(Posted 06th March 2025)
CCA MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
$750M African Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Fund Gets First Investors
Devex
The Africa Finance Corporation has closed the first round of financing for a new fund focused on climate-resilient infrastructure on the continent — one that’s notable both for its focus and the investors on board.The Infrastructure Climate Resilient Fund has raised about $400 million, and it aims to reach at least $750 million to invest in infrastructure projects… Read More>>
Ethiopian Airlines Expands to Portugal: New Addis Ababa-Madrid-Porto Route Launching in July 2025
Travel and Tour World
Industry observers have noted that Ethiopian Airlines is preparing to enhance its European network by introducing a new connection to Porto, Portugal, through an extended routing of its existing Addis Ababa-Madrid service. The airline reportedly announced this development last week, confirming that the new service is set to begin on July 2, 2025... Read More>>
Caterpillar Reaffirms Preference for Privately Owned, Local Dealership
News24
Caterpillar has taken note of the outcome of Barloworld’s extraordinary general meeting held on February 26, 2025, triggering a Standby Offer from the Consortium. Caterpillar reaffirms its support for this transaction, aligning with its preference for privately owned, local dealerships. It is our firm belief that locally owned dealerships are best positioned to serve customers, drive sales and service growth, and tailor investments to regional requirements… Read More>>
U.S.-AFRICA RELATIONS
African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)
Congressional Research Service
What is AGOA? AGOA (P.L. 106-200, as amended) created a nonreciprocal U.S. trade preference program, also referred to as AGOA, to provide duty-free access to the U.S. market for most exports from eligible countries in subSaharan Africa (SSA). The act also requires an annual gathering, known as the AGOA Forum, held between U.S. and AGOA country officials to discuss trade-related issues and AGOA implementation… Read More>>
Trump’s Dismantling of USAID Offers a New Beginning for Africa
Atlantic Council
The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have development analysts worried about the impacts on Africa. But Africans should take advantage of this moment to turn away from assistance and secure more economic self-reliance. US President Donald Trump has sought to immobilize USAID as part of his mission to downsize the federal government… Read More>>
U.S Senate Confirms Jamieson Greer as United States Trade Representative
Executive Office of the President
The United States Senate voted to confirm Jamieson Greer as United States Trade Representative in a vote of 56-43. “It is my honor to be confirmed by the Senate to serve as President Trump’s US Trade Representative,” said Ambassador Greer. “President Trump recognizes the role unfair trade practices have played in offshoring American jobs and harming our national security… Read More>>
Foresight Africa 2025-2030
Brookings Institution
2025 will be a critical juncture for Africa’s trajectory. New political leadership in both the African Union and the United States coincides with the urgent need to meet the looming 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals, to accelerate implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and to modernize and renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act—a cornerstone of the U.S. Africa trade relationship—currently set to expire in September 2025… Read More>>
ENERGY
Captive Power Projects: A Summary of Western Africa Regulatory Environment
National Law Review
Recent increases in construction and financing costs are directly affecting the development of energy projects across Africa. Captive power projects (CPPs) offer the possibility of mitigating this challenging landscape for both the developers themselves and those funding them. For those unfamiliar with the concept, CPPs are a type of power plant which provide a localised source of power to the end consumer… Read More>>
Nedbank, Norfund Acquire Stake in South Africa’s Pele Energy
Yahoo Finance
South Africa’s Nedbank Group Ltd. and Norwegian investment firm Norfund AS are acquiring a “substantial minority” stake in a renewable energy company co-founded by a former JPMorgan Chase & Co. banker. The firms will invest $31 million in Pele Energy Group, said Chief Financial Officer Matt Wainwright. The investment is the second leg to a larger transaction where the company raised $135 million in a structured loan from Nedbank, Norfund and South Africa’s Industrial Development Corp… Read More>>
