Category: Africa

MIL-OSI Africa: Condolences for family of Ashwin Trikamjee

Source: South Africa News Agency

Thursday, March 20, 2025

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed condolences on the passing of the President of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha and Chairperson of the National Religious Leaders’ Forum, Ashwin Trikamjee.

Amongst others, Trikamjee was an esteemed lawyer and a Black Consciousness Activist, who championed religious tolerance.

“Ashwin Trikamjee led a life of diverse pursuits, which he exercised to improve the lives of communities and the impact of organisations in which he served.

“We will miss his gentle, serene presence, wise counsel and humble yet industrious service to many sectors of our nation. May his soul rest in peace,” President Ramaphosa said.

In a press statement, the Presidency hailed Trikamjee’s service as President of the then Natal Law Society, President of the Association of Law Societies of SA, Chairperson of the African Regional Forum of the International Bar Association (IBA) and member of the Human Rights Committee of the IBA.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa is deeply saddened by the passing of Mr Ashwin Trikamjee, President of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha and Chairperson of the National Religious Leaders Forum. The President offers his condolences to the family, friends and associates of this outstanding icon of service to our nation who has passed on at the age of 80.

“As a Black Consciousness activist, he also led the Durban Central component of the Natal Indian Congress, and he was a Vice-President of the South African Football Association.

“Mr Trikamjee’s deep spiritual devotion extended beyond his Hindu affiliation as he advocated tolerance and collaboration among the diverse religious communities in our country,” the Presidency said. – SAnews.gov.za

Share this post:

MIL OSI Africa –

March 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Draft Transformation Fund Concept document out for public comment
Source: South Africa News Agency

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau has published the Draft Transformation Fund concept document for a 30-day public commentary period.

Members of the public and interested parties are invited to make inputs and comments on the Draft Concept from 20 March until 7 May.

The aim of the fund is to aggregate Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) funds in support of the participation, transformation and sustainability of black-owned enterprises in the economy.

“This provides an opportunity for the seventh administration, working with the private sector, to increase the effective economic participation of black-owned and managed enterprises, including small, medium and micro enterprises and co-operatives, and enhance their access to financial and non-financial support in line with the requirement of the B-BBEE Act,” Tau said.

It is expected that an amount of R100 billion will be aggregated over the term of the current administration through a joint effort by government, in partnership with the private sector.

“We firmly are in pursuit to transform the economy, as guided by the Vision 2030 of the National Development Plan, which is to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality. Our Constitutional imperative places a collective burden on all of us to advocate for equality and redress,” Tau said.

The objectives of the fund are as follows:
- Promote economic transformation in order to enable meaningful participation of black people in the economy.
- Improve access to funding for black-owned and controlled enterprises.
- Empower and support black-owned and controlled enterprises participation in value chains across key sectors of the economy.
- Mobilise financial resources from the private and public sector using B-BBEE legislation.
- The Minister would like to affirm that the requirements of the Fund are no additional requirements for entities over and above what currently exists in the B-BBEE policy.
The B-BBEE policy, through the Codes of Good Practice, requires that entities must contribute through ESD in the 3% of Net Profit After Tax (NPAT) to the development of black suppliers, black industrialists and SMMEs to broaden the industrial and services base of the country.

“Through the Transformation Fund, we maintain this principle of establishing a partnership between established businesses and emerging businesses, as well as diversification of suppliers within the value chains, as contained in the B-BBEE Codes.

“However, we would like to see much more impact and spending on relevant ESD activities that must lead to growth and sustainability of black-owned enterprises and SMMEs by having a coordinated effort,” Tau said.

Particular attention will be given to businesses owned by women, youth and people living with disabilities, especially those based in rural and township areas.

These groups have historically faced significant barriers to economic participation, and the challenges of unequal access to resources and opportunities remain deeply entrenched in South African society.

“Their meaningful participation in key sectors of the economy, such as manufacturing, agriculture and tourism, is vital for stimulation of economic activities across all regions of our country with their unique potential.

“We will be putting in place governance structures that will ensure that there is accountability to both government and the private sector, transparency and efficiency in managing the fund.

“We will be establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle that will have accountability to an Oversight Committee and a board with the required skills and capacity.

“During the 30-day commentary period, we will be having sessions with stakeholder to create awareness, while soliciting more inputs,” Tau said. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –
March 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Serial hijacker arrested in KwaZulu-Natal

Source: South Africa News Agency

Thursday, March 20, 2025

A serial hijacker linked to a number of vehicle theft and hijacking cases has been tracked, traced and arrested in Emanguzi, KwaZulu-Natal.

The serial offender was previously arrested and convicted in five separate cases in Gauteng and Mpumalanga.

On Monday, the Emanguzi Task Team arrested the 41-year-old suspect, a Mozambican, and seized a stolen truck and two trailers.

A preliminary report suggests the suspect was travelling along Thandizwe on the R22 when the team stopped the driver to inspect the truck. Upon inspection, the team detected that the truck had false number plates from a neighbouring country.

Further investigations revealed the truck is positively linked to a truck hijacking case reported to SAPS Nigel in March 2025.

At the time of his arrest, the suspect was out on bail on two other cases for similar crimes committed in Alberton and Bedfordview, which include possession of a presumed stolen vehicle and truck hijacking.

In a concerted effort to deal with cross-border crimes along the northern border of KZN, a national intervention was established involving SAPS members from various disciplines that include crime intelligence, proactive and reactive policing units and detectives.

The identified cross-border crimes include, among others, theft of motor vehicles, house robberies, business robberies, hijacking of vehicles, murder and attempted murder. – SAnews.gov.za

Share this post:

MIL OSI Africa –

March 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Public urged to be vigilant as more mpox cases detected in Gauteng

Source: South Africa News Agency

The Department of Health has urged the public to remain vigilant regarding symptoms of mpox, as three additional laboratory-confirmed cases of the disease have been identified in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.

The newly confirmed cases include a 38-year-old man, who sought treatment at a healthcare facility due to symptoms of mpox.

The other two cases involve a 14-year-old boy and a 33-year-old woman, both of whom have been in contact with the first patient.

“None of the patients have recent travel history to countries or regions currently experiencing an outbreak, which suggests there is ongoing local transmission of the virus in the country,” the department explained.

In addition, the department announced that all three new mpox patients also tested positive for a relatively unknown, but common virus known as herpes simplex virus (HSV).

“This is a viral infection that causes painful blisters or ulcers which mainly spreads through skin-to-skin contact including kissing and unprotected sex, hence consistent and correct use of condoms remains the best way to prevent genital herpes and other STIs [sexually transmitted infections].”

According to the department, the virus is generally asymptomatic, and treatable, but not curable.

The department believes that the recent cases highlight the necessity of rapid and well-coordinated contact tracing for early detection and effective management of positive cases.

The latest cases have increased the total number of positive cases from 28 to 31, since the outbreak began in May 2024. This total includes six cases recorded since the beginning of this year.

The department said the patients are currently self-isolating and receiving appropriate clinical management from the healthcare workers.

Meanwhile, the department has activated outbreak response teams in the province for contact tracing and case investigation in the affected areas.

Mpox is typically a mild and self-limiting disease with a low case fatality rate.

“The risk of wider transmission remains low in South Africa, but anyone can contract mpox regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation and race.”

The symptoms include a rash which may last for two to four weeks, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen glands. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

March 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: EThekwini Municipality commits to building houses for flood victims

Source: South Africa News Agency

EThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba says the city remains committed to ensuring that permanent houses are built for the families affected by the recent floods.

Speaking at during an Executive Council (Exco) meeting held this week, Xaba reported that between 19 February and 15 March 2025, the recurring floods have claimed the lives of 15 people and caused extensive damage to infrastructure.

Xaba said the report received from the Joint Operations Centre indicated that 1 452 houses and 5 939 people were affected. The worst affected areas include Inanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu, Pinetown, KwaDabeka and Lamontville.

Xaba conveyed the council’s heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased, saying that the city is working with the bereaved families to ensure that their loved ones receive a dignified burial.

“Together with the Premier [Thamsanqa Ntuli] and the Chairperson of Trading Services, Mduduzi Nkosi, we visited the affected families in Inanda and Lamontville, including those who have been relocated to family-friendly accommodation in the inner-city. As… [the three spheres of] government, we are committed to ensuring that permanent houses are built for these families,” Xaba said.

However, Xaba noted the challenges encountered in building permanent houses in identified sites.

He said the existing community members are not cooperating, either because they themselves are flood victims who have not been allocated houses, or they do not want low-cost houses in their neighbourhood.

“As the rains persist, we will continue to face the shortage of land to resettle flood victims, considering that the city has 603 informal settlements and some of them are located in flood-prone areas. Working together, we must intensify public awareness campaigns urging people not to settle in flood plains because the frequency and intensity of floods, due to climate change, poses a huge risk to human lives and infrastructure,” Xaba said.

Since 2017, the city has been experiencing recurring floods, and this has put a huge strain on the city’s water drainage system.

In eThekwini, stormwater systems are designed to handle a “1-in-10-year” storm event, Xaba said.

“Our large canals and river protection works are built to withstand 1-in-50 or 1-in-100-year storm events. In the last two months, we have been experiencing heavy downpours that we would ordinarily receive in every 20 – 40 years.

“It is in this context that we must continue to urge members of the community to dispose of waste in designated places so that during heavy rains, the same waste does not clog our drainage system and flood our homes,” Xaba said. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

March 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Today is D-day for SASSA gold cards

Source: South Africa News Agency

Social grant beneficiaries who have not replaced their South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) gold cards with the new Postbank black cards, have been urged to do so.

On 20 March 2025, SASSA gold cards will be deactivated and beneficiaries who have not yet transitioned to the new Postbank black cards, may face disruptions in making transactions from the card.

The beneficiaries will also not be able to use the SASSA gold cards to make any transaction, even if they have funds in their account.

However, Postbank will continue to replace SASSA gold cards with new Postbank black cards in all its card replacement sites, even after this date.

Postbank and SASSA have assured that all social grant beneficiaries will continue to be paid, including all the social grant beneficiaries who have not been able to get their black cards.

Beneficiaries are urged to note that the Post Office branch payments will be restricted to social grant beneficiaries that are yet to replace their SASSA gold cards, asylum seekers and Postbank green Mzansi/blue cards’ grant beneficiaries.

Beneficiaries who already have Postbank black cards are urged to use their card through ATMs and retailers to access their funds.

The initial deadline for this transition was set for 28 February 2025 but was extended to 20 March 2025 to provide beneficiaries with additional time to make the switch.

The new Postbank Black Cards can be obtained at various retailers, including Checkers, Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Usave, and Boxer. To receive a new card, beneficiaries need to present a valid South African ID or a temporary ID.

Postbank has also made it easy for beneficiaries to locate the nearest place in every province where they can collect their Postbank Black Cards. Beneficiaries can use their cellphones to:

Dial: *120*355#

To continue, reply by pressing number: 1

Reply with the number representing the province you live in.

The new Postbank Black Cards offer several benefits, including improved security features, one free card replacement per year, three free withdrawals in stores per month, and one free monthly statement over the counter. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

March 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Human Rights Festival celebrates liberation heroes

Source: South Africa News Agency

Constitution Hill will this weekend host one of Gauteng’s key events – the 2025 Human Rights Festival from 20 to 23 March 2025.

“Celebrating it’s 7th year, the event invites the public to commemorate South Africa’s Human Rights Day and celebrate the memory of those liberation heroes who took a stand for human rights in the Sharpeville 1960 massacre.

“The festival aims to build greater awareness and knowledge around human rights and to promote the importance of an active citizenry,” said Constitution Hill in a statement.

This as South Africa marks Human Rights Day on 21 March 2025. Deputy President Paul Mashatile will on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa, deliver the keynote address at the commemoration event scheduled to take place at the Derrick Ferreira Stadium, in Kariega.

The 2025 Human Rights Festival serves as both a global inspiration and a display of the strength of South Africa’s ubuntu culture in working towards a just and inclusive society.

Civil society organisations have worked with Constitution Hill to shape a unique programme for the event.

Hosted on the apron of the Constitutional Court and using venues in the Old Fort and Women’s Jail, the festival will bring together a public audience; community-based organisations; social movements; government and non-governmental organisations, and international organisations.

The four-day event is free to all and gates open at 10h00 on all three days.

On Thursday, Gauteng MEC for Economic Development Lebogang Maile will deliver a powerful public lecture at Constitution Hill’s Women’s Jail Museum to honour the life and legacy of Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

The opening of Qhakaza: Pain Undefined Curated by Gift Kgosierileng, explores how Mama Winnie Mandela used fashion as a form of resistance and empowerment.

“Through carefully selected pieces, photographs, and multimedia installations, the exhibition highlights how her iconic style became a tool for reclaiming agency and asserting dignity in the face of systemic oppression,” said the statement.

There will also be non-governmental organisation (NGO) capacity building sessions; learners programs and public dialogue sessions. The day will end with an NGO and film makers networking session.

On Friday, the official opening ceremony will include the 1000 Drums for Solidarity. Drumming serves as a powerful tool to amplify marginalised voices and foster solidarity within community groups.

There will be multiple interactive sessions including workshops and dialogues; family fun at the children’s village; a local authors book fair and book readings; film festival showcasing local and global talent; live poetry segments and a curated maker’s market.

A live show will take place from 17h00 – 21h00, headlined by renowned jazz artist Mandisi Dyantyis.

