APO: Hilton launches ‘Big Five’ for Sustainable Travel and Tourism across Africa

Hilton (NYSE:HLT) (newsroom.Hilton.com) today announced an initial investment of USD$1 million to drive sustainable travel and tourism in Africa. To do so, the company will focus on five key areas – Hiltonâ€s Big Five:

• Youth Opportunity: investing in training and apprenticeship programs to build a strong talent pipeline and tackle identified challenges for youth, including underemployment
• Water Stewardship: the expansion of existing partnerships and the creation of new alliances to help Hilton achieve its goal to reduce its water consumption by 50% and activate 20 context-based water projects in at-risk communities by 2030
• Anti-Human Trafficking: the provision of training and auditing to mitigate against human trafficking, alongside engagement with local NGOs to address the social challenges in local communities
• Local Sourcing: the creation of partnerships to build local entrepreneurs†capacity to deliver high quality and authentic goods and services, and integrate them into Hiltonâ€s supply chain
• Protecting Wildlife: the promotion of responsible wildlife-based tourism, in line with the WTTC Buenos Aires Declaration on Travel & Tourism and Illegal Wildlife Trade

This announcement follows the recent launch of Hiltonâ€s Travel with Purpose 2030 goals to double its investment in social impact and cut its environmental footprint in half across the globe.

Speaking at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum in Nairobi, Chris Nassetta Hiltonâ€s President and CEO said: “Hilton is committed to creating a positive social and environmental impact in every community where we operate. Africa is an incredibly diverse continent, with equally diverse challenges and opportunities — and as we continue to grow in the region, we are focused on doing so in a way that promotes sustainable travel and tourism. Today we are pleased to take our efforts to the next level with an initial commitment of $1 million, which will allow us to invest in and scale up initiatives that build skills among young people, mitigate risks in human trafficking, engage local entrepreneurs across our supply chain, improve water efficiencies and promote responsible wildlife-based tourism.â€�

“Hiltonâ€s President and CEOâ€s visit to Africa is timely and sends a strong signal to environmentally conscious investors across the continent. It will set higher standards for future projects in the hospitality industry throughout Africa. Hiltonâ€s growing interest in Africaâ€s promising and emerging market is a windfall for job creation among youth and will significantly contribute to sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity,â€� Leila Ndiaye, President & CEO of the Initiative for Global Development.

Hiltonâ€s Big Five will build upon an existing foundation of partnerships and initiatives to deepen the companyâ€s impact and to inspire positive social and environmental change across its value chain.

Hiltonâ€s existing 41 operating hotels in Africa have carried out 460 volunteering projects since 2012 to support their communities and manage their environmental impact. Some examples include:

• Passport to Success soft skills training developed with our global partner, the International Youth Foundation, to build competencies including problem-solving, team work and leadership skills. To date, this training has impacted close to 800 young people across Africa
• Partnership with the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) in the Seychelles: Hilton buy from local producers focused on sustainable agriculture and the hotels also created on-property gardens that supplement their supply of fresh produce, and collectively, source over 80% of their vegetables locally
• Soap4Hope in partnership with Diversey, bringing soap recycling to communities in need. Hilton was first to launch Soap4Hope in eight countries: Kenya, Namibia, Seychelles, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius, Ethiopia and Nigeria. Since 2014, more than 39 tons of soap have been recycled by 14 participating Hilton properties, creating over 7,000 bars of soap per month

Hilton has been operating continuously in Africa since 1959 and is committed to long-term sustainable growth across the continent. With 53 properties in its development pipeline Hilton expects to double its portfolio of hotels on the continent during the next five years, including entering new markets such as Botswana, Ghana, Swaziland, Uganda, Malawi and Rwanda.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Hilton.

Media Contact:

Daniel Ford

Hilton – EMEA

+9714 434 5461

Daniel.ford@hilton.com

About Travel with Purpose:

Travel with Purpose is Hiltonâ€s corporate responsibility strategy (cr.Hilton.com) to redefine and advance sustainable travel globally. By 2030, we plan to double our social impact and reduce our environmental footprint in half. We track, analyze and report our environmental and social impact at each of Hiltonâ€s 5,300 hotels through LightStay, our award-winning performance measurement system. Travel with Purpose capitalizes on Hiltonâ€s global scale to catalyze local economic growth; promote human rights; invest in people and local communities and preserve our planet by reducing our impact on natural resources. Our strategy aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. Visit cr.Hilton.com to learn more.

