AGRA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enhance the agricultural transformation in Africa to create jobs, boost trade, strengthen resilience, and transform economies. Through the MoU, AGRA and USDA intend to collaborate across several areas including: coordinating research on seed, soil and water technologies; training to ensure farmers have the…
A victory would have been a rare chance for Cairo’s streets to fill with the familiar sounds of cars honking and an air of celebration to cushion what has been a difficult month for Egyptians across the country. Heads in Cairo hung heavy as the Pharaohs lost their place in the Qatar World Cup to the Senegalese Lions of…
With passion and commitment, she believes that the challenges facing preterm infants could be put to an end in a few years Doris Mollel is a Founder and Executive Director of Doris Mollel Foundation (DMF). A non-profit organisation established in February 2015 to promote public awareness about prematurity. Being a 900 gramme prematurely born and seen some premature babies…
The sponsorship which is set to take care of the festival’s operational cost is worth some $120,000 annually and will be issued on a quarterly basis. Pennyroyal Limited the developers of Blue Amber Zanzibar and Busara Promotions on Tuesday, March 29 signed a three-year sponsorship deal that will see the festival’s continuity and sustainability.The sponsorship which is set to…
According to Transparency International’s report of January 2022, in 2021 Tanzania scored 39 out of 100 and was as a result ranked 87 out of 180 countries that were investigated. Tanzania has performed well in the fight against corruption according to a new report that ranked the country second after Rwanda in the region. According to Transparency International’s report…
The paramountcy of overcoming systemic prejudices against women in politics, the workplace, business, and the community cannot be overstated, as it may determine whether sub-Saharan African countries succeed or fail. Post the International Women’s Day and the clarion call to break the bias, there is a mountain of data to support this viewpoint, where women pushing the envelope are stymied by…
The five African nations heading to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup were confirmed on Tuesday night. Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal will represent CAF in the first ever November/December World Cup. All five qualifiers booked their places at Qatar 2022 by winning two-legged playoffs. Those playoffs turned out to be largely close affairs as the away…
The outgoing director of Africa Centres for Disease Control has seen Ebola, Aids and now Covid – and warns complacency is dangerous The past five years have been “like going from one fire to the next, with barely any time to catch your breath”, says John Nkengasong, the outgoing head of the body charged with responding to health emergencies…
African civil society organizations meet and adopt a joint declaration ahead of FAO Regional Conference for Africa (ARC32) The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and other shocks hit the food security status and livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations the hardest – that was the central theme in a declaration at the end of a two-day regional consultation by civil…
33 out of 79 counties have been badly affected by the flood waters, which have not significantly subsided since the last wet season Flooding and displacement in South Sudan are expected to worsen when the wet season begins in around a month, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned on Tuesday. “Urgent action is needed to protect already vulnerable populations…
The UK is to support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area UK launches programme of up to £35m to support negotiations and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The AfCTFA is expected to lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty, create jobs, and provide new commercial opportunities for businesses across Africa and…
Africa.com defines Women Heads of State as women who have served as president or prime minister, including Heads of State and Heads of Government The role that women should play in shaping Africa’s present and future was a key theme from speakers of the Women Heads of State Initiative, co-convened by Africa.com and Coca-Cola Africa. The event introduced the world to the…
A $425 million undersea cable connecting China to Europe and Africa, which counts Huawei Technologies Co. as shareholder, has landed in Kenya. The 15,000-kilometer (9,320-mile) Peace cable is part of Beijing’s so-called Digital Silk Road initiative that involves deploying information and communication technology infrastructure to boost trade and investment between the Asian economy and the rest of the world….
