Special

While the exact level of threat posed by the newly-discovered Omicron variant of COVID-19 remains to be seen, the reaction from the global community - travel restrictions, potential lockdowns - could have a severe impact on the region's economic fortunes.

NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber, argues against those pushing for a halt to new investments in Africa’s oil and gas industry. The majority of those making these demands are based in industrialized nations that were built on fossil fuels, he argues. For more than a year, the African Energy Chamber has been pushing back against steadily building pressure …

It is projected that under the African Continental Free Trade Area, extreme poverty will significantly decline across the continent, writes Zion Adeoye, Managing Director for Centurion Law Group’s AfCFTA Desk, and he lists what Africa has to do to realise the potential of the trade agreement — Established in 2018, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents perhaps Africa’s …

ABUJA, Nigeria, January 5, 2022/ — CEO of Merck Foundation, Senator Dr Rasha Kelej, and the scientific committee felicitated 13 winners of best African Women Researchers and best Young African Researchers of MARS Awards 2021 ceremony via videoconference for their valuable research work and contribution to empowering women and youth in STEM; Merck Foundation also announced the Call for Applications for …

Céphas Kosi Olatidoye Bansah, the Togbe Ngoryifia of the Hohoe Gbi Traditional Area, Ghana, has been living in Germany since 1970. After he was named chief of the 300,000-strong community of Ewe-speaking people in 1992, Bansah chose to continue living in Germany instead of returning home. The master agricultural machinery mechanic and master motor vehicle mechanic, who is better known …

African tech startups raised a record-breaking $4.42 billion in funding in 2021, with the investment in African innovation almost doubling since 2020. With this increase in funding, comes an increased demand for hands-on support and access to markets from startups in Africa. Therefore, the Telecel African Startup Initiative Program (ASIP) powered by Startupbootcamp (SBC) AfriTech, has opened applications for its …

The Nigerian government has announced that the Siemens AG power project which plans to grow the country’s power delivery to 25,000 megawatts will be revived in the first quarter of 2022. The Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, made the announcement on Thursday, explaining that the German firm, Siemens AG, would begin operations in Nigeria soon and that activities to get …

Mauritius is set to become a plastic free island that will help protect the nation’s wildlife and place the country on the path to a green economy. Early this year single use plastics were banned in and over the next three years the Mauritian government will be putting in place further regulations and restrictions to rid the island of plastics. …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 8 December 2021/ African Media Agency (AMA)/: The Financial Mail Adfocus has honoured renowned marketer, Thebe Ikalafeng, with the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to marketing, branding and the industry in a standout global African career that spans over 25 years. The Jury agreed that not only is Ikalafeng a legendary marketer, but what set …

The first Nigerian-German Trade & Investment Expo will hold in Berlin on 12-13 May 2022. Making the announcement at the General Meeting of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Germany, held on 3 December, Femi Awoniyi, the group’s president, said the event would boost economic relations between both nations. Organised collaboratively by NIDO Germany and the Abuja-based The African Trade …

With $3.75 million in seed funding, Kasa! hopes to raise $10 million in total to support sexual violence survivors and feminist and women’s rights organisations over the next five years LAGOS, Nigeria, December 3, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Today, the Ford Foundation and Open Society Initiative for West Africa, announced their commitment of $3.75 million to launch Kasa! Ending Sexual …

Prof Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba, renowned Kenyan intellectual and founder of the PLO Lumumba Foundation, has opined that despite the paucity of public funds to finance development in most African countries, the situation was not dire as they’re generally believed to be. Speaking on the second day of the 2021 G-PAD Forum, the professor of law was of the conviction …

Distinguished speakers from different walks of life addressed the 2021 G-PAD Forum on Thursday 25 (November), discussing the issues surrounding sustainable development in Africa. Among the keynote speakers at the opening of the conference, holding on 24-25 November with the theme ‘Transformative Partnerships for Sustainable Development in Africa’, were Philip Keil, Executive Director, SEZ – Foundation for Development Cooperation, Baden-Württemberg; …

The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Germany e.V. will launch a series of formal conversations on how the diaspora could have a more impactful effect on homeland development in December. The first edition of the ‘Development Roundtable’, as the series is called, will hold virtually on 4 December 2021, with the theme “Driving diaspora engagement towards the realisation of the …

Tobi Lafinhan, a Nigerian, has a background in civil engineering combined with over 4 years of experience working in leading organisations in West Africa across a variety of industries, including tech. He is currently the Co-founder of Venture for Africa, a fellowship program designed to fill talent gaps in Africa’s startup ecosystem by enabling top local and global fellows to …

The 2021 G-PAD Forum, taking place on 25-26 November and which was initially planned to be a hybrid event, will now hold only virtually. The organisers of the annual conference, Lead Africa International, a global non-governmental organization dealing with development issues, announced the change of format on Thursday, explaining that the rising coronavirus infection figures and the need to protect …

Angola’s Special Economic Zone, provides new services to national and foreign investors with the inauguration of the GAI – Investor Support Office The Luanda-Bengo Special Economic Zone (ZEE)  launched a useful new tool for investors,  the GAI (Guiché de Apoio ao Investidor), or Investor Support Office, which in addition to supporting the presidential directive to facilitate access for national and …

President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday in Paris, France, says outlook on Nigerian economy remains bright, with sustained investments in infrastructure, particularly ICT, that favour global businesses and a friendly regulatory environment that supports Foreign Direct Investments (FDI). In a keynote remark at the Nigeria International Partnership Forum, with focus on “Beyond the Pandemic”, President Buhari said the Nigerian economy was being …

In November 2021, Sangano Black Business Hub, a collective initiative from diaspora and Afro-German entrepreneurs in Germany, launched its annual survey for 2021/2022. The survey seeks to understand the entrepreneurship experience of Black-led businesses and start-ups in Germany and Europe. The survey asks a series of questions about entrepreneurship challenges, the scale of barriers to entry for new start-ups and …

Development experts, scholars, activists and students, among other stakeholders, will gather in the German city of Tübingen and virtually on 25-26 November for the 2021 G-PAD Forum. The annual event is a platform created by Lead Africa International, a global non-governmental organization dealing with development issues, “to promote shared knowledge of development policies that impact Africans and people of African …