Accelerate land procedures. This is the wish of Tunisia’s minister of State domains and Land affairs, Mabrouk Kourchid (photo), who recently revealed details about the reform that would insure the realization of this objective. The official did so during a visit to the regional land office. “The minister said efforts should be mustered to reduce the duration of land procedures from 30 days,...

From 2017 to 2019, the African Development Bank (AfDB) will back Gabon’s economic recovery plan, providing the country a budget support of $1.5 billion or around FCFA900 billion. The first tranche of the facility, FCFA131 billion, was released in March. Remaining tranches will be paid over the three years during which the economic recovery plan will be implemented. The fund utilization...

Lesotho is now officially the first African country to legalize the cultivation of weed. This by providing a license to grow and process the plant to South African phytopharmaceutical firm, Verve Dynamics. The plants will be used for medical and research purposes. In effect, the related agreement signed by Lesotho’s ministry of health and Verve Dynamics will enable the South African company to...

The first is the renowned business mogul and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote. Also listed as the second most influent black person in the world, he is more of a star. The second is highly estimed in Morocco, but not much known in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, with his Adoha group, Anas Sefrioui is quite active on the continent, mainly in the sectors of housing and construction materials...

Starting from January 1, 2018, foreigners interested in visiting the Republic of Benin will be able to get their visa online. This, through a platform via which they will be able to make related payment or pay at the borders. This was disclosed by Benin’s minister of foreign affairs, Aurelien Agbenonci (photo), last week as he was opening the diplomatic year. This e-visa project, it must be...

Recently, a team of land experts from the World Bank visited Sikensi, in the Southern part of Cote d’Ivoire, in order to know more about land issues in the country. This was reported by local newspaper Fraternité Matin.  André Dessié, who led the delegation, stressed on the “need for all Ivorians to get land deeds for their properties to insure peace within families and avoid...

Cote d’Ivoire needs about $2.4 billion (FCFA1,320 billion) to make sure that its whole population has full access to drinking water. This was disclosed last week by Ivorian minister of economic infrastructures, Dr. Kouakou Amédée during the presentation ceremony for the programme associated with the mentioned investment, ‘’Eau Pour Tous’’ (Water for All).  The main...

Crédit du Maroc (CDM), Moroccan subsidiary of French Group Crédit Agricole S.A, has launched an e-service for tax collection and payment of bank guarantees. The new service will be available on the bank’s new online goods clearance platform called Base Automatisée des Douanes en Réseau, BADR (Automated Base for Networked Customs. With the new service, CDM’s clients will no more have to...

According to Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), a pan-African multilateral development finance institution, the federal government of Nigeria must adjust the electricity tariffs to attract investors in the power sector. This was disclosed by Andrew Alli (photo), managing director AFC, at the 2017’s annual conference of the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN) in...

The African Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) which provides subsidies and interest-free loans to private companies in Africa, plans to launch by 2018 an initiative that aims to promote and support women entrepreneurship in agribusiness sector across the continent. This was revealed to the Ecofin Agency, by Steve Tawia, head of investments and assets management at AECF. Actually, the project will...