Refugees and Disaster Preparedness Minister Hillary Onek told The EastAfrican that without more funding, the country could no longer afford to cater for the growing number of refugees. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the number of Congolese seeking refuge in Uganda from DRC has increased in recent months following renewed attacks by militia on civilian populations in eastern…
EAC population will rise to 275 million from 183 million, which is the current total population of the existing six partner states. This will make EAC one of the largest trading blocs in Africa, opening a corridor from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic coast. While the EAC has a combined nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $220 billion,…
BoT says Tanzania is closely monitoring the situation in Eastern Europe so that the country can take appropriate measures to cushion the economy against the impact of tensions in that part of the world Tanzania is keeping a close eye on developments in Eastern Europe so that the country can take appropriate measures to cushion its economy against the…
Egypt, the hosts of COP27 (United Nations Climate Change Conference), will launch an initiative to develop the energy transition in Africa at the yearly gathering. Petroleum Minister Tareq el Mulla said the initiative is being prepared in cooperation with the African Union (AU) and African energy ministers. This was announced at a ministerial discussion session held under the theme…
East Africa, and in particular, parts of Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya, are experiencing the driest conditions and hottest temperatures since satellite record-keeping began. As a result, as many as 13 million people are currently experiencing acute food and water shortages and a projected 25 million will face a similar fate by mid-2022. In November 2021, scientists at the Famine…
At registration in first year, Rabia Jacobs faced a dilemma. The University of Cape Town (UCT) student hadn’t realised she needed two majors. Scanning the possibilities, geology seemed the best fit with environmental and geographic science. That choice, made on the fly, created the bedrock for geology postgraduate studies that the graduand hopes will culminate in a PhD. The…
The Discovery of crude oil in the Middle East changed their fortunes because of continuous demand for the commodity. Life does not exist without energy. In today’s world, fossil energy/crude oil is considered one of the most prominent energy sources with a large global market. Renewable energy is catching up. But obviously not fast enough in Ghana and many…
The diverse advisory committee for Africa Oil Week underscores the international interest in Africa’s energy future Africa Oil Week (www.Africa-OilWeek.com) and Green Energy Africa Summit 2022 have announced an influential and highly experienced advisory committee to guide the events’ vision of setting an African energy agenda for Africa. The advisory committees are led by Mntu Nduvane, an experienced director…
Over 11 previous editions, it has awarded around €555,000 to African business projects with positive social and environmental impacts in various sectors March 28 marks the opening of the 12th Orange Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East. Candidates can submit their applications until May 27 on the website https://POESAM.Orange.com . POESAM was launched in 2011. Over 11 previous editions, it has…
As the sunny continent looks for power, renewables are a clear winner Africa has sunshine all year round – with 7 of the 10 sunniest countries worldwide. The region has great potential for renewable energy, but requires international support to unlock it. A funding deal announced at last year’s UN COP26 climate summit between South Africa and the United States, Britain,…
600 years after an African made international headlines in business nothing has been arousing in indigenous African business circles worth catching the attention of business big shots. Mansa Musa’s business heroics caught the attention of the world with his $400b gold fortune and made him the talk of the world in the 14th century. Indeed in a business environment…
Education and development are inextricably linked. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” noted Nelson Mandela. Where there is no education, there is no development. Inversely, where there is no development, there is no education. In its reports, the World Economic Forum has observed that “obtaining a quality education is the foundation…
Africa’s largest arms dealer, Russia has ties to the continent that stretch back to the Cold War and helped Mr. Putin win rare support over the invasion of Ukraine. NAIROBI, Kenya — Since the days of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s leaders have rejected American criticism of their friendships with autocrats like Fidel Castro of Cuba and Muammar al-Qaddafi of Libya, whose…
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – STAKEHOLDERS are exploring strategies to improve Africa’s readiness to confront climate and environmental shocks. To enhance the continent’s preparedness, the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) will host its 24th annual Senior Policy Seminar this week. Themed “Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa”, the virtual forum will focus on policy proposals that can be adopted to shape…
Africa’s leading e-commerce builder, StartWeb, has partnered with Haptics Academy, a training and technology solutions organisation and a ‘Grow with Google partner, to facilitate a free training program specifically designed for African entrepreneurs and small business owners. A statement by IDAfrica said the goal is to tutor over 1,000 business owners to expand their operations and upgrade their skills…
Summary The knowledge and understanding of the technical intrigues of the market is not one a neophyte can master on a weekend or a short course. The popularity of the international forex market has made it the largest financial market in the world. According to a 2019 BIS report, the daily volume of forex traded amounts to $6.6 trillion….
Summary Central and northern Tanzania, eastern Uganda, northern Burundi, eastern Rwanda, southern and western Kenya, and eastern South Sudan might receive above normal rains this time of the year which might result in flash floods and increased mosquito populations. The EAC Secretariat has urged partner states to take appropriate steps to ensure maximum benefit from farming as the region…
2021 was a historic year for Africa. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA ) came into effect, having been signed by 54 of the continent’s nations. More than a year on, governments are now working to facilitate trade by removing tariffs on thousands of products across Africa. Kenya, Africa’s sixth-largest economy, hopes that the deal will cement the…
The integration of the African continent is well above average with five Regional Economic Communities (RECs) demonstrating progressive efforts towards integration. The East African Community (EAC); Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS); and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) integration scores exceed 0.6…
After 19 years of celebrating a diverse range of African rich music Sauti za Busara has come to an end, its organisers say, citing lack of funding. One of Africa’s finest music festivals will not stage another show after it ceases operations from March 31. This is despite Tanzania’s government’s pledge to ensure the live-music extravaganza continues. “Without funds to…
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has emphasised Europe’s reliance on Russian oil and gas and shown the volatility of the continent’s energy security. This is not the first time there have been disruptions, with tensions in 2014 between Russia and Ukraine threatening supply. Yet despite that warning, it looks like nothing has been done in the last eight years to diversify supply networks….