On Sunday, Constitution Hill invites the public to the last day of the event to take a stand and join together for Human Rights in the 8km WeThePeopleWalk Walk through the city with a fun filled program kicking off from 7am.

The walk will return back to the site for various activities and a local makers market.

The festival takes place at Constitution Hill, formerly a site of prisons, where many great liberation leaders were incarcerated.

Today Constitution Hill has been transformed into a beacon of light for democracy and social justice. A living museum that executes multiple education, creative development, human rights and constitutional public programs throughout the year.

For more information visits www.humanrightsfestival.co.za. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

March 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Plantation initiatives provide job opportunities

Source: South Africa News Agency

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has announced initiatives that will significantly contribute to the sustainable management of South Africa’s plantations while creating employment opportunities.

Through such initiatives, 1461 workers have been employed through the Expanded Public Works Programme, providing the communities within these plantations much-needed work opportunities in Category B and C plantations located in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

“These initiatives reflect our unwavering commitment to sustainable forestry management practices and dedication to fostering economic opportunities in communities across these regions,” George said on Thursday.

The first initiative is the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s (DFFE) commitment to planting 1 800 hectares annually.

It’s part of the department’s strategy to reduce temporary unplanted areas, enhance productivity, and contribute to fibre security in South Africa.

“By addressing temporary unplanted areas, we envision that our efforts will not only strengthen the forestry sector but will also stimulate economic growth in surrounding communities through job creation and other socio-economic benefits.

“The department remains committed to promoting the long-term sustainability of South Africa’s plantations while ensuring tangible benefits for communities living near these forestry areas,” the Minister said.

The second initiative, also linked to the sustainable management of plantations, is the maintenance of land through strategic silvicultural 1 practices in plantations where the target has increased from 2 100 to 6 500 hectares from the 2025/26 financial year.
This represents an increase of over 200%.

These silvicultural activities, which include fire risk reduction, pest and disease management, timber quality improvement, and enhanced accessibility within compartments, are essential to ensuring the long-term sustainability and productivity of these plantations.’

By implementing these measures, the department aims to improve the value of standing timber, safeguard plantation ecosystems, and support the broader forestry industry.

These efforts will also stimulate rural economic growth in surrounding communities through job creation and the protection of vital natural resources. –SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

March 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Nelson Mandela Bay sails to cruise industry growth

Source: South Africa News Agency

The strong working relationship between the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) and local tour guides and operators, has proven to be the key driving force for the booming cruise tourism industry within the city.

According to the Tourist Guide Association of Mandela Bay (TGAMB), which represents the tour guides and operators within Nelson Mandela Bay, the industry has seen drastic growth post-COVID-19, due to the ongoing good working relationship with the municipality.

Luxolo Kanti confirmed that huge strides have been made within the tourism industry, with the “cruise industry as the catalyst and gateway” to the region’s broader tourism growth.

Kanti noted that the association, working with the municipality to rebuild the cruise industry, has seen more diversity and inclusiveness.

“A lot of emerging tour guides and operators have managed to get into the industry and thrive. Through a number of training programmes and workshops we have received on areas like Digital Marketing, Tourism Best Practice and Packaging of Cruise Tourism in South Africa, we have managed to acquire skills to market both the city and our businesses to attract more people to venture into the cruise tourism experience across the world,” he said.

Kanti also commended the municipality’s openness to the industry’s advice and contributions in policy development.
“In as much as we have made strides, there are still areas we need to improve on, both as the industry and the municipality, so that we can be competitive against other major cities.”

Successes

Highlighting the success of the current cruise season, NMBM mayor, Babalwa Lobishe said Nelson Mandela Bay has already received 34 cruise vessels which docked at the city’s ports, from the 45 scheduled for the season which started in November last year.

“In March alone, there has been seven cruise vessel dock-ins and five overnight stays, with three vessels still expected for this month. During the current cruise season, there will be 15 cruise vessels that will stay for more than one day. The cruise vessels for this season are expected to spend a combined total of 61 days,” Lobishe said.

The mayor also announced that the current cruise season is expected to generate significant economic benefits for the region, with a forecasted R100 million in economic spin-offs, an increase from R85 million during the 2023/24 season.

“This forecast is based on the anticipated 50 000 passengers who will be spending on tours, dining, shopping, and other cultural and heritage experiences across Nelson Mandela Bay. This influx of visitors will not only boost our local economy but also showcase the rich diversity and vibrant culture of our city,” the mayor said.

Appeal

In line with the city’s Tourism Master Plan, several initiatives are being pursued to enhance the region’s tourism appeal. These include the development of new cultural and heritage routes, the promotion of township tourism through community forums, and the expansion of events strategies aimed at attracting international visitors.

Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture, Bassie Kamana, emphasised the municipality’s commitment to ensuring that the city remains a top destination for tourists and a thriving community for the residents.

According to Kamana, part of the work that the NMBM Tourism Sub-Directorate is doing is to create a conducive environment for the cruise industry to optimise on regional economic opportunities.

“Working with the vast tourism industry stakeholders, the metro encourages passengers to explore the full breadth of the region, including private game reserves, cultural and heritage sites, and local businesses.

“This is done to make sure that passengers do not just sleep over in the metro, but spend funds, explore and experience the region’s tourist attractions and create unforgettable memories,” Kamana said.

The MMC added that working with its development entity Mandela Bay Development Agency, Transnet, Eastern Cape Tourism, and other stakeholders, it has made strategic infrastructure investments to improve port facilities, tourism products and heritage sites. This is so as to ensure a seamless and welcoming experience for cruise tourists.

The NMBM has also paid special attention to tourist safety and hospitality by training and recruiting youth with a tourism background to work as tourism ambassadors. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

March 21, 2025

MIL-OSI: Orezone Gold Reports Record Revenue and Net Income for 2024

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Orezone Gold Corporation (TSX: ORE, OTCQX: ORZCF) (“Orezone” or “Company”) is pleased to report its operational and financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024, and its 2025 guidance. All dollar amounts are in USD unless otherwise indicated and abbreviation “M” means million.

Highlights

Q4-2024 gold production of 36,502 oz, a 37% increase from the previous quarter.
2024 gold production of 118,746 oz, exceeding the mid-point of guidance.
AISC per oz sold of $1,273 for Q4-2024 and $1,447 for 2024.
Record revenue of $283.5M from the sale of 118,697 gold oz at an average realized price of $2,384 per oz in 2024. Gold sales remain unhedged to rising gold prices.
2024 Adjusted EBITDA of $117.2M, Net Income attributable to Orezone shareholders of $55.7M and Earnings per Share attributable to Orezone shareholders of $0.14 and $0.13 on a basic and diluted basis, respectively.
Liquidity of $103.2M at year-end with cash of $74.0M and undrawn debt of $29.2M available to finance 2025 growth plans.
Stage 1 of hard rock expansion progress continues with first gold on track for Q4-2025.
Advancing work towards a secondary listing on the Australian Securities Exchange in mid-2025.

Patrick Downey, President and CEO, commented “Strong Q4-2024 gold production of 36,502 oz helped deliver another record year for revenue of $283.5 million and net income of $64.1 million while meeting annual production guidance for a second consecutive year. Importantly, Orezone commenced construction of its hard rock expansion in the second half of 2024, a main step towards sustained production growth and setting the foundation for a transformational 2025 where we expect to pour first gold on this brownfield expansion in Q4-2025. First stage of the hard rock expansion is expected to increase the Company’s annual gold production to 170,000 – 185,000 oz in 2026.

With continued strong gold prices and the closing of recent financings, the Company is well-placed to make further strategic investments in its Bomboré Mine by undertaking additional discovery-focused exploration on high potential targets and evaluating an accelerated start to the second stage of the hard rock expansion which would further increase annual gold production to 220,000 – 250,000 oz.

The accomplishments achieved in 2024 is a testament to the strength of our team underpinned by the support of our community and government partners, and new and existing shareholders. We remain steadfast in our goal of creating lasting value for all stakeholders.”

Highlights for Fourth Quarter and Year Ended December 31, 2024 and Significant Subsequent Events

(All mine site figures on a 100% basis)		Q4-2024	Q4-2023	FY2024	FY2023
Operating Performance
Gold production	oz	36,502	33,916	118,746	141,425
Gold sales	oz	34,833	33,782	118,697	139,696
Average realized gold price	$/oz	2,632	1,986	2,384	1,940
Cash costs per gold ounce sold¹	$/oz	1,077	1,083	1,233	972
All-in sustaining costs¹ (“AISC”) per gold ounce sold	$/oz	1,273	1,246	1,447	1,127
Financial Performance
Revenue	$000s	91,837	67,580	283,517	271,491
Earnings from mine operations	$000s	45,321	16,108	117,710	97,150
Net income attributable to shareholders of Orezone¹	$000s	30,091	4,012	55,711	43,146
Net income per common share attributable to shareholders of Orezone
Basic	$	0.06	0.01	0.14	0.12
Diluted	$	0.06	0.01	0.13	0.12
EBITDA¹	$000s	48,139	15,308	128,307	108,418
Adjusted EBITDA¹	$000s	45,058	26,702	117,233	120,036
Adjusted earnings attributable to shareholders of Orezone¹	$000s	27,550	14,267	45,977	53,665
Adjusted earnings per share attributable to shareholders of Orezone¹	$	0.06	0.04	0.11	0.15
Cash and Cash Flow Data
Operating cash flow before changes in working capital	$000s	52,520	28,167	98,444	123,029
Operating cash flow	$000s	28,020	13,891	57,697	79,950
Free cash flow¹	$000s	12,543	682	11,725	36,172
Cash, end of period	$000s	74,021	19,483	74,021	19,483

¹ Cash costs, AISC, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted earnings, Adjusted earnings per share, and Free cash flow are non-IFRS measures. See “Non-IFRS Measures” section below for additional information.

Full Year 2024 Highlights

Outstanding Safety Performance: 5.4M hours worked without a lost-time injury and a low total recordable injury frequency rate of 0.75.
Strong Liquidity: Available liquidity of $103.2M at year-end with $74.0M in cash and XOF 17.5 billion ($29.2M) available to be drawn on the Phase II debt facility with Coris Bank International (“Coris Bank”). The Company is well-funded to carry out its 2025 growth plans including the completion of stage 1 of the Phase II hard rock expansion and a minimum 20,000 m diamond drilling exploration program.
Gold Production Guidance Achieved: Gold production of 118,746 oz which exceeded the mid-point of guidance, marking the second consecutive year that the Bomboré Mine has met production guidance since the start up of operations.
AISC Per Oz Within Updated Guidance: AISC per oz of $1,447 was within the updated guidance range with operating costs impacted by higher-than-anticipated government royalties and power costs. Relative to original guidance, government royalties were $31 per oz higher due to a better realized gold price and power costs were $57 per oz higher from lower-than-normal grid availability due to regional power issues in the H1-2024. These two cost overrun contributors were both out of the Company’s control and if their cost impacts were removed, original AISC guidance of $1,300 per oz to $1,375 per oz would have been met.
Record Annual Revenue: Revenue of $283.5M from the sale of 118,697 gold oz at a realized gold price of $2,384 per oz. The Company’s gold sales remain unhedged to rising gold prices.
Record EBITDA, Net Income, and Earnings Per Share: Reported record EBITDA of $128.3M and net income attributable to Orezone shareholders of $55.7M, primarily driven by a 23% increase in the realized gold price from the prior year. Net income per share attributable to Orezone shareholders was a record $0.14 per share on a basic basis and $0.13 per share on a diluted basis.
Continued Free Cash Flow Generation: Generated free cash flow of $11.7M with cash flow from operating activities totalling $98.4M after deducting taxes paid of $26.2M but before changes in non-cash working capital. Non-cash working capital increased by $40.7M primarily from the build-up of VAT receivables and long-term ore stockpiles. Cash flow used in investing activities totalled $46.0M as capital expenditures remained elevated as the Company executes on its growth initiatives including the Phase II hard rock expansion.
Phase II Hard Rock Expansion on Track for First Gold in 2025: The Company’s Board approved a positive construction decision on stage 1 of the Phase II hard rock expansion on July 10, 2024 after the Company had secured $105M in binding debt and equity commitments described below for the construction. Under stage 1, a 2.5M tonnes per annum (“tpa”) process plant will be built to recover gold from hard rock mineral reserves which is expected to increase future production levels by 50% to over 170,000 oz per annum. First gold for stage 1 of the Phase II expansion remains on track for Q4-2025 with commercial production expected shortly thereafter in early 2026.
Phase I Debt Reduced, Bridge Loan Repaid, and Phase II Expansion Financing Secured: Principal repayments totalling XOF 24.0 billion ($39.3M) were made on the Company’s senior borrowings with Coris Bank, including the extinguishment of the XOF 12.0 billion ($19.8M) bridge loan. On August 8, 2024, the Company completed a non-brokered private placement for net proceeds of C$64.8M ($47.3M) with a new cornerstone investor, Nioko Resources Corporation (“Nioko”), a leading West African investment group. On December 19, 2024, the Company successfully upsized its senior debt facility with Coris Bank through a new term loan for XOF 35.0 billion ($58.3M) (“Phase II Term Loan”) to be drawn in multiple tranches as construction progresses. The Company made its first drawdown of XOF 17.5 billion ($27.9M) on the Phase II Term Loan in December 2024.
Multi-year Exploration Drill Program Initiated: In August 2024, the Company initiated a multi-year discovery focused drill program with an initial 30,000 m of drilling designed to test the broader size and scale of the Bomboré mineralized system. Initial results from drilling at the North Zone intercepted mineralization 240 m below the current reserve pit limit, including 1.67 g/t gold over 46.00 m, demonstrating the continuity and robustness of the mineralized system at depth, both in terms of grade and overall width (see October 10, 2024 news release).

