The UK-Rwanda migration partnership, intended to send asylum seekers arriving illegally in the UK to Rwanda, has been canceled. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer labeled the program "expensive and ineffective." In his first announcement since taking office, Starmer declared the plan "dead and buried before it started." This controversial project aimed to deter illegal arrivals by relocating...

Enugu State government is ramping up its digital governance efforts by collaborating with the public enterprise Galaxy Backbone. The partnership, signed last week, aims to enhance connectivity across 265 smart schools, 160 primary healthcare centers, the state secretariat, and the governor's office spanning 260 districts. Galaxy Backbone will provide data center, cloud services, and other ICT...

A week after the release of the World Bank's 14th report on Côte d’Ivoire, which focused on climate financing, Abidjan hosted a roundtable on the same subject. The aim was to assess the needs, efforts made, and support expected by the country. On July 5, Côte d’Ivoire held a climate financing roundtable at the Sofitel Hotel Ivoire in Abidjan. The event gathered several government members,...

The Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) is set to focus on economic, social, and infrastructure development, as well as counter-terrorism efforts. These two key areas present significant challenges in the West African region and will be the benchmarks against which its actions will be measured in the coming months. Leaders from Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso met yesterday in...

Companies listed on the Abidjan-based Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM) have announced dividends totaling CFA613.16 billion ($1 billion) for the 2023 fiscal year. This represents the highest shareholder payout in the past four years, according to calculations by Ecofin Agency, based on data compiled by the platform Richebourse. This record dividend level reflects a broader trend...

In 2022, ATC disconnected power from several towers of internet service providers Busy Ghana and Surfline due to non-compliance with long-term financial obligations, hastening Surfline's shutdown. Telecom infrastructure provider ATC Ghana has now cut off electricity to some Telecel telecom towers nationwide, according to a statement released to the local press on July 4. Telecel has been accused...

The Senegalese government has launched an initiative to modernize its public services, necessitating an update in the skills of state workers. On July 1, Senegal’s Cheikh Hamidou Kane Digital University (UN-CHK) and the Ministry of Public Service and Public Sector Reform (MFPRSP) signed a partnership agreement to train state employees. Under this agreement, these employees will participate in...

Kobada, a key project in Mali, is set to increase the country's gold output in the coming years. Initially projected to deliver 1.2 million ounces over 16 years according to a 2021 study, recent exploration results suggest even higher potential As of July 2, Toubani Resources announced a 30% increase in indicated mineral resources at the Kobada gold project compared to the 2023 estimate. The...

First commissioned in 1924, the Kipushi mine has been on care and maintenance since 1993. Gécamines and Canada's Ivanhoe Mines announced plans to restart the mine in 2022, focusing on a major zinc deposit. On July 2, Ivanhoe Mines confirmed the restart of the Kipushi zinc-copper-lead-germanium mine, which it jointly owns with Gécamines in the DRC. This mine, inactive for 31 years, is expected...

Niger Telecoms has embarked on a national program to expand its network coverage, focusing particularly on rural areas. The state telecommunications company announced on July 1 the completion of 16 new telecom sites now operational in the Maradi region. "The current phase of the project involves deploying equipment, including the installation and configuration of transmission hardware and...