An early assessment of the continent’s water security finds finds Egypt ranked most secure – but climate change presenting threats across Africa Little of Africa’s wastewater is treated, water for drinking and hand-washing is scarce for hundreds of millions of people, and water-related disasters like flooding are on the rise, particularly in West Africa. But a first effort by…
The summit recognizes serving and past women presidents and prime ministers in Africa African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina told women at a conference in Pretoria on Wednesday that they are part of a revolution that is building across Africa. The head of Africa’s premier development lending institution was speaking at the virtual Women Heads…
SFD has financed 100 water projects worth — collectively — more than USD 2.7 billion Following its participation in the ninth edition of the World Water Forum — the world’s largest event on water — the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) (www.SFD.gov.sa) has called on global leaders and organizations to work together to safeguard the future of the water…
Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Energy for the Republic of Ghana, has confirmed his participation at African Energy Week 2022 where he will showcase investment opportunities within the country’s energy sector The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (www.EnergyChamber.org) is honored to announce the attendance and participation of Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Energy for the Republic…
On Tuesday, Aliko Dangote, the richest person in Africa, opened the continent’s largest fertilizer plant. The Nigeria plant’s opening comes amid disruptions in fertilizer supplies due to sanctions against Russia. On Tuesday, Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote, opened the continent’s largest fertilizer plant in Nigeria. Demand is already knocking at the door. “People are begging us to sell,” Dangote…
he Young Famous and African show that debuted recently on Netflix has been on Netizens’ lips in the days following its premiere. The show is Netflix’s first African reality series which seeks to change Africa’s narrative and project the continent in a new light. The unscripted show stars celebrities such as Tanzanian Bongo musician Diamond Platnumz and his ex-wife…
Europe needs to swap its dependence on fossil energy from Russia with renewables from Africa. The European Commission’s REPowerEU plan is to reduce demand for Russian gas by two-thirds in 2022 and make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels by 2030. In 2021 the European Union (EU) imported 155 billion cubic metres of natural gas from Russia, close to 40% of its total…
UN, Lagos make case for groundwater as bodies sink boreholesSome 418 million Africans lack water besides 779 million others in need of basic sanitation services and another 208 million persons still practising open defecation and 839 million seeking essential hygiene services on the continent. Consequently, a United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF)/World Health Organisation (WHO) report on Africa has…
Chinese agricultural technology demonstration centers, or ATDC, have promoted the transfer of advanced agricultural technologies from China to African countries, and could help the continent recover from food insecurity, said South African experts. “ATDC could play a bigger role in ensuring food security in the region as the countries recover from COVID-19,” said Elias Dafi, an econometrician who is…
Group (www.APO-opa.com), the leading Pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service, was today appointed the Official Newswire for Africa Tech Festival (https://bit.ly/355VqMo), a series of world-class tech events that includes AfricaCom, AfricaTech, the AHUB, the AFest and the AfricaCom Awards. Africa Tech Festival runs from 7-11 November 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa. Watch the video: https://bit.ly/3L4xd8p As Official…
As the war in Ukraine rages on, the European Union is desperately searching for alternative energy sources. Africa has abundant reserves, but experts say the continent’s energy sector needs urgent reforms and help. EU nations have considered cutting off import of Russia’s oil and gas following President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. To avoid self-inflicting…
One of the world’s major problems that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) seeks to tackle by 2030 is hunger. Hunger and nutritional deficiency weaken the immune system of humans while leaving them prone to chronic diseases and infections including high blood pressure and diabetes. Statistics from the World Counts estimates that “about nine million people die of hunger and…
South Africa is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world and is prone to droughts. With more than 3 million households without access to clean running water, the shortage crisis is ever-growing and there’s a need for proactive and effective solutions. Launched in 2020, the Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) Coke Ville Project- an off-grid, solar-powered groundwater…
A quarter of 258 observed rivers had unsafe levels of at least one drug. The findings raise concerns about Earth’s aquatic life and the global threat of antimicrobial resistance. Many of us take medicine, whether to fight an infection or get rid of a headache. Our bodies don’t fully break down many of these drugs, and they pass through…
Netflix has released its first original African reality show, Young, Famous & African, a series that follows the lives of some of the biggest celebrities in the continent. Although its stars come from all over Africa, the show is based in Johannesburg. Peace Hyde, one its co-creators, says it is an opportunity to show the rest of the world…