Q4-2024 Highlights

Gold Production: Quarterly gold production of 36,502 oz increased 37% from Q3-2024 as a result of record plant throughput and improved head grades. Mining extended to Siga East and Siga South pits for a full quarter which contributed a greater blend of soft oxide ore at higher grades to the mill feed.
AISC Per Oz: AISC per oz sold was $1,273 per oz, a 23% decrease from Q3-2024, driven mainly by improved gold production as a result of higher grades and better plant throughput.
EBITDA, Net Income, and Earnings Per Share: Reported EBITDA of $48.1M and net income attributable to Orezone shareholders of $30.1M. Net income per share attributable to Orezone shareholders was $0.06 per share on both a basic and diluted basis.
Free Cash Flow: Generated free cash flow of $12.5M with cash flow from operating activities totalling $52.5M after deducting taxes paid of $6.3M but before changes in non-cash working capital. Cash flow used in investing activities totalled $15.5M as expenditures for the Phase II hard rock expansion began to ramp up.

Events Subsequent to 2024 Year-End

Bought Deal Offering: On March 13, 2025, the Company closed on a public offering of common shares on a bought deal basis with Canaccord Genuity Corp. (“Canaccord”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell 42,683,000 common shares at a price of C$0.82 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of C$35,000,060. Net proceeds from the offering will be used to conduct early works for stage 2 of the Phase II hard rock expansion and for additional exploration. Under stage 2, processing capacity of the hard rock plant will double from the 2.5Mtpa design in stage 1 to 5.0Mtpa after completion of stage 2.
Over-allotment Exercise: Canaccord has exercised its over-allotment in full on the bought deal offering and has agreed to purchase an additional 6,402,450 common shares at a price of C$0.82 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of C$5,250,009. The purchase of shares from the over-allotment closed on March 19, 2025.
Private Placement with Nioko: The Company has announced that Nioko intends to acquire, on a non-brokered private placement basis, for 10,719,659 additional common shares at a price of C$0.82 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of C$8,790,121 to maintain its 19.9% share ownership (before the over-allotment exercise). Closing of this private placement is subject to approval of the TSX and is anticipated to occur in late March 2025.
Intention to List on the Australian Securities Exchange (“ASX”): The Company intends to pursue a secondary listing on the ASX by mid-2025, subject to market conditions and the satisfaction of ASX listing requirements as announced in its February 23, 2025 press release. The Company believes a dual listing on the ASX will increase trading liquidity and allow it to access a deeper pool of investors, including specialist mining focused funds.

2024 Performance and 2025 Guidance

2024 Performance Compared Against Guidance

Bomboré Mine (100% basis)	Unit	Original FY2024 Guidance	Revised FY2024 Guidance⁴	FY2024 Actuals
Gold production	Au oz	110,000 – 125,000	Unchanged	118,746
All-In Sustaining Costs¹²³	$/oz Au sold	$1,300 – $1,375	$1,400 – $1,475	$1,447
Sustaining capital¹²	$M	$14 – $15	Unchanged	$16.0
Growth capital – non Phase II Expansion¹²	$M	$16 – $17	Unchanged	$17.6
Growth capital – Phase II Expansion early works¹²	$M	No guidance provided	$3.6	$3.6
Growth capital – Phase II Expansion¹²	$M	No guidance provided	$15.0 – $18.0	$15.3

Non-IFRS measures. See “Non-IFRS Measures” section below for additional information.
Foreign exchange rates used to forecast cost metrics include XOF/USD of 600 and CAD/USD of 1.30.
Government royalties of $160/oz included in original AISC guidance based on an assumed gold price of $2,000 per oz. Government royalties of $200/oz were estimated in the revised AISC guidance from a better gold price realized.
Revised guidance details presented in Q3-2024 MD&A.

2025 Guidance

Bomboré Mine (100% basis)	Unit	FY2025 Guidance
Gold production	Au oz	115,000 – 130,000
All-In Sustaining Costs¹²³	$/oz Au sold	$1,400 – $1,500
Sustaining capital¹²	$M	$9 – $10
Growth capital (excluding Phase II Expansion)¹²	$M	$44 – $51
Growth capital – Stage 1 of Phase II Expansion¹²	$M	$75 – $80

Non-IFRS measure. See “Non-IFRS Measures” section below for additional information.
Foreign exchange rates used to forecast cost metrics include XOF/USD of 600 and CAD/USD of 1.35.
Government royalties included in AISC guidance based on an assumed gold price of $2,600 per oz.

Gold production in 2025 is forecasted to range between 115,000 to 130,000 oz, with the highest production expected in the fourth quarter from the scheduled start-up of the Phase II hard rock plant. Projected gold production from hard rock reserves is between 5,000 to 10,000 oz with actual production dependent on the timing and ramp-up of the new hard rock circuit. Gold production from the existing Phase I oxide plant is guided between 110,000 to 120,000 oz, similar to that achieved in 2024.

Mining will be concentrated within three main pits delivering most of the direct feed ore with the H pit in the North Zone, and the Siga East and Siga South pits in the South Zone. The 2025 mine plan calls for 22.4M tonnes to be mined by the mining contractor at a strip ratio of approximately 1.8. The mining contractor placed new excavators, dump trucks, and support equipment into service in November 2024 and is organizing to mobilize additional equipment to site later this year in preparation for the start-up of hard rock mining.

AISC in 2025 is expected to range between $1,400 to $1,500 per oz sold. AISC per oz is expected to be comparable to 2024 with a small decrease in head grades, an increased strip ratio, and greater government royalties from a higher assumed gold price offset by lower sustaining capital, higher grid utilization, and higher plant throughput from fewer power interruptions and enhanced maintenance practices.

Sustaining capital is budgeted to fall within the range of $9M to $10M with expenditures directed towards the completion of tailings storage facility (“TSF”) stage 4 lift, extension of the main haul road and perimeter fencing at the southern end of the mining permit, and other capital improvements to the process plant, camp, and mine support equipment and facilities.

Growth capital is expected to range between $119M to $131M on four major growth projects:

No.	Growth Capital Description	Unit	FY2025 Guidance
I.	Phase II Hard Rock Expansion – Stage 1	$M	$75 – $80
II.	Permanent Back-up Diesel Power Plant	$M	$22 – $24
III.	TSF Footprint Expansion – Cell 2	$M	$11 – $13
IV.	Resettlement Action Plan (“RAP”)	$M	$11 – $14
	Growth Capital Total	$M	$119 – $131

	Phase II Hard Rock Expansion – Stage 2	$M	No guidance provided

The Company has reserved guidance on 2025 expenditures for stage 2 of the Phase II hard rock expansion until the Company’s Board of Directors has issued a final investment decision to proceed with stage 2 expected later this year. Stage 2 would increase annual gold production to 220,000 – 250,000 oz.

I. Phase II Hard Rock Expansion – Stage 1

A new 2.5Mtpa hard rock plant to process fresh and lower transition ore is currently under construction and once completed, will operate in tandem with the existing Phase I oxide plant. The current flowsheet for stage 1 of this brownfield expansion consists of a primary jaw crusher, an 18-hour crushed ore stockpile, a single stage 9MW SAG mill, hydrocyclones, and a carbon-in-leach (“CIL”) circuit consisting of five 15.8 m diameter leach tanks. Loaded carbon will be treated in the shared gold recovery circuit, producing gold doré bars from the existing gold room. Tailings from the CIL circuit will be pumped into the expanded tailings facility.

The Company completed a comprehensive review of the construction progress and costing as part of its annual budgeting exercise for 2025. From this review, schedule to first gold remains in Q4-2025 with a project budget of $90M – $95M with $75M – $80M forecasted in 2025.

II. Permanent Back-Up Diesel Power Plant

A new diesel power plant will be installed to provide continuous power to both the Phase I oxide plant and Phase II hard rock plant when the national grid is unavailable or unable to provide stable power.

Following a competitive tender, the Company awarded the engineering, supply, installation, and commissioning of this new power plant to Africa Power Services (“APS”). APS will supply 18 Caterpillar diesel gensets with 1.8MW rated capacity each that will function as back-up units to the grid to meet the 18MW to 20MW load demand of both processing circuits. This new power plant is scheduled for final commissioning in October 2025 and will replace the APS genset rentals that are currently providing power on a back-up basis.

III. TSF Footprint Expansion – Cell 2

The TSF starter dam over the Cell 1 footprint was completed prior to the start of processing operations in 2022. Lifts of the Cell 1 embankment walls have been completed each year to add storage to hold the volume of tailings expected to be generated by the mine for the upcoming year. The stage 4 lift is currently in progress and is slated for completion in June 2025 with costs captured under sustaining capital.

To optimize costs of future tailings lifts and to meet the higher annual storage requirements from the Phase II hard rock expansion, work to expand the TSF footprint southwards into Cell 2 will begin in 2025 and continue into 2026, and include the HDPE lining of the Cell 2 basin and installation of underdrainage to improve water recovery and dam stability. Cell 2 will cover the ultimate TSF footprint and is designed to ensure that future annual lifts will provide sufficient storage of tailings generated each year by the combined oxide and expanded stage 2 (5Mtpa) hard rock operations.

IV. Resettlement Action Plan – Phases II, III, and IV

RAP Phases II and III commenced in 2023 and will see the construction of three new resettlement communities (MV3, MV2, and BV2) to help relocate households occupying areas within the southern half of the Bomboré mining permit. Both MV3 and MV2 were successfully completed in 2024 followed by the start of BV2 construction in late 2024.

RAP Phase IV was presented as part of the Environment Social Impact Assessment (“ESIA”) submitted by the Company in 2024 to expand the current mining permit by an additional 5.56 km².

Construction costs of $8.0M to $10.0M are forecasted in 2025 to complete the remaining construction of BV2 by October 2025 and for the anticipated start of RAP Phase IV construction in Q4-2025. RAP costs of $3.0M to $4.0M are estimated for compensation, consultants, relocation allowances, and livelihood restoration programs.

Revenue Protection Program for 2025

The Company has implemented a low-cost revenue protection program for approximately half of its forecasted gold production in 2025 by purchasing 60,000 oz of put options with a strike price of $2,300 per oz at a cost of $0.8M. These options were acquired in November 2024 from a leading Canadian chartered bank and are structured as a monthly program of 5,000 oz options with option expiries at each month-end.

The purchase of put options allows the Company to secure margin on its gold sales should gold prices fall significantly while retaining full upside to rising gold prices. The Company invested in these put options due to the large capital programs planned for 2025.

Bomboré Gold Mine, Burkina Faso (100% Basis)

Operating Highlights		Q4-2024		Q4-2023		FY2024	FY2023
Safety
Lost-time injuries frequency rate	per 1M hrs	0.00		0.00		0.00	0.00
Personnel-hours worked	000s hours	1,326		1,301		5,366	4,394
Mining Physicals
Ore tonnes mined	tonnes	2,063,262		2,883,006		7,889,973	9,247,175
Waste tonnes mined	tonnes	2,655,783		3,048,669		11,921,398	11,237,079
Total tonnes mined	tonnes	4,719,045		5,931,675		19,811,370	20,484,254
Strip ratio	waste:ore	1.29		1.06		1.51	1.22
Processing Physicals
Ore tonnes milled	tonnes	1,652,844		1,449,769		5,928,599	5,749,163
Head grade milled	Au g/t	0.77		0.82		0.71	0.85
Recovery rate	%	89.1		88.9		88.2	90.4
Gold produced	Au oz	36,502		33,916		118,746	141,425
Unit Cash Cost
Mining cost per tonne	$/tonne	3.50		3.05		3.49	3.01
Mining cost per ore tonne processed	$/tonne	7.37		6.31		8.44	6.77
Processing cost	$/tonne	7.00		10.84		8.27	10.14
Site general and admin (“G&A”) cost	$/tonne	4.07		4.85		3.90	3.95
Cash cost per ore¹tonne processed	$/tonne	18.44		22.00		20.61	20.86
Cash Costs and AISC Details
Mining cost (net of stockpile movements)	$000s	12,174		9,146		50,008	38,932
Processing cost	$000s	11,563		15,719		49,049	58,285
Site G&A cost	$000s	6,719		7,036		23,124	22,707
Refining and transport cost	$000s	193		141		497	519
Government royalty cost	$000s	7,512		5,163		22,739	17,508
Gold inventory movements	$000s	(647	)	(606	)	892	(2,190	)
Cash costs on a sales basis	$000s	37,514		36,599		146,309	135,761
Sustaining capital	$000s	4,245		3,558		15,997	14,002
Sustaining leases	$000s	73		73		292	301
Corporate G&A cost	$000s	2,511		1,874		9,154	7,325
All-In Sustaining Costs¹on a sales basis	$000s	44,343		42,104		171,752	157,389
Gold sold	Au oz	34,833		33,782		118,697	139,696
Cash costs per gold ounce sold¹	$/oz	1,077		1,083		1,233	972
All-In Sustaining Costs per gold ounce sold¹	$/oz	1,273		1,246		1,447	1,127

¹ Non-IFRS measure. See “Non-IFRS Measures” section below for additional details.

