Corporate Council on Africa’s latest news

US supports two permanent UN Security Council seats for Africa
Reuters
UNITED NATIONS, Sept 12 (Reuters) – The United States supports creating two permanent United Nations Security Council seats for African states and one seat to be rotated among small island developing states, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced on Thursday… Read More>>

U.S.-South Africa Working Group on African and Global Issues Chaired by Under Secretary Bass and South African DIRCO Director General Dangor
US Department of State
Acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs John R. Bass met with South African Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation Zane Dangor yesterday in Washington, D.C., for the fourth U.S.-South Africa Working Group on African and Global Issues (WGAGI). The WGAGI, which forms part of the annual structured engagements between South Africa and the United States, focuses on bilateral, African, and global issues of common concern, with the aim of exploring opportunities for further collaboration. As both Chairpersons noted, the meeting is evidence of the value, importance, and enduring strength of the U.S.-South Africa relationship… Read More>>

Exclusive: Biden to make first Africa visit with Angola trip in coming weeks, sources say
Reuters
WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden is planning a trip to Angola in coming weeks, fulfilling an earlier promise that would make him the first U.S. head of state to visit sub-Saharan Africa since Barack Obama in 2015, three sources familiar with the plans said… Read More>>

ENERGY

Critical Minerals Africa (CMA) To Examine Impacts Of Renewable Energy Systems In African Mining
Africa.com
A growing number of African critical mineral projects are adopting renewable energy solutions and signing Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) to meet their production goals. Platinum group metals (PGM) producer Northam, for example, announced in August 2024 that it will utilize a 180 MW solar facility to power its Zondereinde PGM production site in South Africa. The solar farm is set to generate 220 GWh of electricity, meeting 15% of Northam’s energy needs using renewable energy… Read More>>

South Africa’s Foreign Ministry Joins African Energy Week (AEW) 2024, Promoting Pan-African Energy Diplomacy
Vox Africa
The African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energy conference has secured the endorsement of South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) for its 2024 edition, affirming the role of global energy diplomacy in shaping Africa’s energy future. DIRCO returns to AEW 2024 as a partner, following participation in last year’s event… Read More>>

HEALTH

How a traveling ‘health train’ has become an essential source of free care in South Africa
AP News
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Thethiwe Mahlangu woke early on a chilly morning and walked through her busy South African township, where minibuses hooted to pick up commuters and smoke from sidewalk breakfast stalls hung in the air. Her eyes had been troubling her. But instead of going to her nearby health clinic, Mahlangu was headed to the train station for an unusual form of care Read More>>

W.H.O. Authorizes Mpox Vaccine, Clearing Way for Use in Africa
NYT
The World Health Organization has given its authorization to a first vaccine to protect against mpox, a decision announced in such haste on Friday that it caught even the head of the company that makes the vaccine by surprise. Read More>>

Africa CDC Confident It Can Raise $600 Million for Mpox Response
Reuters for US News
DAKAR (Reuters) – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is able to raise $600 million to fight a surging mpox outbreak on the continent, the agency’s head said on Thursday. Read More>>

Botswana, US firm partner to conduct border pathogen monitoring
Voice of America
GABORONE, BOTSWANA — Botswana and an American biotech firm, Ginkgo Bioworks, have partnered to conduct pathogen surveillance at the country’s entry points. Health officials say the proactive move is meant to safeguard public health as the world faces emerging disease threats… Read More>>

INFRASTRUCTURE

Moody’s Affirms Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund’s A2 Rating
MarketForces Africa
Moody’s Ratings has affirmed the  Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund’s (EAIF) long-term foreign-currency issuer rating at A2 with outlook remains stable. Read More>>

Government to increase the scale of investment in infrastructure
South African Government News Agency
President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised that the seventh administration is committed to significantly expanding infrastructure investment, as it is crucial for driving economic growth and ensuring efficient service delivery. Read More>>>

Aviation Africa opens under the theme Bridging Skies and Leveraging Growth
Times Aerospace
Under the theme Bridging Skies and Leveraging Growth, Alan Peaford the conference chair began proceedings remembering the late Nick Fadugba (former Chair of AfBAA) and the role he played in promoting aviation development throughout Africa… Read More>>

