Oando Pledges 1.5% of 2011 Profits, and 1% Subsequently, for Education in West Africa

22 September 2011 18:24 Africa/Lagos


Oando Pledges 1.5% of 2011 Profits, and 1% Subsequently, for Education in West Africa

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2011

Group Chief Executive Joins Special Session of Clinton Global Initiative

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Oando PLC, sub-Saharan Africa's leading integrated energy group, is pleased to announce Inspiring Tomorrow, its contribution to the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action. Under Inspiring Tomorrow, Oando is committing 1.5% of its pretax profits in 2011, and 1% in subsequent years, to support basic education in West Africa.

With Inspiring Tomorrow, Oando commits to increasing access to quality basic education for more than 60,000 children in 100 schools across West Africa by 2015. The company will achieve this by enhancing infrastructure to create conducive learning environments; providing educational resources and teaching aids for effective learning, and promoting technology driven empowerment programs in public schools.

Commenting on the commitment, Wale Tinubu, Oando Group Chief Executive, said "We are passionate about increasing access to education because we believe that knowledge is the bedrock of world-class aspirations."

Oando is also proud to announce that Mr. Tinubu will be a featured panelist in a CGI Special Session on "Game-Changing Innovation: Technologies for Building Social and Economic Value." The Special Session, which takes place from 2:30 to 3:30 pm on Thursday, September 22, will also feature John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco, Tarja K. Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland, Andrew N. Liveris, Chairman and CEO, the Dow Chemical Company, Judith Rodin, President, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Bob McDonald, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, Procter & Gamble. Mr. Tinubu will use this opportunity to draw attention to homegrown solutions to meet Africa's huge energy challenges and to ask global leaders and other critical stakeholders to join Oando's pursuit of sustainable community development through education.

Mr. Tinubu said, "We are honored to be part of the Clinton Global Initiative. CGI provides an important forum to engage leaders from around the globe on the education and energy challenges that face sub-Saharan Africa and Africa, broadly."


About Oando



As a proudly African company in the global energy industry, Oando is dedicated to performance, professionalism, integrity, and service excellence. From its origins as a downstream petroleum marketing company, Oando has transformed into an integrated energy group whose subsidiaries have achieved market leadership in their respective sectors. The Oando Group includes:

* Oando Exploration and Production: The leading indigenous oil and gas exploration and production company, with offshore, onshore, and swamp assets;
* Oando Energy Services: Nigeria's leading oilfield services company, using industry best practices and advanced technology to deliver safe and environmentally sound operations in the Niger Delta;
* Oando Gas and Power: The developer of Nigeria's foremost natural gas distribution network;
* Oando Supply and Trading: Africa's largest independent petroleum trading company, supplying 20% of Nigeria's fuel requirements; and
* Oando Marketing: West Africa's leading oil retailer, with operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and the Republic of Benin.


About Wale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive Oando PLC
Mr. Tinubu (born 1967 in Lagos, Nigeria) has been the Group Chief Executive of Oando PLC since 2001.

In 2002, Mr. Tinubu piloted the largest ever acquisition of a quoted Nigerian company, with the acquisition of Agip by the then Unipetrol through an international bid conducted by Agip Petroli International B.V. Under his leadership, Oando became the first company in Africa to have an inward listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in addition to its local listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). He obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) from the University of Liverpool, England in 1988 and a Master of Law degree (LLM) from the London School of Economics, United Kingdom, in 1989 where he specialized in International Finance and Shipping. He began his career as an attorney, where he worked on corporate and petroleum law assignments.

In August of 2011, Africa investor (Ai), a leading international investment and communications group, named Mr. Tinubu to the shortlist for its "African Businessman of the Year" award, which will be given out on September 26, 2011 in a ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange. He received a similar award last year from Africa Business Magazine and the Commonwealth Business Council. He has also been recognized as a "Global Young Leader " by the World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland for his achievements as one of the leading executives, public figures, and intellectuals under 41.

www.oandoplc.com

About the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together nearly 150 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made nearly 2,000 commitments, which have already improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued in excess of $63 billion. The 2011 Annual Meeting is currently taking place in New York City.