Bomboré Production Results

Q4-2024 vs Q4-2023

Gold production in Q4-2024 was 36,502 oz, an increase of 8% from the 33,916 oz produced in Q4-2023. The higher gold production is attributable to a 14% increase in plant throughput offset by a 6% decrease in head grades.

The better head grades in Q4-2023 were from the sequencing of higher-grade pits in earlier periods of the mine plan and greater ore release from more tonnes mined allowing for the stockpiling of lower-grade ore. More tonnes were mined in Q4-2023 as a second mining contractor was utilized to assist with mining volumes.

Plant throughput of 1.65M tonnes in Q4-2024 hit a new quarterly record as processing operations benefitted from higher hourly throughput, greater blend of soft oxide ore, and less maintenance. Improvements to hourly plant throughput were successfully instituted in July 2024 by increasing the mill power and reducing residence time in the CIL circuit with only a minor effect to recovery rates. Mining at the new Siga East and Siga South pits for a full quarter in Q4-2024 resulted in the release of more tonnes of softer oxide ore while completion of all scheduled major plant maintenance in earlier quarters of the year combined with high grid availability resulted in less plant downtime.

2024 vs 2023

Gold production in 2024 was 118,746 oz, a decline of 16% from the 141,425 oz produced in 2023. The lower gold production is attributable to a 16% decrease in head grades and a 2% decrease in plant recoveries, partially offset by a 3% increase in plant throughput.

Head grades in 2023 were higher from the sequencing of higher-grade pits in earlier periods of the mine plan and the processing of high-grade stockpiles accumulated during the Phase I construction, with such stockpiles being fully depleted by June 2023.

Plant recoveries were lower in 2024 as a direct result of lower head grades, a greater blend of transition ore, and less residence in the CIL circuit.

Plant throughput was higher in 2024 from the operating procedures followed in the H2-2024 to maximize hourly plant throughput.

Bomboré Operating Costs

Q4-2024 vs Q4-2023

AISC per gold oz sold in Q4-2024 was $1,273, a 2% increase from $1,246 per oz sold in Q4-2023. The higher AISC is the result of: (a) lower head grades; (b) greater per oz royalty costs from a 33% increase in the realized gold price ($2,632/oz vs $1,986/oz) coupled with higher royalty rates that took effect in October 2023; and (c) increased mining costs attributable to deeper pits, drill-and-blast associated with harder transition ore, and higher strip ratio. This cost increase was partially offset by a reduction in power costs from the switch to lower-cost grid power in February 2024 (92% grid utilization in Q4-2024) and from a 14% jump in plant throughput resulting in economies for fixed costs.

Cash cost per ore tonne processed in Q4-2024 was $18.44 per tonne, a decrease of 16% from $22.00 per tonne in Q4-2023, as a result of the use of lower-cost grid power and a 14% increase in plant throughput positively impacting unit cost for processing ($7.00/tonne vs $10.84/tonne) and site G&A ($4.07/tonne vs $4.85/tonne), partially offset by a 17% increase in mining costs per ore tonne processed ($7.37/tonne vs $6.31/tonne) attributable to higher strip ratio and unit mining cost.

Mining cost per tonne has increased in Q4-2024 when compared to Q4-2023 ($3.50/tonne vs $3.05/tonne) as lower benches in the pits in the Northern Zone are mined resulting in longer hauls and more transition material that requires some drill-and-blast prior to excavation and greater rehandle prior to feeding into the dump pocket on the ROM pad combined with more grade control drilling for the new Siga pits.

Processing costs per ore tonne decreased in Q4-2024 when compared to Q4-2023 ($7.00/tonne vs $10.84/tonne) mainly from the continuing cost benefit of utilizing grid power which has lowered power cost from $5.57/tonne in Q4-2023 to $2.39/tonne in Q4-2024, a drop of $3.18/tonne. Grid performance remained reliable and steady in Q4-2024 with 92% utilization, consistent with utilization in Q3-2024, and a significant improvement from Q2-2024 when grid utilization was 34% as issues with the supply system in Ghana and Côte D’Ivoire temporarily reduced power export into Burkina Faso.

2024 vs 2023

AISC per gold oz sold in 2024 was $1,447, a 28% increase from $1,127 per oz sold in 2023. The higher AISC is primarily the result of a 16% decline in head grades, higher government royalties from a better realized gold price and higher royalty rates, higher strip ratio and unit cost for mining, and moderate increases in sustaining capital and corporate G&A, partially offset by a reduction in processing costs from the switch to grid power as the primary power source in February 2024.

Bomboré Growth Capital Projects

Grid Power Connection

The powerline to connect Bomboré to Burkina Faso’s national energy grid was successfully energized in February 2024. As of December 31, 2024, the Company has incurred costs of $19.9M, of which $0.2M was incurred in Q4-2024 and $1.6M in 2024. The Company plans to make minor upgrades to the grid connection in 2025 by installing equipment and software that will reduce the quantity of reactive power and hence, surcharges imposed by SONABEL, the state-owned electricity company of Burkina Faso.

RAP Phases II and III

Construction of MV3 and MV2 resettlement sites and the relocation of families to their new homes at these sites were completed in 2024. Construction on the BV2 resettlement site commenced in Q4-2024. Compensation payments to affected residents for loss of land, crops, trees, and private structures were also made in the year.

As of December 31, 2024, the Company has incurred project-to-date costs of $26.5M for RAP Phases II and III, of which $4.3M was incurred in Q4-2024 and $16.0M in 2024.

Phase II Hard Rock Expansion

First gold remains on schedule and costs are trending in line with the most recent control budget. The concentrated scope of this expansion when compared to a greenfield project significantly reduces schedule and budget risks with start-up to benefit from the well-established mining, processing, and maintenance teams already on site.

Construction of stage 1 of Phase II hard rock expansion was officially approved by the Company’s Board in early July 2024. To maintain first gold by Q4-2025, the Company undertook early work activities in H1-2024 which included front-end engineering and design, geotechnical investigations, additional office and camp accommodations, 18MW SAG mill order placement (subsequently cancelled), and bulk earthworks on the new plant layout.

Lycopodium Minerals Canada (“Lycopodium”) was awarded the engineering and procurement contract and was chosen for their successful track record of designing and constructing numerous gold plants in West Africa, including the Company’s oxide plant that is currently in operations and exceeding nameplate design.

Progress and milestones achieved on the expansion in 2024 include:

Engineering and drafting progress stood at 52% and ahead of plan. All bulk quantities, including concrete, structural steel, and platework, remain in line with budget.
Procurement was at 82% of total supply value with all long lead equipment ordered, including a 9MW SAG mill.
Early mobilization of concrete contractor with first concrete pour completed in November, three months ahead of schedule.
Tender of the structural, mechanical, and piping (“SMP”) contract with contract awarded shortly after year-end.

All major site installation contracts (concrete, SMP, electrical and instrumentation, and mill installation) have been awarded to the same contractors that successfully delivered on the Phase I oxide construction.

As of December 31, 2024, the Company has incurred $15.3M in costs for the Phase II hard rock expansion exclusive of the $3.6M spent on early work activities in 2024.

NON-IFRS MEASURES

The Company has included certain terms or performance measures commonly used in the mining industry that is not defined under IFRS, including “cash costs”, “AISC”, “EBITDA”, “adjusted EBITDA”, “adjusted earnings”, “adjusted earnings per share”, and “free cash flow”. Non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore, they may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. The Company uses such measures to provide additional information and they should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. For a complete description of how the Company calculates such measures and reconciliation of certain measures to IFRS terms, refer to “Non-IFRS Measures” in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2024 which is incorporated by reference herein.

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST

The consolidated financial statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis are available at www.orezone.com and on the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Orezone will host a conference call and audio webcast to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2024 results on March 20, 2025:

Webcast
Date: Thursday, March 20, 2025
Time: 8:00 am Pacific time (11:00 am Eastern time)
Please register for the webcast here: Orezone 2024 Year-End Results and 2025 Guidance

Conference Call
Toll-free in U.S. and Canada: 1-800-715-9871
International callers: +646-307-1963
Event ID: 9731374

QUALIFIED PERSONS

The scientific and technical information in this news release was reviewed and approved by Mr. Rob Henderson, P. Eng, Vice-President of Technical Services and Mr. Dale Tweed, P. Eng., Vice-President of Engineering, both of whom are Qualified Persons as defined under NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

ABOUT OREZONE GOLD CORPORATION

Orezone Gold Corporation (TSX: ORE OTCQX: ORZCF) is a West African gold producer engaged in mining, developing, and exploring its 90%-owned flagship Bomboré Gold Mine in Burkina Faso. The Company completed construction of its oxide only process plant in August 2022 and achieved commercial production on its oxide operations on December 1, 2022. The Company is expanding operations and gold production by constructing stage 1 of a Phase II hard rock plant that is expected to materially increase annual and life-of-mine gold production from the processing of hard rock mineral reserves. Orezone is led by an experienced team focused on social responsibility and sustainability with a proven track record in project construction and operations, financings, capital markets, and M&A.  

The technical report entitled Bomboré Phase II Expansion, Definitive Feasibility Study is available on SEDAR+ and the Company’s website.

Patrick Downey
President and Chief Executive Officer

Kevin MacKenzie
Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations

Tel: 1 778 945 8977
info@orezone.com / www.orezone.com

For further information please contact Orezone at +1 (778) 945-8977 or visit the Company’s website at www.orezone.com.

The Toronto Stock Exchange neither approves nor disapproves the information contained in this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain information that constitutes “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian Securities laws and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws (together, “forward-looking statements”). Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as “plan”, “expect”, “project”, “intend”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “potential”, “possible” and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions “may”, “will”, “could”, or “should” occur, and include, amongst other statements, the Phase II hard rock expansion will increase annual gold production and is expected to pour first gold in Q4-2025.

All forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, terrorist or other violent attacks, the failure of parties to contracts to honour contractual commitments, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; unexpected failure or inadequacy of infrastructure, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, accidents and equipment breakdowns, political risk, unanticipated changes in key management personnel, the spread of diseases, epidemics and pandemics diseases, market or business conditions, the failure of exploration programs, including drilling programs, to deliver anticipated results and the failure of ongoing and uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, and other factors described in the Company’s most recent annual information form and management’s discussion and analysis filed on SEDAR+ on www.sedarplus.ca. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are based on the applicable assumptions and factors management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to management at such time. These assumptions and factors include, but are not limited to, assumptions and factors related to the Company’s ability to carry on current and future operations, including: development and exploration activities; the timing, extent, duration and economic viability of such operations, including any mineral resources or reserves identified thereby; the accuracy and reliability of estimates, projections, forecasts, studies and assessments; the Company’s ability to meet or achieve estimates, projections and forecasts; the availability and cost of inputs; the price and market for outputs, including gold; foreign exchange rates; taxation levels; the timely receipt of necessary approvals or permits; the ability to meet current and future obligations; the ability to obtain timely financing on reasonable terms when required; the current and future social, economic and political conditions; and other assumptions and factors generally associated with the mining industry.

Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.

The MIL Network –

March 20, 2025

MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Europe’s energy independence strategy and making use of Greek deposits – E-000777/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000777/2025/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 144
Afroditi Latinopoulou (PfE)

Greece has unexploited gas and oil deposits that can contribute to its energy independence and to the phasing out of the European Union’s dependence on third-party energy sources/supplies. However, the Greek Government is hampering investment, mainly through lengthy procedures, bureaucratic stumbling blocks/obstacles and delays in judicial proceedings, leading to partial withdrawals by large companies and seriously harming European energy interests in the long run.

Europe cannot ignore the chaotic changes in the global energy system. It must help create a resilient institutional and legal framework for rapidly exploiting and shaping the energy mix, under which states and their industrial infrastructure operate.

In view of the above, can the Commission answer the following:

1.What initiatives can it take to accelerate the path towards making use of Greek hydrocarbons in the interests of European and Greek energy security?

2.How does it intend to prompt the Greek Government to adopt speedier and more effective licensing and judicial reforms to make it easier to invest in the energy sector?

3.Given the progress made by neighbouring countries such as Cyprus, Israel and Egypt, how could the Commission support Greece so that it is not left off the Eastern Mediterranean energy map?

Submitted: 20.2.2025
Last updated: 20 March 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Department for Business and Trade welcomes Ghanaian Healthcare Delegation
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

World news story

Department for Business and Trade welcomes Ghanaian Healthcare Delegation

Fifteen organisations from Ghana’s healthcare sector will be participating in a UK roadshow from 17-21 March 2025.
The UK’s Department for Business and Trade has today welcomed a delegation of 15 organisations from Ghana’s healthcare sector for a four-city roadshow aimed at strengthening trade partnerships and development opportunities.

The delegation, visiting the UK from 17-21 March 2025, includes representatives from the Ghanaian government, private health facilities, pharmaceutical and medical equipment distributors, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

The visit will strengthen the existing healthcare collaboration between the UK and Ghana, which already spans research and training, knowledge and expertise transfer, investment, and healthcare systems strengthening.

His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Africa, John Humphrey, who is leading the UK delegation, said:

The UK is committed to strengthening its economic ties with Africa, and Ghana is a key partner in this effort as we partner together to unlock growth, jobs, trade, investment, and opportunities in our economies.