Over 2,000 energy experts and government officials are expected to descend on South Africa’ s Cape Town in October when the city hosts the annual Africa Oil Week Organisers said on Tuesday that Africa Oil Week, which is the continent’s premium energy conference and is scheduled for 3-7 October, will run concurrently with a sister event, Green Energy Africa…
According to the UN Commission, sexual violence has been instrumentalized as a reward and entitlement for youth and men participating in conflict Widespread sexual violence against women and girls in conflict is being fueled by systemic impunity, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said on Monday. The Commission’s new report, based on interviews conducted with victims…
Dar es Salaam In the wake of World Oral Health Day on 20 March 2022, Tanzanians have been urged to take oral health care seriously as it is the gateway to quality health and life. Alternatively, it is the gateway to adverse health, including chronic diseases, depending on how one treats the mouth. Dr Donna Williams- Ngirwa, a renowned…
What you need to know: Kiswahili, mainly spoken in the East African region, is a fusion of the dialect born of Bantu and Arabic languages. Kiswahili was born in Tanzania (Origin of Swahili people) The move by the African Union — the apex organisation for African states — to adopt Kiswahili as one of its official working languages, is…
A $1 billion plan to boost wheat production in Africa should be accelerated to avert potential food shortages arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the head of the continent’s biggest multilateral lender. The African Development Bank is raising the funds to help 40 million African farmers utilize climate-resilient technologies and increase their output of heat-tolerant wheat varieties and other…
An increase in investment towards infrastructure development and gas E&P activities will enable Africa to position itself as a leading liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter Global energy transition policies are pushing for an increase in the use of gas as a transactional energy resource, thereby increasing the demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG). This provides a huge opportunity for…
IMF staff held productive discussions with the authorities on the recent economic developments The Burundian economy recovered moderately in 2021 and is expected to strengthen further in 2022, despite the effects of the war in Ukraine. In the medium term, Burundi will continue to grapple with the challenges of balancing priority social, development and COVID-19-related spending with external and debt…
His Excellency also thanked the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Somalia for its efforts in facilitating the delivery of aid 45 tons of food baskets have arrived at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu to tackle the drought in Somalia. The aid has been sent from Qatar Fund for Development and Qatar Charity, in cooperation with the…
FAO commends the interventions and impact of the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund project The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in Zimbabwe today joined the citizens of Zimbabwe, the UN family and other development partners in celebrating the international women’s month through a virtual tour of projects in the Zvishavane district. The objective of the virtual…
South Africa is chairing the CSW at a time when the government has taken a deliberate policy decision to give highest priority to the thematic issues of women South Africa has assumed responsibility as the Chair of the 66th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) that is taking place at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters…
The UN’s approach – centered on victims’ rights – is carried out through the work of Victims’ Rights Officers in various countries Secretary-General António Guterres released his annual update on the Organization’s efforts to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) on Tuesday, dovetailing with his system-wide strategy – launched in 2017 – to stamp out incidents by placing victims…
Build a major genomics resource on the continent to help breeders and conservationists. The red mangrove tree is indigenous to Africa and is being sequenced as part of the African BioGenome pilot project. Credit: Shane Gross/Nature Picture Library Sleeper fish (Bostrychus africanus) are a staple food in West Africa. Harvesting them provides an important source of income for hundreds…
Three African students share some of their thoughts on obstacles for development in their countries. ‘We need students to understand how important issues such as poverty, education and corruption are.’ A continent plagued with colonialism and exploitation, Africa faces many obstacles in its strive for development. Poverty and inadequate access to education and healthcare are only some of the…
Summary By winning the competition with his film ‘African Folktales, Reimagined’ Mr Mzengi and five other winners will each receive $25,000 plus a production budget of $75,000 to create short films. Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian filmmaker Walter Mzengi has emerged among the top six winners of a short film competition organised by global streaming service company Netflix and United Nations…
RASME is a partnership of the African Development Bank and the World Bank’s Geo-Enabling initiative for Monitoring and Supervision and KoBoToolbox teams The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has extended membership of a digital data supervision system known as the Remote Appraisal Supervision, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RASME) project to Mozambique, making it the sixth African country to benefit from the…
