US$150,000 Innovation Prize for Africa for 2015 Now Open

PRESS RELEASE

Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) 2015 now open – USD 150,000 in prizes for continent’s brightest innovators to accelerate Africa’s development

With 2000 innovators from 48 countries entering in its first three years; IPA 2015 takes investment in unleashing and supporting sustainable African led innovation past half a million USD

JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, August 1, 2014/ -- The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) (http://www.africaninnovation.org) is calling on all African innovators to submit their entries for the fourth edition of the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) competition (http://www.innovationprizeforafrica.org). The IPA is presented annually, enabling and encouraging African pioneers to develop creative ideas and techniques to overcome some of the challenges faced by the continent and support sustainable development.

Video of IPA Winner 2014:http://africaninnovationnews.com/wp-content/uploads/video/2014/src/IPA_2014v2.mp4

AIF and IPA founder Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais with the 2014 IPA winners: Dr. Nicolaas Duneas & Mr. Nuno Pires and the Nigerian Former Minister of Science and Technology.

Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1269 (AIF and IPA founder Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais with the 2014 IPA winners: Dr. Nicolaas Duneas & Mr. Nuno Pires and the Nigerian Former Minister of Science and Technology)

Logo Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA): http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/ipa-3.jpg

Logo African Innovation Foundation (AIF): http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/aif.jpg

“At the African Innovation Foundation we are passionate about Africa and its potential, that we firmly believe will be led by empowering a new generation of African innovators and entrepreneurs.  But we also recognise that this new generation needs the resources and the opportunities to realise their ambition,” said AIF and IPA founder Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais.  “ IPA provides a platform to encourage and harness these entrepreneurial skills in order to help improve the lives of Africans and to help realise untapped potential. The prize is also a great way of unleashing creativity and promoting growth within the African continent.”

The IPA is becoming integral to facilitating ground-breaking thinking, creativity and driving awareness to the outstanding work being done in Africa by Africans. IPA 2013 winner, AgriProtein went on to raise $11 million to build its first two commercial farms in Cape Town.

“Africa needs meaningful investment to alleviate poverty and provide inclusive prosperity. To achieve this, we need to be able to provide environments that promote quality investment for the people and reduce risks. Forums like the IPA are necessary to make the most of the continent's investment," said AgriProtein spokesperson, David Drew.

All innovations are evaluated based on the following criteria: originality, marketability, scalability, social impact and scientific/technical aspects. The best submission will be awarded a grand prize of USD 100 000.  The second prize of USD 25 000 will be awarded to an innovator with an innovation which has the best commercial and business potential. An additional award is a special prize granted to the innovator whose innovation has the best social impact in the community.

The IPA encourages entries in five key categories: Agriculture and Agribusiness, Environment, Energy and Water, Health and Wellbeing, ICT applications, and Manufacturing and Services Industries.

Recognising home grown innovative ingenuity, the prize contributes to increased funding of start-ups, adoption of new and emerging technologies and accelerated growth of the private sector.   With ever changing economic and social environments, it is critical that proposed solutions tackle issues affecting African lives, and that they are effective and are different from the existing ones. 

IPA 2014 named Dr Nicolaas Duneas and Mr Nuno Pires from South Africa the winners of the grand Prize and received USD 100’000 for their Altis Osteogenic Bone Matrix (Altis OBM TM), the first injectable porcine derived BMP medical device in the world — an innovative product for the treatment of bone injuries and voids through the use of a regenerative biological implant.

The IPA also beckons all investors, governments and other stakeholders interested in evaluating, investing and maximising the continent’s resources to participate in this innovative and empowering initiative and make a significant change through generous contributions that will accelerate the Africa’s economic growth.

The deadline for submitting applications for IPA 2015 is 31 October 2014 at 24h00 GMT. For more information on competition categories, conditions of entry, and submission details, please visit: http://innovationprizeforafrica.org/.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA).

Contacts

Janine Raftopoulos, Burson-Marsteller

Phone: +27 11 480 8525

Email: Janine.raftopoulos@bm-africa.com

Pauline Mujawamariya, AIF    

Phone: + 41 44 515 5466  

Email: ipainfo@africaninnovation.org

About IPA

The Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) (http://www.innovationprizeforafrica.org) is an award founded by the African Innovation Foundation (http://www.africaninnovation.org). It mobilizes African innovators and entrepreneurs by providing a total of USD 150 000 to winners who deliver market-oriented solutions for African-led development. The IPA honours and encourages innovative achievements that contribute toward developing new products, increasing efficiency or cost savings in Africa. The prize also encourages private equity investors, government and development leaders to invest across sectors and build a climate that fuels Africa’s economic growth.  For more information and additional media background go to http://www.innovationprizeforafrica.org , and follow the IPA on Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/IPAprize) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/InnovationPrizeforAfrica).