The UK is committed to strengthening its economic ties with Africa, and Ghana is a key partner in this effort as we partner together to unlock growth, jobs, trade, investment, and opportunities in our economies.

The roadshow begins in London before continuing to Birmingham, Leeds, and Cardiff. Throughout the tour, Ghanaian delegates will meet with UK companies offering solutions and expertise that match Ghana’s healthcare needs. This initiative aligns with the UK’s commitment to strengthening economic ties with African nations and building capacity to address issues around supply chain disruption over the past years. By working together – we can get ahead of global shocks, mitigate their impact, and unlock new opportunities for growth between our two countries.

British High Commissioner to Ghana, H.E. Harriet Thompson said:

The UK and Ghana have enjoyed a long and consistent partnership on healthcare, enhancing the health services available to citizens as well as supporting opportunities for both British and Ghanaian businesses. This roadshow is an opportunity to deepen that partnership, harnessing our nations’ collective expertise, innovation, experience and dynamism. I am confident that the visit will foster productive connections, paving the way for growth and prosperity between Ghana and the UK.

This visit presents a valuable opportunity for UK businesses to explore Ghana’s growing healthcare market, while enabling Ghana to access the UK’s expertise, products, and services in the sector.

The Department for Business and Trade looks forward to productive engagement between the delegations, leading to increased trade and collaboration in healthcare.

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)

Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

Updates to this page

Published 20 March 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI: MEXC Dominates Token Listings with Highest Success Rate and Speed – TokenInsight Report
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VICTORIA, Seychelles, March 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MEXC, a global cryptocurrency exchange, has reaffirmed its leadership in token listings, surpassing competitors in speed, volume, and market positioning, according to the latest TokenInsight Crypto Exchange report. Covering the period from November 1, 2024, to February 15, 2025, the report provides key insights into how centralized exchanges (CEXs) adapt to shifting market narratives during the latest bull run and how these changes influence their listing strategies.

Key Takeaways
- MEXC ranked first in spot listings, with 461 new tokens added.
- The report recognized MEXC as a “Trend Capturer,” citing the strong performance of its early-listed tokens.
- MEXC led in the conversion success rate (82.46%) for memecoin listings.
- The exchange listed TRUMP just 2 hours and 20 minutes after its initial on-chain liquidity injection—far ahead of competitors.
- MEXC was among the first exchanges to list major trend-driven tokens, including PNUT, CHILLGUY, AIXBT, BIO, RIFSOL, TRUMP, and VINE.
MEXC Leads in Token Listings and Market Agility

Over the past three months, MEXC has listed 461 new spot trading pairs—1.5 times more than Gate.io and 4.5 times more than Bitget—demonstrating its superior ability to capture market momentum. The exchange has maintained a consistent two-week listing cycle, ensuring that traders gain early access to promising assets before they reach mainstream markets.

This agility is particularly evident in key industry trends, as MEXC has emerged as the first major exchange to list tokens tied to the four dominant narratives of the current market: Meme, DeSci, AI Agent, and Celebrity Tokens.

A Leader in Early Listings

The TokenInsight report recognizes MEXC as a “Trend Capturer” for positioning its traders ahead of major market moves. By listing tokens early in their lifecycle, the exchange enables traders to capitalize on rapid growth opportunities.

For example, CHILLGUY was listed when its market cap was below $150 million and surged to $600 million within just ten days. MEXC’s reputation for early-market foresight has been reinforced by its rapid listing of high-performing tokens, including PNUT, CHILLGUY, AIXBT, BIO, RIFSOL, TRUMP, and VINE. Many of these tokens experienced significant price surges post-listing.

A standout case is TRUMP, which MEXC listed on January 18 at 03:20 UTC, just 2 hours and 20 minutes after its initial on-chain liquidity injection—well ahead of other exchanges, which didn’t follow until after 10:00 UTC. This ultra-fast turnaround underscores MEXC’s sharp market responsiveness, allowing traders to access high-momentum tokens before broader adoption.

Quality in On-Chain Listings

Unlike platforms that focus solely on token volume, MEXC takes a selective approach, prioritizing high-potential on-chain assets. TokenInsight’s data reveals that MEXC’s 82.46% conversion rate from on-chain listings to its primary spot market far surpasses Gate.io’s 11.76%, highlighting its ability to identify sustainable projects.

Largest Market Share and Top 5 CEX Ranking

With its ability to identify and list emerging trends faster than competitors, MEXC continues to solidify its position among top-tier exchanges. Beyond leading in new listings, CoinDesk data confirms that MEXC captured the largest market share among centralized exchanges in February 2025 and secured a top-five ranking based on overall market share.

The full report is available on TokenInsight’s official website.

About MEXC
Founded in 2018, MEXC is dedicated to being “Your Easiest Way to Crypto.” Known for its extensive selection of trending tokens, airdrop opportunities, and low fees, MEXC serves over 34 million users across 170+ countries. With a focus on accessibility and efficiency, our advanced trading platform appeals to both new traders and seasoned investors alike. MEXC provides a seamless, secure, and rewarding gateway to the world of digital assets.

For more information, visit: MEXC Website | X | Telegram | How to Sign Up on MEXC
For media inquiries, please contact MEXC PR Manager Lucia Hu: lucia.hu@mexc.com

About TokenInsight

TokenInsight is a leading research and data analytics firm focused on the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry. Through detailed market reports and data-driven insights, TokenInsight provides actionable intelligence to investors, exchanges, and industry participants.

Disclaimer: This press release is provided by MEXC. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector–including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining–complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose.

Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7fc75310-f85c-45f9-b803-96869eb2c148

The MIL Network –
March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: Hunger skyrockets by nearly 80 percent in Eastern and Southern Africa over past five years amidst worsening water crisis
Source: Oxfam –
Nearly 116 million people in eight African countries, hardest hit by severe water crises, lack access to drinking water.

Globally, flash floods have become 20 times more frequent between 2000 and 2022

The climate crisis has dramatically worsened water scarcity in Eastern and Southern Africa over the past few decades, leaving nearly 116 million people –or 40 percent of the population – without safe drinking water, according to a new Oxfam report.

Climate change is supercharging extreme weather events like droughts, cyclones and flash floods, and has led to the disappearance of more than 90 percent of Africa’s tropical glaciers and the depletion of groundwater. This has had knock-on effects on Africa’s small-scale farmers, pastoralists and fisherpersons leaving millions without basic food, drinking water or income.

Oxfam’s report –Water-Driven Hunger: How the Climate Crisis Fuels Africa’s Food Emergency – published ahead of World Water Day, looked at the links between water scarcity and hunger in eight of the world’s worst water crises: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It found that the number of people experiencing extreme hunger in those countries has surged by nearly 80 percent over the past five years – reaching over 55 million in 2024, up from nearly 31 million in 2019. That is two in every ten persons.

The report warns that La Niña weather pattern, which will last through this month, will worsen floods in swaths of Southern Africa and South Sudan while causing severe drought in East Africa further threatening people’s food availability and income.

Globally, flash floods have become 20 times more frequent between 2000 and 2022 and the duration of droughts has risen by 29% since 2000, impacting the most vulnerable communities.

Existing poverty, deep inequality and chronic under-investment along with poor governance in water systems have compounded this climate-fuelled water crisis. African governments are currently meeting less than half the US$50 billion annual investment target required to achieve water security in Africa by 2030.
“The climate crisis is not a mere statistic—it has a human face. It affects real people whose livelihoods are being destroyed, while the main contributors to this crisis—big polluters and super-rich—continue to profit. Meanwhile, national governments neglect to support the very communities they should protect.”

Fati N’Zi Hassane,

Director, Oxfam in Africa
Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director said:

“The climate crisis is not a mere statistic—it has a human face. It affects real people whose livelihoods are being destroyed, while the main contributors to this crisis—big polluters and super-rich—continue to profit. Meanwhile, national governments neglect to support the very communities they should protect.”

The Oxfam report also found that:

In the eight countries studied, 91 percent of small-scale farmers depend almost entirely on rainwater for drinking and farming.

In Ethiopia, food insecurity has soared by 175 percent over the past five years, with 22 million people struggling to find their next meal.

In Kenya, over 136,000 square kilometers of land have become drier between 1980 and 2020, which has decimated crops and livestock.

In Somalia, one failed rainy season is pushing one million more people into crisis-level hunger, raising the total to 4.4 million—24% of the population.

A farmer from Baidoa, Somalia explains: “In the past, we knew when to farm and when to harvest but that has all changed. The rains now come late or not at all. Last year, I lost all my crops and animals. I have now planted, but the rains have still not come. If this continues, I will not be able to feed my family.”

Deep inequalities mean that disadvantaged people like women and girls are too often the first and most severely punished by this water crisis. In Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, women and girls walk up to 10 kilometers in search of water, facing violence and extreme exhaustion. Many women and girls in rural households spend hours each day collecting water—time that could otherwise be spent on education or income generation.

“At the heart of this climate crisis lies a justice crisis. Sub-Saharan Africa receives only 3-4 percent of global climate finance, despite being heavily affected by climate change. Rich polluting nations must pay their fair share. It’s not about charity, it’s about justice.

“African governments must also double down on their investment in water infrastructures and social protection to effectively manage natural resources, and help the most vulnerable communities cope with climatic shocks,” added N’Zi-Hassane.
MIL OSI NGO –
March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: UNECE discusses revisions to the standard on seed potatoes to support trade
Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

The quality of seed potatoes is an important factor in determining crop yield, health and productivity. Good quality seed potatoes allow for more production with less land, thus contributing to enhanced food security with reduced environmental impact.

During the 52nd session of UNECE’s Specialized Section on Standardization of Seed Potatoes (18–20 March 2025) in Geneva, delegates agreed on revisions to the UNECE Standard for Seed Potatoes (S-1), following a three-year review process. Initially adopted in 1961, the standard helps improve seed potato quality and safety worldwide, ensure fair competition and facilitate trade.

The review was led by the delegation of Finland and included the delegations of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Australian Seed Potato Industry Certification Authority, Euroseeds, and Potato Certification Service South Africa. Their collaboration has ensured that the standard reflects the latest industry needs and best practices.

The revised standard will be presented for adoption by the UNECE Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards at its 80^th session on 17-19 November 2025.

Why this update matters

The UNECE Standard S-1 sets a common terminology and minimum quality requirements for certifying high-quality seed potatoes for international trade.

It is used by government authorities, farmers, exporters, and buyers to ensure seed potatoes meet global standards. Clear, harmonized certification rules help buyers and sellers understand seed potato quality, reducing technical barriers. At present, this standard is the only international framework covering all key aspects of seed potato certification:
- Varietal identity and purity
- Traceability and disease control
- Pest prevention and quality checks
- Labelling and record-keeping
“This revised standard is a crucial tool for the global seed potato industry. By ensuring clear and consistent certification rules, we are helping producers, certifying agencies and traders ensure quality seed potatoes. In today’s trade environment, having a reliable framework like this is more valuable than ever,” noted Hanna Kortemaa, Chair of the Specialized Section on Standardization of Seed Potatoes and Director of the Plant Production Department at the Finnish Food Authority.

Key updates in the standard

The revised UNECE Standard S-1 includes:
- Improved certification process – a more transparent system to ensure that certified seed potatoes meet strict quality standards.
- Stronger disease and pest control measures through updated inspection rules to prevent the spread of diseases.
- Better traceability and labelling through clearer labelling and record-keeping requirements to help track seed potatoes across the supply chain.
- Alignment with global trade rules, including European and North American trade standards.
The future of seed potato trade

With global seed potato exports amounting to 1.1 billion USD or 1.7 million tons in 2023, UNECE plans to continue its work by focusing on helping countries apply the revised standard in their national systems.

For more details on UNECE guidance on seed potato certification and inspection, see the UNECE website.

MIL OSI United Nations News –
March 20, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: ‘Declare your city genocide free’ – lessons from NZ’s nuclear-free movement

COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle

Today I attended a demonstration outside both Aotearoa New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Israeli Embassy in Wellington.

The day before, the Israelis had blown apart 174 children in Gaza in a surprise attack that announced the next phase of the genocide.

About 174 Wellingtonians turned up to a quickly-called protest: they are the best of us — the best of Wellington.

In 2023, the City made me an Absolutely Positively Wellingtonian for service across a number of fronts (water infrastructure, conservation, coastal resilience, community organising) but nothing I have done compares with the importance of standing up for the victims of US-Israeli violence.

What more can we do? And then it crossed my mind: “Declare Wellington Genocide Free”. And if Wellington could, why not other cities?

Wellington started nuclear-free drive
The nuclear-free campaign, led by Wellington back in the 1980s, is a template worth reviving.

Wellington became the first city in New Zealand — and the first capital in the world — to declare itself nuclear free in 1982. It followed the excellent example of Missoula, Montana, USA, the first city in the world to do so, in 1978.

These were tumultuous times. I vividly remember heading into Wellington harbour on a small yacht, part of a peace flotilla made up of kayakers, yachties and wind surfers that tried to stop the USS Texas from berthing. It won that battle that day but we won the war.

This was the decade which saw the French government’s terrorist bomb attack on a Greenpeace ship in Auckland harbour to intimidate the anti-nuclear movement.

Also, 2025 is the 40th anniversary of the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and the death of Fernando Pereira. Little Island Press will be reissuing a new edition of my friend David Robie’s book Eyes of Fire later this year. It tells the incredible story of the final voyage of the Rainbow Warrior.

