Africa Matters

British Airways celebrates as inaugural service from London Gatwick to Accra successfully touches down

British Airways’ first flight from London Gatwick to Accra touched down at Kotoka International Airport yesterday at 18.26 local time. By Matt Pole The inaugural service received a warm West African welcome as it taxied to stand, with dancers, drummers and a VIP delegation, including the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, greeting customers as they…

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EU concludes Africa-Pacific treaty after Poland drops veto

More than two years of delay in ratifying the new EU treaty with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries ended on Thursday (20 July) after Poland confirmed its approval of the agreement.  The treaty is set to be formally signed by leaders at a summit in Samoa in the coming weeks. After Hungary abandoned its opposition to the treaty over…

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Pope Francis skips traditional Good Friday procession at the Colosseum in chilly Rome

ROME — Pope Francis, hospitalized recently with bronchitis, skipped the traditional Good Friday nighttime procession at the Colosseum because of chilly weather in Rome, staying instead at his home at the Vatican while thousands of faithful turned out for the torchlit event. This Good Friday was the first time a pontiff was a no-show at the Colosseum Way of…

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Spain to invest $2bn in SA energy transition

The Spanish initiative is in line with the aims of the $8.5-billion Just Energy Transition Partnership between South Africa and funding partners including France, Germany, the US, UK and the European Union. Spain is providing 2.1 billion euros ($2.3 billion) to help fund South Africa’s energy transition and water needs, even as some of the world’s richest nations struggle…

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Arsenal make Thomas Partey travel to Ghana with club physio to help avoid injury

Arsenal have taken extra precaution to try and help ensure influential midfielder Thomas Partey avoids injury while on international duty with Ghana. The 29-year-old has been in outstanding form this season and represents an essential cog in Mikel Arteta’s relentless winning machine. Partey’s Arsenal career has been regularly undermined by fitness issues and his absence against both Manchester clubs…

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The 10 most Googled footballers in the world in 2023

Footballers are some of the biggest celebrities in the world these days and stars from PSG, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona are some of the most Googled people in 2023. Plenty of the high-profile stars in the game today have attracted a mainstream audience, you only need to look at the most followed people on Instagram to tell you that….

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Hyatt’s transformative growth across Europe, the Middle East & Africa 

Summary Hyatt Hotels Corporation  shared that 45 percent of the properties that joined Hyatt’s system in 2022 were based in EAME markets and the region’s contribution to the Hyatt growth journey continues into 2023 through a strong pipeline with ten percent of Hyatt’s 117,000 rooms record pipeline, as of fourth quarter earnings, expected to join the portfolio in EAME…

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600 investors from Europe set sights on Tanzania

Summary Tanzania and the EU have developed very cordial relations since President Hassan assumed office in March 2021 Dar es Salaam. Over 600 investors and business leaders from the 27-member European Union (EU) are lined up for a mega business forum in Dar es Salaam next month as they seek to capitalise on Tanzania’s current pro-business policies to boost…

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Why coal exports to Europe could be short-lived

Summary Tanzania has seen a boost in coal exports, specifically to European countries as the West tries to grapple with the energy attrition and cost burden heightened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia is Europe’s biggest energy supplier. However, as COP27 nears, discourse on protecting the environment has become more ubiquitous, with European countries taking on the mandate as…

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EU countries turn to Africa in bid to replace Russian gas

A new liquefied natural gas project off Africa’s western coast may only be 80% complete, but already the prospect of a new energy supplier has drawn visits from the leaders of Poland and Germany. The initial field near Senegal and Mauritania’s coastlines is expected to contain about 15 trillion cubic feet (425 billion cubic meters) of gas, five times…

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