February 24, 2022

President in Kinshasa for peace in the region

Kinshasa – Angolan President João Lourenço arrived Thursday morning in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to analyze peace and security in the Great Lakes region.

DRC’s capital hosts the 10th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the signatory countries of the Framework Agreement for Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Region.

Thursday’s meeting proposes, among other issues, to assess the degree of implementation of the referred mechanism.

Angola assumes the rotating presidency of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).

Framework Agreement

The Framework Agreement has been in force since 24 February 2013 and Angola, Burundi, Kenya, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia are signatories.

Representatives from the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) also signed the commitment to peace in the region. .

The Agreement, signed under the auspices of the UN and the AU, was intended to tackle the root causes of conflicts in the region, such as promoting good governance and preventing states from supporting or harboring armed groups from neighboring countries.

It also established the creation of a monitoring mechanism to monitor compliance and create, together with the UN Mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, a new, more effective intervention brigade.

The agreement also provided for the promotion of negotiations for peace between countries with disputes, the dismantling and reintegration of rebel groups.

For the DRC, in particular, the memorandum established the promotion of good governance, the extension of State administration and authority throughout the territory, the improvement of the social conditions of the citizens and the promotion of economic development in that country.

At the Kinshasa Summit, the Angolan President is being accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, diplomats posted to international organisations and senior officials of the presidency.

With the commitment of President João Lourenço, the Angolan presidency of the ICGLR has been helping to alleviate the climate of tension and reduce the atmosphere of mistrust between the member states.

Experts point to the situation in the CAR, in the east of the DRC and the occurrence of coups d’état, as in Sudan, which negatively affect the consolidation of democratic states under the rule of law in the region.

Ambassadors and/or special envoys from the permanent member countries of the UN Security Council are also attending this summit.

Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council are China, the United States of America, France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Russian Federation.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

February 24, 2022

Seven-nation Summit in DR Congo to Mull 2013 Peace Accord

Seven African heads of state gathered in Kinshasa on Thursday to assess a 2013 agreement aimed at cementing peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s violence-torn east and the Great Lakes region.

The Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework aims at fostering efforts to stabilize the region.

Millions of people died from violence, disease or starvation in the 1996-7 and 1998-2003 Congo Wars — a conflict that enmeshed countries from around east and central Africa.

The Kinshasa summit, the 10th in the series, brought together the presidents of the DRC, South Africa, Uganda, Angola, the Republic of Congo, Burundi and the Central African Republic, a diplomat said.

The summit was expected to express concern about logistical and other support for armed groups that remain active in the region.

It would “take note” of joint DRC-Ugandan operations against the most notorious group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), the diplomat said.

The historic operation was launched in the border area late last November, prompted by a string of massacres in eastern DRC and bomb attacks in the Ugandan capital Kampala.

The summit would also congratulate improved relations between Rwanda and Uganda and between Rwanda and Burundi after a long period of tension.

The 2013 accord was eventually signed by a total of 11 countries, including Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.

The next summit will be hosted in 2023 by Burundi.

Source: Voice Of America

February 24, 2022

Oceaneering Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021 Results

HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oceaneering International, Inc. (“Oceaneering”) (NYSE:OII) today reported a net loss of $38.8 million, or $(0.39) per share, on revenue of $467 million for the three months ended December 31, 2021. Adjusted net income was $5.0 million, or $0.05 per share, reflecting the impact of $30.6 million of pre-tax adjustments associated with the write-off of certain uncollectible accounts and foreign exchange losses recognized during the quarter and $19.6 million of discrete tax adjustments, primarily due to changes in valuation allowances.

During the prior quarter ended September 30, 2021, Oceaneering reported net loss of $7.4 million, or $(0.07) per share, on revenue of $467 million. Adjusted net loss was $1.4 million, or $(0.01) per share, reflecting the impact of $0.3 million of pre-tax adjustments associated with foreign exchange losses recognized during the quarter and $5.8 million of discrete tax adjustments, primarily due to changes in valuation allowances.

Adjusted operating income (loss), operating margins, net income (loss) and earnings (loss) per share, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA (as well as EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margins), and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures that exclude the impacts of certain identified items. Reconciliations to the corresponding GAAP measures are shown in the tables Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Diluted Earnings (Loss) per Share (EPS), EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA and Margins, Free Cash Flow, 2022 Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow Estimates, Adjusted Operating Income (Loss) and Margins by Segment, and EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA and Margins by Segment. These tables are included below under the caption Reconciliations of Non-GAAP to GAAP Financial Information.