“Eyes of Fire: the Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior” . . . a new book on nuclear-free activism on its way. Image: Little Island Press

Standing up to bullies
Labour under David Lange successfully campaigned and won the 1984 elections on a nuclear-free platform which promised to ban nuclear ships from our waters.

This was a time when we had a government that had the backbone to act independently of the US. Yes, we had a grumpy relationship with the Yanks for a while and we were booted out of ANZUS — surely a cause for celebration in contrast to today when our government is little more than a finger puppet for Team Genocide.

In response to bullying from Australia and the US, David Lange said at the time: “It is the price we are prepared to pay.”

With Wellington in the lead, nuclear-free had moved over the course of a decade from a fringe peace movement to the mainstream and eventually to become government policy.

The New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987 was passed and remains a cornerstone of our foreign policy.

New Zealand took a stand that showed strong opposition to out-of-control militarism, the risks of nuclear war, and strong support for the international movement to step back from nuclear weapons.

It was a powerful statement of our independence as a nation and a rejection of foreign dominance. It also reduced the risk of contamination in case of a nuclear accident aboard a vessel (remember this was the same decade as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine).

The nuclear-free campaign and Palestine
Each of those points have similarities with the Palestinian cause today and should act as inspiration for cities to mobilise and build national solidarity with the Palestinians.

To my knowledge, no city has ever successfully expelled an Israeli Embassy but Wellington could take a powerful first step by doing this, and declare the capital genocide-free. We need to wake our country — and the Western world — out of the moral torpor it finds itself in; yawning its way through the monstrous crimes being perpetrated by our “friends and allies”.

Shun Israel until it stops genocide
No city should suffer the moral stain of hosting an embassy representing the racist, genocidal state of Israel.

Wellington should lead the country to support South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), end all trade with Israel, and end all intelligence and military cooperation with Israel for the duration of its genocidal onslaught. Other cities should follow suit.

Declare your city Nuclear and Genocide Free.

Eugene Doyle is a writer based in Wellington. He has written extensively on the Middle East, as well as peace and security issues in the Asia Pacific region. He hosts the public policy platform solidarity.co.nz and is a frequent contributor to Asia Pacific Report.

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: Vuk Talks Season 2 Episode 35 with Dr. Stanley Moloabi

Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)

Dr. Stanley Moloabi, Principal Officer of the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS), as he shares valuable insights into the healthcare sector

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awA3OtI9rsU

MIL OSI Video –

March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya briefs Media on President’s upcoming programme

Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)

Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya briefs Media on President’s upcoming programme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdTSJgek2tU

MIL OSI Video –

March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI: Equinor presents 2024 Annual report

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Equinor ASA (OSE: EQNR, NYSE: EQNR) publishes annual report for 2024, including financial and sustainability reporting.

“2024 was marked by continued unpredictability in energy markets, with growing energy demand, political uncertainty and uneven progress in the energy transition. Our focus is on producing the energy the world needs today, and at the same time developing the energy systems needed for the future,” says Anders Opedal, President and CEO of Equinor ASA.

Safety

“A systematic approach to safety over time is paying off with the best safety results to date in 2024. However, the year was marked by the fatal search and rescue (SAR) helicopter accident where we lost a dear colleague. We believe close collaboration with suppliers and shared learning in the industry is important for our continued safety improvement effort”, says Opedal.

The twelve-month average Serious Incident Frequency (SIF) for 2024 was 0.3, down from 0.4 in 2023.

Strong operational and financial performance

Equinor delivered adjusted operating income* of USD 29.8 billion, and adjusted net income* of USD 9.18. Net operating income was reported at USD 30.9 billion and net income at USD 8.83 billion.

“Our operational performance was strong, built on the dedicated efforts from employees across the company. Our role as a major supplier of energy to Europe is important and I am proud of the work we have done to provide energy security”, says Opedal.

Strong operational performance across the portfolio contributed to an equity production of liquids and gas of 2,067 mboe per day in 2024, on par with the year before. Equity production of renewable power increased by 51% to 2,935 GWh.

Strong financial result contributed to a return on average capital employed (RoACE)* at 21% for 2024. Capital discipline remained firm with organic capital expenditures* ending at USD 12.1 billion for the year. Equinor maintained a strong balance sheet with net debt to capital employed adjusted* of 11.9% at the end of 2024.

The strong financial results of 2024 also led to strong contributions to society through taxes. In 2024, Equinor paid USD 20.6 billion in corporate income taxes of which USD 19.7 billion was paid in Norway, where Equinor has the largest share of its operations and earnings.

Firm strategy and progressing industrial development

“We have a consistent growth strategy, and our strategic direction remains firm. By adapting to market situation and opportunities, we are positioned for stronger free cash flow and growth, and set to create shareholder value for decades to come”, Opedal continues.

Through progressing projects and portfolio shaping transactions Equinor spent 2024 high-grading the portfolio and positioning for stronger growth and cash flow.

On the Norwegian continental shelf, the development of the portfolio continued with 39 new licences and approvals of the PDOs of Eirin, Irpa, Verdande and Andvare projects. The Johan Castberg FPSO arrived at the field and started preparations for startup.

The international upstream portfolio was focused with the exits from our long-standing positions in Nigeria and Azerbaijan and deepened in core areas with the acquisitions of US Onshore gas assets close to premium markets. In the UK an agreement was signed to establish an incorporated joint venture with Shell UK Ltd., which will become the largest independent oil and gas company on the UK continental shelf.

Through 2024 Equinor high-graded the renewables portfolio to ensure profitable growth, in a market challenged by cost inflation and regulatory delays. In the UK the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank, continued to progress towards commercial start-up. Production was commenced at the Mendubim solar plants in Brazil.

The long-term view on the importance of offshore wind remains firm. Through an acquisition of a 10% stake in Ørsted, Equinor got exposure to a premium portfolio of offshore wind projects and assets in operation.

Value chains for carbon transport and storage progressed notably. In Norway, Northern Lights, the first commercial CO2 transport and storage infrastructure was completed and is expected to receive and store CO2 in 2025. In the UK, execution started for two of UK’s first carbon capture and storage infrastructure projects where Equinor is a partner.

Progress on the Energy transition plan

In 2024, Equinor achieved a year-on-year reduction of 5% in operated scope 1+2 greenhouse gas emissions, bringing the total down to 11.0 million tonnes CO2 equivalents. This is a 34% reduction from 2015, which is the reference year for Equinor’s ambition to reduce group-wide operated emissions by 50% on a net basis by 2030. Throughout 2024, actions were taken for further emission reductions with the partial electrification of the Sleipner field center, the Gudrun platform, as well as the Troll B and C fields.

The average upstream CO2 intensity of Equinor’s operated portfolio was 6.2 kg of CO2 per boe in 2024 (100% basis), an improvement from 6.7kg of CO2/boe in 2023 and well below the industry average. The scope 3 GHG emissions from use of our products were 251 million tonnes in 2024, on par with the level in 2023.

Equinor improved in the net carbon intensity of energy produced (including scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions) in 2024, which is now 2% below the 2019 baseline. The reduction was mainly driven by increased renewable energy production and lower scope 1+2 emissions.

Equinor ambition is to to be a leading company in the energy transition. The updated Energy Transition Plan, published on March 20 2025, outlines the approach to deliver on Equinor’s strategy of creating value in the transition, while adjusting to changing external context and market realities.

***

The previously announced decision of the French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), includes a requirement for Equinor to publish the following summary language:

“Les sociétés Danske Commodities A/S et Equinor ASA ont été condamnées, par une décision n° 08-40-23 de la Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE) du 20 janvier 2025, au titre de la méconnaissance de l’article 5 du règlement REMIT qui prohibe les manipulations de marché, au paiement de sanctions pécuniaires, dont les montants s’élèvent à huit millions d’euros (8.000.000 €) pour la société Danske Commodities A/S et quatre millions d’euros (4.000.000 €) pour la société Equinor ASA, pour des manipulations commises sur le marché de gros en 2019 et en 2020, en ce qui concerne les capacités de transport de gaz naturel entre la France et l’Espagne.

Danske Commodities A/S and Equinor ASA were ordered by decision no. 08-40-23 of Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE) of 20 January 2025 to pay – for infringement of Article 5 of REMIT Regulation prohibiting market manipulations – financial penalties in the amount of eight million euros (€8,000,000) as regards Danske Commodities A/S and four million euros (€4,000,000) as regards Equinor ASA, for manipulations committed on the wholesale market in 2019 and 2020, with regard to natural gas transmission capacity between France and Spain.”

The full decision is included in the attached appendix “Full decision text”. Equinor does not agree with the decision from CRE and will appeal the case to the Higher Administrative Court in France.

* * *

Our annual report and the subsidiary reports published separately can be downloaded from equinor.com/reports.

* * *

In accordance with Section 203.01 of the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual, Equinor ASA announces that on 20 March 2025 it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission its 2024 Annual Report on Form 20-F that includes audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024.

The Equinor 2024 Annual Report on Form 20-F may be downloaded from Equinor’s website at www.equinor.com. References to this document or other documents on Equinor’s website are included as an aid to their location and are not incorporated by reference into this document. All SEC filings made available electronically by Equinor may be obtained from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Shareholders may also request a hard copy of the annual report free of charge at www.equinor.com.

* * *

(*) These are non-GAAP figures. See Use and reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures in the annual report for more details.

Further information:

Investor relations
Bård Glad Pedersen, senior vice president Investor Relations,
+47 51 99 00 00

Press
Rikke Høistad Sjøberg, media spokesperson financial communication,
+47 901 01 451(mobile)

* * *

Cautionary Note regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect current views with respect to future events, are based on the management’s current expectations and assumptions, and are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those discussed under “Risk Factors” in the 2024 Annual report and elsewhere in Equinor’s publications. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and, except as required by applicable law, Equinor undertakes no obligation to update any of these statements, whether to make them conform to actual results, changes in expectations or otherwise.

* * *

This information is subject to disclosure obligations pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation, ref. section 3-1 in the Norwegian Securities Trading Act, and section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

Attachments

The MIL Network –

March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: 20 March 2025 News release Three cities honoured for public health achievements at 2025 Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit
Source: World Health Organisation

Today, during the annual Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit in Paris, three cities were recognized for their achievements in preventing noncommunicable diseases and injuries: Córdoba, Argentina; Fortaleza, Brazil; and Greater Manchester, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Summit, co-hosted by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the World Health Organization (WHO), Vital Strategies, and the City of Paris, convened mayors and officials from 61 cities in the Partnership for Healthy Cities network to address pressing public health issues and share effective strategies for saving lives and building healthier communities at the local level.

“Noncommunicable diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, and injuries are responsible for more than 80% of all deaths globally, but the good news is, they are preventable,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, and 108th mayor of New York City. “Cities are leading the way in implementing policies that are protecting public health and saving lives. This year’s winning cities are proving that progress is possible with strong leadership and political will, and we look forward to seeing the results of their efforts.”

The recipients of the 2025 Partnership for Healthy Cities Awards were chosen because they have made demonstrable progress in preventing noncommunicable diseases and injuries, setting an example that can be replicated in other jurisdictions.

All three winning cities are part of the Partnership’s Policy Accelerator, which provides training and support for drafting policies and establishing the political strategies needed to develop and enact them. These cities are working with the Partnership to improve public health in the following ways:
- Córdoba, Argentina, passed a new policy committing the city to promoting healthy school food environments by eliminating sugary and artificially sweetened beverages and ultra-processed products from all schools by 2026. The program has benefited 26 schools to date, reaching 15 000 of the city’s 138 000 primary school children.
- Fortaleza, Brazil, established the city’s first legal framework for air quality surveillance. The 2023 decree guarantees the local monitoring of air pollutants to estimate their impact on residents’ health, along with the installation of low-cost sensors to improve data collection. Reliable data will help inform city policies that can significantly reduce air pollution.
- Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, expanded the number of outdoor smoke-free areas as part of efforts to reduce smoking, including opening its first smoke-free park, covering 6.5 acres of public space. Greater Manchester also conducted a series of community consultations and workshops with residents to help with decision-making; launched a smoke-free toolkit and communication guidance for National Health Service (NHS) hospitals and sites; and is scaling this initiative by developing a broader smoke-free spaces toolkit for other organizations and groups that want to create smoke-free spaces.
“Cities are at the forefront of the fight against noncommunicable diseases and injuries. The progress made in Córdoba, Fortaleza, and Greater Manchester is not only improving health today but also setting a model for others to follow,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “WHO is committed to working with cities to build healthier, safer and more resilient communities for all.”

“Local leadership has emerged as a powerful force for addressing the complex challenges presented by noncommunicable diseases and injuries,” said Dr Mary-Ann Etiebet, President and CEO, Vital Strategies. “We applaud the work of city leaders around the globe in their efforts to create healthier, safer environments for their populations. Their efforts are having a significant impact on people’s lives and well-being, while also demonstrating to national governments that there is significant support for these policy solutions.”

Launched in 2017, the Partnership for Healthy Cities is a global network of 74 cities working to prevent noncommunicable diseases and injuries. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, in partnership with the World Health Organization and Vital Strategies, this initiative empowers cities worldwide to implement high-impact policy or programmatic interventions to reduce noncommunicable diseases and injuries in their communities. Through this network, city leaders are enacting transformative measures to improve the health of 300 million people across the globe.

