July 3, 2023

Aztiq and Innobic Announce Pricing of Secondary Sale of Lotus Common Stock by AEMH

LONDON and BANGKOK, Thailand, July 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aztiq Pharma Partners (“Aztiq”), a private equity company focused on the life sciences sector, and Innobic (Asia) Company Limited (“Innobic”), the life science arm of Thai oil and gas conglomerate PTT Public Company Limited (“PTT”) (collectively, “the shareholders”), today announced the pricing of a sale of 25,095,850 shares of Lotus Pharmaceuticals (1795:TT; “Lotus,” “the company”), a multinational pharmaceutical company, at a price of NT$297 per share. The trade will be settled on July 5, 2023, subject to satisfaction of customary settlement procedures. The sale is being executed by Alvogen Emerging Market Holdings Limited (“AEMH”), which will continue to own 41% of Lotus common stock after the close of the transaction. Inclusive of Innobic’s direct holdings of Lotus, the shareholders will continue to own approximately 47.7% of the company.

Robert Wessman, Founder of Aztiq, commented: “Today’s announcement is a big step in the evolution of Lotus that started as a company whose business was nearly entirely domestic. The company today has evolved into a global pharmaceutical company with a vast portfolio of products and a global reach that touches nearly every corner of the world through the company’s export business or through Lotus’s own commercial infrastructure that spreads throughout Asia. As Chairman, I look forward to continuing to work with Lotus’ proven management team that has led this transformation to collaborate on strategy and grow the business going forward.”

Dr. Buranin Rattanasombat, Chief New Business and Infrastructure Officer of PTT, and Chairman of Innobic, commented: “This transaction is a significant step for Lotus as it concurrently increases free-float of the stock and diversifies the shareholder base with strong institutional investors. As a leading shareholder of Lotus, our interests remain truly aligned with those of the company and its valued shareholders.”

J.P. Morgan and Credit Suisse are acting as placing agents for the trade.

About Aztiq

Aztiq is a visionary healthcare focused private equity company dedicated to fostering innovation and driving positive change within the industry. Led by Robert Wessman and a team of veteran entrepreneurs, Aztiq is committed to identifying, investing in, and nurturing ground-breaking healthcare solutions in pharma and biotech to address global healthcare challenges. By leveraging the cumulative experience of the team, Aztiq aims to improve patient outcomes, increase access to quality healthcare, and create a more efficient and sustainable healthcare ecosystem. With a proven track record of success, Aztiq continues to make a lasting impact on the health and well-being of people around the world. For more information, please visit www.aztiq.com and follow Aztiq on LinkedIn.

About Innobic

Innobic (Asia) Company Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PTT, the largest energy company in Thailand majority owned by Ministry of Finance Thailand and listed in Fortune Global 500. PTT has moved from a national energy provider to a multinational conglomerate and started to diversify the business into new sectors, including Life Science, Renewables, Electricity value chain, and Ventures, to serve as its new S-curve. It officially established Innobic in December 2020 for a strategic goal to building up a new footprint in Life Science fields for PTT Group, with an initial focus on pharmaceuticals, and aims to make Innobic become a leading Life Science company in the region to bring best science and enhance life qualify of people. For more information, please visit www.innobicasia.com

Media Enquiries:

Ming Li
+16465093032
ming.li@aztiq.com

Jaruchai Sutjarittam
+66888924564
Jaruchai.s@innobicasia.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000828093

July 3, 2023

CONECT to hold 3rd national congress, Nov. 10, 2023

The Confederation of Tunisian Citizen Enterprises (CONECT) will hold its 3rd national congress on November 10, 2023 in Tunis.

This date was set by the CONECT Board of Directors at its meeting on June 24 in Sfax.

CONECT’s second congress was held on November 14, 2018 to elect its 25-member executive board.

Nearly 516 congress members, representing regional offices and different sectors, took part in the proceedings.

Founded in September 2011 by Tarek Cherif, its current president and former member of the UTICA executive board, CONECT seeks to promote the brand image of companies and offer them better opportunities at national and international levels.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

July 3, 2023

Entrepreneurship: Lab’ess launches new incubation programme focusing on sustainable cities

The Tunisian incubator for projects with a social and environmental impact, Lab’ess (Laboratoire de l’Economie Sociale et Solidaire), announced on Monday the launch on July 17 of a new incubation programme focusing on sustainable cities, for the benefit of project leaders providing viable responses to pressing needs specific to urban areas, particularly in Greater Tunis and Sousse.