This year, CGI also convened CGI America, a meeting focused on developing ideas for driving economic growth in the United States. The CGI community also includes CGI U, which hosts an annual meeting for undergraduate and graduate students, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young CGI members for leadership development and collective commitment-making. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

SOURCE Oando PLC

CONTACT: Meka Olowola, Head, Corporate Communications, Oando PLC, molowola@oandoplc.com, +1-201-564-8136

Web Site: http://www.oandoplc.com

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Almost Half of Americans Do Not Think President Obama Will be Re-elected

22 Sep 2011 16:43 Africa/Lagos


Almost Half of Americans Do Not Think President Obama Will be Re-elected

Approval ratings unchanged from lows of last month

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2011

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After a spirited speech to Congress and presenting his jobs bill President Obama starts the fall with the same approval ratings he had at the end of the summer. This month, exactly the same as in August, just one-third of Americans (32%) give the president positive ratings on the overall job he is doing while two-thirds (68%) give him negative ratings.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100517/NY06256LOGO )

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,462 adults surveyed online between September 12 and 19, 2011 by Harris Interactive.

Looking at the ratings on a partisan level, it's not shocking that almost all Republicans (96%) and nine in ten Conservatives (90%) give the President negative marks, but so do seven in ten Independents (71%) and almost two-thirds of Moderates (64%). While majorities of Democrats (58%) and Liberals (53%) still give the President positive marks, large enough numbers of both groups of the President's traditional supporters (42% of Democrats and 47% of Liberals) give him negative ratings, giving the White House and the re-election team a bit to be concerned about.

While the President's ratings may continue to be at his lowest, one small piece of comfort he has is that he is doing a better job than Congress. Right now, almost all Americans (94%) have a negative view of the overall job Congress is doing and just 6% give them positive ratings. This low rating transcends party lines as only 7% of both Democrats and Republicans and 5% of Independents give Congress positive marks.

What has bounced back just slightly from last month is the number of people who think the country is going in the right direction. This month, 22% think the country is heading in the right direction while 78% think things have gotten off on the wrong track. While still low, this is better than in August when only 16% thought things were going in the right direction and 84% said they were going off on the wrong track.

One reason for all the negativity is the concern over economic issues. When asked what the two most important issues for the government to address are, half of Americans (50%) say it is employment and jobs. Another quarter say the government needs to address the economy (27%), while 17% say healthcare, 13% say the budget deficit, 11% say the budget and government spending and 7% each say taxes and social security.

Looking to next November

Even more disturbing for the White House are the numbers on likelihood of voting for President Obama. If the election for president were to be held today, over half of Americans (53%) say they would be unlikely to vote for Barack Obama while 39% say they would be likely to vote for him. Almost half (47%) say they would be very unlikely to vote for President Obama. Looking at this on a partisan level, nine in ten Republicans (92%) say they are unlikely to vote for President Obama as are three in five Independents (59%). Even among the two groups who are the President's more staunch supporters over one in five of both Liberals (23%) and Democrats (21%) say they are unlikely to vote for the President if the election were to be held today.

What is another concern is something that could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Just three in ten Americans (30%) think President Obama will be re-elected while almost half (47%) do not think he will be re-elected; one-quarter (23%) are not at all sure. While 51% of Democrats believe President Obama will be re-elected, one-quarter do not (24%) and one-quarter are not at all sure (24%).

So What?

As multiple political commentators have said, the 2012 general re-election campaign began with President Obama's recent address to Congress. Yes, the Republicans still have to pick their candidate, but the President is starting to push forward the agenda he hopes to work his re-election campaign around next year. If he doesn't do something and stays mired in these low approval numbers and negative re-elect numbers, this election may be over before it even starts. The only consolation is that the GOP primary looks like it may be a long one and the eventual Republican candidate may emerge tired and possibly wounded after a blistering primary.

Click here for the full report.


2012 U.S. Presidential Election.

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Cartoon of the Week: Bribery Abroad

The Cartoon of the Week is from Bribery abroad: A tale of two laws published in The Economist of September 17th 2011, on America’s anti-corruption law deters foreign investment.


