Smart Africa, a bold and innovative commitment from African Heads of State and Government to accelerate sustainable socioeconomic development , has launched a continent-wide technology based coordinated impact response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic for Africa.

Kigali,Rwanda., March 27, 2020 - Smart Africa has launched a continent-wide technology based coordinated impact response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic for Africa. This response is aimed at bringing together the 30 member states under the Smart Africa Alliance and the 40 private sector members of the Alliance to coordinate efforts to stem the pandemic in Africa.

In order to tackle this unprecedented crisis, by its magnitude and its impact on society, the Smart Africa Secretariat seeks to support digital health services projects that aim at improving and accelerating the African governments response to the challenges of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The projects under the initiative are aimed at assisting African countries to:

• Assess individual risk and guide decision making;
• Assist African populations in finding nearby testing sites;
• Provide reliable updates and alerts from public health authorities;
• Report on community status;
• Track and report transmissions.

Moreover, to ensure that the efforts are relevant to the African context, critical technological parameters are considered as below:
 

• A solution available via web, application (iOS, Android, Windows), SMS, USSD, and other messaging platforms;
• Data collection from diverse points such as individual smartphones or terminals at public facilities (e.g. testing terminals at border controls, testing terminals by medical authorities, etc.);
• A reporting dashboard accessible to the admin with relevant data – specific rights depending on the status of the admin (e.g. public authorities, medical authorities) will be established;
• Anonymized data (no personal information including name, ID, address recorded on the system) generated by use of the solution can be published in real-time through a database accessible with an API and map interface on a public website for public health authorities to monitor;

• Reliably informative content available in local languages in various formats (written – vocal with Interactive Voice Recognition technology) – e.g. prevention practices, isolation practices, closest health facilities, additional one-on-on support, etc.;
• Assessment and guidance compliance to the World Health Organization (“WHO”), national and local public health guidelines and include exposures, symptoms of illness, and underlying health status.

There are numerous international interventions to the coronavirus pandemic but so far very few that are relevant to the immediate African context. We are bringing a credible and coordinated technology based African response which must go beyond our 30 member countries to the entirety of the African continent. The aim is to save lives and we must all do our part,“There are numerous international interventions to the coronavirus pandemic but so far very few that are relevant to the immediate African context. We are bringing a credible and coordinated technology based African response which must go beyond our 30 member countries to the entirety of the African continent. The aim is to save lives and we must all do our part,” said Mr. Lacina Koné, Director General of Smart Africa.

The response will be initiated through a call for proposals which will involve numerous stakeholders across Africa. Once initiated the response by governments to the pandemic is expected to be coordinated, efficient and to save lives.
 

About Smart Africa

SMART Africa is a bold and innovative commitment from African Heads of State and Government to accelerate sustainable socioeconomic development on the continent, ushering Africa into a knowledge economy through affordable access to Broadband and usage of Information and Communications Technologies.

The Transform Africa Summit held in Kigali, Rwanda on 28th-31st October 2013 culminated in the adoption of the Smart Africa Manifesto document by seven (7) African Heads of States (Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Mali, Gabon, Burkina Faso) in which they committed to provide leadership in accelerating socio-economic development through ICT’s.

For a VAT registration a business person will need to complete a Business as a sole trader or a Company Registration Form for companies together along with the VAT Supplementary Registration Form .A Notification of VAT Registration will be issued to the person once the form is submitted to FRCA, processed and approved.VAT registration is free of charge and can be processed at any FRCA office. There are 2 major obligations that a person should comply depending on the mode of VAT return lodgment approved. The registered person is required to file a VAT return within the due dates. A VAT registered person must maintain all his business accounts, documents and records. All business records kept are to be in English and all documents and records should not be less than seven years.

What happens if we don't lodge or pay our return on time?

If we don't lodge or pay our return on time penalties are generated automatically by the system which results in  failure to lodge. There will be a late lodgment penalty of 25% with late payment penalty of 20%, and an additional 5% penalty for every month of default. When accounting for VAT registration on the time of supply, this would depend on whether you have done your VAT registration on a cash or accrual basis. For cash basis, the time of supply is when you receive or pay cash. But for accrual basis, the general rule on the time of supply following a tax invoice is issued by the supplier or any payment which is received by the supplier; when delivery of goods takes place. For example if an invoice is issued for a purchase and payments are to be done within 30 days, the time of supply would be the date of the invoice and not the payment date.

Travel Trend reports an increase in cruise bookings despite pandemic outbreak.

Berlin, April 20, 2020 -- Travel Trends predicts 2021 to unfold well for the cruise industry, but investors must not loose faith.

Interestingly, cruise lines are registering a 9% increase in bookings in comparison to 2019. This comes as a surprise after several Covid-19 outbreaks on-board cruises.

The rapid spread of the virus has resulted in numerous travel restrictions. The article analyses the impact of the halt on cruise travel in relation to the sharp drop in share prices and the financial survival of the entire cruise industry.

Despite investors being seemingly unconvinced about the industry’s ability to survive the pandemic, Travel Trend reports promising outlooks as customers seem to be rebooking instead of cancelling their cruises.

Their future depends on their ability to keep up with their obligations to creditors, and the debt-equity ratio: how much a company owes versus how much it owns. However, the ultimate decisive factor will be the duration of the current travel restrictions.

Large cruise liners such as Carnival Cruise, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian are suffering from losses of investments of at least 70%. Yet, according to the article on Travel Trend, the world’s largest cruise line - Carnival, is in better financial health than Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, despite needing a billion dollars a month to survive.

Author of the article is optimistic as the cruise industry has always bounced back from numerous setbacks in the past.

In addition, and once the restrictions finally lift, the cruise industry might be able to cater for a new audience as millennials hold increasingly more positive attitudes towards cruise holidays.

Read the full article about the prospects of the cruise industry at https://www.trvltrend.com/cruise/post-corona-cruise-industry/

About Travel Trend:
Travel Trend is an information portal created by travel experts who want to share the results of their experiments with new travel related gadgets and apps as well as their favorite travel tips. The travel industry is in a constant state of growth and change, driven by technology and emerging trends. Through extensive research, reading and travel, Travel Trend is presenting a vision for the future of travel. Their mission is to improve the travel experience, making travel easier and safer while helping travelers save money along the way. Learn more at https://www.trvltrend.com.

Media Contact:
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Travel Trend
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https://www.trvltrend.com

Eternal Lawns  www.eternallawns.com Artificial Grass Supplier, Installer for Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Halifax and Throughout Yorkshire Announce Corona Policy.

Lee Grayshon MD at Eternal Lawns comments.

‘At Eternal Lawns we have implemented a policy in line with government guidelines concerning Covid-19.

This allows us to survey gardens by means of virtual, through facetime, skype or other social media platforms. On arriving to your garden to survey, the virtual system prevents any contact and is in line with all social distancing requirements. Our installers work in a team of two, with PPE suited to the install, keeping at all times 2 meters apart.

This enables us to continue to provide a survey’s and installations to high standards and respect current policy on Covid 19.’

For further information contact:-

Lee Grayshon

ETERNAL LAWNS LTD

Bruntcliffe Road,

Morley,

Leeds,

LS27 0LF

Ph: 01133 200801

Website: www.eternallawns.com

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