A year after launching 4.5G in Côte d'Ivoire, MTN is already preparing for a step higher. The company announced the soon launch of 5G. During the investment forum, which was held in Abidjan last December 1-3, MTN tested the technology before the participants. Ebenezer Asante - MTN Group's Vice President for West and Central Africa- explained that with "this secure cruising speed, the group...

A month after insurer Old Mutual started discussions to acquire the investment holding company Long4Life, the buyer is close to hitting a target. The private equity branch of South African insurer Old Mutual announced a cash offer of R4.1 billion (about $260 million) to take over the investment holding company Long4Life at R5.80 a share. The deal will be carried out through the buyer’s...

Zambia has reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the implementation of an Extended Credit Facility (ECF), the institution announced in a statement published last week.   With financing of $1.4 billion, this new economic program, if validated by the IMF Board, should extend over three years between 2022 and 2025. It “is based on the...

A common crypto currency and an integrated capital market could boost trade in Africa and sustain growth after the Covid-19 crisis, experts said at the 2021 African Economic Conference on Friday. But the continent first needs to harmonise national rules and protocols governing the financial systems of individual countries to make the reforms workable, panellists said during a discussion on...

For several weeks now, Bolloré Ports has been conducting a large-scale vaccination campaign against Covid-19. Of the 6,497 people employed by Bolloré Ports, 4,529 have now been fully vaccinated and protected against the disease, which represents more than 70% of the workforce. Carried out in consultation with the health authorities of the various countries concerned, the vaccination is...

Cabo Verde President José Maria Neves on Thursday joined the development community in calling for urgent universal vaccine access as a way to mitigate the impact of Omicron and other variants of the Covid-19 virus. The World Health Organization on Friday categorized Omicron as a Covid-19 “variant of concern”, signifying that it could be more contagious than other known mutations. Neves...

South Africa's unemployment rate has been on an upward trend since 2008. It was 34.4% in Q2 2021, up 1.8% points from the previous quarter. Between July and August, the country recorded its highest unemployment rate in 13 years. The information was reported in a document released by the national statistics institution, Statistics South Africa (StatsSA), last Wednesday, December...

Moroccan furniture and bedding company Dolidol has bought out Mouka, a Nigerian company which manufactures polyurethane foam products and mattresses. Dolidol spent $60 million for this transaction. The deal, reported December 1 by Moroccan media, marks Dolidol’s second African expansion. "The acquisition of Mouka presents a real opportunity to evolve in a structured market, with a growth...

The Ghanaian Parliament says it will downwardly revise the levy it has recently imposed on e-transactions. Speaking on the local TV channel Joy News on November 30, deputy majority leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin (pictured) said the tax should eventually be cut to at least 1.5% from 1.75%. “We have agreed on the policy. Now the government will come with a bill, in that bill, we will go clause...

The International Monetary Fund has hailed the "strong macroeconomic fundamentals" that have helped Benin to be resilient to covid-19. Since 2016, the country has been implementing a debt management strategy that has already earned it praise from international organizations. Benin has paid off $375.9 million in public debt ahead of schedule on the Abidjan-based regional security market...