(Posted 13th April 2022)
U.S.-AFRICA RELATIONS
Biden, South Africa’s Ramaphosa Discuss Impact of Ukraine Crisis on Food Security
Reuters
U.S. President Joe Biden and South African President Ramaphosa in a phone call on Friday discussed the impact of the Ukraine crisis on commodity prices, supply chains and food security in Africa, the White House said in a statement…Read more>>>
Rep. Ilhan Omar and Congressional Black Caucus Pushing for Shift in U.S.-Africa Policy
MShale
Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, who is also the Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, led a delegation in February that included Democratic members of Congress Omar, Ami Bera, Joyce Beatty, G.K. Butterfield, Brenda Lawrence, and Troy Carter. The lawmakers visited Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Tanzania, and held meetings with heads of state, top government officials, and business leaders. They also met with members of the opposition and civil society leaders, Omar says… Read more>>
AGRIBUSINESS
Agribank Rolls Out Training Material on Farming Practices
New Era
The Agricultural Bank of Namibia has unveiled virtual training material on specified farming practices, aimed at transferring knowledge and skills to farmers, to enhance farming productivity country wide…. Read more>>
AGCOM Project Impresses World Bank Director
Nyasa Times
World Bank Director for Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, Mara Warwick, has commended the Malawi Government for the progress made in the implementation of Agriculture Commercialization Project (AGCOM)… Read more>>
Green Climate Fund Agrees to Scale-Up Climate Action in Africa
ESI Africa
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has signed an implementation agreement to scale up climate action across 13 African countries. The programme, implemented by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), will empower African national and local banks to direct funds to help farmers to cope with increasingly erratic climate effects while also reducing farming emissions… Read more>>
ENERGY
The Real: A Snapshot of the State of Renewable Energy in Africa
ESI Africa
PricewaterhouseCoopers has released a report that gives insight into the current state of renewable energy in Africa. In 2020, 9% of all energy generated in Africa came from renewable sources, with a strong reliance (6.8%) on hydropower. The report does indicate progress in this area. From 2019 to 2020 alone, solar and wind capacity increased by 13% and 11%, respectively, while hydropower soared by 25%. Total installed renewable energy capacity in Africa has grown by over 24GW since 2013… Read more>>
Mantashe Sends Clear Signal SA Will Tender for Nuclear Power Proposals As Soon As Possible
Daily Maverick
Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has revealed that South Africa still plans to tender for proposals to build new nuclear capacity. The exact timing of the tendering and amount of megawatts are not set in stone, but ‘the sooner the better’ is the goal… Read more>>
HEALTH
Deaths from Non-Communicable Diseases on the Rise in Africa
WHO Africa
Noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are increasingly becoming the main cause of mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, where the diseases were responsible for 37% of deaths in 2019, rising from 24% in 2000 largely due to weaknesses in the implementation of critical control measures including prevention, diagnosis and care. This comes on the eve of a high-level heads of state and health leaders meeting in Ghana to find ways of accelerating progress against noncommunicable diseases… Read more>>
COVID-19: Infections in Africa Could Be 97 times Higher than Reported – WHO
Premium Times
A recent study by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that the true number of COVID-19 infections in Africa could be as much as 97 times more than the official statistics.
Since Africa saw its first case in Egypt in mid-February, 2020, there have been some 11,360,305 cases and over 250,000 deaths – relatively few compared with other regions according to statistics from the African Centre for Disease Control COVID-19 dashboard… Read more>>
Africa: Differing Covid-19 Responses Reflect Africa’s Uncertainty: What Next?
All Africa
While Kenya and South Africa begin to ease to Covid-19 restrictions, including mask wearing in open spaces, Nigeria is still in national disaster status with no announcement of when restrictions might be lifted.
These differing approaches reflect Africa’s general uncertainty and unpredictability on how Covid-19 will evolve going forward… Read more>>
INFRASTRUCTURE
Africa Road Builders: Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan Wins the 2022 Babacar Ndiaye Trophy for Transport Success
African Development Bank
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been named the 2022 winner of the Africa Road Builders–Babacar Ndiaye Trophy. The prize is awarded to leading figures in Africa who have demonstrated their commitment to the development of transport infrastructure on the continent… Read more>>
ICT
MTN Nigeria Diversifies into banking, Gets Final Approval for MoMo Bank
Premium Times
The approval gives the firm the leave to operate virtually all the services offered by conventional commercial banks except granting credit and processing foreign exchange transactions… Read more>>
Egypt’s Pylon Gets $19M to Scale Software for Water and Electricity Distribution Companies
Tech Crunch
Liberians are set to benefit from transactions with a new Money transfer app which maiden launching took place in Congo Town over the weekend. eWallie was launched at an elaborate program that brought together stakeholders in the sector of the digital transition… Read more>>
TOURISM
Innovation for the Revival of Africa Tourism
Africa News
Travel and tourism prior to Covid-19 had become one of the most important sectors in the world economy, accounting for 10 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product. The African Union estimated that Africa lost nearly 55 billion US dollars in tourism revenues. In South Africa’s tourism industry, recovery is driven by digital technology and diversifying the market… Read more>>
Uganda Unveils New Tourism Brand in Africa Rourism Market During World Travel Market Africa 2022
PML Daily
The newly unveiled #ExploreUganda destination brand was on full display at this year’s World Travel Market Africa event held in Cape town in South Africa, bringing together leading travel industry players from around the world.
This is the second international tourism event where Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) is showcasing its new Destination Brand, Explore Uganda, the Pearl of Africa¸ to a global audience after the Dubai Expo 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates… Read more>>