The mayors participating in the Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit include:
- Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán, Bogotá, Colombia
- Municipal Commissioner Palitha Nanayakkara, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Intendant Daniel Passerini, Córdoba, Argentina
- Honorable Administrator Mohammad Azaz, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Municipal President Verónica Delgadillo, Guadalajara, Mexico
- Mayor Juhana Vartiainen, Helsinki, Finland
- Mayor Erias Lukwago, Kampala, Uganda
- Mayor Chilando Chitangala, Lusaka, Zambia
- Intendant Mauricio Zunino, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Paris, France
- Mayor Pabel Muñoz López, Quito, Ecuador
- Governor Claudio Benjamín Orrego Larraín, Santiago, Chile.
About Bloomberg Philanthropies

Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on creating lasting change in five key areas: the arts, education, environment, government innovation, and public health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world. In 2024, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed US$ 3.7 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org, sign up for ournewsletter, or follow us onInstagram,LinkedIn,YouTube,Threads,Facebook, and X.

About the World Health Organization
Dedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. We are the UN agency for health that connects nations, partners and people on the front lines in 150+ locations – leading the world’s response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health issues and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. For more information, visit www.who.int and follow WHO on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube.

About Vital Strategies

Vital Strategies believes every person should be protected by an equitable and effective public health system. We partner with governments, communities and organizations around the world to reimagine public health so that health is supported in all the places we live, work and play. The result is millions of people living longer, healthier lives. To find out more, please visit www.vitalstrategies.org or follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Contacts

Veronica Lewin, Bloomberg Philanthropies, veronical@bloomberg.org

Erin Pallotta, Allison Worldwide, bloomberghealth@allisonworldwide.com

Jaimie Guerra, World Health Organization, guerraja@who.int

Christina Honeysett, Vital Strategies, choneysett@vitalstrategies.org

MIL OSI United Nations News –
March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: GlobalData Country Risk Index shows slight drop in Q4 2024

Source: GlobalData

The global economy stands at a crossroads, balancing trade policy uncertainty and geopolitical tensions against easing price pressures. The latter is supporting a revival in domestic demand and providing central banks with room for potential rate cuts. Against this backdrop, GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, reports a slight drop in the GlobalData Country Risk Index (GCRI) from 55.6 in Q3 2024 to 55.0 in Q4 2024.

GlobalData’s latest, “Global Risk Report Quarterly Update – Q4 2024,” highlights that the Americas and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) face high risk scores due to economic instability and geopolitical conflicts. The Asia-Pacific region, while risky, has a lower score than the Americas and MEA, buoyed by strong growth in emerging economies. In contrast, Europe is the least risky region, benefiting from a solid economic recovery and improved investment sentiment.

Annapurna Pillutla, Economic Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Global economic growth is projected to reach 3.1% in 2024, slightly down from 3.3% in 2023, reflecting both resilience and ongoing challenges. While the US economy continues to expand steadily, China’s real estate turmoil and potential US tariff hikes present key risks. Inflation remains above central bank targets in some regions, adding to the economic uncertainty. Growth in 2025 is expected to follow a similar trajectory, constrained by geopolitical tensions and policy unpredictability.”

The Trump administration’s proposed tariffs are likely to disrupt the global supply chains and raise business costs. By 2025, these measures could reduce production efficiency and alter trade patterns as companies face higher prices for imported goods and raw materials.

Europe – Steady recovery amid persistent challenges

Europe continues to be the world’s least-risk region, with its risk score improving slightly from 41.4 in Q3 2024 to 41.0 in Q4 2024. The region’s economic recovery is marked by a gradual decline in inflation, improved labor markets, and supportive policy rate cuts by the ECB. However, geopolitical tensions, particularly involving Russia and Ukraine, along with political shifts to the far right, an aging population and labor shortages, present ongoing challenges. In the Q4 2024 GCRI update, Switzerland, Denmark, and Ireland were identified as the least risky countries, while Ukraine, Turkiye, and Belarus, faced the highest risks.

Asia-Pacific – Resilience amidst geopolitical challenges

The Asia-Pacific region’s risk score decreased from 54.0 in Q3 2024 to 53.4 in Q4 2024, indicating ongoing economic recovery. Projected to account for more than half of global growth in 2025, the region benefits from strong domestic demand and increased exports. However, risks persist due to geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea and economic slowdown in China. China’s stimulus measures may offset some impact of US tariffs, while easing inflation and resilient consumption in other emerging economies improve the outlook. Strong growth prospects in Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia further enhance regional stability.

In the Q4 2024 GCRI update, the highest-risk countries included Pakistan, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. Conversely, the countries with the lowest risk were Singapore, Taiwan (Province of China), and Hong Kong (China SAR).

Americas – Risk decline amid economic gains and political shifts

Americas’ risk score decreased slightly from 57.0 in Q3 2024 to 56.6 in Q4 2024, reflecting benefits from policy rate cuts and strong consumer spending, particularly in the US. However, high US debt and fiscal challenges in Latin America persist, alongside political instability marked by protests and governance issues. Donald Trump’s return to the presidency adds to the region’s volatility, potentially affecting economic strategies and stability.

In the Q4 2024 GCRI update, Canada, the US, and Costa Rica were the least risky, while Haiti, Venezuela, and Argentina remained the highest-risk nations.

MEA – Persistent risks amid geopolitical tensions

The MEA regions risk score slightly decreased from 66.3 in Q3 2024 to 65.4 in Q4 2024, driven by growth in the non-oil sector. However, ongoing geopolitical conflicts, particularly in the Middle East, and humanitarian crises continue to pose significant challenges. Africa faces rising debt and natural disasters, exacerbating food insecurity and displacement. In the Q4 2024 GCRI update, Yemen, Syria, and Burundi were among the highest-risk nations globally, highlighting the region’s persistent instability.

Pillutla concludes: “Geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions, and market volatility present significant challenges for both policymakers and investors. To effectively manage these risks, a sophisticated approach is necessary, emphasizing adaptation and diversification.”

About GlobalData

4,000 of the world’s largest companies, including over 70% of FTSE 100 and 60% of Fortune 100 companies, make more timely and better business decisions thanks to GlobalData’s unique data, expert analysis, and innovative solutions, all in one platform. GlobalData’s mission is to help our clients decode the future to be more successful and innovative across a range of industries, including the healthcare, consumer, retail, financial, technology, and professional services sectors.

MIL OSI – Submitted News –

March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI China: World’s 1st 10,000-km quantum-secured communication achieved

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

An international team led by Chinese scientists have realized quantum-secured communication across over 12,900 kilometers between China and South Africa.

Using the Jinan-1 micro-nano satellite and compact ground stations, this new breakthrough in quantum technology demonstrates the potential for secure quantum communication on a global scale.

In an international first, the team led by the University of Science and Technology of China enabled real-time quantum key distribution (QKD) between the satellite and miniaturized ground stations — including one in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Leveraging this engineering achievement, Chinese scientists, in collaboration with their counterparts from Stellenbosch University, have successfully demonstrated the longest-distance hacker-proof communication across hemispheres to date.

The result was published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. The journal’s peer reviewer lauded it as “a technically impressive achievement” that represents “considerable progress towards trusted-node constellations for wide-spread satellite QKD services” and shows “the maturity of the satellite QKD technology.”

MIL OSI China News –

March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chinese-led team achieves world’s first 10,000-km quantum-secured communication

Source: China State Council Information Office 2

An international team led by Chinese scientists have realized quantum-secured communication across over 12,900 kilometers between China and South Africa.
Using the Jinan-1 micro-nano satellite and compact ground stations, this new breakthrough in quantum technology demonstrates the potential for secure quantum communication on a global scale.
In an international first, the team led by the University of Science and Technology of China enabled real-time quantum key distribution (QKD) between the satellite and miniaturized ground stations — including one in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Leveraging this engineering achievement, Chinese scientists, in collaboration with their counterparts from Stellenbosch University, have successfully demonstrated the longest-distance hacker-proof communication across hemispheres to date.
The result was published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. The journal’s peer reviewer lauded it as “a technically impressive achievement” that represents “considerable progress towards trusted-node constellations for wide-spread satellite QKD services” and shows “the maturity of the satellite QKD technology.”

MIL OSI China News –

March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Illicit Massage Parlor Operators Sentenced

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Shaoping Wen and her son, Xu Wang, were sentenced on March 18, 2025, for their roles in operating massage parlors that operated as fronts for commercial sex operations, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.

In September 2024, Wen, 65, and Wang, 42, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Lubbock, Texas, for conspiracy to commit interstate travel and use of interstate facilities in aid of racketeering enterprises and other offenses related to the operation of illicit massage parlors in Texas and New Mexico and money laundering. According to court documents, Wen owned and operated at least seven massage parlors where Asian women engaged in illegal commercial sex. Wang operated the parlors on Wen’s behalf when Wen was out of state.

Shaoping Wen pled guilty to conspiracy to commit interstate travel and use of interstate facilities in aid of racketeering enterprises in November 2024. She was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, to be followed by a one-year term of supervised release. Wen was also ordered to forfeit $291,990.88 in U.S. currency and pay a money judgment of $1,771,360 to the United States.

Xu Wang pled guilty to misprision of a felony in November 2024 and was sentenced by Judge Kacsmaryk to time served (362 days), to be followed by a one-year term of supervised release.

Court documents revealed that, on at least 10 occasions between June 2023 and February 2024, undercover officers purchased massages for varying dollar amounts at Wen’s parlors in Texas and New Mexico. The officers were generally greeted by lingerie-clad women who agreed to have sex with them for an additional fee of between $140 and $200. Several of the women used translation apps to negotiate for sexual services. When the women were arrested for prostitution, they identified themselves as Chinese citizens and listed their occupation as simply, “laborer.” On several occasions, Wen or Wang facilitated payment of the arrested women’s cash bond.

Officers also observed Wen’s vehicle transporting Asian females directly from the airport to her massage parlors. Neighbors said the women never left the building. Searches of the premises revealed beds placed on the floors, suggesting the women lived at the massage parlors.

On at least one occasion, a passerby heard a woman screaming and entered the parlor to check-in. He reported seeing three women between the ages of 30 and 50 dressed in provocative clothing.

Officers found the massage parlors advertised on sites often used to advertise for commercial sex. The ads included photos of partially naked women and promoted “100% sexy” girls who “like to spend time with nice upscale gentlemen.” They advertised the “girlfriend experience,” “porn star experience,” and “fantasy outfits on request.” Prostitution is illegal in Texas and New Mexico.

In March 2024, Wen’s seven illicit massage parlors were searched. During the search, law enforcement located further evidence that the women were residing in the parlors, as well as condoms and other items indicative of sexual activity, and approximately $291,990.88 in U.S. currency. Casino records revealed that Wen frequently traveled to California to launder the proceeds of her illicit massage parlor businesses. From between January 2018 and August 2023, Wen cashed out approximately $1,771,360 in chips from the casino.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office – Lubbock Resident Agency, Homeland Security Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Lubbock Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, HSI’s Albuquerque Field Office, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Wolfforth Police Department, the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, the Carlsbad Police Department, the Roswell Police Department, the Clovis Police Department, the Roswell Fire Department, the Carlsbad Fire Department, the Lubbock County District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorney Callie Woolam prosecuted the case.

MIL Security OSI –

March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Finds Feeding Our Future Mastermind and Co-Defendant Guilty in $250 Million Pandemic Fraud Scheme

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

MINNEAPOLIS – Two individuals have been convicted by a federal jury for their roles in a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

“Aimee Bock and Salim Said took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to carry out a massive fraud scheme that stole money meant to feed children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “The defendants falsely claimed to have served 91 million meals, for which they fraudulently received nearly $250 million in federal funds. That money did not go to feed kids. Instead, it was used to fund their lavish lifestyles. Today’s verdict sends a message to the community that fraud against the government will not be tolerated.”

“Stealing from the federal government is stealing from the American people – plain and simple. The egregious fraud uncovered in the Feeding our Future case represents the blatant betrayal of public trust. These criminals stole hundreds of millions in federal funding meant to feed hungry children during a crisis and instead funneled it into luxury homes, cars and lavish lifestyles while families struggled,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The FBI will not allow criminals to rob federal programs and walk away unscathed. We will expose their schemes, dismantle their networks, and ensure they face the full weight of justice.”

“Aimee Bock, Salim Said, and others took advantage of a global pandemic to rob food programs, aimed at serving those in need, of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars during a time when so many people were struggling,” said Ramsey Covington, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “Instead of overseeing the distribution of meals to low-income children, Bock’s organization enabled meal site operators to commit fraud. This verdict is the product of dedicated investigators and prosecutors to bring accountability to those who brazenly stole from the American public. IRS Criminal Investigation is deeply committed to working with our partner agencies to combat these types of fraud schemes and ensure our American tax dollars serve their intended purpose.”

“Today’s verdict reaffirms how critical a role the U.S. Postal Inspection Service plays in protecting the American consumer from these types of fraudulent schemes and in ensuring that the nation’s U.S. mail stream is not used by criminals to prey upon our citizens and programs intended to aid those in need during difficult times. The bold egregious nature in which these fraudsters victimized our children and programs intended to feed them during a world-wide pandemic illustrates their callous disregard for human decency and overall greed,” Bryan Musgrove, Inspector in Charge of the Denver Division stated. “This investigation is a tremendous example of how the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and our FBI law enforcement partners can work side by side in an effort to bring these fraudsters to justice.”

