(Posted 24th November 2022)
CCA IN THE NEWS
The 2022 U.S.-Africa Business Forum and Multiple Sideline Events in Washington DC
Africa.com
The Corporate Council on Africa is pleased to announce it is co-hosting the 2022 U.S.-Africa Business Forum (USABF) on December 14, which will bring together African heads of state and U.S. and African business and government leaders to discuss the most promising sectors in which to advance mutually beneficial two-way trade and investment. USABF is a key pillar of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit (USALS) which U.S. President Joe Biden will host in Washington, DC, December 13-15… Read more>>
CCA MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
Nigerian Breweries, Crossboundary Sign $10m Renewable Energy Contract
Leadership
Nigerian Breweries Plc (NB) and CrossBoundary Energy has announced the commencement of two renewable energy (solar and battery storage hybrid) projects for NB Plc’s Ibadan and Ama breweries in Oyo and Enugu States… Read more>>
Flutterwave unveils money app for Africans in diaspora
Vanguard
Flutterwave, Africa’s payment technology company, has said it’s new mobile app, $endmoney, will facilitate faster and easier transfer of funds from the diaspora to the African continent. This is even as the tech firm signed Tobi Amusan, the Nigeria-born 100m hurdles women’s world record holder as $endmobile’s ambassador… Read more>>
U.S.-AFRICA RELATIONS
United States Africa Command Special Operations Forces train alongside Tanzanian partners
United States Africa Command
Sudan is geostrategically important to U.S. interests in both Africa and the Middle East. The country’s military rulers, Lt.-Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Lt.-Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (also known as “Hemedti”), are banking on that fact as they seek to press the Biden administration to focus its Sudan policy on stability, rather than supporting calls for democracy… Read more>>
Djibouti, US celebrate relationships with Partner Appreciation Day
Defence Web
Coalition and joint service members from the United States’ Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa participated in a Partner Appreciation Day event on 10 November at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. The goal of the event was to celebrate the US’ two-decades long commitment to allies and partners in East Africa on the 20th anniversary of the arrival of US military troops in the region following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, CJTF-HOA said… Read more>>
Africa: What’s on the Agenda for the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit?
All Africa
Invitations for African leaders to convene in world capitals have become regular features on the diplomatic calendar. The France-Africa Summit, an annual event since 1973, and periodic Tokyo International Conferences that began in 1993, have now been joined by similar gatherings in China, Turkey, India, Russia, various European Union capitals and the United Kingdom. U.S. President Barack Obama hosted African leaders in 2014, and now President Joe Biden is following suit with the second U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington DC next month… Read more>>
AGRIBUSINESS
IFC, Microsoft Tackle Africa’s Food, Security Challenges
The Will
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries and Microsoft have partnered to support digital transformation in Africa’s agriculture sector. A suite of digital agriculture solutions addresses capacity constraints and inefficiencies in the supply chain of African agribusinesses…Read more>>
Outsiders can’t develop African agriculture – Sangiga
Vanguard News
The Director-General, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Mr Nteranya Sanginga, has said that it is wrong for African leaders to expect outsiders to develop the agricultural sector of the economy as he ascribed leadership as the bane of the sector…Read more>>
ENERGY
COP27: Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa secures $64 million in new funding from Norway and GEAPP
African Development Group
The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa has secured a fresh injection of $64 million in grant funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet(link is external) (GEAPP).SEFA, a multi-donor special fund managed by the African Development Bank, provides concessional finance to unlock private sector investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency… Read more>>
Renewable energy in Africa will need more investment
The Independent
Renewable energy technologies such as solar photovoltaics and onshore wind power can help sub-Saharan Africa meet its energy requirements from sources that have lower emissions than fossil fuels. Currently, the sub-continent gets 0.01% of its energy supply from wind, 2% from solar, about 4%-5% from geothermal, 17% from hydro and 77% from fossil fuel. About 70% of current greenhouse gas emissions come from the global energy sector…Read more>>
HEALTH
