The unfolding demographic boom in many Sub-Saharan African countries is to transform the region’s economy into one of the largest and most dynamic in the world according to Ambassador Erwin Bollinger, Head of Bilateral Economic Relations and Delegate of the Federal Council for Trade Agreements.
Rising COVID-19 cases are not only putting further pressure on already stretched health systems and workers but also triggering an “increasing trend of deaths”, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists recently at the regular weekly press briefing.
As Mozambique looks to move on from its violent past, a UN-led programme is supporting efforts to reintegrate former combatants, and give them a chance to lead productive, peaceful lives in their communities.
The President of Swiss-African Business Circle, (SABC) Verena Utzinger has posited that an estimated working age (15 – 64) population of Africa put at over 800 million provides economic opportunities for the continent whose youths “represent a transformative economic force as innovators, problem-solvers, entrepreneurs, and emerging leaders of the continent.
Five years ago, the World Bank made a commitment to financially support the Ugandan government in the acquisition of quality telecom infrastructure. With more than half a billion dollars in financing disbursed, the country has equipped itself with technical means for the digital economy.

L – R: Nigeria’s Amb. Baba Madugu, MIFA’s CEO Rita Kobler- Emiko, and Wil City’s President Hans Mäder
The Nigerian Ambassador to Switzerland, Baba Madugu has said, “Rita Kobler-Emiko, Founder, and CEO of Specialized office for Migrants, Migrantenfaschstelle (MIFA) Wil, Switzerland has made Nigeria proud.”
Preparations for the hybrid AFRICA BUSINESS DAY 2022 which will take place on the 30 June 2022 in Baden at the Trafo Event Center (registration HERE) are well on track. Over 300 participants are expected representing a variety of sectors from more than 30 countries.
The Department of Water and Sanitation has reiterated that the Shongweni Dam, located west of Pinetown, in KwaZulu-Natal, has not collapsed.
(Togo First) - Just like in June 2021, the Togolese government, following its recent decision to increase the price of petroleum products, has established a new tariff schedule for intra-urban and inter-urban transport of people and goods.
(Togo First) - During their latest council, on April 10, Togolese ministers issued a draft decree covering procedures related to the provision and execution of public-private partnerships (PPPs).
(AfDB) - African Development Bank Group President Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina arrived in Dubai today at the start of a three-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates.
(BOLLORE) - From March to December 2021, Bolloré Logistics Malawi implemented the transportation for the Golomoti Solar project, by conveying an all-inclusive shipment of 221 TEUS of solar panels, batteries and equipment from China to Malawi. Relying on its expertise in this field, Bolloré Logistics was able to be part of a historic project, in producing the first solar utility-scale grid-connected battery energy storage system in East Africa.
Belief, determination and patience are the key ingredients that a pharmaceutical company invested in South Africa has consistently used over the years.
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]](/media/jact/medium/images/FeaturedStories/2021/nov/2.jpg)
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 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.
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.
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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.
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.
As the pandemic continues to influence how organisations operate and behave, African businesses need to adapt its workforce and technology considerations
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.
Preliminary findings of two Marburg virus cases have prompted Ghana to prepare for a potential outbreak of the disease. If confirmed, these would the first such infections recorded in the country, and only the second in West Africa. Marburg is a highly infectious viral haemorrhagic fever in the same family as the more well-known Ebola virus disease.
Nigeria's Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami (pictured), announced that the government is working to launch a program to train 1 million developers in the country over the next 18 months.
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.