For the fourth quarter of 2021:

• Cash flow generated from operations was $140 million yielding free cash flow of $126 million

• Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA was $46.7 million

• Consolidated Adjusted Operating Income was $17.0 million

• Cash position increased by $90.4 million, from $448 million to $538 million

• Repurchased $37.0 million of our 2024 senior notes through open-market transactions

As of December 31, 2021:

• Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV): fleet count was 250; Q4 utilization was 55%; and Q4 average revenue per day on hire was $8,162

• Manufactured Products backlog was $318 million

Guidance for 2022:

• Consolidated EBITDA of $225 million to $275 million

• Continued significant free cash flow generation in the range of $75 million to $125 million

• Increased growth capital expenditures as compared to 2021

Roderick A. Larson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Oceaneering, stated, “I am pleased with our achievements in 2021 as our $211 million of adjusted EBITDA achieved the top end of the adjusted EBITDA guidance range provided at the beginning of the year and exceeded the guidance mid-point by 14%. Except for Manufactured Products, which is tied to longer-cycle market drivers, all of our operating segments delivered improved sequential annual operating results in 2021. We delivered robust free cash flow in 2021, which supported our ability to repurchase $100 million of our 2024 senior notes and increased our cash position by $86 million during the year to $538 million on December 31, 2021. I am encouraged by the supportive market fundamentals that emerged in 2021 and expect this to drive increased activity across all our segments in 2022.

“Turning to fourth quarter 2021 results, we produced consolidated adjusted EBITDA of $46.7 million, within the guidance range provided at the beginning of the quarter. In addition to typical seasonality, the quarterly operating results, and associated EBITDA, were also impacted by a material increase in medical and information technology costs recognized during the quarter and additional incentive compensation accruals tied to our strong free cash flow and annual results. Consolidated revenue of $467 million was flat with the third quarter, as a substantial revenue increase in Manufactured Products offset lower revenue in each of our other segments. Cash generated by operations of $140 million led to strong free cash flow of $126 million.

“We made the decision during the fourth quarter to terminate a number of entertainment ride systems contracts with the financially embattled developer, China Evergrande Group and its affiliated companies (Evergrande). As a result, we recorded a net loss of $30 million in connection with these Evergrande contracts in our fourth quarter financial results. In conjunction with this termination, we reclassified $20 million of contract assets into salable inventory.

Segment Results:

“Our fourth quarter 2021 Subsea Robotics (SSR) operating income improved sequentially, despite lower revenue. The performance was led by improved pricing in our ROV and tooling businesses. SSR EBITDA margin of 31% during the fourth quarter improved as compared to the 29% achieved during the third quarter of 2021 and was consistent with the average margin achieved during the first nine months of 2021.

“Fourth quarter 2021 ROV days on hire declined 12% as compared to the third quarter 2021 due primarily to typical lower seasonal vessel activity. Fleet utilization declined to 55% in the fourth quarter of 2021 from 63% in the third quarter of 2021. Our fleet use during the quarter was 62% in drill support and 38% in vessel-based services, compared to 57% and 43%, respectively, during the third quarter. Fourth quarter 2021 average ROV revenue per day on hire of $8,162 was 4% higher than in the third quarter of 2021.

“Manufactured Products fourth quarter 2021 revenue of $103 million was 37% higher than in the third quarter of 2021. Adjusted operating income and adjusted operating income margin of 9% were substantially higher sequentially, primarily due to better absorption of fixed costs and favorable project mix. Our Manufactured Products backlog on December 31, 2021 was $318 million, compared to our September 30, 2021 backlog of $334 million. The backlog decline in the fourth quarter of 2021 reflects a $38 million reduction associated with the Evergrande contract terminations. Our book-to-bill ratio was 1.1 for the full year of 2021, as compared with the trailing 12-month book-to-bill of 1.0 on September 30, 2021.

“Sequentially, our fourth quarter 2021 Offshore Projects Group (OPG) operating income decreased on lower revenue. Revenue declined 11% due to seasonality in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and the third quarter completion of the Angola riserless light well intervention project. Fourth quarter 2021 operating income margin of 8% remained consistent with the third quarter of 2021 as improved margins from intervention, maintenance and repair (IMR) activity positively offset the fixed cost margin effects of lower revenue.

“Integrity Management and Digital Solutions (IMDS) fourth quarter 2021 operating income increased sequentially on slightly lower revenue. Operating income margin improved to 10% in the fourth quarter of 2021 from 9% in the third quarter of 2021, as the business continued to benefit from operational improvements implemented since the beginning of 2020.

