Nearly 20 Kenya-based companies have been blacklisted by the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) in less than two years over fraud and quality concerns in projects funded by the multilateral lenders, according to an official statement seen by APA in Kigali last Friday.
Some 40 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s people are under the age of 15, making them potential future fintech customers at a time when smartphone penetration, still under 50 percent, is rising sharply [File: Adetona Omokanye/Bloomberg]
Fintech startups drew more than 60 percent of all venture funding that flowed into Africa last quarter.
President Buhari and Mr. Antony Blinken
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed appreciation to the United States for allowing Nigeria to procure military hardware to fight terrorism in the country and the training given to the Nigerian military.
(Ecofin Agency) - Following the previous dip of remittances to sub-Saharan Africa by 0.4% in 2019 and 12% in 2020 due to the pandemic, things have improved this year. According to data from the World Bank, money sent home this year, by sub-saharan Africans in Diaspora has amounted to $45 billion. This is 6.2% higher than last year.
The Young Activists
Young activists have been swapping inspiring stories at a UN-partnered youth summit last week about how they’ve driven positive change for their communities and the environment – and how everyone can do the same.
The international community must step up support to Madagascar, where more than one million people in the south are facing severe hunger, top UN aid official there said last Thursday in a renewed appeal for solidarity and funding.
The plan by the Federal Government to sanction eligible Nigerians who refuse COVID-19 vaccination and the cholera epidemic, which has been silently growing nationwide since beginning of the year are some of the leading stories in Nigerian newspapers recently.
(Business in Cameroon) - Chinese company Yousheng Cement Co Ltd is currently finetuning the establishment of a new cement plant inside the port area in Douala. The information was disclosed by Nana Aboubakar Djalloh, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Environment, in a release inviting the population to the public sittings, on August 30-September 4, 2021, at the Joss II Government Primary School in Douala, in the framework of the project’s environmental impact assessment.
(Ecofin Agency) - The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) adopted on 29 August new key performance indicators to measure the quality of telecom services provided by operators.
Rampaging miners
On the 13th of August 202, a journalist investigating artisanal mining issues for Radio Milo based in the Siguiri Prefecture was attacked by a group of young artisanal gold miners armed with hunting rifles and knives.
Nubaysha (Photo UPU)
“Winners of the competition all display a wisdom, a strength of character that goes far beyond their years; something that makes them stand out as individuals and as ambassadors of their generation.”The Universal Postal Union’s Director General Bishar A. Hussein remarked at a special ceremony during the 27th Universal Postal Congress in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire while announcing the winner of the edition.
Masahiko Metoki of Japan new Director shaking hands with the outgoing Director
Masahiko Metoki of Japan has been elected the new Director General of the UN specialized agency for postal matters, while Marjan Osvald of Slovenia has been elected as the organization's Deputy Director General.
Group photo with the outgoing DG (center) Bishar A. Hussein (Photo UPU)
Abidjan/Bern, 9 August 2021. Speaking at the official opening ceremony of the 27th Universal Postal Congress in Abidjan, Côte d' Ivoire, the Universal Postal Union’s Director General Bishar A. Hussein highlighted the international postal sector’s innovation and creativity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Modern Ghana) Ghanaian fisheries observers are bribed, threatened and abused at sea, investigations by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) have revealed .
(Togo First) - For the second consecutive year, Togo is the country that exported the largest volume of organic soyabeans to Europe. The West African nation, according to a report recently released by the EU Commission, sent 51,000tons of the crop to the Schengen Area.
Kenya Power workers. FILE PHOTO | NMG
Kenya has been ranked as the top country in the world in reducing the population with no access to electricity, pointing to the impact of the State’s focus on rural areas for nearly a decade.
(Business in Cameroon) - In Cameroon, Mobile Money operators are calling for flexible identification rules to allow users without official Identification documents to have access to some basic services.
(Ecofin Agency) - Between the covid-19 pandemic and the Ever Given accident, the global economic environment was not conducive to increased revenues for the Suez Canal. However, the waterway generated a historic annual revenue in 2020-21.
As part of community development in Wau, IOM does capacity building and training for youths. Photo: IOM 2020/Peter Caton
Young people who were displaced by conflict in South Sudan have returned home to power change in their community. Hundreds of thousands of people, young and old were forced to flee their homes over recent years following civil war and widespread insecurity in the eastern African country.
SOUTH AFRICA – kls The Department of Employment and Labour has bemoaned the low levels of compliance with health and safety measures by employers, as the country battles the third wave of COVID-19 infections.
