The Government of Japan announces its support to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) Rwanda’s programme for providing food assistance to asylum seekers and Rwandan returnees, amounting to USD 1.2 million. Considering the nature of urgency in the humanitarian situation, the financial support from the people of Japan to WFP was swiftly approved by the Japanese Diet to respond to urgent needs of asylum seekers and Rwandan returnees in in-kind food […]

The IMF Executive Board has completed the fifth review under the Extended Credit Facility arrangement with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The decision allows for an immediate disbursement of US$ 202.1 million towards international reserves, to continue building buffers; Notwithstanding the challenging socio-political and security situation, the authorities remain committed to preserving program objectives, including by limiting macroeconomic slippages and continuing implementing the economic reform agenda; While growth remains resilient, […]

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) approved a loan of EUR 74.25 million to Cameroon in Abidjan on 14 December 2023 to implement the first phase of the Electricity Sector Recovery Support Programme (PARSEC). The programme will support the Cameroonian government to implement the reforms necessary in the energy sector in 2024 and 2025 so that, in the long term, the country can produce enough […]

On December 12, 2023, Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Xue Bing visited Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region of Ethiopia, and met with Getachew Reda, Head of the Interim Regional Administration of Tigray regional state. Minister Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia Shen Qinmin was present. Xue Bing said that in October this year, China and Ethiopia jointly decided to elevate bilateral relations to an […]

The Uganda Timber Growers Association (UTGA) has obtained an Ecosystem Services Claim alongside the expansion of its FSC-certified (https://FSC.org/) forest area by 1000 hectares of the West Bugwe Central Forest Reserve (CFR) in Eastern Uganda. The ES Claim verifies and confirms UTGA’s positive impacts in restoring the CFR while reversing biodiversity loss and enhancing its protection. FSC’s Ecosystems Procedure In 2018, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) launched the Ecosystem Services […]

With his athletic features and elegant attire capturing the gaze of onlookers, Mathias Kavita seamlessly blended in with the youthful acrobats during a training session at Sarakasi Dome, a performing arts hall located in downtown Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. Kavita, 52, was among 24 youngsters who in 1983 secured a scholarship domiciled in the China-Kenya cooperation agreement to study acrobatics in China at the tender age of nearly 12, paving […]

The Confucius Institute at Addis Ababa University (AAU) on Monday received acclaim for its 10 years of operation, which helps fortify the deepening ties between China and Ethiopia. A special ceremony marked the Confucius Institute's 10th anniversary at AAU, attended by senior Ethiopian government officials, Chinese diplomats in Ethiopia, representatives from AAU and the Chinese host Tianjin University of Technology and Education (TUTE), and academia. Ethiopia's State Minister of Education […]

The Government of Senegal and World Health Organization (WHO) today inaugurated a regional health emergency hub in the Senegalese capital Dakar to further bolster the African region’s capacity to respond swiftly and effectively to health crises and save lives. Building on the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO in Africa has over the past two years worked closely with countries in the region to establish decentralized emergency response systems […]

Kenya has in the past been successful in translating economic growth into improved living standards of its citizens. Despite progress, the challenge going forward is to ensure the poor and vulnerable benefit equally from progress, addressing the stark and persistent disparities across space and income groups. According to a new World Bank report titled Kenya Poverty and Equity Assessment (KPEA) 2023 – From Poverty to Prosperity: Making Growth More Inclusive, which covers […]