To this end, the incubator today launched its call for applications to select 10 high-impact project leaders to join its new programme, with the aim of encouraging the creation of innovative businesses that will bring about systemic change in the service of sustainable cities.

The Lab’ess incubation programme will boost projects through support and funding. The incubation programme is aimed at projects proposing innovative technological solutions to urban environmental problems. These may be early stage companies or start-ups (at the stage of raising their first funds).

It includes a comprehensive training programme, with two bootcamps and workshops tailored to the needs of the incubatees, run by guest speakers, experts and peer entrepreneurs. It also includes individual, tailor-made support, with specialised coaches, modules to choose from and post-incubation support; networking with complementary partners (experts, entrepreneurs, financiers, multi-format networking) and an interest-free loan of up to D19,000. It also provides access to an international network, enabling participation in international trade fairs and a global ecosystem.

Interested social innovators can complete the form available at www.labess.tn until July 9, 2023, at 11.59 pm. The incubation programme will start on July 17, 2023.

This comprehensive support scheme is backed by the French Development Agency and the Innov’i – EU4Innovation project, which supports the innovative entrepreneurship ecosystem, funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France.

Lab’ess is an incubator of PULSE, an association founded in 2006 whose mission is to support and promote entrepreneurship as a lever for inclusive and sustainable development.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

July 3, 2023

WWF North Africa-Tunisia calls on Tunisians to join its “Adopt a Beach” programme

The North Africa-Tunisia office of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) called on Tunisian citizens on Monday to join its “Adopt a Beach” programme, aimed at monitoring and collecting data on marine debris and raising awareness about plastic pollution in the Mediterranean.

To participate in this initiative, interested citizens must form an adoption team, collectively subscribe to the programme, choose a beach, and take responsibility for its maintenance. They will count and record the waste during each visit and repeat the process 2 to 4 times per year to ensure the cleanliness and preservation of the beach.

These actions will contribute to data-driven solutions and influence relevant organisations to combat plastic pollution in Tunisia. According to the WWF, Tunisia is one of the Mediterranean countries most affected by plastic pollution.

According to the Ministry of Environment, the country generates over 2.5 million tonnes of waste per year, with plastic waste accounting for about 10% of this total. Some 500,000 tonnes of plastic waste end up in the sea each year, causing severe environmental damage to marine ecosystems and harming human health.

Launched in collaboration with WWF offices in Greece and Turkey, this youth-led programme aims to encourage volunteers, schools, and organisations to “adopt” specific beaches in Tunisia, Greece, and Turkey to monitor and collect data on marine debris.

By participating in this initiative, young people and volunteer groups from across the Mediterranean can actively contribute to reducing plastic waste and protecting the planet’s natural resources.

The collected data will help establish a “pan-Mediterranean platform” for monitoring marine debris to combat plastic pollution in the Mediterranean.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

July 3, 2023

WEF-CAP Bootcamp: innovations in water, energy, and food for Tunisian entrepreneurs

A 3-day training and mentoring programme (July 12-14, 2023) will be organised for Tunisian entrepreneurs interested in water, energy, and food technologies and innovations, as part of the European project “Technology Transfer and Capitalisation of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus” (WEF-CAP).

Twelve participants from university technical teams or startups will benefit from advanced capacity-building services and support to enable them to bring their innovative products to the market through spin-offs, startups, or technology transfers. They will also have individual meetings with experts, mentors, and investors. Selected participants will be eligible for grants to travel abroad and attend networking events in European countries.

A conference will also be organised by the National Agency for Environmental Protection, the national partner of the project, from July 26 to 28, 2023 in Tunis. It will bring together key stakeholders in the water, energy, and food sectors.

The European project “WEF-CAP” was launched in September 2021 in 7 Mediterranean countries, namely Tunisia, Jordan, Greece, Italy, Spain, Egypt, and France, and will close at the end of August 2023. Its aim is to consolidate a regional meta-group on water, energy, and food, promoting the replication, exploitation, and commercialisation of technologies and their transfer to increase the resilience of territories.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

July 3, 2023

CTCPM elected to steering committee of World Coalition Against Death Penalty

The Tunisian Coalition Against the Death Penalty (CTCPM), represented by its President Chokri Letaief, was elected by an overwhelming majority to the Steering Committee of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP), during the General Assembly held in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 23 and 24.

Chokri Letaief indicated that the support received by the Coalition extends to all Tunisian civil and democratic associative movements that pursue their commitment to dignity, freedom and justice, according to a statement issued on Monday by the Tunisian Coalition Against the Death Penalty.