About AIF

The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) (http://www.africaninnovation.org) is a new model of 'next generation' African foundations, mobilising innovation across the continent for the personal, cultural and economic benefit of all Africans. AIF’s projects are aimed at releasing untapped potential in Africa, stimulating African ideas & perspectives within emerging industries and across diverse disciplines.  For more information visit http://www.africaninnovation.org/

SOURCE 

Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA)

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PwC Announces Investment To Accelerate Africa Growth Opportunities

PRESS RELEASE

PwC announces investment to accelerate Africa growth opportunities

JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, July 30, 2014/ -- PwC (http://www.pwc.com) has today announced it is increasing its investment in Africa and building closer links between PwC UK and PwC Africa, to meet increased demand for professional services as trade activity between the two regions grows.

Suresh Kana, PwC Africa Senior Partner.

The investment is part of PwC’s ongoing strategy to develop high potential markets, and follows the UK firm’s successful investment in Central and Eastern Europe.

Ian Powell, UK Chairman and Senior Partner, commented:

"This is an exciting development which enhances our ability to serve clients across the fastest growing region in the world. Africa has an abundance of natural resources and seven of the world’s fastest growing economies meaning the opportunities for UK business are significant.”

Suresh Kana, PwC Africa Network Territory Senior Partner, said:

“This is great news for our network. Over the years we have built PwC into the leading network in Africa. We now see huge opportunities to build our capabilities further as we will be able to invest even faster in key industry sectors such as Capital Projects & Infrastructure, Oil & Gas, Government & Public Sector and Financial Services. We have great teams in Africa and this investment will help us build more local capacity, and create teaming and secondment opportunities.”

As part of the investment, Paul Cleal, PwC UK partner and chair of its Africa Business Group, will be seconded to the African Leadership team and based on the continent.

PwC teams from the UK and Africa have a strong track record of working together to support businesses, governments and NGOs in nations such as Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zambia with expertise in fields such as economic development, climate change, education, infrastructure, natural resources, and power and utilities.

The UK is renowned for the strength of its business and professional services sector and this deal is a demonstration of how the nation can play to its strengths on the global stage. This commitment not only benefits our clients and the PwC network, but is also good for the UK and African economies.

Professional and business support services is one of the most successful sectors in the UK economy, contributing 12% of total UK GDP - more than financial services (8.5%) or manufacturing (10%). The sector has grown by nearly 6% a year since Q3 2009 and has been one of the biggest job-creating sectors in the UK economy as well as a major contributor to UK exports.

A 2013 report by BIS – ‘Growth is our business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services (PBS)’ – recognised the contribution of the professional and business services sector to the UK economy, and highlighted the opportunities in developing markets. Other business services contribute 29% of total services exports and totalled £58.6 billion in 2013, with a trade surplus of £29.3 billion.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC).

Contacts

Suresh Kana: PwC Africa Network Territory Senior Partner

Office: + 27 11 797 4312

Email: suresh.kana@za.pwc.com

OR

Hein Boegman: PwC Regional Senior Partner, South Market Area

Office: + 27 11 797 4335

Email: hein.boegman@za.pwc.com

OR

James du Preez: PwC Head of Marketing, Communications & Business Development

Office: + 27 11 797 4367

Email: james.du.preez@za.pwc.com

OR

Lindiwe Magana: Media Relations Manager, PwC

Office: + 27 11 797 5042

Email: lindiwe.magana@za.pwc.com

About PwC

PwC (http://www.pwc.com) firms help organisations and individuals create the value they’re looking for. We’re a network of firms in 157 countries with more than 184,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services. Tell us what matters to you and find out more by visiting us at http://www.pwc.com.

SOURCE 

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC)

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Forrest Gump Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Exclusive One-Week IMAX® Release On Sept. 5

LOS ANGELES, July 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX), Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB), and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment today announced that Robert Zemeckis' Academy Award® Best Picture-winning Forrest Gump will get an exclusive one-week IMAX^® re-release, coinciding with the 20^th anniversary of the film's original theatrical release in 1994. The film will be digitally re-mastered for the immersive IMAX^® format and released domestically by Paramount Pictures in IMAX^® theatres starting September 5.

Forrest Gump, which won six Academy Awards including Best Actor (Tom Hanks) and Best Director, will also receive a special Diamond Luxe Blu-ray release from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment September 30. The Diamond Luxe edition features a new sleek and durable collector-style packaging, with a state-of-the-art sophisticated design.
"As a ground-breaking achievement in both cinematography and visual effects for its time, Forrest Gump has become a modern American movie classic," said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. "We're thrilled to once again collaborate with our longtime friends and partners Bob Zemeckis, Tom Hanks and Paramount. This film deserves a platform like The IMAX Experience® to help make its 20^th anniversary one to remember."