Historically, the Federal Child Nutrition provided meals to children in school-based programs or activities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) waived some of the standard requirements for participation in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Among other things, the USDA allowed for-profit restaurants to participate in the program, as well as allowed for off-site food distribution to children outside of educational programs.
As proven at trial, Aimee Bock, 44, was the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization that was a sponsor participating in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Salim Said, 36, former co-owner of Safari Restaurant, was jointly tried with Bock. Together, they oversaw a massive fraud scheme carried out by sites under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship.

As proven at trial, Feeding Our Future employees recruited individuals and entities to open Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota. These sites, created and operated by Bock, Said, and others, fraudulently claimed to be serving meals to thousands of children a day within just days or weeks of being formed. Bock and Said created and submitted false documentation, including fraudulent meal counts consisting of fake attendance rosters purporting to list the names and ages of the children receiving meals at the sites each day. Feeding Our Future submitted these fraudulent claims to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and then disbursed the fraudulently obtained Federal Child Nutrition Program funds to their co-conspirators involved in the scheme.

To accomplish their scheme, Bock and Said created dozens of shell companies to enroll in the program as food program sites, and to receive and launder the proceeds of their fraudulent scheme. In exchange for sponsoring these sites’ fraudulent participation in the program, Feeding Our Future received more than $18 million in administrative fees to which it was not entitled. In addition to the administrative fees, Feeding Our Future employees solicited and received bribes and kickbacks from individuals and companies sponsored by Feeding Our Future. Many of these kickbacks were paid in cash or disguised as “consulting fees” paid to shell companies created by Feeding Our Future employees to make them appear legitimate.

As proven at trial, Said’s Safari Restaurant reported approximately $600,000 in annual revenue in each of the three years prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, Safari Restaurant enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. By July 2020, Said claimed to be serving meals to 5,000 children per day, seven days a week. In total, Said claimed to have served over 3.9 million meals to children from the Safari Restaurant food site between April 2020 and November 2021. Said also claimed that Safari Restaurant provided more than 2.2 million meals to other food sites involved in Feeding Our Future’s fraud scheme.

In total, Feeding Our Future opened more than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota, and in doing so, went from receiving and disbursing approximately $3.4 million in federal funds in 2019 to nearly $200 million in 2021. Throughout the course of their scheme, Feeding Our Future fraudulently obtained and disbursed more than $240 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. The defendants used the proceeds of their fraudulent scheme to purchase luxury vehicles, residential and commercial real estate in Minnesota as well as property in Ohio and Kentucky, real estate in Kenya and Turkey, and to fund international travel.

After a six-week trial, Bock was convicted on four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of bribery, and one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. Said was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, eight counts of bribery, one count conspiracy to commit money laundering and five counts of money laundering.

The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Matthew S. Ebert, Harry M. Jacobs, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.

MIL Security OSI –

March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) Joins Ecobank and Soto Gallery for 2nd edition of the +234Art Fair to elevate African art and empower artists

SOURCE: Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)

Visitors will experience a wide range of artistic expressions, including painting, sculpture, visual and digital art, installations, and more

LAGOS, Nigeria, March 19, 2025/ — Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) (www.AfricaFC.org), the leading infrastructure solutions provider in Africa, has announced its support for the +234Art Fair, coming on as partners for the second year in a row. This aligns with the Corporation’s commitment to empowering and elevating the continent’s youth, with more than 260 young artists expressing interest in exhibiting their works at the second edition of the international art fair, organized by Soto Gallery in collaboration with Ecobank Nigeria Limited, AFC and Craneburg Construction Company.

This meticulously curated five-day event, titled “Championing Patronage in Nigerian Art,” will feature the works of emerging and un-galleried artists. The fair will run from March 27th to March 31st at the Ecobank Pan African Centre, located at 270B1, Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, Victoria Island, starting daily at 10:00 AM.

Samaila Zubairu, President & CEO of the Africa Finance Corporation, stated, “The +234Art Fair aligns with AFC’s advocacy strategy of empowering and elevating Africa’s youthful population, thereby fostering job creation, skills development, value retention and rapid economic growth. We are proud to continue our collaboration with Ecobank to help drive Africa’s creative industry forward by creating a catalyst for promoting African art and artists locally and on the global stage.”

Bolaji Lawal, Managing Director and Regional Executive, Ecobank Nigeria, shared, “As a Pan-African bank, this fair is an important initiative in our commitment to economic growth and investing in Africa’s next generation of talent. It offers emerging artists a unique opportunity to showcase their works to key decision-makers, influencers, and a global audience.”

Mrs. Tola Akerele, Founder of +234 Art Fair and Soto Gallery Foundation, emphasized, “Patronage in the art world goes beyond financial support; it’s about building relationships that allow artists to grow and sustain their creative practices. The 2025 edition of the +234 Art Fair aims to show how meaningful support can impact an artist’s journey and the broader art ecosystem, fostering essential connections along the way.”

The +234 Art Fair celebrates the dynamic talents of Nigeria’s emerging artists, offering them a vital platform to share their work with a broader audience. Visitors will experience a wide range of artistic expressions, including painting, sculpture, visual and digital art, installations, and more. The fair will also feature interactive workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities for artists, art enthusiasts, and key stakeholders in the creative sector.

The event is expected to draw a diverse group of attendees, including Nigerians, Africans, international residents, government officials, policymakers, diplomats, and global art lovers.

About AFC:
AFC was established in 2007 to be the catalyst for pragmatic infrastructure and industrial investments across Africa. AFC’s approach combines specialist industry expertise with a focus on financial and technical advisory, project structuring, project development, and risk capital to address Africa’s infrastructure development needs and drive sustainable economic growth.

Seventeen years on, AFC has developed a track record as the partner of choice in Africa for investing and delivering on instrumental, high-quality infrastructure assets that provide essential services in the core infrastructure sectors of power, natural resources, heavy industry, transport, and telecommunications. AFC has 45 member countries and has invested over US$15 billion in 36 African countries since its inception.

www.AfricaFC.org

MIL OSI – Submitted News –

March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/CONGO RD – Appeal by Butembo university students: “Enough 30 years of war imposed on us to plunder our country’s resources”

Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – “We have been living in war for more than 30 years. The war was born before our generation. It has produced misery, millions of internally displaced people, millions of dead” say the university students of Butembo-Beni, in North Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.Since January, vast portions of territory in the provinces of North and South Kivu have been conquered by the M23 guerrilla movement with the support of the Rwandan army, including the two capitals, Goma and Bukavu.In their appeal, sent to Fides, the members of the Student Council of the Catholic University of Graben in Butembo-Beni complain that “the international community has had a passive attitude”. “The conflict endangers the sovereignty of the DRC and our right to life. Children, women and men are exposed to atrocities and all kinds of violence and human rights violations”.The students raise ‘a cry of alarm’. “Aware of the challenges and problems related to peace and security in the world, we express our and the Congolese people’s great weariness. For too long we have been attacked, massacred, killed, deprived of fundamental freedoms, stripped of human dignity. We need peace”. The Butembo-Beni university students remind us that at the root of the war imposed on the Congolese population, there is no ‘ancestral’ conflict, but topical economic and strategic interests: “There is no longer any need to prove that economic and expansionist reasons lie behind this tragedy. Material interests make us prey: our mineral resources, necessary for the technological and energy transition, are among the most coveted by world powers. But to access them, is it really necessary to kill us, condemn us to misery, destroy our cities, our homes, our environment?”. An example of this predation is given by the 10 tonnes of strategic minerals taken in mid-February by M23 militiamen from a plant in South Kivu (see Fides, 26/2/2025; on the kind of Congolese strategic mineral wealth (see Fides, 1/2/2023).This is why the students demand that “our riches benefit the daughters and sons of the DRC. We want the powers to negotiate directly with the DRC partnerships conducted in a fair and peaceful manner, in the interest of all peoples. Our resources must not be extorted through illicit exploitation, at the cost of our lives. Together we must find ways to share them with respect for all human rights and the principle of sovereignty of states”.“We therefore launch an urgent and pressing appeal to all actors on the international scene, so that they play their role correctly. They must work to ensure that the world finds peace and security, to ensure that all the peoples of the world finally have a peaceful life. We have neither weapons production industries nor nuclear weapons laboratories. Why impose war on us? We want peace and security, without conditions”, they conclude. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 18/3/2025)
Share:

MIL OSI Europe News –

March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: OCEANIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Resignation and succession of metropolitan archbishop of Mount Hagen

Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

Tuesday, 18 March 2025

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the metropolitan archdiocese of Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea, presented by Archbishop Douglas William Young, S.V.D.He is succeeded by Archbishop Clement Papa, until now Coadjutor Archbishop of the same See.His Exc. Msgr. Clement Papa was born on 22 February 1971 in Mount Hagen, Western Highlands, (Papua New Guinea).He studied philosophy at the Good Shepherd Seminary in Maiwara, Madang, and, after a pastoral and spiritual experience, he studied theology at the Holy Spirit Seminary and the Catholic Theological Institute in Bomana, National Capital District. He was ordained a priest on 3 December 1999 for the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mount Hagen.He has held the following positions and continued his studies: Assistant Parish Priest of Fatima (2000-2001); Parish Priest of Kol-Ambulua (2002-2003); Licentiate in Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome (2006); Chaplain at Holy Trinity Teachers College (2007); Dean of Studies at Good Shepherd Seminary in Mt. Hagen (2008); Doctorate in Theology at Melbourne College of Divinity (2021); Lecturer at Good Shepherd Seminary (2021); Rector of Good Shepherd Seminary (2011-2014; 2022); Member of the Finance Committee and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Archdiocese (2011-2014; 2023); since 2023 he has been the interim Director of the Spiritual Year at the Good Shepherd Seminary. (Agenzia Fides, 18/3/2025)
Share:

MIL OSI Europe News –

March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Embargo on minerals labelled as originating from Rwanda – P-000489/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament
The Memorandum of Understanding (‘MoU’) on a strategic partnership on sustainable raw materials value chains with Rwanda is a key tool to address illicit trafficking and to promote a sustainable and responsible sourcing and processing of raw materials. The MoU signed with Rwanda[1] is in line with the EU’s renewed Great Lakes Strategy[2].

The MoU has provided a platform to encourage Rwandan authorities to adhere to the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative[3]. Its suspension would remove the basis for this engagement with Rwanda on improving transparency and traceability.

The EU is taking measures to ensure full application of the Due Diligence Directive[4] and compliance with the obligations under the Conflict Minerals Regulation[5].

The Conflict Minerals Regulation lays down supply chain due diligence obligations for importers into the EU of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold (3TG).

The regulation has a focus on conflict-affected and high-risk areas, but regardless of the geographic location, due diligence should be carried out.

In view of the current situation, all options are up for consideration in the reflection with Member States on how the EU should respond, including on the MoU , as discussed during the Foreign Affairs Council of 24 February 2025[6].

Any measures should be coordinated between the EU, Member States, as well as with multilateral donors.

[1] https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/58035

[2] https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-6631-2023-INIT/en/pdf

[3] https://eiti.org/

[4] Directive (EU) 2024/1760 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on corporate sustainability due diligence and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 and Regulation (EU) 2023/2859, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1760/oj/eng

[5] Regulation (EU) 2017/821 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2017 laying down supply chain due diligence obligations for Union importers of tin, tantalum and tungsten, their ores, and gold originating from conflict-affected and high-risk areas, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2017/821/oj/eng

[6] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/fac/2025/02/24/
Last updated: 19 March 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
March 20, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: SA gears up for Water Investment Summit

Source: South Africa News Agency

Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina is set to host the preparatory meeting for the African Union-Africa Water Investment Programme (AU-AIP) Water Investment Summit 2025.

The meeting is scheduled to take place on the sidelines of the International Water Association (IWA) Congress, currently underway in Cape Town.

The department said the preparatory meeting, to take place on Thursday, is a critical step towards the AU-AIP Water Investment Summit, scheduled to take place at Cape Town in August.

“The summit aims to mobilise at least USD 30 billion annually for climate-resilient water and sanitation initiatives across Africa, aligning with South Africa’s G20 Presidency priorities on economic growth, climate sustainability, and enhanced financing for development,” the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) said on Wednesday.

The preparatory meeting will bring together key stakeholders, including government representatives, international development agencies, private sector investors, and civil society organisations, to refine the objectives, thematic areas, and expected outcomes of the summit scheduled for August.

“The meeting will also serve as a platform to consolidate bilateral partnerships and secure commitments. Additionally, it will ensure that the summit aligns with South Africa’s G20 Presidency goals and effectively contributes to water security and investment mobilisation in Africa,” the department said.

Among the delegates expected to participate at the summit, include:
•    Jakaya Kikwete, former President of the United Republic of Tanzania, chair of the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA), and co-chair of the Africa Water Investment Panel, which includes sitting and former Presidents and eminent leaders (President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa is also a member of the AIP Panel).
•   Arif Alkalali, General Supervisor of the General Directorate for Water Resources in the Ministry of Water, Environment, and Agriculture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
•    Anxious Jongwe Masuka, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, and Rural Resettlement, Zimbabwe.
•    Collins Nzovu, Minister of Water Development and Sanitation, Republic of Zambia.
•    Dr Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, Minister of Water and Sanitation, Republic of Senegal, and President of the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW). – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

March 20, 2025

Category: Africa

Department for Business and Trade welcomes Ghanaian Healthcare Delegation

Share this page

Updates to this page