“Aerospace and Defense Technologies (ADTech) fourth quarter 2021 operating income declined from the third quarter of 2021, on a 6% decrease in revenue. Operating income margin declined, as expected, to 13%, due to changes in project mix. At the corporate level, fourth quarter 2021 Unallocated Expenses of $36.7 million were higher than the third quarter of 2021 due to a combination of increased accruals for incentive-based compensation, higher than expected health care costs, and increased information technology costs.

Full Year Results:

“For the year, consolidated adjusted operating income improved on a slight revenue increase as compared to 2020. Adjusted operating income in our energy segments improved and operating income margin improved by 376 basis points over 2020 results, to 9%. The improved results were a result of a shift in the mix of revenue and a continued focus on operational excellence programs. Our ADTech segment continued to be a steady performer, delivering another record year of operating income and margins consistent with 2020.

“Compared to 2020, our 2021 consolidated revenue increased 2% to $1.9 billion, with revenue increases in our SSR, OPG, IMDS, and ADTech segments being partially offset by a decline in our Manufactured Products revenue. Consolidated 2021 adjusted operating income and adjusted EBITDA improved, led by our OPG and SSR segments. In 2021, each of our operating segments contributed positive adjusted operating income and positive adjusted EBITDA. We generated $225 million in cash flow from operations and invested $50.2 million in capital expenditures. Significant free cash flow of $175 million allowed us to repurchase $100 million of our 2024 senior notes while increasing our cash balance by $86 million to $538 million.

2022 Guidance:

“As a result of first quarter seasonality in our energy businesses, uncertainties regarding US Government appropriations due to the continuing resolution, and anticipated expenses needed to prepare for higher activity in 2022, we expect our first quarter 2022 financial results to be significantly lower as compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. However, based on year-end 2021 backlog, projected start dates of new contracts, anticipated 2022 order intake, and supportive market fundamentals, we project a greater than commensurate ramp-up in second quarter activity and financial results which are expected to be sustained throughout the remainder of the year. We are projecting our 2022 consolidated revenue to grow more than 10%, with increased revenue in each of our operating segments, led by Manufactured Products. We expect sequential improvement in our 2022 financial results based on our expectation for higher operating income and higher margins in each of our energy segments, led by SSR and OPG, and higher operating income and stable margins in our ADTech segment. For the year, we anticipate generating $225 million to $275 million of EBITDA, with increased contributions from each of our segments. At the midpoint of this range, our EBITDA for 2022 would represent an 18% increase over 2021 adjusted EBITDA. We anticipate our full year 2022 to yield positive free cash flow of $75 million to $125 million. These expectations assume the continuing trend of supportive commodity prices and no significant incremental COVID-19 impacts.

“For SSR, our expectation for improved results is based on increased ROV days on hire, minor shifts in geographic mix, and stable to improving pricing. Results for tooling-based services are expected to improve, with activity levels generally following ROV days on hire. Survey results are projected to improve on higher survey and positioning activity. We expect revenue growth in the high-single-digit range and EBITDA margins to average in the low 30% range for the full year.

“We expect Manufactured Products segment performance to improve on a significant increase in revenue, primarily as a result of increased order intake in our energy businesses during 2021. We are seeing increasing interest in our mobility solutions businesses, and currently expect to see marginally higher activity from these businesses in 2022 and see an opportunity to build backlog for a more meaningful contribution in 2023. We forecast our operating income margins to be in the mid-single-digit range for the year.

“OPG operating results are expected to improve in 2022, on a marginal increase in revenue. This expectation is based on better anticipated pricing, improved vessel utilization, and increased diving activities more than offsetting lower revenue from riserless light well intervention activities. Overall, for 2022, we expect operating income margins to average in the high-single- to low-double-digit range.

“IMDS results are forecast to improve on higher revenue, continuing the trend seen over the last several years. We believe customers continue to see value in our service offerings and see good global opportunities for renewals and business expansion, particularly in the UK and West Africa. Operating income margin is expected to remain in the high-single-digit range for the year.

“Our 2022 ADTech revenue is expected to be higher, producing improved operating results. We anticipate growth in all three of our government-focused businesses. Operating income margins are expected to average in the mid-teens range for the year.

“For 2022, we anticipate Unallocated Expenses to average in the mid-$30 million range per quarter.

“Interest expense, net of interest income, is expected to be approximately $38 million, and we expect our 2022 cash tax payments to be in the range of $40 million to $45 million.

