(Posted 27th April 2023)
CCA MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
Can Charter Cities unlock African Economies?
African Business
With the development of a new charter city in Zanzibar, we talk to Kurtis Lockhart, Executive Director, Charter Cities Institute, to find out whether charter cities can deliver broad-based prosperity in Africa and further afield…. Read more>>
Kosmos Energy Announces New Appointments to Board of Directors
Kosmos Energy
Kosmos Energy Ltd. announced today that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) has appointed three new Directors, effective April 25, 2023: Ms. Maria Moræus Hanssen, Sir John Grant, and Mr. J. Mike Stice. The Company also announced today that Sir Richard Dearlove has informed the Company he will not seek re-election to the Board at the end of his current term. Sir Richard has served on the Board with distinction since 2012…. Read more>>
U.S.-AFRICA RELATIONS
Joint Statement on the Third U.S.-Kenya Bilateral Strategic Dialogue
U.S. Department of State
The Governments of the United States of America and the Republic of Kenya held the third iteration of the U.S.-Kenya Bilateral Strategic Dialogue in Washington, D.C. on April 24, 2023. The U.S.-Kenya Strategic Partnership is grounded in mutual cooperation, respect, and a common vision for sustainable development. The U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Dr. Alfred Mutua discussed strengthening the bilateral relationship across all five pillars of the Strategic Partnership and advancing peace and prosperity in Kenya, Africa, and beyond through the following actions: …. Read more>>
Zimbabwe Rules out ditching local currency as Dollar use soars
Bloomberg
Zimbabwe plans to keep its local currency as legal tender, even as the US dollar is now the unit of choice for most transactions in the economy. The extensive use of US dollars doesn’t concern authorities, who instead see it as a way to access foreign currency, according to Mthuli Ncube, the southern African nation’s finance minister. The country is ineligible to access lines of credit from multilateral financial institutions because it owes more $14 billion…. Read more>>
Kenya-US: 10 crucial issues to tackle at the trade talks
The Africa Report
As Kenya and the US begin the second round of the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership?(STIP)?
AGRIBUSINESS
Empowering Women in African Agribusiness: Nana Adjoa Sifa Amponsah Receives Africa 40 under 40 Agribusiness Award
Open PR
Africa 40 under 40 has recognized Nana Adjoa Sifa Amponsah for her remarkable contributions to the agribusiness sector in Africa. The renowned award platform, established to celebrate and acknowledge exceptional young African business leaders under the age of 40, honored Sifa Amponsah with the prestigious Agribusiness Award for her outstanding leadership at Guzakuza, a social enterprise that empowers women to build resilient agribusinesses in Africa….. Read more>>
USMEF working to overcome supply chain challenges in Africa
IOWA Agribusiness Radio Network
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) views Africa as a promising destination for U.S. red meat exports, but it’s also a region that presents many supply chain challenges. USMEF is working to overcome these obstacles through support from the USDA Market Access Program, the Beef Checkoff Program, and the National Pork Board. USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom said Africa is already an active market for beef variety meat, but he also sees growth potential for beef and pork muscle cuts, as well as pork variety meat….. Read more>>
ENERGY
Chad to set up national oil company
APA News
Chad will soon have an oil company. The draft law presented by the Minister of Hydrocarbons and Energy was approved by the extraordinary Council of Ministers on April 24. The company, which will be a public limited company, will be called the Chad Petroleum Company. It will be governed by Chadian law and the rules of the Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa (OHADA)… the Council gave the Minister of Hydrocarbons and Energy “a mandate” to speed up the creation of this new company, which is of “vital interest” to Chad….Read more>>
How 60 Million South Africans Are Being Failed by the West’s Green Ambitions
Bloomberg
It was meant to be the climate justice blueprint, the deal that showed how rich countries could help developing economies end their reliance on coal and go green. Almost 18 months on, South Africa’s $8.5 billion transition showpiece looks more like a cautionary tale. Only one coal-fired power plant has been closed since the so-called Just Energy Transition Partnership was unveiled to great fanfare at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow….. Read more>>
HEALTH
Time to deliver zero malaria cases: WHO
The African Perspective
As the world marks World Malaria Day this Tuesday, the WHO has stressed the importance of coming up with innovative strategies and measures to eliminate the disease. While tremendous progress has been made in eliminating the mosquito-borne illness, malaria still poses a significant threat to global human health. The disease still kills over 400 000 people each year, and the latest World Malaria Report shows that the WHO African Region bears a high percentage of the global malaria burden, with Nigeria having the highest burden in the world…. Read more>>
Sudan health system overwhelmed as fighting rages on
Aljazeera
The humanitarian situation is becoming increasingly dire in Sudan with healthcare facilities paralysed after dozens of hospitals were knocked out by the five days of intense fighting. Nearly 50 health facilities have been forced to close in the capital Khartoum and surrounding areas since the fighting broke out between the army and the paramilitary RSF on Saturday, Al Jazeera correspondent Hiba Morgan reported on Thursday….. Read more>>
INFRASTRUCTURE
IMF approves immediate disbursement of about $153 mln to Tanzania
Reuters
The executive board of the IMF on Monday approved the first review of Tanzania’s three-year extended credit facility, allowing immediate disbursement of about $153 million in budgetary support, the IMF said in a statement. The IMF said Tanzania’s economic reform program is progressing well in a challenging global economic environment, but authorities should work to boost domestic revenues, while stepping up structural reforms to streamline bureaucracy and combat corruption…. Read more>>
Zambia has sent debt restructuring proposal to official creditors
Reuters
Zambia has sent a debt restructuring proposal to its official creditors, a spokesperson for the government’s advisors said on Monday. The country, which was the major sovereign casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been in default since 2020, said on Friday it would share a first fully-formed debt restructuring plan with China and other government creditors. “We can confirm the proposal has been sent,” a spokesperson working with advisors to the government in Lusaka said….. Read more>>
ICT
Crowdsourcing #safety: How Twitter is helping civilians in Sudan
Aljazeera
The network – a reincarnation of an earlier one – started up on the first day of the conflict, April 15, with the setting up of vital updates on Twitter Spaces, the social media platform’s feature for live, audio conversations. Some of the people on Twitter Spaces were not new to grassroots organising, but had led activist groups during the 2019 uprising that toppled former President Omar al-Bashir. Many activists, El Hassan said, were killed during that uprising or forced to leave…. Read more>>
Zimbabwe to Introduce Gold-backed Digital Currency
Pindula
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) plans to introduce a gold-backed digital currency to be used as legal tender for transacting in the country to stabilise the Zimbabwe dollar from its continued depreciation against the US dollar. Digital gold tokens will be a form of electronic money backed by gold held at the RBZ. RBZ Governor John Mangudya told The Sunday Mail that the digital gold tokens will allow those holding small amounts of Zimbabwe dollars to exchange their money for tokens to store value and hedge against currency volatility….. Read more>>
