May 30, 2023

Chris McCloskey Joins Duck Creek as Chief Operating Officer

Boston, May 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Duck Creek Technologies, the intelligent solutions provider defining the future of Property and Casualty (P&C) and general insurance, today announces the addition of Chris McCloskey to its leadership team as Chief Operating Officer. McCloskey will be instrumental in driving key strategy, operational and transformation initiatives across the entire business, particularly within our customer and professional services organizations.

McCloskey joins Duck Creek from Datto, where he was most recently Chief Customer Officer for the cybersecurity and business continuity company. At Datto, McCloskey was responsible for building a new customer success organization that significantly improved technical implementation, customer satisfaction and retention, and partner health. Before joining Datto, McCloskey grew through sales and customer-facing leadership roles to become COO, Americas at London-based Finastra, a multi-billion-dollar financial services software company.

“We are delighted to welcome Chris to Duck Creek’s leadership team; he will help us continue to better focus on increasing lifetime value and enable our customers to be more successful,” said Mike Jackowski, CEO of Duck Creek. “Chris is incredibly accomplished in growing and leading large teams through transformation, and having him as a strategic customer-facing leader is the perfect match to advance our vision.”

McCloskey Chris earned his MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University and his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Gettysburg College.

About Duck Creek Technologies

Duck Creek Technologies is the intelligent solutions provider defining the future of the property and casualty (P&C) and general insurance industry. We are the platform upon which modern insurance systems are built, enabling the industry to capitalize on the power of the cloud to run agile, intelligent, and evergreen operations. Authenticity, purpose, and transparency are core to Duck Creek, and we believe insurance should be there for individuals and businesses when, where, and how they need it most. Our market-leading solutions are available on a standalone basis or as a full suite, and all are available via Duck Creek OnDemand. Visit www.duckcreek.com to learn more. Follow Duck Creek on our social channels for the latest information – LinkedIn and Twitter.

Carley Bunch
Duck Creek Technologies
2019626091
carley.bunch@duckcreek.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8847565

May 30, 2023

Hitachi Energy signs agreements with ENOWA and Saudi Electricity Company to design and develop the first phase of visionary NEOM region transmission system

Collaboration to accelerate the development of NEOM in Saudi Arabia with up to 9 gigawatts of power transmission capacity

Zurich, Switzerland, May 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader advancing a sustainable energy future for all, has signed agreements under the supervision and management of the Ministry of Energy with the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) and with ENOWA. The agreements include the supply of three high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems to end customer ENOWA, the utility company for NEOM in Northwest Saudi Arabia. Built with sustainability in mind, NEOM is among Saudi Arabia’s Giga-Projects¹ reshaping the future of development. The three HVDC links will have a total power capacity of up to 9 gigawatts (GW).

The agreements include an order from ENOWA’s engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) partner, the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) awarded to Hitachi Energy and its consortium partner, Saudi Services for Electro Mechanical Works (SSEM), to provide one of the world’s first 3 GW, 525 kilovolt (kV) HVDC Light^® transmission system connecting Oxagon, NEOM’s regional development, with the larger Yanbu area more than 650 kilometers away in Western Saudi Arabia.

Hitachi Energy’s scope of supply includes design, engineering, procurement of HVDC technology and commissioning of the HVDC Light converter stations. Whilst SSEM – a leading Saudi EPC specialized in power, water and industrial projects – will design and supply the AC equipment portion and perform the construction and the installation. The converter stations convert the power from AC to DC then back to AC for integration into the receiving grid. The converters will be sourced by and supplied to Saudi Electricity Company, who were contracted in 2022 by ENOWA to act as their EPCM to build this first HVDC system for NEOM.

Further to this, Hitachi Energy and ENOWA have signed an early works and capacity reservation agreement for two additional HVDC projects, each rated up to 3 GW. Under this agreement, both companies commit to having the resources and capacity necessary to implement these two HVDC systems. As part of a new scalable and modular regional network design that is targeted to seamlessly integrate future renewables and energy storage technologies in the NEOM Energy System, making it unique in terms of size and complexity. The co-operation will also explore opportunities to develop local competencies in the Kingdom, including ways to sustainably assemble the necessary HVDC Light components locally.