First Quarter 2022 Guidance:

“Sequentially, as previously noted, we forecast our first quarter 2022 EBITDA to be significantly lower on lower revenue. As compared to the fourth quarter of 2021, we anticipate lower revenue and operating results in our energy segments, and relatively flat revenue and lower operating results in our ADTech segment. In the first quarter of 2022, we anticipate incurring higher costs for hiring and training of personnel, mobilization of equipment, and inflation as we prepare for a significant increase in activity forecast for the remainder of 2022.

Growth and Capital Discipline:

“Our ability to generate substantial free cash flow over the last several years has allowed us to de-risk the pending maturity of our 2024 senior notes. Our focus has turned to growth, where we will continue to develop and deliver technologies to help our customers produce hydrocarbons in a cleaner, safer manner while increasing our investments into new markets including energy transition, digital asset management, aerospace and defense solutions, and mobility solutions. We forecast our capital expenditures will total between $70 million to $90 million in 2022. We anticipate commodity prices to support growth and free cash generation in our traditional businesses during 2022 to underpin these investments.”

This release contains “forward-looking statements,” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, statements as to the expectations, beliefs, future expected business and financial performance and prospects of Oceaneering. More specifically, the forward-looking statements in this press release include the statements concerning Oceaneering’s: expectations regarding 2022 results, including consolidated EBITDA range, free cash flow generation range, and anticipated capital expenditures, as well as the reasons underlying these expectations; expectation that market fundamentals that emerged in 2021 will drive increased activity across all its businesses in 2022; references to backlog, to the extent backlog may be an indicator of future revenue, profitability or cash flows; expectations regarding first quarter 2022 financial results as compared to the fourth quarter of 2021; projections regarding second quarter activity and financial results and expectations these will be sustained throughout 2022; projection of 2022 consolidated revenue growth and revenue from each operating segment; expectations regarding operating income and margins in each operating segment; anticipated full year EBITDA contributions from each operating segment; anticipation that 2022 will yield positive free cash flow; assumptions and characterizations of the trend of commodity prices and COVID-19 impacts; expectations regarding 2022 segment financial results, including anticipated 2022 order intake and its timing, expected segment activity and its basis, anticipated revenue, operating income, and operating income margins, and the associated comparisons and explanations; expected average 2022 quarterly Unallocated Expenses; estimated interest expense, net of interest income, and cash tax payments; forecasted first quarter 2022 segment financial results, including expected segment activity and its basis, anticipated revenue, operating income, and operating income margins, EBITDA, and the associated comparisons and explanations; anticipated first quarter 2022 incurred costs in preparation for forecasted activity for the remainder of 2022; characterization of its pending debt maturity as de-risked; development and delivery of technologies for cleaner, safer hydrocarbon production; its intention to increase investments into new markets with the support of commodity prices and its free cash generation; forecasted 2022 capital expenditures range; anticipation of commodity prices to support its growth, and free cash generation from its traditional businesses during 2022 will underpin expected capital expenditures; and characterization of demand, activity levels, market fundamentals, and financials as seasonal, strong, or supportive.

The forward-looking statements included in this release are based on our current expectations and are subject to certain risks, assumptions, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: factors affecting the level of activity in the oil and gas industry, including worldwide demand for and prices of oil and natural gas, oil and natural gas production growth and the supply and demand of offshore drilling rigs; actions by members of OPEC and other oil exporting countries; decisions about offshore developments to be made by oil and gas exploration, development and production companies; the use of subsea completions and our ability to capture associated market share; general economic and business conditions and industry trends; the strength of the industry segments in which we are involved; the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the governmental, customer, supplier, and other responses thereto; cancellations of contracts, change orders and other contractual modifications, force majeure declarations and the exercise of contractual suspension rights and the resulting adjustments to our backlog; collections from our customers; our future financial performance, including as a result of the availability, terms and deployment of capital; the consequences of significant changes in currency exchange rates; the volatility and uncertainties of credit markets; changes in tax laws, regulations and interpretation by taxing authorities; changes in, or our ability to comply with, other laws and governmental regulations, including those relating to the environment; the continued availability of qualified personnel; our ability to obtain raw materials and parts on a timely basis and, in some cases, from limited sources; operating risks normally incident to offshore exploration, development and production operations; hurricanes and other adverse weather and sea conditions; cost and time associated with drydocking of our vessels; the highly competitive nature of our businesses; adverse outcomes from legal or regulatory proceedings; the risks associated with integrating businesses we acquire; rapid technological changes; and social, political, military and economic situations in foreign countries where we do business and the possibilities of civil disturbances, war, other armed conflicts or terrorist attacks. For a more complete discussion of these and other risk factors, please see Oceaneering’s latest annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except to the extent required by applicable law, Oceaneering undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.