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Human Rights Leader Faults Obama Administration for Failure In Sudan

Human Rights Leader Faults Obama Administration for Failure In Sudan – Could Cost Thousands Of Lives

Rejects Current “Normalization” Approach for Tough Sanctions against Indicted War Criminal

(Washington, DC) – United to End Genocide President Tom Andrews today urged policymakers to mandate increased U.S. sanctions and other actions to help halt escalating ethnic-based attacks on civilians in South Kordofan and Blue Nile by forces backed by Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir. Andrews testified at a House of Representatives’ Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing, “Sudan: The Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis in South Kordofan and Continuing Human Rights Violations in Darfur.”



Omar al-Bashir


“Omar al-Bashir is repeating the targeted ethnic attacks of Darfur in South Kordofan and Blue Nile where his forces have already killed thousands and left hundreds of thousands displaced with little food and no access to humanitarian aid,” stated Andrews. “Unfortunately, the Obama Administration, by failing to demand accountability and leaving the option open for normalized relations with Sudan, is allowing Omar al-Bashir to get away with murder.”

In his testimony, Andrews called on the Obama Administration to:

• Expand current sanctions on Bashir and other individuals responsible for atrocities throughout Sudan, as current sanctions are specific to Darfur alone;

• Make saving live in Sudan a high priority in dealings with China and other nations that can exert leverage on Bashir and his regime; and

• Expend political capital necessary to pass a United Nations Security Council resolution that would expand individual sanctions for perpetrators, expand the existing arms embargo on Darfur to incorporate all of Sudan, expand the mandate of the International Criminal Court to cover the entire country, and authorize an international civilian protection force with the mandate and capacity to accomplish its mission.

Andrews thanked the Lantos Human Rights Commission for helping to raise the alarm about ongoing atrocities in Sudan. “The American people need to know the truth about Omar al-Bashir and the atrocities he continues to commit, and this hearing is an important step,” stated Andrews. “I urge your leadership in considering legislation that would mandate increased U.S. sanctions and other actions to hold Omar al-Bashir accountable for his heinous actions and protect the millions of men, women and children in South Kordofan and Blue Nile whose lives are at risk right now.”
###

The Save Darfur Coalition and Genocide Intervention Network are now United to End Genocide. The organization remains committed to its work to end the crisis in Darfur and bring peace to all of Sudan as well as to end violence in other areas of mass atrocities. The merger creates the world’s largest anti-genocide organization, with a membership base of hundreds of thousands of committed activists globally, an unparalleled nationwide student movement, more than 190 faith-based, advocacy and human rights partner organizations, and a network of institutional investors collectively representing more than $2 trillion in assets under management.


CONTACT:
Ann Brown, abrown@annbrowncommunications.com, 301-633-4193

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Wikileaks Cables Expose Chevron’s Desperation over $18b Environmental Case

Wikileaks Cables Expose Chevron’s Lobbying of Ecuador Government to Kill $18b Environmental Case


Newly Released Cables Raise Questions About Chevron Ties to U.S. Embassy and Misrepresentations

Amazon Defense Coalition
, 21 September 2011, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,
 Contact: Karen Hinton at 703-798-3109 or karen@hintoncommunications.com

New York -- Chevron engaged in a clandestine lobbying campaign of Ecuador's government to improperly shut down the historic environmental case brought by thousands of indigenous persons where the oil giant was found to have contaminated the rain forest and ordered to pay $18.2 billion to clean up the damage, according to a series of cables written by U.S. government officials and recently disclosed by Wikileaks.

The diplomatic cables (see here, here, here and here) also reveal that Chevron and U.S. embassy officials in Ecuador enjoyed such a close relationship that the oil giant's lawyers were tipping off U.S. ambassadors about their legal strategy before it would be revealed in court, said Karen Hinton, the U.S. spokesperson for the 30,000 Ecuadorians who recently won an $18.2 billion judgment for clean-up, despite efforts by Chevron to undermine the case.

The Ecuador court found that Chevron, from 1964 to 1992, dumped billions of gallons of toxic waste onto the ancestral lands of indigenous groups, causing an outbreak of cancer and other oil-related diseases.

