The Congolese Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPTC) has granted fiber Internet connectivity provider Liquid Telecom a license to build a subsea cable landing station in the country. The news was revealed last week by the public body on its Twitter page. This new license will boost competition on a market so far monopolized by Société Congolaise des Postes et...

The Senegalese microfinance institution UM-ACEP (Union des Mutuelles Alliance de Crédit et d'Epargne pour la Production) is negotiating a five-year senior loan in local currency of up to $10 million from the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The IFC Board will provide a decision on March 25. UM-ACEP says it will use the resources to support microenterprises operating mainly in rural...

In Mali, the telecommunications and postal regulatory authority (AMRTP) is accused of financial irregularities that have cost the Treasury a total of CFA4,525,370,963 between 2016 and 2018. This information was reported by the Office of the Auditor General (BVG) of Mali. In a report on the compliance of collection of royalties and other income due to the State and the execution of agreements and...

The government of Ethiopia is seeking to drop the poverty rate in the country to 19% of the total population over the next ten years. The information was reported by Fitsum Assefa Adela (pictured), the Minister for Planning and Development. In an interview with the Ethiopian News Agency, the official said that poverty reduction is one of the main priorities of Ethiopia's first-ever 10-year...

The Board of Directors of WeLight is pleased to announce the appointment of Romain de Villeneuve as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, with immediate effect. WeLight, a company founded by our Axian Group, Norfund and Sagecom, provides access to clean, reliable and affordable renewable energy to un-electrified villages in sub-saharan Africa. Romain brings to the position 22 years of wide...

The current outbreak of coronavirus will have a huge impact on the global economy this year. According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), it may cut the inflow of Foreign Direct Investments worldwide by 15%, compared to estimates last January. In a report last week, the UN body indicated that “with scenarios of the spread of the epidemic ranging from short-term...

On International Women’s Day Dr. Jennifer Blanke, Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development takes stock and answers 3 questions about African women and agriculture and gives us results from the ground in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Sudan Dr. Jennifer Blanke : Can you tell the many observing International Women’s Day about the integral role women play in African...

Newtown Partners, a South African venture capital firm that targets early-stage companies, and Imperial, a logistics company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and focused on African and European markets, have set up a venture capital fund dedicated to technology companies offering services related to the logistics and transport sectors. The fund, which will have an initial capital...

Senegal will benefit from $125 million from the World Bank to improve governance, a statement from the institution announced last week. The money will be used to finance the Project for the Promotion of Integrated Management and Economics of Solid Waste in Senegal (PROMOGED). Valued at $295 million, the program aims at improving local governance and strengthening household waste...

U.S. company Railnet International plans to pump $11 billion into the construction of a modern railway and the commission of high speed trains linking Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. According to Donald Kress, CEO of Railnet, talks are going well between the project’s shareholders and a deal is already signed with Zambia regarding the feasibility studies which are expected to start...