Members of the Lagos State Government Cabinet met on Nov 28 to review the 2020 economic activities and the provisions of the 2021 budget in several sectors, ICT included. The officials agreed to accelerate the coverage of the state by the optical fiber infrastructure. Olatubosun Alake, Lagos State Governor’s Special Advisor on Technology and Innovation, said: “The unified fiber project is a...

Farida, her school bag on her back and her face betraying a hint of a smile, sings softly on her way to school in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. Along with thousands of other South Sudanese girls, Farida has been able to attend class thanks to a project that has freed her from the daily grind of fetching water. With funding of almost $7.22 million from the African Development Bank, the...

Diplomatic relations between Kenya and Somalia have deteriorated in recent hours after Mogadishu accused Nairobi of political interference. On Sunday, November 29, Somali authorities announced that they have recalled their ambassador to Kenya, Mohamud Ahmed Nur Tarsan. According to the Somali Foreign Ministry, this decision was taken in response to Kenya's interference in the upcoming elections...

Mining company Walkabout Resources has received initial approval from Afreximbank for a $25 million loan for the Lindi Jumbo graphite project in Tanzania. According to the non-binding Memorandum of Understanding previously entered into by the two parties, the maturity of the financing is 7 years, with an 18-month grace period. “Each of the development banks we have been working with...

In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of deaths due to malaria could far exceed that of the covid-19 pandemic. This was announced by the WHO on Monday, November 30, 2020. In a new report, the institution states that the particular attention given to the covid-19 pandemic worldwide has overshadowed the malaria control process. Malaria killed 409,000 people worldwide in 2019, with more than 90% of the...

Lomé-based Ecobank announced a new financing initiative targeting companies led by women on the continent. The program will provide financial solutions and value-added services to women-led businesses in the 33 African countries where the banking group operates. The initiative will enable targeted businesses "to improve their cash management, obtain loans at favorable interest rates and...

Rwanda wants to mobilize a total of $15 million to acquire the first Covid-19 vaccines. The information was revealed by the Minister of Finance, Uzziel Ndagijimana (pictured). This first batch of vaccines will be cover about 30% of the population. The operation will target high-risk people, including adults aged 65 or older, and health sector workers who are on the front line in the fight...

South African insurer Santam is seeking up to R1 billion (about $65.9 million) on the local money market. The company initiated this operation when it is about to lose a court battle against its clients who have demanded that it repairs damage caused by business interruptions due to covid-19. Investors considering lending money to the company will be mindful of encouraging fundamentals such...

The South African branch of Paratus Telecommunications, a company specializing in the provision of satellite services, acquired telecom capacity on the AMOS-17 satellite, which provides broadband (HTS) in the C band and the Ka and Ku bands. Paratus South Africa's access to AMOS-17's capacity was made through a contract signed recently with Spacecom, the Israeli satellite communications operator....

The Senegalese government has, during the Ministers’ Council held last Nov 25, approved the "the draft law authorizing the President of the Republic to ratify the air services agreement between the Republic of Senegal and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed in Jeddah on July 22, 2019". This new agreement, which follows the February 1968 agreement, paves the way for the establishment of direct...