Corporate Council on Africa’s latest news

U.S. supports permanent seat for Africa on security council 
The Guardian
The United States government has said it is fully in support of Nigeria and the rest of Africa becoming permanent members of the world security council… Read More>>US Fashion Brands Urge Early Renewal of Africa Trade Programme
Business Of Fashion
US fashion companies urged the early renewal of a trade programme that allows thousands of African products to enter the world’s biggest economy duty free, saying that a longer-term arrangement would boost investment in the region… Read More>>

Morocco rolls out a phosphorous-fueled plan to heal soils across Africa
Mongabay
Moussa Bouray sifts through hundreds of soil samples on the shelves of his lab that that will undergo analysis for nutrients: nitrogen, potassium, and especially phosphorus. Outside the lab at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, mounds of phosphate sediment from a nearby mine rise so high they resemble mountains in the distance. These piles are loaded with phosphorus, a key ingredient in fertilizers. But some of Bouray’s soil samples, which come from farms across Morocco, will still be phosphorous-deficient… Read More>>African food entrepreneurs to train women on scaling agribusiness, closing gender gaps in agriculture 
The Cable 
The African Food Changemakers (ACF), an organisation that supports agribusiness, has partnered with entrepreneurs in the food sector to empower women across the continent on closing the gender gap in the agriculture sector… Read More>>ENERGY

African Energy Week, Critical Minerals Africa Events Unite in Cape Town
African Business
African Energy Week, the leading annual gathering for the African energy industry, and Critical Minerals Africa, the much-anticipated global summit for African critical minerals, have announced a new alliance and the co-location of both events in the city of Cape Town… Read More>>

South Africa’s Energy Regulator Advances Sustainable Energy Future With Key Decisions 
Solar Quarter
In a significant move towards transforming South Africa’s energy landscape, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) has made key decisions in its 262nd meeting. The decisions encompass diverse aspects of the country’s energy sector and are aimed at fostering sustainability and meeting energy security needs… Read More>>

ICT

Africa has the slowest internet speed globally despite emergence of 5G and Starlink – Cable Report 
Technext 
Despite the entry of Starlink, 5G infrastructure, and other steps to boost internet penetration, a study from Cable shows that Africa still has a slow internet speed. According to the worldwide broadband speed league table, the Sub-Saharan region occupies 12th place (second to last). Interestingly, Northern Africa is in last place… Read More>>

African Development Bank Partners with Cabo Verde to Boost Climate-Resilient Technology Park 
The Fintech Times 
The African Development Bank and the government of Cabo Verde have joined forces to enhance the Cabo Verde Technology Park with a €14million loan agreement. The initiative aims to make the technology park more climate resilient and supportive of enterprise development… Read More>>

MTN launches its first 5G network in Uganda 
Reuters 
Telecom firm MTN Uganda, a unit of South Africa’s MTN Group, on Friday launched the first 5G network in the east African country. MTN has Uganda’s largest subscriber base at around 15 million… Read More>>

Blockchain technology lets East African farmers sell globally 
Coin Telegraph 
Blockchains’ tracing capacities can help certify that crops weren’t grown by razing woodlands or harvested with child labor. Small farmers in the developing world may be on the cusp of an agricultural breakthrough. With emerging technologies like satellite imagery, drones and machine learning boosting productivity, it’s becoming more viable than ever to sell their produce in places like Western Europe… Read More>>

HEALTH

Africa’s High Cancer Deaths Can be Addressed by Improved Access to Key Medicines 
Health Policy Watch 
Africa has one of the highest cancer death rates in the world, yet this could be markedly improved by better access to treatments already widely available in high-income countries for the continent’s biggest killers – breast, cervical, lung and prostate cancers and Kaposi sarcoma… Read More>>

Africa Participation Vital to Pandemic Fund Mission, says AHF
Business Wire  
Following the recent inaugural round of allocations by the World Bank Pandemic Fund, AIDS Healthcare Foundation urges the Fund to include the Africa CDC in the grantmaking and implementation process as the top regional public health body. The Fund must also support nations with technical assistance to bring forward strong proposals while navigating a new and complex application process… Read More>>

As climate change leads to more and wetter storms, cholera cases are on the rise
PBS
In early 2022, nearly 200,000 Malawians were displaced after two tropical storms struck the southeastern part of Africa barely a month apart. Fifty-three people died. Amid an already-heavy rainy season, the storms Ana and Gombe caused devastation across southern Malawi to homes, crops, and infrastructure… Read More>>

INFRASTRUCTURE

Developed world must finance Africa’s green infrastructure 
African Business
Africa’s ability to meet its almost limitless infrastructure needs requires a huge, coordinated agenda. Around half the continent’s countries face dire debt distress, with risks of sovereign defaults high, debt service burdens crippling, and extreme climate events exponentially magnifying these problems… Read More>>

Infrastructure Investments to Power Africa’s Mineral Market 
Energy Capital & Power 
Infrastructure investment in southern Africa is expected to be crucial for supporting the region’s mineral exports and production. With 30% of the world’s mineral reserves in Africa, including cobalt, copper, manganese and lithium, there is a growing need for essential minerals to power the green revolution. To fully realize the potential of these lucrative minerals and avoid the resource curse, southern African governments must prioritize substantial infrastructure expenditures, particularly in transportation and processing facilities, which are critical components of the mining value chain… Read More>>

FINANCE

IFC Collaborates with the Banking Association South Africa to Strengthen Climate Finance Initiatives 
African Business
IFC and the Banking Association South Africa (BASA) have joined hands to enhance climate finance initiatives within the country and facilitate the transition to a low carbon economy… Read More>>

AfDB, UNEP team up to boost biodiversity finance for Africa 
Carbon Pulse 
The African Development Bank and the UN Environment Programme have signed a framework to drive the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which includes a partnership to help attract additional finance for nature… Read More>>