Digital Boom

Author: Mahmoud Maher

  • OPEC Fund extends $50m for poverty reduction in Tanzania

    OPEC Fund extends $50m for poverty reduction in Tanzania

    The OPEC Fund for International Development (the OPEC Fund) has signed a US$50 million loan with Tanzania to finance the ‘Fourth Tanzania Poverty Reduction Project.’  The project will build rural infrastructure to boost economic opportunities and improve access to social services for more than 900,000 people.

    Although Tanzania has made progress in reducing poverty over the past decade, around 26 million people – close to half the total population – live on less than US$1.90 per day.  The Tanzanian government has launched several programs to tackle this challenge, including social safety net initiatives and three previous phases (also co-financed by the new project’s OPEC Fund).

    Phase four will build infrastructure for education, health, water, agriculture, and transportation and create income-generating activities in animal husbandry and vegetable growing, in addition to employment opportunities. Work will be undertaken in the Arusha, Mwanza, Geita, and Simiyu regions in northern Tanzania and the south’s Njombe region.

    OPEC Fund Director-General Dr. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa said:  “The OPEC Fund has been committed to helping Tanzania reduce poverty and improve socio-economic conditions for many years. The present loan will help communities help themselves by building capacity, strengthening food security and household incomes, and improving social amenities. We have a strong partnership with Tanzania and look forward to seeing more progress on key development indicators soon.”

    The OPEC Fund and Tanzania have a partnership that spans 45 years.  During this time, the organization has committed more than US$370 million for 38 public sector operations (including the present project) across a wide range of sectors.

    Transportation is one vital sector receiving OPEC Fund support. A recent US$26 million commitment from the organization is financing the Kazilambwa-Chagu Road Upgrading Project.  The road is part of the 1,260 km east-west corridor, which links Tanzania’s two major ports of Dar Es Salaam in the east to Kigoma in the west. Improved connectivity will help increase agricultural and tourism-related activities and facilitate trade with neighboring Burundi and DR Congo.

  • Mohamed Salah Returns To Social Media With DHL Ad

    Mohamed Salah Returns To Social Media With DHL Ad

    Liverpool’s forward, Mohamed Salah has returned to social media today, followed by a photo post of himself opening a DHL package.

    Salah deactivated all his social media accounts two days ago, after a cryptic tweet that read “2019 Resolution: Time to get in touch, for real”. Which left fans wondering.

    However, speculations arose hours after he disappeared, saying that it’s a publicity stunt by DHL.

    Salah revealed the cooperation with DHL on all his social media accounts. While, the company posted a video captioned “We’ve reached Mo Salah and we can connect you to him!”.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    We’ve reached Mo Salah and we can connect you to him!

    A post shared by DHL Express Egypt (@dhlexpressegypt) on

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  • Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah deactivates all his social media accounts

    Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah deactivates all his social media accounts

    Mohamed Salah has taken down all his social media accounts after sending a cryptic tweet that read, “2019 Resolution: Time to get in touch, for real.”

    Mohamed Salah's Cryptic tweet
    Mohamed Salah’s Cryptic tweet

    As of today, his Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts have gone, leaving fans to wonder why.

    From his side, Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas, did not comment on the decision until now.

    Some speculated that this is part of a new commercial campaign by DHL, Vodafone, or Pepsi, while others think it’s related to a recent dispute with the Egyptian Football Association.

    Last year, the Egyptian FA used Salah’s image on the national team’s plane during the World Cup in June, causing damage to Salah’s contract with Vodafone, which holds exclusive rights to use his image.

  • beIN sports restores services in Egypt

    beIN sports restores services in Egypt

    Cable Network Egypt (CNE) said that beIN service has been restored in Egypt today afternoon by the source. The service was stopped for less than 24 hours due to a commercial dispute between CNE and beIN Media Group.

    CNE is the only authorized distributor of beIN Media Group channels in Egypt.

    Yesterday, beIN Sports said that its services will no longer be available in Egypt as of January 8. As a result of dispute with CNE over refusing to agree on reasonable commercial terms.

    beIN advised viewers in Egypt to subscribe through its online portal “beIN Connect” for a 50 percent discount.

    However, it requires a good internet connection to be able to stream beIN channels. Which is not easy in the country due to its weak internet infrastructure.

    In its short statement, CNE did not mention if they are behind the resolution.