Ecuador's Constitution prohibits government interference in the judiciary, so Chevron's lobbying in effect was trying to coax Ecuador's President Rafael Correa to violate the country's laws to benefit the oil giant in a private litigation. The company offered to fund "social projects" in exchange for a government agreement to shut down the trial.

"These diplomatic cables reveal a shocking level of misconduct on the part of Chevron's lawyers to undermine the rule of law in Ecuador," said Hinton. "They also demonstrate the company’s extremely close ties to U.S. embassy officials in Ecuador who seemed open to helping Chevron shut down the legal case.”

The Wikileaks cables reveal that Chevron left no stone unturned in its efforts to stop the proceedings, which represented the only hope for indigenous groups and farmer communities to secure a clean-up after decades of stonewalling by the oil giant.

The cables, primarily authored by U.S. Ambassador Linda Jewell or U.S. Ambassador Heather Hodges, reveal that:

• In April of 2008 Chevron tipped off U.S. embassy officials that during the ongoing trial it had offered to set up social programs in the Amazon "in exchange for GOE [Government of Ecuador] support for ending the case". Chevron consistently tried to end-run the plaintiffs and settle the case directly with Ecuador's government, despite Ecuadorian laws prohibiting government officials from settling private claims, said Hinton. Chevron convinced Jewell to attempt to intervene on behalf of two Chevron employees who faced a criminal investigation for signing off in 1998 on a sham remediation of oil sites in exchange for a government release from liability. Jewell said the embassy "will consider how it can help Chevron resolve" the case, and that she contacted a former Supreme Court President of Ecuador as part of that strategy. The charges against the two, Richard Reis Veiga and Rodrigo Perez Pallares, were later dismissed on a technicality despite overwhelming evidence of fraud, said Hinton.

• In August of 2009, Chevron lawyer Ricardo Reis Veiga called the then-U.S. ambassador to provide a "heads up" that the company was releasing secret videotapes taken by Chevron contractor Diego Borja that the company claimed implicated the judge in a bribery scandal. The move backfired after it became clear that the tapes did not actually show the judge taking a bribe and after Borja later admitted to being Chevron’s “clandestine operative” in Ecuador, and that Chevron paid him for his work, said Hinton.

• The cables also suggest that Chevron officials were misrepresenting facts about the Lago Agrio case to embassy officials. In a cable written in September 2009 by Ambassador Heather Hodges, Chevron claimed it had not sought the Borja tapes when in fact Borja worked for Chevron and was meeting with Chevron lawyers in the United States about the entrapment of the judge in Ecuador, said Hinton.

• Another cable from March of 2006, written by Charge d'Affairs Jefferson Brown, said that Chevron executive Jamie Varela told embassy officials that "Chevron had not had any real complaints about the judge” or the "administration of the case" in Lago Agrio. Chevron later argued before various U.S. courts that Ecuador's judicial system was unfair at that time, contradicting these private statements to the embassy, said Hinton.

• Varela also tipped off Brown that Chevron was planning on filing an international arbitration case against the Government of Ecuador in a move to gain leverage over the Lago Agrio case, according to the cables. Varela also indicated that Chevron would not publicly disclose the filing for fear the plaintiffs would use it against the company.

• Additionally, Brown wrote that U.S. embassy officials were "surprised" that Varela did not ask for U.S. government "intervention in the case" to help Chevron, as had other Chevron officials. Nevertheless, Brown wrote that the embassy "will continue to raise the [Chevron] matter with [Ecuador's government] when we discuss other commercial disputes" but he also concluded that Chevron's complaints were "being fairly and adequately addressed in the courts or in arbitration and require no direct [U.S. government] action at this time."

"Chevron was sharing intimate details of its supposedly private legal strategy with the U.S. embassy," said Hinton. "Chevron lawyers clearly felt that embassy officials were part of their team. We find it disturbing that U.S. embassy officials in Ecuador were willing to do the bidding of an American oil company that committed environmental crimes that have literally decimated the lives of thousands of people," said Hinton.

The U.S. State Department should make it clear that no U.S. embassy official should interfere with ongoing private lawsuits brought by local residents against American corporations that commit environmental or human rights abuses in their countries. Hinton said such actions "have the effect of undermining a primary objective of U.S. foreign policy which is to support the development of democratic institutions and the strengthening of civil society."

