and her team set up their cameras in Rabat, the discreet but radiant capital of Morocco. Writer and poet Tahar Ben Jelloun takes us on a tour of his paintings on display at the Mohammed VI Museum of Contemporary Art. We then go backstage to meet choreographer Salima Moumni. She explores dance as a universal language, promoting emancipation and social cohesion. Source link