About Hilton:

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) (newsroom.Hilton.com) is a leading global hospitality company, with a portfolio of 14 world-class brands comprising more than 5,400 properties with nearly 880,000 rooms, in 106 countries and territo-ries. Hilton is dedicated to fulfilling its mission to be the worldâ€s most hospitable company by deliver-ing exceptional experiences – every hotel, every guest, every time. The company's portfolio in-cludes Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Cano-py by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Em-bassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages an award-winning customer loyalty program, Hilton Honors. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slid-er that allows members to choose exactly how many Points to combine with money, an exclusive member discount that canâ€t be found anywhere else, and free standard Wi-Fi. Visit newsroom.Hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook (facebook.com/hiltonnewsroom), Twitter (twitter.com/hiltonnewsroom), LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/hilton), Instagram (instagram.com/hiltonnewsroom) and YouTube (youtube.com/hiltonnewsroom).

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APO: Hilton launches ‘Big Five†for Sustainable Travel and Tourism across Africa

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See new device that gets rid of blood pressure, arthritis, stroke, others without pill

    Listen! It doesnâ€t matter how long you have battling with that ailment, this amazing device helps to completely get rid of various chronic ailments (Including Partial Stroke, Blood Pressure, Arthritis, Obesity, BackPain, Erectile Dysfunction, Irregular Menstruation, etc.) without taking herbs, drug or painful injection. GO HERE TO SEE THE SOLUTION => http://bit.ly/2zNjMrA   […]

See new device that gets rid of blood pressure, arthritis, stroke, others without pill

See new device that gets rid of blood pressure, arthritis, stroke, others without pill

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TMS stars to feature in Cricket Social during England's tour of Sri Lanka

Stars of Test Match Special will present a new, interactive cricket show during England’s tour of Sri Lanka.
TMS stars to feature in Cricket Social during England's tour of Sri Lanka

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Government raises panel on implementation of defence policy

[FILE PHOTO] Defense Minister, Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali

The Federal Government has inaugurated a steering committee on the implementation of the 2017 Nigerian National Defence Policy.

The Minister of Defence, Brig.-Gen. Mansur Muhammad Dan Ali, noted yesterday in Abuja that the prevailing security challenges necessitated the review of the document by President Muhammadu Buhari last year.

He said the exercise was carried out to enable the nation have a comprehensive defence policy that adequately addresses terrorism, kidnapping and other criminal activities.

The minister stated that the implementation requires competent hands and professionals to drive the strategic process of delivering on the mission.

Dan Ali advised the committee to evolve strategies for the effective implementation of the document.

Government raises panel on implementation of defence policy

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APO: Kenya wins Bid to host the International Open Data Conference in 2020

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The 6^th International Open Data Conference (IODC) will be held in Africa for the first time, in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2020. The Announcement was made at the closing ceremony of the 5^th IODC 2018 held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from September 27 – 28, 2018 under the theme “The Future is Open.â€� This yearâ€s IODC was organized by the Government of Argentina, the World Bank, IDRC and OD4D with the support of Google, amongst others.

The International Open Data Conference (IODC) is a bi-annual premier gathering of champions of Open Data from Government, Civil Society, Academia, innovators among others; to share, learn and collaborate on policies, technologies, tactics, tools and platforms for making data more open, accessible, available and interoperable in support of development priorities.

The IODC exists to accelerate collaboration and increase the impact of open data activities globally, across different workstreams such as; Agriculture, health, education, gender and fiscal transparency. For the last 10 years, the Government of Spain, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the World Bank, and the Open Data for Development Network (OD4D) have been the curators of the Conference.

The Government of Kenya won the bid based on the consistency and high-level leadership of H.E the Deputy President, Hon. William Ruto, on Open Government and data for development over the last three years.

