• Innovative tech startups from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa arrive in London today for two-week programme to help take their business to the next level

• Aim is to create a mutually beneficial partnership with Africa which helps develop new tech to solve local and global issues and pave the way for future trade

• Programme is part of the ambitious new UK-Africa Innovation Partnerships announced by Prime Minister Theresa May in August 2018

Twenty of the most innovative and exciting development-focused startups from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa arrived in London today to take part in the first Go Global Africa programme.

Go Global is a hugely successful innovation scheme which supports startups to improve their business skills and capability, build links with the UK’s thriving tech sector and work with UK expertise to take their firms to the next level.

The programme was started by the UK Israel Tech Hub and over the last four years it has helped develop new UK-Israel collaborations in the digital economy. According to the most recent report on its impact, the UK Israel Tech Hub has led 175 tech partnerships in deals worth £85 million.

Not only does the scheme help firms in the host country but it also plays a vital part in making links for UK startups in these new markets. And with young populations, five of the world’s fastest growing economies and a thirst for innovation, Africa is a continent alive with opportunity.

Digital Minister Margot James said:

It is fantastic to welcome these talented entrepreneurs to the UK. Africa is a vibrant and dynamic continent, with huge potential for growth, and the firms chosen for the first Go Global Africa programme see tech as a force for good in society.

I’ve no doubt they have the talent to play a transformative role in their country’s growth while also building connections for UK startups in new markets and highlighting Britain as the place to develop new technology.

The startups, selected from more than 400 applicants, are developing cutting-edge products and services in industries including fintech, healthcare, agritech and water management.

They will receive coaching from pitching experts Enterprise Academy, a public speaking masterclass, and advice on scaling up from PriceWaterHouseCoopers dedicated startup team and the Natwest Fintech Accelerator.

Bethnal Green Ventures, Europe’s first tech for good accelerator, will provide the startups with insights on how to launch and scale tech for good ventures and Carlos Espinal from Seedcamp will provide guidance on fundraising.

Following the programme the startups will receive ongoing support from the UK’s International Tech Hub Network, which now spans three continents and has seven hubs. They will act as Go Global champions and share the skills they have learned to mentor other firms in their countries. This will help spread digital skills, capability and entrepreneurial spirit to create jobs and prosperity.

Further information:

• The tech sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in Africa. The continent’s startups raised 50 per cent more venture capital in 2017 than in 2016, and the majority of this is being invested in South Africa (£130 million), Kenya (£114 million) and Nigeria (£89 million). Nigeria and Kenya’s technology sectors are growing rapidly and generate more than ten per cent and 11 per cent of their respective economic output.

• Strengthening the UK’s partnership with African nations is a key element of the Government’s commitment to reinvesting in the UK’s relationships across the world, expanding and deepening the nation’s overseas network, working with others to face challenges and advancing common interests.

• Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK-Nigeria, UK-Kenya and UK-South Africa tech hubs in August 2018. The hubs are one pillar of a broader Digital Access Programme which aims to boost digital inclusion across Africa.

Winners of the Go Global Africa competition are:

• Ethredah Chao Mwalwala, Afya-Plan, Health Financing start up
• Godfrey Allan Tollo Ochieng, Myfugo Innovations LTD, Agritech
• Nasreen Ali Mohamed, Cherehani Africa, Fintech
• Richard Machomba Muita, FlexPay Technologies, Fintech
• Jamie Wilfred John Magambo, CropCrowd, Agritech
• Isaac Maina Karani, Elikham Systems Limited, Water Management Tech
• Tochukwu Chiemeziem Egesi, Innovation Corner Digital Health
• Paul David Azemoh, Thrive Agric, Agritech
• Muhammad Salisu Abdullahi, eTrash2Cash, Fintech
• Eunice Odunayo Eweniyi, Piggybank.ng, Fintech
• Abiodun Akanji Adereni, HelpMum, Digital Health
• Faith Ekwebelam, Social Lender, Fintech
• Ralph Gbenga Oluwole, Helium Health, Digital Health
• Vinodhan Naidu, Envisionit E-Escrow, Fintech
• Owen David Meredith, GLU Global (Pty) Ltd, Information Technology Systems Integration
• Tania Engau Ikedji Mukwamu, MaxiCash (Pty) Ltd, Fintech
• Tyron Geoff Fouche, Nobuntu, Fintech
• Marnus Jacobus van Heerden, Pineapple Tech (Pty) Ltd, Insurtech
• Neo Valentine Hutiri, Technovera Pty Ltd, Digital Health
• Stephanus Hattingh, Health Solutions Africa, Digital Health

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UK team of health and emergency response workers is flying to the region hit by Cyclone Idai today (24 March) to help assess health needs following the disaster.

