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MSD Africa Supports World Immunization Week

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MSD Africa has announced its support of World Immunization Week, an annual global initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners on April 20th to promote immunization for people of all ages through advocacy, education and communication.

WHO’s Africa Regional office (AFRO) has launched AFRO Immunization Week 2013 on 23 April to highlight the importance of protecting people in the region who are at significant risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.

The theme of this year’s World Immunization Week is ”Protect your world – get vaccinated.”

Vaccines have had a profound impact on public health. They help to prevent more than 30 common, yet potentially fatal, infectious diseases and to avert long-term disability and an estimated two to three million deaths worldwide each year.

However, the benefits of immunization need to extend beyond children, to reach adolescents and adults, and provide protection against life-threatening diseases such as influenza, meningitis and cervical cancer.

“Vaccines have not yet reached all those in the world who need them,” said Professor Dr Lynette Denny, Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Groote Schuur Hospital/University of Cape Town.

“World Immunization Week aims to reinforce the message that timely vaccination prevents disease and to mobilize action to improve vaccination coverage for the world’s at-risk individuals of all age groups.

This is particularly important with regard to cervical cancer, a disease that disproportionately afflicts women in developing countries, where 76 to 86 percent of all cases occur.”

Although there have been great successes with vaccination in Africa, many challenges remain. An estimated 22.4 million infants worldwide have not received the recommended three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, with the majority of these infants coming from 10 countries, including Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa. Further, more than 1.5 million children under the age of five – most of them in low-income countries – die from diseases that could be prevented by currently available vaccines.

“At MSD we are pleased to support World Immunization Week, which provides an important opportunity to raise awareness about the positive public health impact of vaccination,” said Soren Bo Christiansen, president, MSD, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

“MSD is proud of its ongoing commitment to preventing these diseases worldwide. More than ever, we recognize that the value of vaccination has moved beyond the reduction of infant mortality, and is becoming an integral component of the provision of healthcare services, from infancy to old age, across the globe. It is our goal to press forward with innovative solutions to making vaccines available, limit potentially preventable deaths and improve quality of life. In Africa, MSD is pursuing a systematic and thoughtful approach to improve access to vaccines through four key pillars, innovation, partnerships, pricing and support with implementation.”


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Aliko Dangote Signs out @ Dangote Sugar Refinery as Chairman

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Aliko Dangote
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In a major leadership transition, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc (DSR) has announced the retirement of  Aliko Dangote, its founder and chairman, from the Board, effective June 16, 2025.

Aliko Dangote Signs out @ Dangote Sugar Refinery as Chairman

Aliko Dangote

The announcement was made in a regulatory filing with the Nigerian Exchange Ltd on June 11, highlighting the company’s commitment to sound corporate governance and structured succession planning.

In a statement signed by Mrs. Temitope Hassan (FCIS), company secretary and legal adviser, the Board praised Dangote’s extraordinary leadership and lasting contributions to the company.

“Alhaji Aliko Dangote is one of the founding Directors of the Company and has served with exceptional leadership, integrity, and vision since 2005,” the statement read.

“Under his stewardship, Dangote Sugar Refinery transformed significantly, navigated industry changes, consistently delivered value to shareholders, and upheld strong governance principles.”

Widely regarded as Africa’s most influential industrialist, Dangote led DSR’s evolution into a dominant player in Nigeria’s sugar value chain.

His strategic initiatives, particularly the Backward Integration Projects (BIPs) across Adamawa, Taraba, and Nasarawa States, advanced the company’s self-sufficiency goals and aligned with the federal government’s national sugar master plan.

While stepping down from DSR, Dangote will continue as President of Dangote Industries Limited.

His legacy at DSR is marked by industrial innovation, strategic foresight, and sustained operational excellence.

To ensure a seamless transition, the Board has appointed Mr. Arnold Ekpe, a seasoned independent non-executive director, as the new chairman, effective June 16.