Setting the stage for this honor, the Deputy President has previously affirmed, “The President and I are committed to the creation of an inclusive data ecosystem involving the government, the private sector, academia, civil society, local communities, and development partners that tackles the information aspects of development decision-making. We recognize that if Kenya is to move ahead, we must deliberately pursue collaboration between the government, academia, and entrepreneurs. It is no longer an issue of political will, but a matter of rational economic and political choice.�

In response, the Office of the Deputy President has so far co-founded the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) with over 400 leading Data Companies and Governments, energized the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) by co-hosting a Summit with the Governments of the United States and the United Kingdom in New York, convened a high level meeting on Data for Development in Africa with the Governments of Ghana and Sierra Leone and signed a land-mark agreement on with the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and National Aeronautic Space Administration (NASA), to release 17 Years of satellite data for free to 5 Africa Countries (Kenya, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Senegal).

Mr. Rudi Borrmann, Undersecretary for Public Innovation and Open Government, Argentina's Ministry for Modernization noted that “This will be an excellent opportunity to share lessons learnt on hosting such an auspicious gathering with Kenya, but most importantly, a practical opportunity to strengthen the South-South Collaboration. We look forward to advising and working with the Government of Kenya in the successful hosting of IODC in 2020.�

The theme of the International Open Data Conference in 2020 will be “Bridging Data Communities� a vision that received a resounding endorsement by participants, noting the significance of the year 2020, that will mark, five years after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement (PARIS21), as well as the 5^th anniversary of the Africa Agenda 2063 and 25 years since the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA).

The 2020 conference is expected to bring over 3000 participants to Nairobi from over 100 countries. Additionally, over 50 tech international tech companies are expected to participate, exhibit and hopefully invest in Africaâ€s burgeoning innovation spaces.

Receiving the baton to host #IODC20, on behalf of Kenya, Dr. Korir Singâ€Oei, Legal Advisor and Head of Policy, Office of the Deputy President, said that, “We are indeed humbled and honored to be entrusted with the next International Open Data Conference, which will be a tremendous opportunity for the African Continent to showcase impact on how it has harnessed the power of data, technology and innovation, to respond to the age-old challenges of our populations. With this opportunity to host the next IODC in 2020, we are signaling Africaâ€s readiness to play a leading role in bridging the different data communities to deliver the benefits of data to our economies and leave no one behind.â€�

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Office of the Vice President of Kenya.

For more information on IODC 2020 and open data contact:

Dr. Korir Singâ€Oei – +254 722 776 994

Philip Thigo, – +254787323677

Muchiri Nyaga +254 722596400

APO: Kenya wins Bid to host the International Open Data Conference in 2020

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Bayelsa sues FG over N6trn withheld subsidy fund

BAYELSA STATE Government has dragged Federal Government before the Supreme Court over alleged illegal deductions from the fuel subsidy fund and withholding of over N6 trillion from the fund.

Continue reading Bayelsa  sues FG over N6trn withheld subsidy fund at Vanguard News.

Bayelsa  sues FG over N6trn withheld subsidy fund

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Valverde defends axing Pochettino – 'I made the decision to do without him'

The Barcelona boss once dropped the Argentine when he was Espanyol captain, but he says they still have plenty of respect for one another

Valverde defends axing Pochettino – 'I made the decision to do without him'

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Champions League: Rio Ferdinand, Scholes blame Lukaku for 0-0 draw with Valencia

Two former Manchester United players, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes, have lashed out at Romelu Lukaku, labelling him “disappointing” and “a dream” to defend against, following their 0-0 draw with Valencia on Tuesday night. Ferdinand and Scholes watched as Lukaku went a fifth game for United without scoring and then criticized him afterwards. Ferdinand, a […]

Champions League: Rio Ferdinand, Scholes blame Lukaku for 0-0 draw with Valencia

Champions League: Rio Ferdinand, Scholes blame Lukaku for 0-0 draw with Valencia

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At 58, Nigeria’s oil industry still without bearing

Oil rig

After 58 years of independence, the state of the Nigerian oil industry has remained pathetic among other oil producers.

Up till this moment, the industry lacks relevant and contemporary regulations. In other words, the industry lacks global competitiveness, which automatically puts it at the mercy of subjective interests, STANLEY OPARA writes

The refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) after a wait of almost two decades, has brought the issue of reforms in the oil sector of the economy into sharp focus and public scrutiny.