The trial against Chevron in Ecuador began in 2003 in the town of Lago Agrio and ended in February of this year with the judgment, which both sides are appealing. Chevron had heaped lavish praise on Ecuador's court system to move the case to Ecuador out of federal court in New York, where the action was filed in 1993.

During the Ecuador trial and in recent legal efforts in the U.S. to stop enforcement of the judgment, Chevron has characterized meetings between the Ecuadorian citizens suing Chevron and their government officials as a “criminal conspiracy” even though the newly released cables and other memos prove that Chevron also met repeatedly with numerous Ecuadorian government officials to pressure them to illegally intervene in the lawsuit.

On multiple occasions since 2006, Chevron has tried to interfere with the environmental case by using its Washington lobbyists to try to press the Bush and then Obama Administrations to cancel Ecuador's trade preferences in retaliation for the lawsuit, even though Chevron wanted the case to be held in Ecuador.

Chevron’s efforts to undermine the case were extraordinary, Hinton added. During the nine years of litigation in Ecuador, Chevron also sought to recuse every judge who presided over the case, threatened judges with jail time if they did not rule in favor of the company, and took out paid newspaper advertisements criticizing judicial officers and adversary counsel.

Two Chevron lawyers were also sanctioned for filing frivolous motions, including 18 in one 30-minute period in 2010.

In recent years the company has stripped all assets from Ecuador, forcing the plaintiffs to consider lawfully enforcing their judgment in the many countries around the world where the oil giant operates. On Monday, a U.S. federal appeals court in New York lifted an injunction barring Americans from enforcing the Ecuador judgment, clearing the way for collection actions to commence if the Ecuador appellate court affirms the trial court judgment.

###

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Eutelsat and MultiChoice Africa Announce Winners of the First DStv Eutelsat Star Awards

21 Sep 2011 16:10 Africa/Lagos

Eutelsat and MultiChoice Africa Announce Winners of the First DStv Eutelsat Star Awards

More Than 800 Students From Across Africa Respond to the Challenge of Creative Thinking in Science and Technology

JOHANNESBURG and PARIS, September 21, 2011/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

Following the meeting in South Africa of a prestigious jury chaired by Professor George Smoot, Nobel Prize laureate in 2006 and astrophysicist, the winners have been announced of the first edition of the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards, initiated by MultiChoice Africa and Eutelsat in collaboration with Mindset Learn.

The DStv Eutelsat Star Awards is an initiative to encourage young students in 42 African countries to embrace science and technology, and to encourage creative thinking on applications that can support the development of the African continent. Students were invited to write an essay or design a poster on satellite technology and how it can assist further development of their communities, country or the African continent.

Of over 800 entries from across Africa, the final jury reviewed a shortlist of essays and posters preselected by national juries. They included Kidanemarriam Belew from Ethiopia, Vitumbiko Chingwere from Malawi, Sandile Dube from Swaziland, Chukwuka Ekweani and Oluwaseyi Oloyede from Nigeria, Shanen Ganapathee from Mauritius, Mary Misumire and Rebecca Nalwanga from Uganda, Tofunmi Olagoke from South Africa and Michael Yeboah from Guinea.

The jury commented on the extremely high level of these entries and awarded the Ugandan student, Mary Misumire first prize in the Best Entry Award category. Her essay, "Looking to the sky for answers", impressed the judges with its creativity and innovation. Mary has won a trip for two people to experience live a rocket launch, and to visit Eutelsat in France. Runner-up Best Overall Award went to Michael Yeboah from Guinea for his poster. Michael wins a trip for two people to Eutelsat in France. The jury assigned a Merit Award to the Mauritian student Shanen Ganapathee for her essay entry, and to Tofunmi Olagoke from South Africa for his poster entry. Both Merit Awards win a trip to South Africa to visit MultiChoice Africa and Mindset Learn's satellite broadcast facilities.