A pre-plant, pre-emergence treatment herbicide that effectively controls resistant wheat crop weeds JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Corteva Agriscience has brought its latest crop protection solution, Aubaine® 518 SC herbicide, to South African wheat farmers. Aubaine® 518 SC provides pre-plant, pre-emergence, or early post-emergence control of wheat crop weeds, particularly in regions that experience widespread winter rainfall. The product contains active ingredients…
Implementation of District Agricultural Development Plans huge impetus to accelerating agricultural transformation in Tanzania Tanzania has made a new stride in the drive to accelerate agricultural transformation by formulating, developing and implementing District Agricultural Development Plans (DADPs). According to Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, proper implementation of DADPs will bring a lasting solution to many challenges that have been adversely…
By Jonathan Cook, chair of the African Management Institute A past colleague and good friend, Conrad Viedge, passed away on Saturday after battling cancer. I was considering writing this column about business ethics, and the two came together rather well. Conrad was a good man in every sense. Not only did he pay his taxes, which I am sure…
Mosul Bank (www.almosulbank.iq) has selected CR2 (www.CR2.com), one of the world’s leading software vendors in the digital banking and payments market, to accelerate its digital banking transformation strategy in the Iraqi market. This latest win for CR2 will see Mosul Bank offering a more advanced digital banking service to the Iraqi retail and corporate banking market, across both mobile…
PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has directed the Ministry of Finance and Planning to prioritize the execution of District Agriculture Development Plans (DADPs) including raising funds to facilitate their implementation. The Premier issued the directives yesterday at the launch of DADPs in Dodoma calling upon financial institutions to put in place a system that will allow title deeds for farmers…
Africarare, Africa’s first metaverse, is set to unlock African creativity and connect Africa to the global digital economy. At an event in Johannesburg on Monday, plans were announced for the commercialisation of the 3D virtual reality experience, that is set in Ubuntuland, a virtual world that marries creativity, cryptocurrency, and commerce. Firstly, virtual land will soon be available to…
In 2021 Burna Boy took home a Grammy for his album Twice as Tall and was featured on tracks by the likes of Sia, Justin Bieber, and John Legend. That’s to say nothing of the collaboration between Kenyan artists like Sauti Sol and India Arie or between Ghana’s Kwesi Arthur and British rap giant Stormzy. For years, the phrase “Africa rising” was applied to the continent’s growing…
Summary US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Akunna Cook said the country has not done enough in deepening its presence in a continent with 1.3 billion people. “If I were to take away one challenge, it is really a challenge to us in the US Government to really step our game up,” Ms Cook told reporters in Johannesburg, South Africa….
MTN Group emerges first African company on the metaverse MTN Group announced that it purchased 144 plots of digital land in Africarare, the first virtual reality metaverse in Africa. MTN said the move aligns with its ambition 2025 which entails leveraging trends to augment and increase its customers’ digital experiences. Many companies around the world have already jumped on the…
Kenya is set to host one of Africa’s largest internet and data company following an announcement by an international firm based in the United States of America (USA). On Monday, February 28, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) president, Göran Marby, stated that the data hub would help in increasing the internet speed in Kenya and Africa. Additionally,…
– United States Congressman Gregory Meeks has warned that the United States will only be part of the future if it invests in Africa now. The congressman from New York and Chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee was speaking during a visit to the African Development Bank Group on Saturday, as he and a team of congressional colleagues concluded a tour…
An exhilarating, at times enraging new book For ten years, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah has run an extraordinary platform for conversations about sex that centre the pleasure of African women – the blog ‘Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women’, which she co-founded. Now, the Ghanaian feminist has published a new book that is similarly extraordinary in making visible the…
Vaccines remain critical for saving lives and livelihoods. But, misinformation spreads fast, so we need to be smarter and more creative to spread the right information faster. People make the right choices to protect themselves and their families when they have the facts. KEY TAKEAWAYS Vaccines remain critical for providing protection against the virus, massively reducing the chances of…
To support South Africa and the African continent increase vaccine manufacturing capacity and reduce reliance on imports, a consortium of nine development and finance institutions have today announced a partnership with Biovac in Cape Town, South Africa to support Biovac’s vaccine manufacturing expansion. This expansion is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development (SDG) Goal 3 on Good Health and…
Mount Kenya’s glacier-clad peaks tower more than 5,000 meters above the plains below, making it the tallest mountain in Kenya and the second tallest in Africa after Kilimanjaro. The Mount Kenya ecosystem is an irreplaceable biodiversity hotspot that provides water for over 2 million people, and the surrounding landscape has long been one of eastern Africa’s most productive agricultural areas….