“We are delighted to strengthen our collaboration with ENOWA and Saudi Electricity Company in order to power one of the most visionary development projects of all time,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business. “As the world progresses towards a more sustainable future, our expertise and HVDC technologies are true enablers of the electrification of the global energy system and the transition to renewables.”

“By securing the first capacities for such an important part of our future grid in only one year since the decision to use this technology, we show ENOWA’s commitment to supporting Saudi Vision 2030 in collaboration with Saudi Electricity Company and Hitachi Energy,” said Thorsten Schwarz, Executive Director of Grid Technology & Projects, Energy of ENOWA.

ENOWA, NEOM’s energy and water company, produces and delivers clean and sustainable energy for industrial and commercial applications. The company benefits from NEOM’s greenfield site and strategic location in the northwestern part of Saudi Arabia, with abundant solar and wind resources. ENOWA will act as a catalyst and incubator for developing new, sustainable energy and water businesses while creating a robust economic sector regionally.

ENOWA seeks by its commitment to renewable energy and efficient water management, to become a global reference for industry leaders and setting a benchmark for sustainable economic circular systems around the world. Formed in 2022, ENOWA is the principal shareholder in the world’s largest green hydrogen production plant set to be commissioned in 2026 and will enable NEOM to be a global green hydrogen hub.

NEOM will be powered by 100 percent clean energy, through renewable solar, wind and green hydrogen-based energy. The region is designed to be a blueprint for sustainable urban living with minimal impact on the environment and enhanced livability.

Note to editors:
Hitachi Energy’s HVDC solution combines world-leading expertise in HVDC converter valves; the MACH digital control platform², converter power transformers and high-voltage switchgear; as well as system studies, design and engineering, supply, installation supervision and commissioning.

HVDC Light is a voltage source converter technology developed by Hitachi Energy, which was launched over 25 years ago. It is the preferred technology for many grid applications, including interconnecting countries, integrating renewables and “power-from-shore” connections to offshore production facilities. HVDC Light’s defining features include uniquely compact converter stations and exceptionally low electrical losses.

Hitachi Energy pioneered commercial HVDC technology almost 70 years ago and has delivered more than half of the world’s HVDC projects.

Hitachi Energy’s consulting services assist energy customers in pinpointing their challenges and suggesting customized solutions tailored to their unique requirements. Our consultants operate independently, with a product and system-agnostic approach, possessing in-depth knowledge of global technologies, standards, and local grid codes.

1 Saudi’s Giga-Projects
2 Modular Advanced Control for HVDC (MACH)

See also:
Hitachi Energy to supply the first ever large-scale HVDC interconnection in the Middle East and North Africa (2022)
Hitachi Energy and Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority sign contract to upgrade high-voltage direct current transmission system (2023)

ENOWA website

-END-

About Hitachi Energy
Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. We serve customers in the utility, industry and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services across the value chain. Together with customers and partners, we pioneer technologies and enable the digital transformation required to accelerate the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. We are advancing the world’s energy system to become more sustainable, flexible and secure whilst balancing social, environmental and economic value. Hitachi Energy has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ around 40,000 people in 90 countries and generate business volumes of over $10 billion USD.
https://www.hitachienergy.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hitachienergy
https://twitter.com/HitachiEnergy

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society through the use of data and technology. We solve customers’ and society’s challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products. Hitachi operates under the business structure of “Digital Systems & Services” – supporting our customers’ digital transformation; “Green Energy & Mobility” – contributing to a decarbonized society through energy and railway systems, and “Connective Industries” – connecting products through digital technology to provide solutions in various industries. Driven by Digital, Green, and Innovation, we aim for growth through co-creation with our customers. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2022 (ended March 31, 2023) totaled 10,881.1 billion yen, with 696 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at https://www.hitachi.com.