*VP chairs inaugural meeting of National Steering Committee on Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy
How the Buhari administration plans to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in ten years will not be based on a business as usual approach, but a very simple, common-sense strategy that will deliver the results as the President promised, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
(Ecofin Agency) - The trade agreement that could be the most significant development in U.S-Africa trade relations, since the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) passed in Congress in 2000, faces another hurdle. This is attributable to the expiration of the key legislative tool (TPA) needed to accelerate Congress’s approval of the agreement. Consequently, the prospects for the deal to conclude becomes gloomy.
Angola – Sécil Marítima SA expects to start commercial passenger transport, between the cities of Cabinda and Soyo, as of the last quarter of this year, revealed its interim chairman of the Board of Directors (PCA) of the institution, João Martins.
(Ecofin Agency) - The G7 group, an inter-governmental political forum including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, is committing $382 million to tackle the increasing food crisis and famine in the Northeast region of Nigeria.
(Business in Cameroon) - In Cameroon, smartphone adoption is steadily rising, according to figures published by the national telecom observatory of the telecom regulatory board ART. Recently, citing the figures from that observatory, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications (MINPOSTEL) Minette Libom Li Likeng revealed that from 25% in 2016, the smartphone penetration rate rose to 40% in 2020.
The Nile has delivered freshwater, fed agriculture, and supported livelihoods in Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan for thousands of years. Photo:Unsplash/Jeremy Zero
The United Nations stands ready to support Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan in efforts to resolve their decade-long disagreement over the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), senior officials told the Security Council on Thursday July 8th 2021
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An Interview with the creator Giselle Rufer
DELANCE SWISS WATCHES
While strides have been made to ensure gender equality over the years, work is continuing to accelerate these actions. “In terms of the landscape, I can proudly say that South African women have been as a result of democracy, taking part in decision making processes and structures. We have women ministers; we have women in top management and women who own businesses. I think in 1994, this was not imaginable. The advent of democracy has made it possible for us to thrive,” says Charlotte Lobe.
African authors are not too well known in Switzerland especially the female authors as I have learned, even by the people who have a general interest in Africa or business in/with Africa.
To circumvent liquidation, proactive engagement with creditors at the early stages of financial distress is imperative
It is well documented that the COVID-19 pandemic is taking its toll on businesses. Commerce in most sectors is fighting to keep their doors open, grappling with creditors to avoid winding up proceedings and its far-reaching implications.
The fight against plastic pollution is being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the use of disposable masks, gloves and other protective equipment soars, but UN agencies and partners insist that, if effective measures are put into place, the amount of plastics discarded every year can be significantly cut, or even eliminated.
1) Pollution driven by huge increase in mask sales
The promotion of mask wearing as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19 has led to an extraordinary increase in the production of disposable masks: the UN trade body, UNCTAD, estimates that global sales will total some $166 billion this year, up from around $800 million in 2019.
Dr. John Nkengasong and Commissioner Amira Elfadil Mohammed Elfadil
Everyone knows by now that due to a combination of leadership, environment, social ecology, demographics and as yet unknown biological and other factors, Africa has been spared the worst of the havoc that COVID-19 has wreaked on other parts of the globe and was predicted to do here too.
Tamer Farouk
As the pandemic continues to influence how organisations operate and behave, African businesses need to adapt its workforce and technology considerations
Achare Takor
In response the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government of Cameroon decided on a number of fiscal measures to support Cameroonian businesses and households
With every industrial revolution comes shifts to social, economic, environmental and political systems, paving the way for transformative changes in the way we live and work.
The Universal Postal Congress has re-elected Switzerland to the Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council of the Universal Postal Union. Delegates confirmed their confidence in Switzerland in the elections at the 27th World Postal Congress in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The Universal Postal Union will be headed by Masahiko Metoki from Japan beginning from 2022.
(Ecofin Agency) - Authorities in Senegal are exploring ways to boost the cotton industry after the sector delivered poor performances in recent years. The Agricultural Research Institute (ISRA) unit based in Tambacounda announced it is currently developing new varieties to improve both the productivity and the quality of the fiber.
(Ecofin Agency) - After the first investment in Morocco’s irrigation sector in March, Amethis Mena Fund II plans new investments in North Africa.
(Ecofin Agency) - As part of initiatives to help Africa catch up with the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, France and Germany announced they are giving the continent 80 million shots of vaccines.
[Premium Times] Cholera - a diarrheal disease that can kill within hours if it is not treated - is endemic in Nigeria, with outbreaks reported as far back as the 1970s.