Bill Gates Foundation Pledges $7 Billion To Support Africa Health and Agriculture
Forbes
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has vowed to spend $7 billion over the next four years on grants to help address hunger, disease, gender inequality and poverty in Africa, Bill Gates announced Thursday… Read more>>
Health Tech: 9 Startups transforming healthcare in Africa
The Independent
While African healthcare technology is still nascent when assessing it against global trends, significant progress has been made in the industry. In 2021, Salient Advisory, a global health consulting firm specialising in African health technology ecosystems, reported that over 60 companies in sub-Saharan Africa were working directly to transform health distribution with models that target and reach health workers and patients directly. The report also stated, “Overall investment in African health-tech ecosystems reached $392 million in 2021, an 81 per cent increase over 2020.”… Read more>>
INFRASTRUCTURE
The business risks in post-pandemic Africa: Infrastructure risks
RSM
According to Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, chief executive officer of NEPAD, The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), “infrastructural development is the key to all aspects of social and economic transformation.” To illustrate this point, Dr Mayaki, continues, “For instance, only 38% of the African population has access to electricity, the penetration rate for internet is less than 10% while only a quarter of Africa’s road network is paved. Studies have shown that poor road, rail and port facilities add 30% to 40% to the costs of goods traded among African countries, thus adversely affecting the private sector development and the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI).” … Read more>>
Africa infrastructure manager AIIM invests in Kenya road network
IPE Real Assets
African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) is investing $34m (€32.6m) in Kenya’s network through its fourth-generation pan-African infrastructure fund. AIIM, via its AIIF4 fund, has acquired a 74% stake in the Lots 15 and 18 road projects of Kenya’s Road Annuity Programme from Mota-Engil. Lots 15 and 18, currently under construction, will upgrade roads from gravel to asphalt standards and cover approximately 44.9km and 35.1km of roads in central and western Kenya, respectively… Read more>>
ICT
A Review of President Ruto’s ICT Manifesto
Techweez
The growth of ICTs in Kenya has been unprecedented in the recent past. This is because Kenya is uniquely positioned as one of the leading countries in Africa that have done very well in terms of encouraging the adoption of ICT, and all the innovations associated with them… Read more>>
Leta, a Kenyan supply chain and logistics SaaS provider raises $3M to scale in Africa
Tech Crunch
Leta, a Kenyan B2B supply chain and logistics SaaS provider launched last year to optimize fleet management, is looking for growth opportunities in West Africa, even as it scales operations in its existing five markets. Leta’s proprietary route and load optimization technology is designed to boost efficiency in the delivery of goods to customers, and reduces the number of vehicles needed for distribution, leading to cost savings and increased competitiveness… Read more>>
Multimillion-dollar boost for small business as more African countries join MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme
Yahoo!
Following the success of the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme, which secured $16 million (USD) of funding for six emerging businesses last year, the programme has been expanded to eight more countries across Africa. Many more small businesses in Africa’s technology sector now have the chance to benefit from the 2023 programme, which provides the skills and opportunities needed to attract transformative business funding…Read more>>
TOURISM
Tourism recovery accelerates to reach 65% of pre-pandemic levels
African Business
An estimated 700 million tourists travelled internationally between January and September, more than double (+133%) the number recorded for the same period in 2021. This equates to 63% of 2019 levels and puts the sector on course to reach 65% of its pre-pandemic levels this year, in line with UNWTO scenarios. Results were boosted by strong pent-up demand, improved confidence levels and the lifting of restrictions in an increasing number of destinations… Read more>>
A Mega Week for Tourism in Nairobi
African Business
The Africa Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF), the premier tourism and hospitality investment conference in Africa, will return to Nairobi on 12-14 June 2023. Overlapping it, AviaDev Africa, the leading aviation route development conference for Africa will take place on 14-16 June. Both events will be hosted at the Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi Upper Hill, making this a mega week for all those interested in hospitality, tourism and aviation investment & development on the continent… Read more>>