Attachment

Hitachi Energy signs agreements with ENOWA and Saudi Electricity Company to design and develop the first phase of visionary NEOM region transmission system

Jocelyn Chang
Hitachi Energy
jocelyn.chang@hitachienergy.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8848737

May 30, 2023

IMF’s economic growth projections for Ghana ‘unambitiously low’-IEA

Accra, The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Ghana has described the economic growth projections for Ghana under the US$3 billion Extended Credit Facility (ECF) programme of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as ‘unambitiously low’.

Under the programme, Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is projected to grow at 1.5 per cent in 2023, 2.8 per cent in 2024, 4.7 per cent in 2025, 5.0 per cent in 2026 and 5.0 per cent in 2027.

Real GDP per capita is also projected to grow at negative 1.1 per cent in 2023, 0.2 per cent in 2024, 2.1 per cent in 2025, 2.3 per cent in 2026 and 2.4 per cent in 2027.

IEA-Ghana observed that the projections would take the country at least 20 years to double its real GDP per capita from the current US$2,500 to US$5,000.

‘When are we then going to be able to close the gap with those who currently have real GDP per capita of US$30,000-50,000? We have abundant natural and human resources’ the Director of Research at IEA, Dr John Kwakye, said at a press conference.

He said the economy could grow between seven to 10 per cent over the five-year period and double its real GDP per capita within 10 years instead of 20 years.

‘We can scale up public and private investment. We can import additional capital and technology that we may lack through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and foreign labour,’ he suggested.

Under the programme, inflation is projected to be 29.4 per cent in 2023 and 15.0 per cent in 2025 before reducing to the Central Bank target of 8.0 per cent in 2025, 2026, and 2027.

Dr Kwakye said the inflation projections were relatively high and could be reduced if the right instruments were used to measure and manage inflation.

He emphasised the need to supplement the demand-based Inflation Targeting framework with other measures that targeted the supply and cost drivers of inflation that included food prices, fuel prices, transport fares and depreciation.

‘Our peers with the same economic structures as ours have been able to achieve lower rates of inflation using the appropriate demand and supply tools,’ he said.

For the government’s revenue to GDP ratio, the IMF has projected an increase from 15.7 per cent in 2022 to 16.8 per cent in 2023, 17.3 per cent in 2024, 17.8 per cent in 2025 and 18.7 per cent in 2026 and 2027 respectively.

Though touted in the programme as a remarkable achievement, the IEA Ghana was of the view that the projections were mediocre as other middle-income peers have revenue to GDP ratio of 25-30 per cent.

The IEA called for more innovate taxes, leveraging technology to accelerate collections, capturing informal sector in the tax net, improving tax compliance and plugging loopholes such as trade mis-invoicing, unexploited property taxes, transfer pricing, money laundering, tax fraud and corruption.

‘There is a huge low-hanging-fruit. We need to adopt more favourable fiscal regimes for the extractives sector,’ he said.

Overall fiscal balance under the EFC programme is projected to decrease from negative 11.0 per cent in 2022 to negative 7.5 per cent in 2023, increase to negative 8.0 per cent in 2024 and then decline progressively to negative 6.7 per cent in 2025, negative 5.7 per cent in 2026 and negative 4.6 per cent in 2027.

At the same time, the primary balance is projected to decline from -3.6 per cent in 2022 to -3.1 per cent in 2023 and thereafter register positive balances of 0.5 per cent in 2024 and flatten at 1.5 per cent in 2025, 2026 and 2027.

The Director of Research observed that the fiscal balances showed an appropriately strong, front-loaded fiscal adjustment in 2023.

He said, however, the annual adjustments subsequently were moderate, ‘the reason it takes as far as 2027 to return the overall fiscal balance to within the ceiling of 5 per cent in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which the Minister got Parliament to suspend in early 2020’.