In this context, it called on the Tunisian authorities to respect the “right to life” and to approve the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Founded on May 13 2022, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty is made up of more than 160 NGOs, bar associations, local authorities and trade unions.

Its aim is to strengthen the international dimension of the fight against the death penalty. Its objective is the universal abolition of the death penalty.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

July 3, 2023

Tunisia strongly condemns Israeli raid on Jenin

Tunisia has strongly condemned the Israeli raid on the Palestinian territories, particularly on the town of Jenin and its refugee camp in the West Bank, saying it was high time to call the Zionist entity to account.

The Israeli offensive is undoubtedly a flagrant and blatant violation of UN resolutions and international human rights pacts,” denounced the Department of Foreign Affairs in an official reaction to these painful events.

The Israeli assault on the town of Jenin and the Jenin camp has so far claimed the lives of several unarmed Palestinians, both martyrs and wounded.

In a statement issued on Monday by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Tunisians Abroad, Tunisia reaffirmed its categorical rejection of the atrocities perpetrated against the brotherly Palestinian people.

In this regard, it urged the international community and the UN Security Council to assume their full responsibility in the face of the injustice being inflicted on the Palestinian people and put an end to the dangerous escalation of the occupation forces, and prevent it from acting as an “irreproachable” power above any form of international accountability.

While vigorously denouncing the attacks on Jenin, Tunisia reiterated its position of principle in favour of the Palestinian cause, stressing that it stands by the Palestinian people in their hard struggle to recover their legitimate and inalienable rights and to establish an independent state on their land, with the holy city of al-Quds as its capital.

Rebellious and defiant, the city of Jenin and its refugee camp in the occupied West Bank have since dawn today been the scene of a major Israeli offensive, the largest since the 2002 aggression.

During this attack, the occupying forces pounded the town of Jenin and its camp with artillery and air raids, killing eight people and wounding 27 others, all Palestinians.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

July 3, 2023

Olive oil export revenues up by 36.9% end of May 2023 (ONAGRI)

Tunisian olive oil export revenues grew by 36.9%, from the beginning of the 2022/2023 campaign to the end of May 2023, to TND 2.1 billion, despite a 9.8% drop in the volume of exports (to 132.5 thousand tonnes), according to data published on Monday by the National Observatory of Agriculture (ONAGRI).

Actually, the average price of olive oil during the first seven months of the 2022/2023 campaign increased by 52% compared to the same period of the previous campaign with a variation of 14 DT/kg to 20 DT/kg according to the categories, at the end of May.

The quantity of packaged olive oil accounts for only 10% (draining around 13% of total revenue); the remainder is exported in bulk (90%).

The extra-virgin category alone accounts for 89% of the total volume exported.

The European market, as always, holds the largest share with 77% of the volume of Tunisia’s olive oil exports, followed by North America (16%) and Africa (5%).

The leading importer of Tunisian olive oil is Spain, with a share of 45% of the quantities exported during the first seven months of the 2022/2023 campaign, followed by Italy (25%) and the USA (12%).

The volume of organic olive oil exports reached 41.3 thousand tonnes at the end of May 2023, with a value of about TND 719.8 million.

Nevertheless, the share of packaged organic olive oil did not exceed 3% of the total volume of olive oil exported.

The main destination for organic olive oil is Italy, with a share of 52.5%, followed by Spain (36.3%) and France (7.9%).

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

July 3, 2023

Governor urges businesspeople to invest in Benguela Province

The governor of Benguela, Luís Nunes, on Sunday encouraged national businesspeople to invest in this coastal province, due to the many opportunities it presents to boost the country’s economy.

The governor made the call while speaking to Angola Public Television (TPA), following a visit to Lobito City paid by the Angolan President, João Lourenço, and his counterparts from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, and Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, after the conclusion of the contract to explore the Lobito Corridor by the Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium.

Nunes singled out the Lobito Corridor as the country’s main logistics centre , having underlined some of the province’s potential in agriculture, fishing and salt production, in which businesspeople can invest to export to neighbouring countries without access to the sea.

“We appeal to national businesspeople to invest in the province because we have everything to succeed”, Nunes said.

The Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium, which won the international tender held on November 4, 2022, is made up of the companies Trafigura, Vecturis and Mota Engil.

The consortium is responsible for transporting heavy cargo and maintaining the infrastructure of the Benguela Railroad (CFB), while the CFB will be transporting passengers and lighter cargoes.