"On behalf of the entire Forrest Gump family, it is with great pleasure and pride that we bring Forrest Gump back to the big screen using the latest technology for the ultimate IMAX experience," said producer Wendy Finerman.
Originally released in theaters by Paramount Pictures, Forrest Gump stars Hanks in the title role, a man who — despite his sub-normal IQ — led an extraordinary life, with a ringside seat to many of the most memorable events of the second half of the 20^th century. The award-winning film went on to gross more than $675 million at the global box office, of which nearly $330 million came from North America, making it the highest-grossing film of all time when it was released in 1994.
The film also stars Robin Wright, Sally Field and Gary Sinise in his Oscar-nominated role as the cantankerous Lieutenant Dan.

The IMAX release of Forrest Gump will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

About Paramount Pictures CorporationParamount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc.Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution and interactive entertainment businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHE oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels, and is a significant developer and publisher for console and online video game titles worldwide. WBHE distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees, as well as directly to consumers through WBShop.com and WBUltra.

About IMAX CorporationIMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.  As of March 31, 2014, there were 840 IMAX theatres (707 commercial multiplexes, 18 commercial destinations and 115 institutions) in 57 countries.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience®, IMAX Is Believing® and IMAX nXos® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on IMAX management's assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in IMAX's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

For additional information please contact:

Media:
IMAX Corporation - New York
Ann Sommerlath
212-821-0155
asommerlath@imax.com

Entertainment Media:
Principal Communications Group - Los Angeles
Melissa Zukerman/Paul Pflug
323-658-1555
melissa@pcommgroup.com
paul@pcommgroup.com

Investors:IMAX Corporation – New YorkTeri Loxam212-821-0110tloxam@imax.com

Business Media: Sloane & Company – New YorkWhit Clay212-446-1864wclay@sloanepr.com

SOURCE IMAX Corporation
RELATED LINKS
http://www.imax.com

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The Daily Beast and Instrument Partner to Launch "Read This. Skip That."-Inspired iOS News App

The Daily Beast and Instrument Partner to Launch "Read This. Skip That."-Inspired iOS News App Bringing "Read This. Skip That." to life for a majority-mobile news audience 

NEW YORK & PORTLAND, Ore., July 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- News and culture website The Daily Beast partners with independent digital creative agency Instrument for the launch of The Beast's entirely new iOS app. Now available in the App Store on iTunes, the app is built for The Daily Beast's mobile readers, now the majority of its 17M+ monthly audience.

The all-new iOS app brings The Daily Beast's "Read This. Skip That." mantra to life with an incredibly simple interface that serves up every story with just two options—read or skip. Like an email inbox—or even Tinder for news—this addictive interface allows users to quickly get the stories they want and swipe away the rest. There's no navigation, no categories, no nonsense, just a simple, beautiful feed that helps readers get the journalism they want and get on with their day. "User-centered product innovation is at the heart of who we are as a company," says Mike Dyer, Managing Director and Chief Digital Officer of The Daily Beast. "Building a 'Read This. Skip That.'-inspired iOS app our readers will love required the seamless blend of great front-end design and deep technological innovation. That's exactly why we partnered with Instrument."

In addition to radical simplicity, Instrument focused its efforts on the app's learning capabilities. While other news apps try to optimize their feeds for the "average" user, Instrument built the exact opposite approach, focusing on each individual. As a result, as users read and skip, the app's in-house "Nudge Engine" learns which behaviors, authors and topics each user likes or dislikes and gives them a nudge toward certain content…in The Daily Beast's irreverent, intelligent tone, of course. For example, if you read only political news, a Nudge might say "All Politics and no Entertainment makes Jack a dull boy. So give this story by Kevin Fallon a read." Other nudges include inviting users to follow breaking stories and The Daily Beast authors on Twitter ("Josh Rogin is pretty awesome with a 140 character limit, too."). The Nudge is a simple way to help readers by not wasting their time with "more more more."

The Daily Beast app resolves with a stat dashboard that shows users how and what news they're reading and skipping. They can see what categories they read the most as well as how they rank among The Daily Beast readers worldwide. It's a way for readers to know what they've read over time, to see patterns, which can be more valuable than just flipping through a paper or clicking and closing tabs on a browser.
Instrument Partner and Creative Director JD Hooge: "The Daily Beast and Instrument was a solid partnership from the start. Their team had the courage to let us "make the complex simple" which we strive to do on every project. Because of their trust and vision, we delivered an app that stands apart and is actually fun to use."

Download The Daily Beast app in the Apple App Store now.

As of press time, Apple has chosen to feature the app in their "Best New Apps" section—a first for Instrument and The Daily Beast. The iPad version of the app will be released in August.

About The Daily BeastThe Daily Beast delivers award-winning original reporting and sharp opinion from big personalities in the arenas of politics, pop-culture, world news and more. Fiercely independent and infused with irreverent intelligence, The Daily Beast now reaches more than 17 million readers per month. The Daily Beast is based in New York and is an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI).
 
