The World Food Program found in a recent study that 45 million people, mostly women and children, are suffering from severe food insecurity in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The situation in this 16-member economic zone is the result of repeated drought, major floods, and economic difficulties, the organization said. “This hunger crisis is on a scale we've not seen before...

Compagnie de Transports au Maroc (CTM), a transport company 49.8% owned by Royale Marocaine d'Assurance (RMA), has started the process of taking over 100% stake in the capital of its competitor Satcoma-Satas Voyageurs, for an undisclosed amount. CTM, which is listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange, initiated this operation to strengthen its market shares in the road transport sector in Morocco....

As part of its strategy to boost trade with neighboring Mauritania, the government of Mali has mobilized CFA17.54 billion, the equivalent of €26.70 million, for the construction and asphalting of the Kwala-Mourdiah-Nara road (section 2 Kaloumba-Nara). The draft decree approving the project contract was passed on January 15 during the Council of Ministers and the winning bidder is the...

On 14 January 2020, DP World announced in a press release that, on 10 January 2020, a sole arbitrator appointed by the London Court of International Arbitration issued a new arbitral award in DP World's dispute with the Republic of Djibouti concerning the termination on 22 February 2018 of the Concession Agreement for the container terminal of Doraleh. This ruling comes as no surprise. It is...

First beneficiaries: Guinea, Liberia, Niger, Mali, Madagascar, South Sudan, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe The African Development Bank has allocated a €1.2 million grant to provide training to help resource-rich countries improve their mining revenues. The Bank’s Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Complex approved the first-of its kind grant from the Transitional...

Ukur Yatani (pictured) becomes Kenya’s finance minister. The official, who has been acting the role since July 2019, was confirmed on Jan 14 through a reshuffle by President Uhuru Kenyatta. He replaces, Henry Rotich who is under judicial proceedings for alleged corruption. In the role of acting minister, Ukur Yatani has already won praise for taking action aimed at rationalizing public...

Ethiopian Airlines announced plans to start building a new airport this year. Set to accommodate 100 million passengers, the $5 billion infrastructure will be Africa’s biggest airport. It will be built on a 35 km2 land in a place called Absera, around the town of Bishoftu, about 48 km from the capital Addis Ababa. The facility will also have duty free shopping malls, hotels, logistics,...

The Global Fund has granted Kenya KSh42 billion (about $414.3 million) to scale up the fight against AIDS and TB. The money will finance the HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria prevention activities in the country and help strengthen the health system over 2021-2024. The institution, however, recommends that the government should ensure that additional efforts are made to care for vulnerable...

Cherith Norman Chalet (pictured), the US deputy ambassador to the UN Security Council, announced on Jan 15 the United States is calling for a reduction in the Blue Helmet troops in Mali, known as MINUSMA. “It is time for this Council to begin developing an alternative approach to address growing instability […] We must recognize that peacekeeping missions are not the answer to growing...

AfricInvest, a leading pan-African mid-cap-focused private equity firm, has entered into a partnership with Masria Digital Payment (MDP), a provider of payment solutions and smart cards in Egypt. The transaction was carried out via AfricInvest’s Maghreb Private Equity Fund IV, which targets North African companies that are well established in their local markets and have the potential to scale...