Ekpe is renowned for his tenure as Group CEO of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, where he championed pan-African financial inclusion and institutional growth.

His extensive experience in banking and corporate governance is expected to strengthen DSR’s next phase of development.

The leadership change signals continuity of vision, with DSR reaffirming its focus on operational efficiency and long-term value creation in a dynamic market.

For shareholders and industry observers, Dangote’s exit from the Board marks the end of a transformational era—one defined by bold ambition and strategic execution—while opening a new chapter under Ekpe’s leadership.

 

 

 

 


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Report Reveals New Malware Posing as an AI Assistant Steals User Data

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Kaspersky Global Research & Analysis Team researchers have discovered a new malicious campaign which is distributing a Trojan through a fake DeepSeek-R1 Large Language Model (LLM) app for PCs.

The previously unknown malware is delivered via a phishing site pretending to be the official DeepSeek homepage that is promoted via Google Ads.

The goal of the attacks is to install BrowserVenom, a malware that configures web browsers on the victim’s device to channel web traffic through the attackers servers, thus allowing to collect user data – credentials and other sensitive information. Multiple infections have been detected in Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, India, Nepal, South Africa and Egypt.

DeepSeek-R1 is one of the most popular LLMs right now, and Kaspersky has previously reported attacks with malware mimicking it to attract victims. DeepSeek can also be run offline on PCs using tools like Ollama or LM Studio, and attackers used this in their campaign.

Users were directed to a phishing site mimicking the address of the original DeepSeek platform via Google Ads, with the link showing up in the ad when a user searched for “deepseek r1”.

Once the user reached the fake DeepSeek site, a check was performed to identify the victim’s operating system. If it was Windows, the user was presented with a button to download the tools for working with the LLM offline. Other operating systems were not targeted at the time of research.

After clicking on the button and passing the CAPTCHA test, a malicious installer file was downloaded and the user was presented with options to download and install Ollama or LM Studio.

If either option was chosen, along with legitimate Ollama or LM Studio installers, malware got installed in the system bypassing Windows Defender’s protection with a special algorithm.

This procedure also required administrator privileges for the user profile on Windows; if the user profile on Windows did not have these privileges, the infection would not take place.

After the malware was installed, it configured all web browsers in the system to forcefully use a proxy controlled by the attackers, enabling them to spy on sensitive browsing data and monitor the victim’s browsing activity.

Because of its enforcing nature and malicious intent, Kaspersky researchers have dubbed this malware BrowserVenom.

“While running large language models offline offers privacy benefits and reduces reliance on cloud services, it can also come with substantial risks if proper precautions aren’t taken.

Cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting the popularity of open-source AI tools by distributing malicious packages and fake installers that can covertly install keyloggers, cryptominers, or infostealers.

These fake tools compromise a user’s sensitive data and pose a threat, particularly when users have downloaded them from unverified sources,” comments Lisandro Ubiedo, Security Researcher with Kaspersky’s Global Research & Analysis Team.


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Court Declares Bank’s Withholding of Retirement Benefits Unlawful

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National Industrial Court in Lagos has ruled that a deposit money bank must pay over N162 million in outstanding retirement benefits to a group of its former employees.

The judgment, delivered by Justice R.H. Gwandu, criticized the bank’s attempt to withhold entitlements from staff employed through third-party arrangements.

The claimants, represented by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, argued that the bank violated labor laws by refusing to honor their retirement benefits. They sought declarations that the bank’s actions were unlawful and requested immediate payment of their dues.

Justice Gwandu ruled in favor of the employees, stating that the use of third-party employment to evade obligations was unacceptable.

The court acknowledged their long service and dismissed the bank’s argument that they did not meet the required 15 years of uninterrupted service.

Notably, the court upheld the rights of the 10th claimant, who continued working with the bank after its merger with Manny Bank and another commercial institution.

This landmark ruling reinforces workers’ rights and establishes that organizations cannot use outsourcing arrangements to deny employees their legitimate benefits.


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