[Daily Trust] The Oxfam in Nigeria has said that beginning in mid-March 2020, three Nigerian billionaires had their wealth increased by $6.9bn while the majority of Nigerians got poorer in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
[Nigeria Health Watch] Nigeria was declared Polio free in August 2020, however despite Nigeria's wild polio virus free status, the country is still experiencing the transmission of circulating vaccine-derived polio virus type 2 (cVDPV2). The incidences of cVDPV2 are as a result of low vaccination rates and unvaccinated children coming in contact with excretions from children who have received the live attenuated (weakened) oral polio vaccine (OPV). This is exacerbated by poor environmental sanitation as the weakened virus is mos
[Leadership] Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) early yesterday morning, mounted heavy security surveillance at all entry points to its office premises, shutting out all COVID-19 unvaccinated staff, as well as visitors.
[New Times] The Public Health Students Association from the University of Rwanda (UR) has completed a campaign on fighting malnutrition in Burera District.
[New Times] Regional Civil Society Organisations have convened in Kigali for a two-day conference to discuss, share, and foster partnerships on access to safe abortion and sexual reproductive health.
[Leadership] Nigerian Singers P-Square has a announced that there will be a 'P- Square World Tour' coming up later in the year.
[Ghanaian Times] Six years ago, I published an article which asked the question; IS THERE A FUTURE FOR THE GHANAIAN GOSPEL MUSIC? I recounted the challenges the industry was facing then and how it can position itself to take on the world stage if its actors took the scientific management approach a bit more serious. Four years after that, I published an article that narrated the genealogy of the Ghanaian gospel music and the journey it took to arrive at what we describe today as contemporary Gospel music. In the article ti
[New Frame] Join Bands, Not Gangs offers music lessons to vulnerable teens in dangerous Western Cape neighbourhoods, encouraging those at risk to choose an instrument rather than a gun.
[New Frame] If the musician's debut album in 2017 got the world to sit up and take notice, his follow-up is sure to cement his name as a virtuoso of his craft.
[This Day] Nigerians do not understand why Shatta Wale took a swipe at Nigerian artistes. Shatta, like many other African artistes, feels that African music is turning into Nigerian music, and rather than understand why this is so, he has allowed his frustrations to boil over in his failed attempts to instigate xenophobia against Nigerians.
[Egypt Online] Egyptian musician and singer Ahmed el Haggar on Tuesday died after suffering a sudden health problem. He was 65.
[Premium Times] Schools are resuming in Zamfara since the total shutdown of all schools on September 1, 2021, after bandits abducted 80 students and three teachers from Government Day Secondary School, Kaya, in Maradun Local Government Area (LGA).
[Nile Post] Police have arrested four people including the headmaster, school warden and teacher on duty to explain circumstances under which four pupils were burnt to death after a school dormitory in Kawempe caught fire on Saturday morning.
[SAnews.gov.za] Following the decision to stop the practice of publishing National Senior Certificate results on media platforms, the Department of Basic Education says it has received representations from a vast array of organisations and individuals as well as an urgent court application on the matter.
[New Republic] There are too many sighted, body men and women in streets corners doing little or nothing with their lives, but put it to waste by involving themselves in taking harmful chemical substances.
[Daily News] PRIMARY and secondary schools re-open today countrywide with the government on Sunday confirming that all selected Form One students will be absorbed in the institutions after it successfully constructed 15 000 additional classrooms to improve learning environment and control spread of Covid-19.
[New Era] As some parents continue to bemoan having to pay for teaching materials while the government declared free education in Namibia, education executive director Sanet Steenkamp argued that it's every parent's obligation to contribute towards their child's education.
[Foroyaa] Passengers who ply the Brikama, Westfield, and Banjul route have lamented the irregular and inconsistent increase in transport fares, accusing commercial vehicle drivers of doing such on their own. The commuters call on the authorities to control transport fares across the country especially within the urban areas, where the people are exploited the most.
[Egypt Online] President Abdel Fattah El Sisi directed the government to swiftly finalize the new mass transport system across the country, given its importance to facilitating the movement of citizens in a prompt and safe way.
[Tunis Afrique Presse] Tunis/Tunisia -- An operational plan to promote the national culinary heritage and make it one of the priority objectives of the national tourism offer diversification strategy has just been devised by the Tunisian Federation of Tourist Restaurants (FTRT) and the Tunisian National Tourism Office (ONTT).
[Namibia Economist] Gondwana On Monday, 17 January launched a brand new webstore and booking process, aimed at simplifying the booking process to any of Gondwana's tourism establishments.
[Daily News] TANZANIA'S passport has climbed six places to claim the 71st position among the most powerful travel documents in the world.