Coming at a time when expectations were high that after the prolonged pause of being stuck in the National Assembly the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) was close to significant, albeit incremental fruition, the decision of the President was an anti-climax that has set the industry and indeed, the entire economy into fresh anxieties and uncertainties.

While the justification for the denial of presidential assent could be plausible and germane, the implications are diverse and could be far-reaching.

This therefore triggers the need for deep reflections, introspection and fresh perspectives on the fate of both the reforms contemplated by the PIGB and indeed the entire oil and gas industry of the country.

The ensuing debate around this development could however, not have come at a better time.

Given the current cerebration of the countryâ€s 58th anniversary and the impending general elections, there is the need to reconsider and offer options for national development, as the current situation with the PIGB cannot be allowed to slip away or be mired in the waters of politics without extracting subliminal values therefrom.

Speaking at the recent national Development Dialogue Series (DDS) organised by the OrderPaper Advocacy Initiative, the Senior Partner, Energy & Commercial Transactions, Primera Africa Legal, Israel Aye, said opportunities in the global oil/gas space were fading fast, which makes the situation of Nigeria to be pathetic as it is not prepared to reap the current benefits of the industry given its weak and outdated legislations.

He said the United States, which was a huge consumer of oil from Nigeria and other oil-producing countries, is turning into the undisputed global leader in oil and gas production.

He said: “Solar Photovoltaic (PV) is on track to be the cheapest source of new electricity in many countries. China is changing its energy landscape; moving rapidly to gas and renewables. The future is electrifying, spurred by cooling, electric vehicles and digitalisation.

“Hydrocarbon resources abound. Unconventionals are becoming conventionals. Buyers are becoming sellers. Importers are becoming exporters. There is uptake of clean energy at rapid pace.

“It is important to remember that oil reserves are declining, and we are at sub-optimal production levels (oil and gas); and significant funding gap needs to be addressed to sustain and grow production.�

The mid-stream sector of the petroleum industry is also facing its crisis following the countryâ€s falling refining capacity; increase in illegal refining; rising pipeline vandalism, falling gas processing infrastructure; rising depot and gas plants accidents, among others.

Gas-wise, Aye said Nigeria currently has non-bankable gas sales agreement, non-competitive oil and gas handling tariffs, characterised by the Nigeria Gas Companyâ€s monopoly of gas transmission pipeline and on-going gas flare.

Till date, he said Nigeria is faced with inadequate transmission infrastructure, adding that: “Not passing the laws to reform the petroleum industry casts a cloud of uncertainty on the industry.

This is because we can model risks, but we cannot model uncertainty.�

The Nigerian system, regrettably, is supported by obsolete laws: Petroleum Act 1969; Petroleum Profits Tax Act 1959; Deep Offshore & Inland Basin (Production Sharing Contracts) Act, and Sundry ad hoc legislations

However, other African countries are making giant strides in the quest to better regulate their oil industry and optimise the dividends from the industries.

For instance, there is the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act 2016 in Ghana; the Petroleum (Exploration, Development & Production) Act 2013 in Uganda; the Petroleum Act 2015 in Tanzania; and Petroleum Law (Law No. 21/2014) 2014 in Mozambique. This is aside reforms and legislative amendments in several other countries.

In the same vein, Former World Bank Vice President, Oby Ezekwesili, said it was unfortunate that Nigeria overtook India in May 2018 to become the country with the worldâ€s highest number of people living in extreme poverty amid enormous oil and gas reserves.

She said: “The number of people living in extreme poverty in India is falling while the opposite is true in Nigeria.

Extreme poverty rises in Nigeria by six people each minute, while the number of extreme poor in India drops by 44 people a minute.

“Indian population of 1.3 billion people, now has 5 percent of its population living in extreme poverty. Nigeria, population of about 191 million has 44 percent in extreme poverty

“Nigeria and Congo are the only Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) countries with high poverty rankings.�

On the management of the countryâ€s oil revenues, she said it was regrettable that huge expenditure were incurred on fuel subsidies (under recovery) backed by generally increasing fuel consumption figures and a constitution that does not encourage savings.