About InstrumentInstrument is an independent digital creative agency in Portland, Oregon. We are a multidisciplinary team of strategists, designers, producers, storytellers, animators, creative coders and filmmakers. We combine design thinking and technical craft to make experiences for web, mobile and the physical world. For more information visit weareinstrument.com.

Press Contacts:
The Daily Beast / IAC Corporate Communications
Isabelle Weisman
isabelle.weisman@iac.com
(212) 314-7361
Instrument
Cecilia Doan
cecilia@weareinstrument.com
(503) 928-3188 / @ccdoan
SOURCE The Daily Beast
RELATED LINKS
http://weareinstrument.com

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iPost Nigeria Rated Higher Than YouTube and Projected to Make US$1 Billion in 12 Months

iPost Nigeria Rated Higher Than YouTube and Projected to Make US$1 Billion in 12 Months


Nigeria’s highly news and entertainment innovation project iPost Nigeria has been rated to become higher than YouTube for interactive videos and projected to make a whopping US$1billion in the first 12 months after launch.

iPost Nigeria, is an awesome news and information innovation project of prize winning Nigerian writer and prolific blogger Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, regarded as the most powerful citizen journalist in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with over 100 million users of mobile phones and tablets and he is the founder of Citizen Journalists Association of Nigeria (CJAN) with a network of over 90 citizen journalists in Nigeria.

The iPost Nigeria’s mobile video app will make it one of the most advanced news innovation projects in the world and also one of the most advanced social media networks for millions of the users of mobile phones and tablets in the world. And it has been short listed for the 2014 Fund for Internet Research and Education (FIRE) Awards, African Network Information Center (AFRINIC)'s flagship grants and awards programme, http://www.fireafrica.org/projects/projects/view/299

It is the first African mobile video app that can be used for live recording and uploading of news and information on the internet from camera phones and tablets 24/7.
iPost Nigeria’s mobile video app will attract the over 116 million users of GSM phones and tablets in Africa’s largest mobile communications market with over 10 million smart phones and tablets sold in 2013 and will increase in 2014.

iPost Nigeria’s mobile video app allows users to record and upload their videos of news and information on events and incidents as they happen from wherever they are in Nigeria and other locations in the world and the billion dollars will be made from monetization of the videos on the Pay Per View (PPV) channel of iPost Nigeria, targeting the booming video film industry Nollywood, the largest African film industry that has made Iroko TV the Netflix of Africa and other online video streaming website making millions from showing Nollywood movies and TV series, documentaries and music videos in the most populous country in Africa. Nollywood boosted the rebased Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria to make the country Africa’s largest economy under “Motion pictures, sound recording and music production,” with a huge increase of N9trillion in size. Analysts stated Nollywood made about N1.72 trillion in 2013.

Robert Orya, Managing Director, Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), said last year, Nollywood ranked third globally in revenue. According to him, the revenue the film industry has generated in the last three years was between $300 million and $800 million. “The global film and entertainment industry generated about $90.6 billion revenue in 2010,” Orya explained, saying “the revenue increased to $102.7 billion in 2012. Most of these revenue streams are from theatrical distribution. North America contributed the largest market share of about 40 percent. Europe, Middle East and Africa accounted for 24 percent, Latin America 20 percent, and Asia Pacific made only 3 percent contribution.”

~ http://businessdayonline.com/2014/04/nollywood-springs-surprise-in-gdp-rebasing-leaps-to-n9trn/#.U9DJtkBx-wc

iPost Nigeria’s mobile video app will allow Nollywood film producers and distributors to monetize the videos with over 80% revenue share and paying only 20% to iPost Nigeria for hosting and content management. It will launch in October to millions of Nigerians and others on the internet.

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Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde Has the Sexiest Accent in Nollywood?

Jordan Burchette noted the 12 sexiest accents in the world for CNN Travel on November 30, 2012, and he ranked the Nigerian accent as the 5th hottest in the world.
Burchette described the sexy Nigerian accent with the following words.

Dignified, with just a hint of willful naiveté, the deep, rich “oh’s” and “eh’s” of Naija bend the English language without breaking it, arousing tremors in places other languages can’t reach. Kinda makes the occasional phone scam worth the swindle.

Sounds like: The THX intro with teeth

 He named King Sunny Adé and Queen of Nollywood, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde as the famous tongues of the sexy Nigerian accent. But I don't know if the millions of fans of Nollywood movies have been wowed by Omotola's accent since Reginald Ebere's "Venom of Justice" shot her to stardom in 1995. And I have heard her sweet accent many times since I met her earlier on locations before she married pilot, Captain Matthew Ekeinde in 1996.
Is the accent of "Oh - m oh - t oh - l ah" the sexiest accent in Nollywood?

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