The team of five will work with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Ministry of Health in Mozambique, to help with the next stages of the health response following the cyclone, which has affected millions of people across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

UK aid is funding the specialist team, as part of a wider UK government response to help those affected by the disaster.

The team is led by Jon Barden, who works for the Department For International Development’s (DFID’s) Humanitarian and Stabilisation Operations Team and includes David Wightwick and Rachel Fletcher of charity UK-Med, Peter Skelton of NGO Humanity and Inclusion and Dave Phillips of UK-International Search and Rescue. The team is due to fly to Mozambique from Heathrow.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has warned of a cholera outbreak in the region hit by the cyclone.

Mr Barden said:

Many hospitals and clinics have been destroyed by the flooding. As the rescue efforts increase those that are still open will have been overwhelmed by people who urgently need treatment.

Survivors may be suffering from illnesses such as dehydration and diarrhoeal diseases, as well as injuries from the cyclone. Many of them will have had no fresh water and lack shelter and lack of access to food.

We will be assessing what health support the UK can offer the Ministry of Health, WHO and other partners in the critical first weeks of this disaster.

The UK was one of the first countries to respond to Cyclone Idai and is currently the biggest international donor. It has so far pledged to give £22 million to help deal with the disaster’s aftermath. This includes matching pound-for-pound £4 million of public donations to the Disaster Emergency Committee’s appeal.

Separately, another UK aid flight is due to leave from Doncaster Airport later today. It will contain forklift trucks and other equipment to help quickly unload aid from planes and cut the time it takes to get relief items to those in need.

A RAF flight, containing UK aid is also due to leave for Mozambique later today.

These flights are in addition to a plane of UK aid containing over 7,500 shelter kits and 100 family tents which arrived in Mozambique last Wednesday.

DFID has also sent humanitarian experts from the UK to help on the ground. In addition, it has supported the World Food Programme to deliver airdrops of high-energy biscuits to isolated pockets of people stranded by floodwaters in Beira, a city in the region worst hit by the cyclone.

A RAF aircraft will help deliver up to 20 tonnes of UK aid supplies to those affected by the devastating cyclone that has struck Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, the Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson announced today (Sunday, 24 March 2019).

The A400M Atlas aircraft will help provide critical humanitarian aid from the Department for International Development (DFID) for survivors of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique.

The Government of Mozambique has declared a national emergency in the aftermath of the cyclone and the arrival of the aircraft next week will ensure UK aid can be used to meet immediate needs on the ground. The A400M Atlas previously delivered 17.5 tonnes of UK aid relief to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia last year.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

The UK stands united with those affected by the devastation of Cyclone Idai at this incredibly difficult time. Our partners across the globe can count on our Armed Forces to lend a helping hand in times of need, which is why are sending an RAF aircraft to assist with the aid relief.

The deadly cyclone and torrential rains may have left more than a thousand people dead in Mozambique alone and it is one of the biggest humanitarian disasters the region has ever faced. It is estimated by the UN that 350,000 people are still at risk due to rising water levels in urban and rural areas.

UK aid on board the aircraft will help towards providing vital relief for the 37,500 people in need of urgent shelter. Current reports indicate at least 17,400 homes have been completely destroyed by the cyclone and flooding and the RAF’s rapid deployment of the aircraft will help ensure the timely delivery of UK aid supplies.

RAF pilots will use their training and expertise to safely navigate through challenging flying conditions and deliver UK aid to those who need it most. Many villages and landmarks have been submerged by floodwater, stalling all land-based rescue missions and making the delivery of aid by air even more critical.

The content of the UK aid package on board is still to be determined, but is expected to include relief items such as solar lanterns, water purifiers and shelter kits.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

The UK government was one of the first to respond to this crisis and is currently the biggest global donor to the response. It is doing all it can to provide life-saving help to the hundreds of thousands of people left homeless or without food by this devastating cyclone.