Lamenting on the level of lawlessness in the sector, Ezekwesili said: “There is no transparency in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) administration by the federal government., as not all ECA withdrawals are captured by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

Expert Advisory Panel, Nigeria Natural Resource Centre, Tunji Lardner, said with the absence of the requisite laws to coordinate the oil/gas sector, issues like lack of transparency/accountability; low participation by indigenous players; political interference with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation; inefficient downstream operations; funding constraints; weak and dependent regulator; overlapping institutional roles; revenue management issues; outdated laws; and environmental degradation, will continue to plague the Nigerian oil/gas space.

At 58, Nigeriaâ€s oil industry still without bearing

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Mikel Obi: Super Eagles captain hopes Nigeria can beat Argentina next time

Mikel Obi is hopeful the Super Eagles can get the better of Argentina when both sides clash in the future.

Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi is hopeful Nigeria can beat Argentina when next both sides meet on the international stage.

Mikel is missing from Gernot Rohrâ€s 24 man list for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) doubleheader clash against Libya.

Mikel Obi stats

The 31-year-old is missed the previous qualification game against Seychelles and the international friendly against Liberia after being left out due to injury.

 

His last appearance for the Super Eagles was in their last group game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia which ended in a 2-1 defeat to Argentian at the Saint-Petersburg Arena.

Asked about the result against Lionel Messi and teammates in an interview on China Central Television 'Football Night' programme, Mikel revealed that the Super Eagles did a good job against some of the world best players.

He said, ''When we played against Argentina, we did a good job until the 86th minute, but we still lost.

''At this time I have to look for strength from other places. This is a very difficult time. I am very upset on the pitch, but I have to find the motivation.''

Mikel also gave an analysis of the Turkish center referee Cüneyt Cakir who did not give the Super Eagles a penalty after Marcos Rojo handled the ball in the box.

He said, ''Until today, I still think that we can win that game if we got the penalty. I think the referee is unfair. We could have won the game, but the game is over.

''Argentina is great. Messi is also the best player in the world, but I hope we can win Argentina next time.''

Mikel ended reiterating his desire to stay at Tianjin TEDA despite transfer rumours linking him away from the Chinese Super League (CSL).

Mikel Obi: Super Eagles captain hopes Nigeria can beat Argentina next time

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Crisis Of Governance: Options For The North East In 2019 (II)

LEADERSHIP

This is a follow up to the foundation laid in the first part of the article which highlighted the predicament of the people of the North East such as failure of governance and betrayal by some of their elected officials, failure to lift the people out of penury and lack of infrastructural development and lagging […]

The post Crisis Of Governance: Options For The North East In 2019 (II) appeared first on Leadership Newspaper.

Crisis Of Governance: Options For The North East In 2019 (II)

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Enyimba vs Raja Casablanca Preview: People’s Elephants seek to build on home form

Usman Abdallahâ€s men welcome the Moroccans in Wednesdayâ€s cracker and they would be relying on their impressive home form to see them through

Enyimba vs Raja Casablanca Preview: Peopleâ€s Elephants seek to build on home form

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Confusion trails Lagos APC primary

CONTROVERSY, yesterday, trailed the rescheduled governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State as the panel of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party, distanced itself from the earlier exercise conducted and fix today for a fresh primary.

Continue reading Confusion trails Lagos APC primary at Vanguard News.

Confusion trails Lagos APC primary

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In Real Life: Why people love yoga despite the awkwardness

We look at some of the reasons people love yoga – from cleaning out your headspace to upsetting grannies – despite its habit of throwing up some pretty awkward moments.
In Real Life: Why people love yoga despite the awkwardness

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Accountant at Marcforte Business Consulting Limited

Marcforte Business Consulting Limited is a wholly Nigerian organisation. We operate as an organisational development consultancy providing bespoke interventions aimed at improving staff engagement and performance. As an experienced consultancy, we work across sectors with clients in either product or service industries who require the infusion of worldclass standards and best practices into their structures especially as a result of, or in readiness for growth and expansion.
Accountant at Marcforte Business Consulting Limited

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