Oceaneering is a global technology company delivering engineered services and products and robotic solutions to the offshore energy, defense, aerospace, manufacturing, and entertainment industries.

Source: Business Wire

February 24, 2022

World Pulses Day: How WFP beans roll into Eswatini from Zambia

“When I get a contract from WFP, I provide smallholder farmers with the seeds on credit,” says Ederbry Mweendo. “After they harvest, they pay me back for the seeds and sell me their surplus crops”.

Mweendo heads Cassia Agro, one of the 13 aggregators and farmer cooperatives the World Food Programme works with in Zambia to procure cowpeas and beans for its programmes in the southern Africa region.

Last year, WFP committed to procure 1,151 metric tons of commodities through aggregators and farmer cooperatives, valued at almost US$1 million.

Based in Monze district, Mweendo works with WFP to procure pulses from smallholder farmers and to supply airtight hermetic bags – a low-cost, post-harvest tech that reduces food losses of up to 40 percent in the country.

“It gives me peace and comfort to know that the food we are providing to WFP is supporting vulnerable people. It’s a privilege to support their programmes,” says Mweendo.

Food is procured from Mweendo under WFP’s global commodity management platform, which allows food to be purchased in advance of project requests. This reduces delivery lead times and helps aggregators and farmers to better plan their production.

“The airtight bags help smallholder farmers to store the crops perfectly until they sell their crops. They keep crops perfect even after years of storage,” says Mweendo.

Twaanabo Mwanza is one of the 2,700 smallholder farmers Mweendo buys from to sell to WFP. The 30-year-old grows orange maize, groundnuts, soybeans and cowpeas.

“Before I was introduced to Ederbry [Mweendo], I only used to grow a small amount of pulses. But she taught us about their benefits – they are nutritious, drought-resistant, cheaper to grow than maize, and sell for more,” says Twanabo.

“We smallholder farmers work hand-in-hand with Ederby. She provides us with seeds, airtight hermetic bags and a ready market. Usually, we would guess what to grow and search for markets. But now we are given seeds and sell our harvest back to her,” he says.

This year, WFP procured pulses from aggregators in Zambia to support operations in Angola and Eswatini.

In Eswatini, the beans were provided as part of WFP’s emergency response in the Lubombo region, providing monthly food distributions to nearly 35,000 people who are struggling to put food on the table due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, limited job opportunities and high food prices.

Lungelo is one of the people that received 5 kg of beans from Zambia, as well as 10 kg of rice and half a litre of cooking oil.

At the age of 15, he became the head of his household when his mother left their family in pursuit of a job. He had to drop out of school to care for his 78-year-old grandmother living with tuberculosis and and his 13-year-old sister.

“There were days we would go to bed on empty stomachs to avoid asking for food from our neighbours,” he says.

Lungelo found a seasonal job at a local sugar factory, but this didn’t cover all his family’s needs. Now, the food he receives from WFP is helping him to support his family.

“With my seasonal job and the food from WFP, we can lead better, decent lives…. we received the beans just as we needed them,” he says. “Now, I don’t have to worry about my family going to bed hungry.”

His sister, Tengetile, is a big fan of the beans.

“I can’t believe these beans come all the way from Zambia, it’s so far. I will carry five beans to school to show my friends and maybe we can plant them during our science project on germination,” she says.

“Our teacher told us that beans are body building food. I can get the same nutrients that can be found in meat. So even if I don’t get to eat meat all the time, I will still be healthy,” she adds.

Source: World Food Programme

February 24, 2022

More than 45 000 people benefit from free health care services in Chipinge and Chimanimani

Chimanimani, Zimbabwe – Over the past two years more than 45 000 people in the Cyclone Idai affected communities have benefited from free integrated health and Gender Based Violence (GBV) services provided by WHO, UNICEF, UNOPS-CI and UNFPA under the Zimbabwe Cyclone Idai Recovery Project (ZIRP). UNICEF and WHO trained village health workers (VHWs) on essential health information, basic maternal, newborn and child health services. The VHW have been instrumental in mobilizing communities to come and access the services provided by UNFPA and WHO at the same time during the community outreach. UNFPA has been providing GBV services in partnership with Musasa Project and FACT, while WHO has been providing free health services at static and outreach points . Moreover, UNOPS-CI has supported the procurement of vehicles, medical equipment and sundries, and the rehabilitation of health centers.