The jury assembled for this first event was chaired by Professor George Smoot, with Dr Phethiwe Matutu, Chief Director South African Department of Science and Technology; Lauren Beukes, novelist and winner of the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award for her novel 'Zoo City': Nadi Albino, Chief of Education UNICEF South Africa, and Professor Amadi Ihunwo, Head Morphological Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Impressed by this new initiative, Professor Smoot, whose long-term interest for African education is witnessed by his Education Foundation, the Global Teachers Academy (GTA) and his engagement for the African Institute for Mathematical Science, said: "Young people and education are key to Africa's future, and science in particular can play a powerful role in development. I am delighted and honoured to have been involved in this new initiative which aims at promoting science and technology in schools. As jury chairman, I was inspired by the quality of the entries. The winning essay showed passion and demonstrated a good understanding of satellites. There were accurate details of how satellites can be used, from managing climate change and natural resources to their uses in urban planning. We liked Mary's out-of-the-box thinking and creative expression. The second best essay entry, well-written by Shanen, displayed an excellent and in-depth knowledge of satellites and their use for Africa. Well done to all the contestants."

Collins Khumalo, President of MultiChoice Africa, added: "As a business born and bred in Africa, MultiChoice Africa is keenly aware of the challenges faced by many countries across the continent - specifically in terms of access to ICTs and the development of science and technology. With education as a key focus of our corporate social investment programmes, our decision to initiate this competition with Eutelsat and Mindset Learn created a natural synergy which was able to stimulate education and interest around satellites and their possible applications in Africa. An investment in the youth is an investment in the future - and we believe that education in the area of science and technology will make a fundamental difference to this future."

Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat Communications, added: "At Eutelsat, we believe that our responsibility as a satellite operator is to deploy infrastructure that enables information and communication to be available to as many people as possible. There can be no sustainable development in high technology environments without increasing the number of engineers, technicians and teachers to build an inclusive digital environment. The high level of participation and the quality of the entries in this first edition is very encouraging and motivates us to pursue initiatives that can stimulate young African minds to think about new technologies that will drive economic and social progress."

The Awards leveraged MultiChoice's Resource Centres which have been established in over 1000 schools across Sub-Saharan Africa to provide educational channels such as National Geographic, the History Channel and Mindset Learn to schools via satellite, and to train teachers to use this programming to enhance teaching and learning.

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of EutelsatS.A.. With capacity commercialised on 27 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. At 30 June 2011, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 3,800 television channels. More than 1,100 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East which serves over 120 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group's satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat's broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates access to high speed internet services through teleports in France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ just over 700 commercial, technical and operational employees from 30 countries.

http://www.eutelsat.com

About MultiChoice Africa

MultiChoice Africa Limited ("MultiChoice Africa") is an African pioneer of pay TV services in sub-Sahara Africa, having launched the first digital satellite service in the 1980s. The company is registered in Mauritius, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Naspers Group. MultiChoice Africa provides multi-channel digital pay television services containing channels from Africa, America, China, India, Asia and Europe. The company has over twenty years experience as a Pay TV operator in Africa, offering cutting-edge digital technology and a selection of DStv bouquets containing premium television channels for subscribers in 47 African countries and the adjacent Indian Ocean islands.

MultiChoice Africa provides its digital satellite television service - DStv - to subscribers' homes from two different satellites, namely: the Intelsat 7 ("IS 7") Ku BAND and Eutelsat W7 ("W7") Ku Band.

MultiChoice Africa provides a dynamic technology platform and assembles a range of bouquets built around compelling news, as well as premium movies, documentaries and sports channels for subscribers. Our mission is to constantly be at the cutting edge of new technology that enables DStv subscribers to enjoy the very best home television experience.

Source: Eutelsat Communications & MultiChoice Africa

For further information: Press: Vanessa O'Connor, Tel. : +33-1-53-98-37-91 voconnor@eutelsat.fr; Frédérique Gautier Tel. : +33-1-53-98-37-91, fgautier@eutelsat.fr; Analysts and Investors: Lisa Finas, Tel. : +33-1-53-98-35-30, investors@eutelsat-communications.com; Léonard Wapler, Tel. : +33-1-53-98-31-07, investors@eutelsat-communications.com ; Head: Corporate Affairs: Caroline Creasy, Tel: +27-11-289-3081, caroline.creasy@multichoice.co.za



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