The economic interest group ACE GIE is being targeted by an order of Benin’s electronic communication regulatory agency (Arcep) because of illegal operation of the submarine optical fibre Africa Coast to Europe (ACE). The telecom regulator allowed the group, which consists of Beninese internet access providers and telecom operators, up to December 27, 2018, to stop exploiting the...

Algeria’s foreign reserves fell from $97.33 billion on December 31, 2017, to $82.12 billion at the end of November 2018, Mohamed Loukal (photo), governor of the country’s central bank announced on December 23, 2018. Speaking to the national assembly, the governor explained that at the end of June 2018, the reserve was $88.61 billion and at the end of September 2018, it...

Air Tanzania received, on December 21, 2018, its first Airbus A220-300, which should be used in its local and regional network. The Tanzanian public company is thus the first African airline company and the fifth in the world to receive an Airbus A220-300, after Swiss, Air Baltic, Korean Air and Delta Airlines. In January 2019, Air Tanzania will receive another Airbus A220-300, specially...

Swiggy, the largest food products distribution platform in India, raised $1 billion during a funding round led by the South African multimedia group Naspers Ventures. Six other investors participated in this funding round along Naspers Ventures.   The Russian billionaire Louri Milner also took part in the operation via his venture capital fund DST Global. There was also the Chinese...

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the presidential elections would no longer be held on December 23, 2018, as planned, Corneille Nangaa (photo), president of the national electoral commission (CENI) indicated on December 20, 2018. Confirming the rumors that have been circulating for days now about a report of the election, the official pointed out many logistics, health and security reasons...

At about two weeks to the deadline, the Ghanaian subsidiary of the French banking group Société Générale announced that it has reached the minimum capital requirement of GH₵400 million (about $82 million) required by the central bank. Société Générale Ghana explained that its shareholders authorised the increase of its capital by adding GH₵97 million from the bank’s revenues...

In regard to the development of the 5G, such licenses could be available in Tunisia by 2021, Anouar Maarouf (photo), the country’s minister of ICT and digital economy announced December 20, 2018, in Tunis during the launch of the 2nd workshop on the 5G and innovation organised by the national spectrum agency (Agence nationale des fréquences-ANF). He explained that once available, the...

On December 19, 2018, Chipo Mtasa (photo), managing director of TelOne, appealled to the parliamentary committee in charge of ICTs to help avoid the interruption of Zimbabwe’s incumbent operator’s network.   At the end of the parliamentarians’ visit at Mazowe earth satellite station, the head of the telecom company explained that the public company, pressed by its 22 creditors for...

Senegal and Tunisia signed a memorandum of understanding in the posts, telecommunications and digital economy sector. The agreement was signed by the respective ministers of foreign affairs Khemaies Jhinaoui, for Tunisia, and Sidiki Kaba for Senegal, on December 18, 2018, the first day of the official 48-hour visit of Senegal’s president in Tunisia, following the invitation of Tunisian...

Frankfurt-based GreenTec Capital Partners invested in Afrilife, a Tanzanian company that produces honey and organic apiculture products. Thanks to this investment, the East African company will buy modern hives whose production is three times higher than traditional hives. Afrilife will improve the production capacity as well as the revenues of its network of beekeepers with training. It will...