Under the ZIRP, which is being funded by the World Bank to restore livelihoods and communities affected by Cyclone Idai in 2019, the lives of thousands of survivors have changed for the better. The project, managed by UNOPS, is being implemented by several other United Nations partners including the Food and Agriculture Organization, UNICEF, UNFPA and World Food Programme among others. ZIRP has helped to bring health care and other services closer to the people and thousands have benefited from it.

According to Dr Tapiwa Nyamangodo, the Clinical supervisor for the project, cyclone affected communities are still suffering and in need of medical care. But because most of these people cannot afford to travel long distances to the clinics or even to pay for the services, the free assistance from the ZIRP has made a difference.

More than two years after the devastating Cyclone Idai hit Chimanimani, communities are still trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. For Takemore Mufuya, that journey has not been easy. After losing her husband and child in the disaster, she struggled to take control of life again.

Like many other survivors of Cyclone Idai, Takemore struggled with ill health until she was diagnosed with high blood pressure at one of the WHO mobile outreach clinics under the ZIRP.

“Once I started taking my medication, I became a different person. I can now work to put food on the table for my children and I have received counselling which has helped me to finally accept my loss and start healing emotionally,” Takemore said.

World bank country manager for Zimbabwe Marjorie Mpundu commended the implementation of the programme which she said had been instrumental in bringing health services closer to the people.

“One of the things we tried to do was help communities restore health services that were available originally before the cyclone. We have done the rehabilitation of basic health services structures like the clinics and l am happy that this programme has integrated the health, the COVID-19 response but more importantly the GBV aspects. This is a good way of offering one stop health and social support to the community and seeing them respond to the calamity that they faced,” she said.

Besides the clinical services, the project has supported Government of Zimbabwe’s COVID-19 response as well as training of health care workers on healthcare management. A total of 130 Environmental Health Technicians (EHTs) and 168 health workers were trained on IPC disease surveillance and case management.

“We have also supported the surveillance pillar where we have capacitated environmental health technician response teams with technical and logistical support they need to respond to COVID-19. Together with UNOPS-CI, we also procured motor bikes which they use to respond to COVID-19 alerts,” explains Dr Siwela, WHO ZIRP project coordinator.

In addition, the GBV response of the project has been a major drawcard as women can access services as they get their baby growth monitoring and family planning services. UNFPA technical specialist for GBV Ms Verena Bruno said this had been successful through the use of the mobile one stop centre for GBV survivors.

Although, WHO integrated health services ended in December 2021. The provision of the comprehensive and integrated health services through mobile health service presented a good promise for sustainability beyond project cycle as WHO incorporated the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) staff in every outreach session. Working with WHO ZIRP staff, MoHCC nurses gained experience on how integrated mobile outreaches operate. The nurses also benefited from project trainings which include comprehensive management of emergency obstetric and neonatal complications and clinical management of rape survivors.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

February 24, 2022

US Shifting Global Pandemic Strategy as Vaccine Supply Outstrips Demand

With the global vaccine supply exceeding distribution capacity, the Biden administration is acknowledging a need to adjust its pandemic response strategy to address hurdles faced by lower-income countries to vaccinate their citizens.

“It is clear that supply is outstripping demand and the area of focus really needs to be that ‘shots in arms’ work,” said Hilary Marston, White House senior policy adviser for global COVID, to VOA. “That’s something that we are laser-focused on for 2022.”

Marston said that the administration has helped boost global vaccine supply through donations, expanding global manufacturing capacity and support for COVAX, the international vaccine-sharing mechanism supported by the United Nations and health organizations Gavi and CEPI.

Following supply setbacks in 2021, COVAX’s supply is no longer a limiting factor, a Gavi spokesperson told VOA. He said COVAX now has the flexibility to “focus on supporting the nuances of countries’ strategies, capacity, and demand.”

However, the pivot from boosting vaccine supply to increasing delivery capacity depends on whether the administration can secure funding from Congress, including funds for the U.S. government’s Initiative for Global Vaccine Access, or Global VAX, a program launched in December by USAID, the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Global VAX is billed as a whole-of-government effort to turn vaccines in vials into vaccinations in arms around the world. It includes bolstering cold chain supply and logistics, service delivery, vaccine confidence and demand, human resources, data and analytics, local planning, and vaccine safety and effectiveness.

