(Posted 12th October 2022)
CCA MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
Jean Boulle Group Receives US $47 Million Cash Investment from a New Major Strategic Investor in its Proprietary VDYNE Technology – Set to Disrupt the Market for Heart Valve Replacement
Jean Boulle Group
The Jean Boulle Group is pleased to announce a US$47 million cash investment in Jean Boulle Medtech’s proprietary VDYNE heart valve technology from a new major strategic investor… Read more>>
Google’s $1 billion Africa investment is anchored on the ‘spirit of Ubuntu’
Quartz
The Ubuntu philosophy, which was supposed to pivot pan Africanism, has struggled to become a reality—with certain African countries seeking a protectionist agenda even under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (Afcfta.)… Read more>>
U.S.-AFRICA RELATIONS
CDC asks US Physicians to monitor for Ebola as Uganda outbreak grows
Forbes
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked U.S. health care practitioners on Thursday to monitor for potential Ebola infections, as an outbreak of the disease in Uganda impacts dozens of people—though no U.S. cases have been confirmed, and infections in Uganda remain much lower than during the infamous 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa…. Read more>>
Kenyan leader, US special envoy hold talks amid Tigray peace push
AA
Regional security was the main point of focus as Kenya’s president met the top American diplomat for the Horn of Africa on Friday. Talks between President William Ruto and Mike Hammer, the US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, in the capital Nairobi were held in the backdrop of the Tigray conflict in neighboring Ethiopia…. Read more>>
New Ambassador on why US means business in relations with Kenya
Business Daily
The new US Ambassador to Kenya Margaret ‘Meg’ Whitman jetted into Nairobi in the middle of an election and is having to navigate a political transition that has delayed trade talks that were initiated by former presidents of the two countries…. Read more>>
Mozambican graphite has a place in the U.S.-China battle
All Africa
Africa and Mozambique are part of a growing confrontation between the US and China. Mozambique was one of five African countries invited to the United States convened Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) which US Secretary of State Antony Blinken opened on 22 September in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week…. Read more>>
AGRIBUSINESS
Kenya ships first batches of batteries, tea under AfCFTA
VOA
In the past two weeks, Kenya has taken advantage of a pilot program by the Africa Continental Free Trade Area which aims to facilitate and increase trade across Africa… Read more>>
Dispatches from Somalia: farmers and families describe struggle as drought deepens
The Guardian
Famine has come to Somalia. While there has been no official declaration, the UN’s humanitatian chief, Martin Griffiths, said last week: “I have no doubt that we are seeing famine on our watch in Somalia.”… Read more>>
‘Overlapping shocks’ are undoing efforts to end hunger in Africa, UN warns
The Guardian
Decades of work to reduce hunger in Africa are being reversed as the continent struggles to cope with conflict, climate crisis and the global economic downturn, the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has warned… Read more>>
ENERGY
IMF’s new climate tool allows Rwanda to access $310 million
Bloomberg
The International Monetary Fund agreed to lend Rwanda about $310 million under a new tool intended to help nations bolster their defenses against climate change… Read more>>
COP 27: ‘I have a voice’ – African activists struggle to attend UN climate talks in Egypt
The Guardian
African climate activists from some of the countries most affected by global heating say they are struggling to get access to the UN climate talks in Egypt in November… Read more>>
Solar Group mulls $700 million fund to spur projects in Africa
Bloomberg
International Solar Alliance, a group promoting solar energy, may set up a $700 million payment guarantee fund to spur investment in the technology in Africa… Read more>>
Ethiopia earns $13m in power export to Sudan, Djibouti
The East African
Ethiopia’s power agency has earned $13 million from exporting electricity to Sudan and Djibouti, it announced on Monday… Read more>>
HEALTH
CDC, WHO, Uganda to host regional meeting as Ebola spreads
AP
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Uganda next week will host a ministerial meeting on the outbreak of the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus which has no proven vaccine and has caused alarm in the East Africa region…. Read more>>
‘Africa on its own’: Little help in epidemics, says official
Washington Post
Africa must plan to respond effectively to disease outbreaks without international help, a top public health official said Wednesday, warning that the continent of 1.3 billion people is “on its own” during pandemics….. Read more>>
INFRASTRUCTURE
Burundi central bank lifts ban on foreign exchange bureaus
Reuters
Burundi’s central bank said on Friday it had lifted a ban it imposed in February 2020 on foreign exchange bureaus with the aim of weeding out operators flouting official exchange rates…Read more>>
Kagame mobilizes $800m for Zimbabwe’s rural electrification
The New Times
Zimbabwean President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has revealed that President Paul Kagame helped Zimbabwe secure US$800 million funding for its rural electrification programme… Read more>>
ICT
Ghana leads the way in Africa when it comes to nuclear technology
ESI Africa
Attendees at a recent symposium heard how Ghana has the potential to become the leader in Africa when it comes to nuclear technology… Read more>>
Women Promoting Development in Africa Through Technology
Business Ghana
mHub was launched in 2014 in Lilongwe, Malawi with a working space in Blantyre, Lusaka, Zambia. It aims at equipping the youth with professional skills by leveraging technology to find solutions to problems affecting development. The youth and women receive training on digital skills and software development. The centre also has a coding and robotics club for children and develops technology solutions for clients… Read more>>
TOURISM
Burj Zanzibar: The Changing face of Spice Island
Nation
Shiny – and green – new towers are coming to Zanzibar as the semi-autonomous island sets out to lure investment and luxury travellers to its shores and build its economy beyond the tourism that has been a lifeline for decades… Read more>>