‘Precisely because of the unambitious fiscal adjustment under the programme, the projected public debt/GDP remains high.

‘It rises from 88.1 per cent in 2022 to 98.1 per cent in 2023, which looks strange, given the strong fiscal adjustment in 2023 and thereafter declines gradually to 92.0 per cent in 2024, 90.2 per cent in 2025, 88.4 per cent in 2026 and 86.1 per cent in 2027,’ he said.

He called for a stronger fiscal adjustment, entailing a strong revenue mobilisation drive combined with equally strong expenditure control and rationalisation effort.

Dr Kwakye noted that such an effort was needed to reduce debt significantly during the period while creating adequate space for under-funded development and social spending.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 30, 2023

Media houses to get 15 years imprisonment for advertising unaccredited programmes-Education Commission

Accra, Media houses, under the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), which advertise unaccredited tertiary education institutions will face imprisonment of not less than 15 years, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has said.

The Commission said it would soon publish the names of universities and media houses that advertise unaccredited tertiary programmes.

The Commission advised the public to visit its website, www.gtec.edu.gh to check the accreditation status of tertiary institutions before applying to universities.

Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, the Deputy Director General, GTEC, said this on Tuesday during a media interaction on the advertisement of unaccredited programmes of tertiary institutions in the country.

The Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), mandates the Commission to take legal action against any media house that publishes or advertises unaccredited programmes or institutions from tertiary education institutions.

Section 36(1)(h) of Act 1023 provides that: ‘A person or any institution that advertises a tertiary education institution or a tertiary education programme that is not accredited commits an offense and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than 10,000 penalty units and not more than 20,000 penalty units or a term of imprisonment of not less than 15 years and not more than 20 years or to both.

On the running of unaccredited programmes by the tertiary education institution, the Professor said the Act stated that: ‘A tertiary education institution shall not operate or run a programme without accreditation by the board.’

He explained that before an institution could run as a tertiary institution in the country, it must have gone through some accreditation processes and be granted approval to operate by the Board of the Commission.

The Deputy Director-General advised tertiary institutions to adhere to the provisions of the Act to avoid punishment, adding that the Commission would ‘crack the whip’ on any media or university found culpable.

The Auditor General’s report for 2021 revealed that over 600 academic programmes at the University of Ghana and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) were not accredited in 2021.

A total of 374 academic programmes at the University of Ghana were unaccredited and 299 programmes at KNUST were also not accredited.

He said based on the report, the University of Ghana in 2022, had increased its accreditation status to 129.8 per cent, KNUST improved to 118.5 per cent and the University of Cape Coast moved to 41.9 per cent.

Prof Abdulai stated that the Commission would work assiduously to ensure zero tolerance for non-accredited programmes in tertiary institutions.

‘The public needs to be cautious as to what kind of programmes to offer and that you cannot be admitted to any tertiary institutions without passing English, Mathematics and Science,’ he added.

He expressed concerns about institutions using the premises of Senior High Schools and Junior High Schools for distance education, which was against the infrastructure requirements of tertiary institutions.

Prof Abdulai advised parents to do due diligence in choosing tertiary institutions for their wards, stating that the aim of the Commission was to ensure quality assurance and value for money for its stakeholders.

‘We are interested in quality, not quantity, and ensuring that tertiary education delivered is worthy of emulation in West Africa,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 30, 2023

Gulf of Guinea countries must cooperate to fight piracy – Maritime Safety Expert

Accra, Commodore Kakra Addison (rtd), a Maritime Safety and Security Expert, has called for effective cooperation between the Gulf of Guinea countries to pull together resources and expertise to fight piracy that has bedeviled the region.

Commodore Addison, who is also a former Deputy Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), in Teshie, Accra noted that there was a need to protect the region from such maritime attacks to safeguard the resources and benefits citizens and countries derived from the Gulf of Guinea.

He said it was only by addressing generalized maritime disorder that the problems of piracy and maritime terrorism might be controlled in the long term.