The Lobito Corridor crosses Southern Africa and is one of the main routes for transportation of raw materials, products and goods, not only within the countries it crosses, but also due to its connection to the world market through the Port of Lobito, which accounts for a high percentage of the international trade volume in the entire sub-region

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

July 3, 2023

Lobito Corridor boosts trade in southern Africa

Trade exchange in the southern African sub-region will gain momentum after the signing of the contract for the transfer of the rail services and logistics support concession for the Lobito Corridor on Tuesday (4) in Lobito, coastal benguela province.

Lobito Atlantic Railway, the consortium that won the international tender to operate the Corridor on November 4, 2022, is made up of Trafigura, Vecturis and Mota-Engil.

The consortium has predicted to increase the daily frequency to 50 trains and guarantee 1,600 direct jobs in period of 30 years.

It will be responsible for transporting large cargoes, such as ores from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, as well as maintenance of infrastructure (workshops, railway line).

Under private management, the Lobito Corridor includes the Port of Lobito, the Mining Terminal, Catumbela Airport and the Benguela Railway.

Over USD 2 billion has been earmarked for rehabilitating and modernising the Lobito Corridor’s infrastructures and circulating means, aimed to boost the transport of various goods, benefiting the three border countries.

Angola plans to conduct a feasibility study for construction of the 259-kilometre line, which will link Angola to Zambia, from the municipality of Ruacano (Moxico), to the border region of Jimbe (Zambia). The process is awaiting the launch of a public tender.

The rebuilding of the railways in Zambia and the DRC is fundamental for their interconnection to the CFB, in the Luau area, on the Angolan border, and thus reviving the transport of minerals to Lobito.

As for the two main infrastructures in the corridor, namely the Commercial Port of Lobito and the CFB, they have prepared themselves to face the challenge that lies ahead, with the increase in cargo movement in the region.

The Lobito Corridor presents an alternative strategic route to the Zambian and DRC export markets and offers the shortest route connecting the main mining regions of the two landlocked countries to the sea.

In Angola, it connects 40 percent of the country’s population, boosting major investments in agriculture and trade in the provinces of Benguela, Huambo, Bié and Moxico, regions crossed by the CFB.

The award of the Lobito Corridor to the consortium made up of Trafigura, Vecturis and Mota Engil has significant benefits for the country.

The initiative insures direct impact on the development of industries that are heavily dependent on the logistics chain, such as agriculture and mining, and the resulting creation of jobs in each of these areas.

This infrastructure will also create opportunities for the development of small businesses adjacent to rail transport and a competitive rail alternative to road transport. This alternative is capable of contributing to the reduction of freight rates.

Financially, its exploration will allow rail transport “to bring a set of positive benefits, contributing to local and regional development, around the railway line, and may represent a contribution to the Gross Domestic Product, estimated between 1.6 and 3.4 billion dollars.

The technical capacity and financial strength of the consortium companies are a guarantee for the correct operation of goods transport in the Lobito Corridor.

The Belgian company Vecturis is a private rail operator which provides passenger, ore and freight transport services anywhere in the world.

Founded in 2006, it is one of the most experienced rail operators in the market for private rail operations in emerging economies and already operates in countries such as South Africa, Brazil, Russia, among others.

Swiss-based Trafigura, founded in 1993, is one of the largest physical commodities trading groups in the world. It also owns and operates several industrial assets, including the fuel storage and distribution company Puma Energy. It currently employs more than 13,000 people in 48 countries.

In turn, the Portuguese company Mota Engil has been operating in the Angolan market for over 70 years in the engineering and construction sector Benguela Railroad will be responsible for transporting passengers and lighter cargo.

CFB has 67 stations along a 1,344-kilometre railway line across the provinces of Benguela, Bié, Huambo and Moxico.

It has a control centre, located in Lobito, to interact with the trains via internet, regardless of their position, workshops in Huambo and Lobito, as well as hospitals and medical posts for its workers.

The commercial port of Lobito, in Benguela province, is making major investments focused on creating conditions to become a landlord port, according to its chairman of the board, Celso Rosas.

As a landlord port, the port of Lobito will only focus on public management and handling of passengers and commercial products, whilst the private sector will be in charge of port facilities, in the form of a concession.

According to the CEO, this situation, will lead to the port management having as its main attributions those of regulating and supervising the port’s activity, playing the role of port authority.

The Port of Lobito’s main infrastructures are the Multipurpose Terminal (general and container cargo), the Ore Terminal and the Dry Port

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)