African Development Bank Group President Dr Akinwumi Adesina (www.AfDB.org) has warned that a new EU carbon border tax could significantly constrain Africa’s trade and industrialization progress by penalizing value-added exports including steel, cement, iron, aluminium and fertilizers. Adesina said, “With Africa’s energy deficit and reliance mainly on fossil fuels, especially diesel, the implication is that Africa will be forced to export raw commodities again into Europe, which will further cause de-industrialisation […]

Helmsman Quality and Technology Services Company Ltd. (HQTS) (www.HQTS.com), a leading provider of third-party quality assurance services, has entered into an agreement with the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to perform Pre-Export Verification of Conformity Assessments on specialised equipment and materials for oil and gas projects in Uganda. Uganda hosts some of East Africa's largest petroleum production projects, with two primary initiatives: […]

Emaswati get to own 24.99% of FNB Eswatini (www.FNBSwaziland.co.sz) through the sale of shares by the FirstRand Group. The listing of FNB Eswatini on the Eswatini Stock Exchange shows strong support for the local capital market and the potential for Emaswati to continue developing the Eswatini economy. The Group has decided to sell shares to local shareholders, in a move that will benefit broad base of Emaswati who are beneficiaries […]

With a Euro 48.5 million contribution from the European Union (EU) received through its Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO), WFP was able to respond to the severe food crisis in eight countries of West and Central Africa during the 2023 hunger gap and beyond. Food insecurity has reached a 10-year high in West and Central Africa with over 47 million women, men and children unable to meet their basic food and […]

On December 4, 2023, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Mr. Leonardo Santos Simão, engaged in a regional dialogue with young women and men from West African and Sahelian countries to mark the commemoration of the 8th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015) on Youth, Peace and Security. Over 150 young women and men from 17 countries in the […]

In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled the neglected tropical diseases (NTD) roadmap 2021-2030, initiating a decade dedicated on controlling, eliminating, and eradicating NTDs. The WHO Regional Office for Africa is stepping up support for countries on the implementation of the roadmap to bolster the fight against NTDs and accelerate progress towards attainment of the roadmap targets and goals. NTDs impose a constant and heavy burden on the poorest, […]

The squad lists for the FIFA Club World Cup (www.FIFA.com) Saudi Arabia 2023™ have been released; Tournament set to kick off in Jeddah on 12 December. The seven contenders for the FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023™ have named their 23-man squads for the tournament. The tournament is set to kick off on 12 December with Al-Ittihad facing Auckland City, leading up to the final on 22 December. Click here to […]

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (http://www.AfDB.org) on Thursday, 30 November 2023 approved a USD 15 million Trade Finance Transaction Guarantee facility for NMB Bank in Zimbabwe. This is AfDB’s first project with NMB, a registered commercial bank with strong SME credentials. This facility will provide 100% guarantee to international confirming banks (CBs) for the non-payment risk they take on NMB’s trade finance transactions conducted on […]

The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) (https://IsDBInstitute.org/) participated as a knowledge partner in a conference titled ‘“Exploring Central Bank Digital Currency: Pathways to Global Standards”’ held on 28-29 November 2023 in Virginia, United States. The conference was the first-of-its-kind gathering of international financial policymakers and provided a platform for the launch of new research on critical areas in the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) field. The conference aimed to level-set […]