Best Health Appoints Adnane Zerhouni as New CEO to Drive African Growth
Morocco World News
Best Health has announced the appointment of Adnane Zerhouni as its new Chief Executive Officer as part of the company’s growth acceleration strategy. The appointment comes as Best Health seeks to “reinforce its leadership in the African healthcare sector by offering increasingly effective solutions adapted to the needs of healthcare establishments and professionals,” according to the company’s press release… Read More>>
U of T’s African Impact Challenge is Empowering Startups to Help Solve Health Crises
University of Toronto
Mathew Okwoli, a software engineer, has more than a passing familiarity with the shortcomings of Nigeria’s sprawling blood supply system. A few years ago, an aunt of his died during surgery because the hospital where she was being treated didn’t have enough blood. In the aftermath of this family tragedy, Okwoli began to investigate why it occurred. “We discovered that in various hospitals, they don’t have the right facilities for blood storage, or can’t connect to blood banks around them,” he says… Read More>>
INFRASTRUCTURE
2025 FICS Summit – African Development Bank Champions Value-Chain Approach to Bolstering Private Investment in Infrastructure
MSN
The African Development Bank joined global development finance institutions in Cape Town on Wednesday 26 February to explore effective strategies for addressing infrastructure financing gaps at the Finance in Common Summit. During a session titled Private Sector Mobilization for Sustainable Infrastructure in Emerging Economies, African Development Bank Group Vice President Solomon Quaynor, alongside leaders of multilateral development banks, public development banks, and private sector institutions, presented the Bank’s value chain approach to developing infrastructure projects… Read More>>
FIFA World Cup Hosting Spurs Massive Projects in Morocco
Zawya
Morocco has mounted an unprecedented construction campaign to develop its rail, roads and other infrastructure facilities as it prepares to co-host the FIFA World Cup games along with Spain and Portugal in 2030. Development projects cover nearly 35 cities and investments could exceed $34 billion in such projects over the next five years, according to Morocco’s Sabah Akadir newspaper, which cited a government report… Read More>>
AGRIBUSINESS
A Sign of Resilience Agriculture GDP Rebounds 17.2% in Q4 2024
Biz community
As widely expected for an upward adjustment to the country’s agriculture GDP, today’s update did not disappoint, with sector performance lifting 17.2% quarter-on-quarter (seasonally adjusted) in Q4 of 2024. This follows two consecutive quarter declines of the revised -19.7% (previously ?28%) and 3.4% in Q3 and Q2, respectively… Read More>>
Can Senegal’s Agribusiness Leader NMA Sustain its Momentum?
The Africa Report
The animal feed group Nouvelle Minoterie Africaine is expanding its reach in West Africa, but with the upcoming exit of minority shareholder Amethis, it faces a new chapter for its success story. Though discreet, its success is nonetheless remarkable. Initially a small, family-run group founded in 1996 by the modest entrepreneur Ameth Amar, who died in 2019, Nouvelle Minoterie Africaine (NMA) has become a major player in Senegal’s agribusiness sector… Read More>>
ICT
Sundays for Teaching, Weekdays for Coding: Meet the Woman with the Best of Both Worlds
Nation
Hildah Jelagat Mutai transformed from an aspiring teacher to a software engineer at Konza Technopolis, where she now helps shape Kenya’s smart city digital infrastructure.Despite initial scepticism from her family, she proved technology was a viable career path and now actively mentors young women in tech… Read More>>
FINANCE
South Africa’s Tourism Sector Set for Unprecedented Expansion as Spartan SME Finance and SATSA Announce Strategic Collaboration to Unlock New Business Opportunities
Travel and Tour World
In a significant move to bolster South Africa’s inbound tourism industry, Spartan SME Finance and SATSA, the leading advocate for the tourism sector, have announced a strategic partnership aimed at unlocking growth opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This collaboration is set to empower tourism businesses operating in adventure and concession-based tourism, driving economic growth and enhancing South Africa’s global appeal as a premier travel destination… Read More>>