AGRIBUSINESS

African Development Bank provides US$ 102.79 million to support farmers through climate resilient Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones infrastructure in Guinea, Senegal, and Togo
African Development Bank
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (“ADB”) approved $102.79 million for the Multinational (Guinea, Senegal and Togo) Promotion of Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains in Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones Program which fosters sustainable agricultural value chains around agro-industrial processing zones (SAVC-SAPZ)… Read More>>

Solidaridad Southern Africa to adopt Rwanda’s model for connecting farmers to markets
Farmers Review Africa
Solidaridad Southern Africa has announced plans to adopt Rwanda’s collaborative approach between the government and stakeholders in implementing agricultural policies, particularly digital programs that connect farmers directly to buyers, streamlining services and enhancing efficiency… Read More>>

ICT

Lesotho launches the ICT initiative for remote monitoring and evaluation of development projects (RASME)
African Development Bank
The African Development Bank and the government of Lesotho have jointly launched an innovative state-of-the-art initiative which uses the power of information and communications technology (ICT) to collect project data remotely in digital formats directly from the field… Read More>>

Kenya launches 5th Open Government Partnership Action Plan
CNBC Africa
Today, Kenya unveiled its 5th Open Government Partnership (OGP) Action Plan in Nairobi, reinforcing its dedication to transparency, accountability, and active citizen engagement. The Action Plan focuses on key areas such as public participation, anti-corruption efforts, access to information, and inclusive governance. President William Ruto emphasized his vision of leveraging technology for job creation and fostering inclusivity across all sectors… Read More>>

Communications Authority To Lay 2,500 Km Of Fibre At Sh5 Billion
Kenya News Agency
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) is financing the laying of 2,500 kilometres of fibre across 19 counties at a cost of Sh5 billion to enhance Internet access for Kenyans in the rural areas… Read More>>

DPI Safeguards come online in Zambia’s next phase of digital integration
UNDP
Zambia embarked on its digital public infrastructure (DPI) journey to ensure that all adults among its 20 million population have a national digital ID. The Department of National Registration, Passport, and Citizenship (DNRPC) has digitized nearly 81 percent of legacy civil registration records and enrolled 1.5 million people with biometrics by building the Integrated National Registration Information System (INRIS). Currently, over 88 percent of adults aged 16 and older have a physical National Registration Card (NRC)—a relatively high coverage for a Sub-Saharan African country… Read More>>

FINANCE

African Energy Week (AEW) 2024’s to Unlock Global Capital, Drive New Investments
Vox Africa
Africa’s energy finance landscape is seeing a surge in investment, driven largely by oil and gas developments, new offshore discoveries and favorable government policies. With over $110 billion set to be invested in energy across the continent this year, nearly $70 billion is allocated to fossil fuel projects, underscoring Africa’s continued focus on oil and gas as a vital part of its energy mix. In partnership with AFREXIM and S&P Global Commodity Insights, the Energy Finance Summit – as part of the upcoming African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energy 2024 conference – taking place on 4-8 November – serves to mobilize funding and drive deals forward to accelerate project rollouts across the energy value chain… Read More>>

Nigerian inflation falls for second month in August
Reuters
LAGOS, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Nigeria’s inflation rate fell for a second consecutive month in August, down to 32.15% year-on-year from 33.40% in July (NGCPIY=ECI), statistics agency data showed on Monday… Read More>>

Kenya forecasts budget deficit will fall to 3.5% of GDP next fiscal year
Reuters
NAIROBI, Sept 17 (Reuters) – Kenya’s finance ministry forecasts a fall in the budget deficit to 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) in the 2025/26 fiscal year that starts next July, from 4.3% of GDP in the current fiscal year, a draft budget document showed… Read More>>

US Ex-Im Bank considers funding another Mozambique LNG project
Business Insider Africa
The U.S. Export-Import Bank is considering financing a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project led by Eni SpA off Mozambique’s coast. This is coming years after backing an onshore LNG facility that has faced delays due to security concerns and opposition from environmental groups, according to Bloomberg… Read More>>