Four-hundred-million dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act has been put aside for this initiative, on top of the $1.3 billion for global vaccine readiness the administration has committed. Activists say this is not nearly enough, but USAID says it’s a good first step.

“The U.S. government will surge support for an initial subset of countries in sub-Saharan Africa that have demonstrated the potential for rapid acceleration of vaccine uptake with intensive financial, technical, and diplomatic support,” a USAID spokesperson told VOA.

Those countries include Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Eswatini, Ghana, Lesotho, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

Critical bottleneck

In January, COVAX had 436 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to allocate to lower-income countries, according to a document published in mid-February. Those countries, however, only asked for 100 million doses to be distributed by the end of May – the first time in 14 allocation rounds that supply has outstripped demand, the document from the COVAX Independent Allocation of Vaccines Group said.

“We’ve seen now 11 billion plus doses of vaccine being manufactured,” said Krishna Udayakumar to VOA. “We’re estimating 14- to 16- plus billion doses of vaccine being available in 2022,” added Udayakumar, who is founding director of the Duke Global Health Innovation Center and leads a team that tracks global vaccine production and distribution.

But rather than fulfilment of vaccination targets, the oversupply highlights a weakness in global distribution capacity, which Udayakumar said is becoming “the critical bottlenecks.”

Only 12% percent of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose, according to country data compiled by Our World in Data. Many countries still face massive hurdles to get those shots in arms, including gaps in cold-chain storage, and lack of funding to support distribution networks.

Global COVID funding

As the administration prepares to pivot its global pandemic response, humanitarian organizations are criticizing it for requesting insufficient funding from Congress.

“After two devastating years of this pandemic, U.S. leaders are dropping the ball on fighting COVID-19. Today we learned the Biden administration briefed Congress on the need for $5 billion in funding from Congress to fight COVID-19,” said Tom Hart, president of the ONE Campaign, in a statement to VOA last week. “What the world needs, though, is a formal request for $17 billion.”

Hart argued the $5 billion funding would be insufficient to provide critical resources needed to deliver vaccines, tests, and life-saving treatments to low-income countries, and achieve the administration’s goal of 70% global vaccination by September – a goal that is already far below pace.

The White House said the number is not final. “I don’t have any specific numbers; we’re still in conversation with the Hill (Congress) at this point about funding and funding needs, both domestically and internationally,” press secretary Jen Psaki told VOA on Wednesday.

In a statement to VOA, the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Rosa DeLauro, said they are still reviewing the funding request. “I will work with my colleagues to meet these important public health needs at home and around the world,” she said.

Meanwhile, Gavi, a COVAX co-sponsor, said it has only raised $195 million out of the $5.2 billion it asked for this quarter. The Gavi spokesperson told VOA the call to donors only went out in January and typically campaigns such as this require extensive rounds of consultation.

“The reason we launched a campaign to raise US $5.2 billion in additional funding is to ensure countries are able to roll out vaccines rapidly and at scale and have the resources on hand to be able to immediately step in as and when countries’ needs change,” the spokesperson said. “We need resources available now to prevent lower income countries once again finding themselves at the back of the queue. This is the only way we will break this pandemic.”¬

TRIPS waiver

Humanitarian organization Oxfam also argues that $5 billion dollars is not enough.

“We need to do much more to vaccinate the world, including investing in local manufacturing and most importantly, sharing the vaccine recipe,” Robbie Silverman, Oxfam’s senior advocacy manager told VOA.

Sharing vaccine recipes essentially means implementing a temporary TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver at the World Trade Organization to allow the generic production of current vaccines, as proposed by South Africa and India in October 2021. The proposal is supported by the Biden administration but rejected by the European Union.

Following a summit between European Union and African Union leaders last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered a compromise and said that the EU and AU will work together to deliver a solution within the next few months.

The U.S. is by far the biggest vaccine donor. The administration is sending 3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Angola, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Zambia and Uganda this week, bringing the total shipped globally to 470 million doses out of 1.2 billion doses pledged.

Source: Voice Of America

February 24, 2022

New push to drive up Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination

Brazzaville – One year since the COVAX Facility delivered the first COVID-19 vaccines to Africa, around 400 million doses have been administered – the region’s largest ever vaccine rollout in a single year. However, vaccination rates in the continent are the lowest in the world. To help bolster uptake, World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and partners are supporting mass vaccination campaigns in 10 priority countries to reach 100 million people by the end of April 2022.