[Egypt Online] Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled el Anani said this year will be extraordinary for the sector of antiquities.
The BBC is facing a loss of billions in financing as the UK government plans to freeze the license fee. The decision has been accused of being ideologically motivated.
Film studio Miramax is suing the director as he auctions off the screenplay of "Pulp Fiction." Tarantino is just one of the stars jumping on the NFT bandwagon.
Investigators have identified a suspect who may have revealed the hideout of Anne Frank and her family to the Nazis. The clues lie in an unsigned note.
[Premium Times] We have had a dizzying last 10 days at home and abroad: Novak Djokovic, with his COVID time-line of humiliation, from Melbourne to Dubai, and probably back to his home land of Serbia, where a disgraceful hero's welcome awaits him for his abominable conduct which may have far-reaching implications for his legacy and career, the Party Gate Scandal at No 10 Downing Street, where PM Boris Johnson and his team have been downing booze during COVID restrictions (May - December 2021) and pretending to be holier th
He was celebrated as one of Greece's most famous painters. Influenced by abstract art, Fassianos adopted a personal anthropocentric style and was given awards by the French and Russian governments.
The pandemic has made travelling rather challenging. Even so, send us a photo of your favorite holiday destination, past or present, and you could win a prize!
[Govt of SA] As South Africa continues to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has noted a new study published in Obstetrics & Gynaecology medical journal, released on 05 January 2022, that has found that vaccines may cause a small change to the menstrual cycle length, but that this change is temporary. While health experts believe this finding is not clinically significant, the Commission would like to caution businesses and various institutions against forcing empl
[FrontPageAfrica] Monrovia -- Women's rights non-profit medica Liberia has announced its new Interim Country Director, Yah Vallah Parwon, to lead the organization as of January 2022.
[263Chat] Women and other socially and economically disadvantaged groups absorb the brutal impact of climate change. This is largely due to deeply entrenched social roles and economic exclusion. In addition, whilst women bear the brunt of climate change, they tend to be the least equipped to deal with its impacts due to exclusion in decision making and policy formulation.
[The Point] Women Empowerment Project Foundation (WEPF) - a newly established charity which is registered in The Gambia is seeking support for the Tanka Tanka project to partition a female wing from the men at the hospital.
[The Point] ChildFund The Gambia last Friday handed over 16,000 LLIN mosquito bed nets to regional health directorates at a ceremony held at Sama Kairo Federation in Brikama.
Kenya: Ndereba's Report On Sports Gender Welfare Recommends Stern Action Against Perpetrators of GBV
[Capital FM] Kwale -- The Catharine Ndereba led Gender, Welfare and Equality Committee in Sports has recommended stringent action against perpetrators of Gender Based Violence (GVB).
The duopoly of Western aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing is under pressure. Russia's MC-21 airliner is now certified to fly and China is pushing ahead with plans to enter the international market.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says she wants a "serious dialogue" on security in Europe during her visits to Ukraine and Russia. Her first official trips there come amid fears Russia might invade.
Corals in the Gulf of Aqaba have a unique evolutionary history that could help them survive the climate crisis. Scientists even hope to breed their resilience into other reefs.
At least three people were killed and six others were wounded after three oil tankers exploded in Abu Dhabi. Drones are believed to have caused the blast.
The Serbian tennis star has arrived home after an Australian court upheld a visa cancellation. Authorities said that his decision not to be vaccinated against coronavirus posed a risk to the Australian public.
Film studio Miramax is suing the director as he auctions off the screenplay of "Pulp Fiction." Tarantino is just one of the stars jumping on the NFT bandwagon.
[Nile Post] President Yoweri Museveni has using powers given to him by the Constitution pardoned 79 prisoners from different correctional facilities across the country.
[New Zimbabwe] ZANU PF leader, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has sacked the party's director for administration, Dickson Dzora, after NewZimbabwe.com exposed a massive corruption scandal in which he colluded with other senior executives to smuggle a private and inept company through the back door to land a lucrative contract for the printing of ballot papers used in the recently held provincial elections
[New Zimbabwe] Marry Mubaiwa, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga's estranged wife collapsed when she arrived at the Harare Magistrates Court on Monday.
[VOA] Bamako -- The U.N. peacekeeping mission to Mali, or MINUSMA, said it has temporarily suspended all flights following West African and EU states imposed sanctions that disrupted air and land transport.
[VOA] Abuja, Nigeria -- Nigerian authorities say the military is responding to a series of killings and kidnappings by gunmen in the country's northwest. In the latest attack, gunmen on motorcycles Saturday raided a village in Kebbi State, killing at least 50 people, according to locals.