He said this when presenting a paper on the topic ‘Maritime Terrorism, Piracy, and Armed Robbery at Sea’ at the 15th Maritime Security and Transnational Organized Crime (MSTOC) course organized for 34 professionals from 13 Gulf of Guinea countries by the KAIPTC with support from the German Government.

He stated that the region had 5,000 nautical miles (nm), which offered seemingly idyllic conditions for shipping and hosts numerous natural harbours, adding that it was also rich in hydrocarbons, fish, gas, cocoa, gold, timber, and other resources and has a market size of over 300 million consumers.

‘These attributes provide immense potential for maritime commerce, resource extraction, shipping, and development. Indeed, container traffic in West African ports has grown 14 percent annually since 1995, the fastest of any region in sub-Saharan Africa,’ he added.

Commodore Addison (Rtd), who was also a former Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command, indicated that the Gulf of Guinea region had also become a hub for global energy supplies, with significant qualities of all petroleum products consumed in Europe, North America, and Asia transiting this waterway.

He said this economic boom was, however, threatened as the number of recent attacks and damage caused had reached worrisome proportions, indicating that data from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) revealed that it remained the world’s piracy hotspot in 2021 as it accounted for nearly half (43 percent) of all reported piracy incidents in the first three months of 2021.

He said the IMB reported that the Gulf of Guinea recorded the highest-ever number of crew kidnapped in 2020, with 130 crew members taken in 22 separate incidents.

He added that according to the IMB, pirates operating within the Gulf of Guinea were well-equipped to attack further away from shorelines and were unafraid to take violent action against innocent crews, hence the need for collaboration and cooperation to curb their activities.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 30, 2023

Nabdam Chiefs, people express worry over slow pace of work on Agenda 111 project

Nangodi (U/E), The Chiefs and People of the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region, have expressed worry about the slow pace of construction work on the Agenda 111 hospital project in the area.

They said while other beneficiary districts including Bolgatanga East, Garu, Tempane and the Kassena-Nankana West had their projects at completion stages that of the Nabdam District was still at the foundation level.

They made these known at a news conference, jointly organised by the District Health Committee, Public Relations, and Complaint Committee, Traditional and Religious Leaders, the Youth and Women groups in the area.

Pognab Grace Bewong, the Paramount Queen Mother of the Sokoti Traditional Area, who is also the Chairperson of the District Health Committee, who read the statement on behalf of the group, said government had awarded the contract a time to a different contactor because the first one was slow.

She said the people were thankful to the government for changing to a different contractor for the project and were appealing for a speedy execution of the work to help address the health needs of the people in the area.

According to the group, the current hospital in the district did not have the capacity to provide the desired quality health services to the people in the area and as a result sick persons with complications had to be referred to the Regional hospital in Bolgatanga which is far from the District.

The Queen Mother indicated that prior to the beginning of the project, the citizens of the Nabdam Traditional Area were happy and voluntarily gave out 40 hectares of their farmlands for the project.

She stated that the District Health Committee and Public Relations and Complaint Committee had received many complaints from the Chiefs and people, the youth, and women groups in the District, demanding answers from duty bearers why other beneficiary Districts had their projects almost completed while that of the Nabdam District had not gone past the foundation level.

The Government Health Agenda 111 project which is a nationwide project to build Hospitals in districts that have none, is designed to have, Female Maternity ward, Male Medical and Surgery ward, Physiotherapy unit, Public Health Unit, morgue, residential facility.

The objective of the project is to deepen delivery of quality healthcare significantly at the district level, boost access to healthcare services for all citizens towards ensuring the attainment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal Three.

The group also called on the government to ensure that a billboard of the project was mounted at a vantage point, giving the direction to the project site for the purpose of accountability and transparency.

Mrs Agnes Anamoo, the District Chief Executive for the area in an interview, expressed optimism that the concerns raised by the group would be addressed by the government.

She commended the groups for not using any violent means to voice out their demands and said that showed a mark of maturity.

Source: Ghana News Agency