Nigeria’s Federal Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, yesterday while inspecting the newly constructed 1.5km bridge on the border between Nigeria and Cameroon said the two-lane bridge will facilitate trade between both countries. According to reports from the News Agency of Nigeria, the construction of the project worth $35.9 billion started on April 28, 2017, and was...

Côte d’Ivoire jumped a step higher in the rating ladder to reach the “double B” category of the three biggest international rating agencies. Moody’s gave the country Ba3 while S&P and Fitch both gave it BB- with a stable outlook. Despite the sluggish global socio-economic climate, Côte d’Ivoire continues to enjoy a good reputation with international rating agencies. In a July 16...

Morocco is facing a new escalation in the number of Covid-19 cases. For the past eight months, things have worsened due to the Delta variant. The country reported last July 24 a daily number of 5,494 cases. According to the health department, this eight-month record brings the total number of infections to 575,162. On the same day, 23 deaths were recorded, bringing the total number of deaths to...

After raising nearly CFA2.58 billion on the BVMAC, the microfinance company "La Régionale" is making its debut on the financial market. On July 21, its shares were still trading at the same price as when they were first listed. Five days after its first session on the Central African Stock Exchange (BVMAC), "La Régionale" shares closed on 21 July at CFA42,000, the same as when they were first...

When coming to power in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari promised to make the fight against corruption a priority during his term. A year later, an initial whistleblower policy emerged, but it did not yield the expected results. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria has launched a mobile anti-corruption app called "The Eagle Eye". The instrument will allow Nigerians to...

Convergence Partners, a South African-based investment management firm has announced the initial close for Convergence Partners Digital Infrastructure Fund (CPDIF). The private equity investor’s third fund raised $120 million and aims to reach $250 million by the final close. Investors participating in this close include mainly American and European development financial institutions...

The Democratic Republic of Congo received last July 15, $1.5 billion from the IMF to support economic reforms over three years. This financing has paved the way for further support from other partners, including the US. The US government approved on July 20 a $1.6 billion financing to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Signed by Paul Sabatine, Representative of the US Agency for...

The return home last June of Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo was seen as a major step toward completing the reconciliation process between Alassane Ouattara and Laurent Gbagbo. However, expectations remain high, and many voices are calling for an official meeting between the two men. Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara will meet with his former rival Laurent Gbagbo (pictured) on July 27....

When we talk about vanilla most people imagine a delicious cake or ice cream. However, vanilla travels a long way before reaching its destination. For about 80% of the vanilla produced globally, this journey starts in the beautiful SAVA Region, of Madagascar where, for thousands of farmers, Vanilla means much more than a delicious dessert. They call Vanilla “green gold” because for many...

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Italy’s Maire Tecnimont signed a $1.5 billion Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract three months ago for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery. The refinery is now certain to start delivering refined products by September 2022. According to Punch, the NNPC group’s public affairs division assured...