[Capital FM] Nairobi -- At least thirty Governors have endorsed ODM leader Raila Odinga's Presidential bid stating they are confident that he will protect devolution as provided for under the Constitution.
The duopoly of Western aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing is under pressure. Russia's MC-21 airliner is now certified to fly and China is pushing ahead with plans to enter the international market.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for cooperation to address global challenges at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He also cautioned against confrontation, saying it would have "catastrophic consequences."
[Premium Times] Inflation rose to 15.63 per cent in December 2021 compared to 15.40 per cent in November, the National Bureau of Statistics announced Monday.
[Thomson Reuters Foundation] London -- A new billionaire has been created every 26 hours during the pandemic, deepening the world's wealth divides
[This Day] In spite of its current struggles, Nigeria's oil production will hit 1.7 million barrels per day in 2022, a new report by CardinalStone Research, has indicated.
[This Day] Nigeria is producing far less oil than it did 25 years ago when the estimated population was much less than what it is today and government spending was far below what it is in 2022, a THISDAY's analysis has revealed.
The Serbian tennis star has arrived home after an Australian court upheld a visa cancellation. Authorities said that his decision not to be vaccinated against coronavirus posed a risk to the Australian public.
After missing out on the Ballon d'Or in November, Robert Lewandowski has been honored at FIFA's "The Best" awards. Despite the deserved accolades for his record-breaking performances, the Pole remains humble.
[Ghanaian Times] Gabon came from behind to draw 1-1 with Ghana after scoring a controversial equalizer in the 88th minute through Jim Allevinah in their second Group C match of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
[Ghanaian Times] Ghana Premier League (GPL) defending champions, Accra Hearts of Oak made a huge statement of intent yesterday after thrashing Techiman Eleven Wonders 4-1 in their week 13 fixture at the Accra Sports Stadium.
[Ghanaian Times] Asante Kotoko managed to pick a point against Berekum Chelsea at the Golden City Park on Saturday in a week 13 fixture of the 2021/22 Ghana Premier League.
[Ghanaian Times] Vincent Torgah emerged winner of the 2022 Samsung PGA Captain's Prize tourney held over the weekend at the Celebrity Golf Club at Sakumono, Accra.
[Egypt Online] President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Sunday 15/01/2022 reviewed the latest developments of the "Greatest Transfiguration" project in Sinai near the Moses and Catherine Mountains.
[SAnews.gov.za] Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, will today join a delegation from Sasol, Infrastructure South Africa and the Northern Cape Provincial Government in Port Nolloth for a stakeholders' engagement and site visit to Boegebaai.
[Shabait] He is the late Ermias Dawit Asghedom aka Nipsey Hussle's father- Dawit Asghedom. As a father who has raised such a successful son in a foreign country, we have conducted an interview regarding how demanding it is to raise children abroad who have strong attachment with their home country.
[Ghanaian Times] Founder of Save the Nation for Future Leaders (FSNFL), a civil society group, Kwadwo Atta Apeakorang, has admonished the youth against relying on politicians for job opportunities but be entrepreneurial minded to take their destiny in their own hands.
Kenya: Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Nominee, 5 Others to Be Vetted On Feb 3
[Capital FM] Nairobi -- The National Assembly is set to vet the nominee for Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) chairperson post Roseline Odhiambo-Odede on February 3.
[Egypt Online] President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has called for drawing up a clear-cut African strategy for eradicating extremism and terrorism and drying up their sources of financing.
[Premium Times] PTCIJ was established in 2014 to expand the practice of investigative reporting to an exponential level
[New Times] Four young Rwandan innovators and entrepreneurs have developed an application dubbed "Apewo App" available on Play store and App store as an online exhibition platform where people can order for and buy different types of locally made products.
[Egypt Online] Egypt's First Lady Entissar El Sisi stressed that Egyptians are capable of innovation and giving if they are given a chance.
[The Exchange] Green hydrogen energy will price out petrol and diesel from the market.
[The Conversation Africa] For the first few million years of human evolution, technologies changed slowly. Some three million years ago, our ancestors were making chipped stone flakes and crude choppers. Two million years ago, hand-axes. A million years ago, primitive humans sometimes used fire, but with difficulty. Then, 500,000 years ago, technological change accelerated, as spearpoints, firemaking, axes, beads and bows appeared.
[PR Newswire] Brussels -- In emergency scenarios, every single second matters. The COVID-19 pandemic reminded the world of the crucial role of safe, cost- and time efficient supply chains. Making medicines and COVID vaccines available to all is a top priority.