BUSINESS

African leaders launch Fund to drive women entrepreneurship at AU Summit

Heads of State and Government who gathered at the 2020 African Union Summit have made the provision of more opportunities to women a centre-piece of their collective efforts to drive the continent’s economic growth and development. The Summit, taking place from 8-10 February in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, witnessed the launch of African Women Leadership Fund that will …

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Google Developers Space opens in Lagos

Google has launched its first Google Developers Space in Lagos, Nigeria. Previously referred to as the Google Launchpad Space, the Google Developers Space is a hub for African developers, entrepreneurs and startups. The event took place on 29 January. Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, made a commitment to African entrepreneurs in July 2017 to start the Launchpad Accelerator Africa program and …

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French company opens West Africa’s first support centre for bakers

French company opens customer support facility, the first of its kind in West Africa, to help professionals in the development of new products or breadmaking processes, train them using on-site equipment or intervene directly in their customers’ workshops and production sites to provide technical support. ABIDJAN, Cote D’ivoire, January 29, 2020/ — On Tuesday, 28th of January 2020, Lesaffre inaugurated …

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Nominations Open for Inclusion in Startup Guide in East and West Africa

Global guide for startups calls on entrepreneurs in East and West Africa to submit nominations to be part of comprehensive guide to resources for startups and founders doing purpose-driven business in region. JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, January 28th, 2020,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- To all entrepreneurs, innovators, accelerators, experts and co-working spaces across the Silicon Savannah, from Nairobi to Lagos, Kigali to …

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YouTube appoints Nigerian as Managing Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa

YouTube has announced the appointment of Alex Okosi, a Nigerian, as managing director of emerging markets for YouTube in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Okosi will be responsible for running YouTube’s business and partnership teams across emerging markets in EMEA including Russia, the Middle East, North and sub-Saharan Africa. He will report to the head of YouTube EMEA, Cécile …

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Janngo pledges €60 million at Davos to back African startups

Janngo unveils Janngo Capital Startup Fund, its €60m Venture Capital fund dedicated to financing tech-enabled startup accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa, with a €15m anchor investment by the European Investment Bank On the eve of its participation to the 50th World Economic Forum, Janngo pledges 60€ million to back technology startups with a double bottom …

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Ghana signs agreement with Siemens to address electricity challenges

Germany’s technology company Siemens has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Ghana to address the country’s energy and infrastructure challenges, while contributing to the country’s growth and development agenda of creating high quality jobs and enhancing the vocational skills of Ghana’s youth. The MoU was signed by Siemens and the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) in …

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African leaders gather in London for investment summit

African political and business leaders gather in London on Monday, 20 January for the UK-Africa Investment Summit. The Summit, hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, brings together businesses, governments and international institutions to promote British investment in Africa. Taking place in the wake of Brexit, the Summit seeks to strengthen the UK’s economic position in African nations, which are …

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Division breaks out in ECOWAS over common currency

Disagreement among members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has broken out over the adoption of a common currency in the bloc. Six member countries have rejected the move by eight others to adopt the name ‘Eco’ as their common currency. In a surprise move on 21 December, the eight West African countries using the CFA franc …

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Global food and agriculture fair opens in Berlin

The International Green Week opens on Thursday (16 January) in Berlin. The exhibition, which is the world’s biggest fair for food, agriculture and horticulture, will run until 26 January. In a total of 27 exhibition halls at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds, about 1,800 national and international exhibitors present typical regional products and services. Among the African countries participating at the …

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Applications Open for ‘FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30’ for 2020

FORBES AFRICA is on the hunt for Africans under the age of 30, who are building brands, creating jobs and transforming the continent, to join its Under 30 community for 2020. JOHANNESBURG, 07 January 2020: Attention entrepreneurs, creatives, sport stars and technology geeks — the 2020 FORBES AFRICA Under 30 nominations are now officially open. The FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 …

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Experts predict bright economic future for East Africa in new report

As the global recession gathers strength, most African economies are relatively unaffected owing to the strength of economic diversity in some regions. This is according to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) latest report, Economic Update: Africa Q4 2019. The professional accountancy body provides GDP growth forecasts for various regions including East Africa, which is the …

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Is the renaming of CFA franc a prelude to an Ecowas common currency?

Francophone West African countries have decided to rename their common currency CFA franc as the Eco. Côte d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara announced the decision during a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Abidjan on 23 December, showing that it was a decision jointly reached with France. The currency is used by Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire, …

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Application for German fellowship for young African professionals opens

Are you a highly qualified young professional and you are not older than 35 years? Do you have several years of working experience, strong leadership qualities and a high level of dedication? Are you from a country in Africa? If yes, then apply until 10 January 2020 for AFRIKA KOMMT! The fellowship programme​ offers the opportunity of a fully-sponsored one-year …

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Uganda, Ghana and Botswana have world’s highest percentage of women-owned businesses, finds study

Third edition of Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs profiles the progress and achievement of women entrepreneurs across 58 societies around the world   The third edition of the Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) has listed three African countries as global leaders in terms of women-owned businesses. Uganda, Ghana and Botswana are ranked as the top three countries with the …

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Germany-based company builds for diaspora Nigerians at home

Millions of Nigerians live and work in the diaspora and they send billions of euros back home annually. In 2018, remittances of Nigerians living abroad amounted to about €20 billion, according to figures released by the Central Bank of Nigeria in March. Most of the funds are sent to friends and relatives for various purposes, with real estate, food, education …

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Report shows investors’ optimism in sub-Saharan Africa despite challenges

In the largest survey of its kind, The Africa List Business Barometer reveals a high degree of confidence in the business environment across Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, despite ongoing challenges London, 04 December 2019: A survey of over 350 business leaders across five of some of Africa’s fastest growing economies reveals a high degree of optimism …

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Nigeria spent more than $4 billion to import rice, wheat, others in 12 months

No less than N1.3 trillion ($4.3 billion or €3.8 billion) was spent by the Nigeria on the importation of rice, fish, sugar and wheat in the last 12 months, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said on Tuesday. The bank’s Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, Edward Lametek, spoke at a seminar organised for Finance reporters in Owerri, Imo State. Speaking on …

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