A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by Jose Gijon, Mission Chief for Guinea Bissau, held videoconferences and meetings in Bissau during February 28– March 11, 2024, to discuss macroeconomic policies in the context of the Fourth and Fifth Reviews of the ECF arrangement [[1]]. The initial arrangement was approved by the IMF Executive Board on January 30, 2023 , for a total amount of SDR 28.4 million (about US$ […]

Renowned surgeons and medical experts from across West Africa and beyond met in Freetown, Sierra Leone to propose ways of accelerating access to surgical care and education at the 64th Conference and Scientific Meeting of the West African College of Surgeons (WACS).    The week-long event marks a significant milestone in demonstrating West Africa’s medical expertise, offering a platform to exchange ideas and collectively shape the future of surgery and […]

Nearly 100,000 people, more than half of them children, have been displaced in one month due to an escalation of armed violence in Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique. The new wave of displacements is taking place against the backdrop of a protracted cholera outbreak, heightening the risk of infectious diseases for displaced families and host communities, who share crowded accommodations with poor sanitation. "It is heartbreaking to see so many […]

Eskom CFO Calib Cassim will speak at the upcoming Invest in Africa Energy (IAE) forum in Paris, affirming the South African utility’s commitment to upgrading and expanding its national energy infrastructure with the participation of private investors and developers. Uniting African and global investors for two days of networking and dealmaking, IAE 2024 will showcase Africa’s leading energy prospects. Eskom – South Africa’s main energy supplier – is seeking private […]

The High-Level Panel for Sudan (HLP-Sudan) has concluded its first shuttle diplomacy mission. The HLP-Sudan is chaired by H.E. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, AU High Representative for Silencing the Guns, and includes Dr Specioza Wandira-Kazibwe, former Vice President of Uganda, and Ambassador Francisco Madeira, former AU Special Representative of the Chairperson to Somalia. On its first stop in Port Sudan, the HLP-Sudan engaged with senior officials of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, […]

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is today warning that life-saving programmes in Chad will grind to a halt in a matter of weeks without urgent funding. The stark warning comes as thousands of Sudanese refugees continue to stream across the border from Darfur, and as the rainy season looms, threatening to cut off road access for humanitarian deliveries to the camps in the east of the country – […]

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to President Prithvirajsing Roopun of Mauritius on the occasion of his country's Independence Day. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, also sent similar messages to […]

Tanzania has made important strides in reducing infant and child mortality, but the authorities must act quickly to capitalize on this progress and accelerate efforts to reduce fertility rates in order to unlock the full potential of a demographic dividend, according to a new World Bank report. The latest 20th Tanzania Economic Update explores the country’s progress towards attaining a demographic dividend, which refers to how improved health and reduced fertility can […]

Regional meeting on ECOWAS draft Report on the State of the Environment Climate and perspectives The Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture, through the Directorate of Environment and Natural Resources, organized the regional meeting on the draft report on the State of the Environment, Climate and prospects for ECOWAS, from March 5 to 7, 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria . The meeting brought together representatives of Member States, representatives of regional and international […]