“A year since the first COVAX vaccine shipments, Africa has administered nearly 400 million doses. That’s the continent’s most massive vaccine rollout for a single disease in a single year. While this is a big step forward, we need a quantum leap,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Mass vaccination drives are one tactic which is enabling countries to speed up their rollout.”

After a fitful start following the first COVAX vaccine shipments on 24 February 2021, Africa now has a steady supply of vaccines. Ninety per cent of the total COVAX deliveries to date have been in the last six months. COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to the continent have increased by more than 100% from November 2021 to January 2022, compared with the previous three months.

COVAX deliveries account for almost two-thirds of the more than 680 million doses delivered to Africa in the past year. The African Union’s Africa Vaccines Acquisition Trust has shipped about 6% of the doses and bilateral deals account for the rest.

“Today marks an important milestone in COVAX’s journey. Over the course of one year, working closely with governments and partners, COVAX has shipped over 430 million doses to 50 African countries. The global vaccine equity gap may be closing, but there remains so much work to be done. In the months ahead, COVAX looks forward to supporting countries further, providing targeted and tailored support where needed and ensuring supply matches countries’ needs as they work towards their vaccination targets,” said Aurélia Nguyen, Managing Director of the Office of the COVAX Facility.

Of the 20 priority countries identified by WHO for intensified support, 10 countries are conducting the mass vaccination campaigns in a range of urban settings such as shopping centres and markets, as well as in hard-to-reach rural communities. Countries are reporting a significant rise in people vaccinated. During its two-week campaign in early February, Kenya tripled the number of vaccines it administered, compared with the two weeks prior to the start of the campaign. In Guinea Bissau around 125 000 doses were administered during a two-week campaign in February, in comparison with 11 000 in the whole of January.

UNICEF has delivered around three-quarters of all COVID-19 doses to the Eastern and Southern Africa region. Mohamed Fall, Regional Director for the world’s leading children’s agency, said, “To truly achieve vaccine equity for Africa three things need to happen: Richer countries must contribute more funding to get vaccines into arms, including by recruiting and training community healthcare workers; partners need to ensure timely and reliable delivery of vaccines; and we need to increase the innovative ways we’re seeing in bringing vaccines to the people as opposed to people to the vaccines. Governments must also continue to invest in their health systems to make them more resilient to health crises.”

So far, only 13% of Africans are fully vaccinated. Eighteen countries have vaccinated less than 10% of their population and three have vaccinated less than 1%. Twenty-nine countries have used less than 50% of their vaccine stock.

High-risk populations also remain critically underserved by vaccination programmes. In 27 countries reporting data on health worker vaccination, 33% of their health work force is fully vaccinated, and in 24 African countries reporting data on vaccination of older people, only 21% of adults over 50 years are fully vaccinated. Just 11% of people with comorbidities are fully vaccinated in 20 countries reporting that data.

WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, the vaccine alliance, and other international and local partners are supporting countries to scale up COVID-19 vaccination and have deployed 66 experts to 18 priority countries to form country support teams, with several experts on their way to two more countries.

WHO, UNICEF and other partners’ experts are working under the leadership of the ministries of health to strengthen partner coordination, logistical planning, including microplanning, closing the funding gap, tracking adverse events following immunization, as well as the management of data on vaccination uptake and vaccine stock while engaging and empowering communities.

WHO held a virtual press conference today led by Dr Phionah Atuhebwe, New Vaccines Introduction Officer, WHO Regional Office for Africa. She was joined by Ms Aurélia Nguyen, Managing Director, Office of the COVAX Facility, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Mr Maksim Fazlitdinov, Social and Behavioural Specialist, UNICEF Rwanda.

Also on hand from the WHO Regional Office for Africa to respond to questions was Dr Thierno Balde, Regional COVID-19 Incident Manager.

Source: World Health Organization. Africa

February 24, 2022

Parliament: Opposition UNITA request turned down

Luanda – National Assembly (Parliament) “denied” Thursday a request submitted by the opposition UNITA party for the inclusion in the agenda of the plenary session of the strike convened by the higher education lecturers.

UNITA’s request received 118 votes against, 38 in favour and non abstentions.

According to the country’s large opposition party, the strike damages the staff training quality in the country, calling for the need to analyse the matter in the Parliament.

University professors have been on indefinite strike since 3rd January, due to alleged failure in addressing the demand submitted to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation.

Demands include, among other, the promotion of career and a salary equivalent to USD 5, 000.

Source: Angola Press News Agency