    According to a source at beIN Media Group told MercatoDay that, the company has requested a decrease in CNE’s commission in the new contract renewal, to reduce the financial burden on subscribers in Egypt – he added that beIN sees that the company is accused of monopolizing the sports market and it doesn’t want to make it worse.

    beIN also sees that the amount charged by CNE for only representing the company in Egypt is overpriced.

    beIN’s request wasn’t met with an approval from the CNE side for almost three months, until yesterday when the company stopped the service. Source at beIN Media Group told MercatoDay.

    This situation came in a glory day for football in Egypt, as the country has been honored to host 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, and Mohamed Salah won African Player of the Year for the second year in a row.

  • Mohamed Salah wins African Player of the Year, again

    Mohamed Salah wins African Player of the Year, again

    Egypt and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been named the Confederation of African Football’s Player of the Year for second year in a row – during the award ceremony in Dakar, Senegal on Tuesday night.

    Salah defeated his Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to top the poll.

    Mohamed Salah wins African Player of the Year, again, Salah retains African Player of the Year Award
    Credit: CAF Online

    The annual award is decided by a voting panel made up of national team coaches and captains, in addition to a selection of journalists and officials.

    Salah won the Golden Boot for the 2017-18 Premier League season after scoring 32 goals in 36 appearances to set a record for most goals scored by a player in the modern league. Beating Harry Kane, Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva, Leroy Sane, and David de Gea, in the vote by Premier League players.

    He also was named the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year 2018 in England. He became the first Egyptian footballer to win the PFA prestigious award.

    On the national side, Salah fueled national sentiment as Egypt got to hear its first world games start-whistle in 28 years, as he scored a penalty in the injured-time to qualify Egypt for Russia’s World Cup after beating Congo 2-1.

    The Reds striker has so far scored 13 Premier League goals for the Reds this season.

    Salah moved to Chelsea from Basel in Switzerland in 2013, he quickly became unhappy with being with Chelsea, the club lent Salah to Italian outfits Fiorentina and Roma, then sold him to the latter club. Salah blossomed in Rome, averaging close to a goal every two matches, and Liverpool paid almost 37 million pounds (about $47 mn/41 mn euros) to sign him two years ago.

  • beIN Sports Stops Airing in Egypt Over Commercial Dispute with CNE

    beIN Sports Stops Airing in Egypt Over Commercial Dispute with CNE

    beIN Sports will no longer be available in Egypt as of January 8 – Said beIN Media Group Tuesday on Twitter. The company is unable to provide services on CNE, as a result of dispute with CNE over refusing to agree on reasonable commercial terms.

    Viewers in Egypt can still tune to beIN channels through Internet using beIN Connect service on smartphones and other devices.

    This comes hours after the CAF executive committee announced Egypt as the host of 2019 Africa Cup of Nations between June 15 and July 13.

    However, beIN has slashed its online subscription monthly fee with a 50 percent limited time offer. With only $10 instead of $18 per month you have online access to beIN CONNECT channels. Your subscription will include access to beIN SPORTS HD1 to HD17, in addition to: beIN GOURMET, beJUNIOR, Jeem TV and Baraem TV.

  • Mo Salah advert fires up Egyptians ahead of football games

    Mo Salah advert fires up Egyptians ahead of football games

    At the sound of war drums, a new advertising video featuring Mohamed Salah shows Egyptians replacing Ramadan lanterns with national flags, putting on the team’s t-shirts, gathering around TV screens at coffee shops, and filling up stadiums as they cheer on Egypt from their hearts. 

    “If you’ve got the legend, you shouldn’t be afraid,” says the voice-over of Essam El-Shawali. This famous Tunisian football commentator narrated the advert co-sponsored by both Vodafone Egypt and Pepsi.

    Fueling national sentiment on social media days before Egypt gets to hear its first world games start-whistle in 28 years, the Mohamed Salah advert went viral, generating 6 million views on Facebook and YouTube and more than 22.3K shares in just a few hours. 

    Vodafone launched an earlier campaign ahead of the football qualifying matches, asking Egyptians to stop talking football for two months to avoid jinxing the national team.

    Mohamed Salah is Vodafone Egypt’s brand ambassador for 2018 after signing an agreement with the mobile operator last December.

    An icon for youth in the country, Salah fits Vodafone Egypt’s rebranding strategy, which promotes optimism, trust and hope.

    Salah won the hearts and minds of Egyptians after scoring the golden goal that qualified Egypt for the upcoming world football matches for the first time in nearly three decades.

    Reported by Nermeen Salem, and Ahmed Maher and edited by Sara El-Khalili.