The UK aid on board this RAF plane due to fly into Mozambique contains essential supplies, which will made a real and immediate difference to the survivors.

This is undoubtedly one of the biggest natural disasters to hit the region, and our thoughts remain firmly with the victims.

A DFID flight containing over 7,500 emergency shelter kits and family tents arrived in Maputo, Mozambique’s capital on Wednesday last week. Another UK aid flight is due to leave Doncaster today carrying forklift trucks and other cargo handling equipment. This will speed up the time it takes to unload aid from planes, ensuring it reaches the survivors of the cyclone more quickly. DFID experts are already on the ground coordinating the response.

A UK aid chartered plane is also currently doing shuttle runs, carrying aid between Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, and Beira, a city in the area worst hit by the cyclone.

In addition to relief supplies prepositioned in Mozambique before the crisis, DFID has also supported the World Food Programme to deliver airdrops of high-energy biscuits to isolated pockets of people stranded by floodwaters in Beira.

The UK’s total support for the survivors of Cyclone Idai now stands at £22 million. This includes £4 million of aid match money for the Disasters Emergency Committee’s appeal.

Universities must end the steep-rise of ‘unjustifiable’ first class degrees to maintain the UK university sector’s world class reputation, Education Secretary Damian Hinds has said today (24 March).

In the second in a series of interventions across higher education, Mr Hinds wants action taken across the sector to put a stop to artificial grade inflation starting from the next academic year – in a bid to reset the proportion of firsts and 2:1s awarded by universities.

Analysis published by the Office for Students (OfS) in December 2018 showed that 27% of students obtained a first-class honours degree in 2016/17, up from 16% in 2010/11. Of all university students, 78% now obtain an upper degree (first or 2:1), up from 67% in 2010/11. Analysis of these figures concluded that the scale of this rise cannot be attributed to the rise in pupils’ prior attainment or changes in student demographics alone.

The OfS data also revealed that 50.1% of students at the University of Surrey were awarded a first class degree in 2016-17, while at the University of Huddersfield 37.9% of students were awarded a first class degree in 2016-17.

Mr Hinds has today announced a clear expectation that the OfS should directly challenge institutions where they find clear evidence of artificial grade inflation occurring.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said:

Our universities are world-class and world leading, with four ranked among the top ten in the world, and attracting thousands of international students. At the heart of that global reputation is a trust in the quality and high standards of the education provided.

Unjustifiable, artificial grade inflation threatens that. It cannot be right that students in one year are awarded higher grades for the same level of achievement than those in previous years. We owe it to the hardworking students who have earned those top grades to stamp out this unfair practice.

I expect the Office for Students – when they have their full range of powers – to challenge those institutions that record an unjustifiable rise in the proportion of top degrees being awarded.

The OfS’ statutory powers are on course to be strengthened through new regulations due to be laid in Parliament later this year, which once agreed allow the OfS to levy fines of up to £500,000 or two per cent of a university’s income (whichever is higher).

Universities found to be damaging students’ interests could be subject to sanctions such as placing additional conditions on their registration, fines, or in the worst case scenario removing a university’s powers to award degrees.

The UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment, is developing sector-recognised standards to ensure that all degree awards are consistent and fair – due to be completed this academic year.

Universities UK, GuildHE and QAA have been undertaking this work as members of the committee on behalf of the full committee and the sector.

Together, these measures will strengthen the regulator’s ability to challenge universities with unwarranted grade inflation and hold them to account.

Professor Dame Janet Beer, President of Universities UK, said:

Universities are determined to tackle unexplained grade inflation. The sector’s collective will to take ownership of this challenge is strong, as we recognise it is crucial that we keep the confidence of students, employers and the public, in the value of a university qualification.

It is important to draw a distinction between grade inflation and grade improvement, where increased investment in teaching and facilities, as well as students working harder than ever, are leading to legitimate increases in grades. Questions raised by this debate will not halt efforts to ensure every student has the opportunity to get the best outcome from their study – a priority shared by the government and the Office for Students.

We will shortly be publishing the results of a wide-ranging consultation, carried out with sector partners, which includes a statement of intent from universities on how to protect the value of qualifications across the UK.

Commenting on the fall of Daesh, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said: