The Technical Committee of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group met on 18 March 2024 in Abidjan and approved the new work programme for 2024. The committee, responsible for monitoring the work of the AfDB’s Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF), allocated a total of US$4.5 million to support projects in 14 African municipalities and local authorities. The first part of the...

The African Development Bank and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) today released a joint report designed to support practitioners and decision makers to turn migration into a force for development in Africa. The report, Diaspora Engagement, Climate-Induced Migration and Skills Mobility: A Focus on Africa examines the impact of migration on human development and poverty...

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the biggest copper producer in Africa and one of the world’s top three. The Central African country could soon further develop this sector with a new partnership with Barrick in sight.  Barrick seeks new opportunities to invest in both gold and copper in the DRC. Mark Bristow (photo), CEO of the mining company, unveiled the ambition during a...

Côte d'Ivoire aims to achieve a 100% electricity coverage rate by the end of 2025. As part of this ambition, the country receives support from the United States. The U.S. is disbursing $80 million to support the development of electricity projects in Côte d'Ivoire, as reported by Enoh T. Ebong, the director of the United States Trade and Development Agency (Ustda). She announced that...

Diamond exports from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been slumping since 2019, except in 2021. This downward movement, driven by issues faced by companies operating in industrial mining, caused the country to lose its position as Africa’s second-biggest diamond producer in 2023. The DRC exported 8.3 million carats of diamonds in 2023, down 28% compared to 2022. According to...

Burkina Faso is working to reshape its national electricity strategy, with a special emphasis on collaborating with neighboring countries Mali and Niger. The government of Burkina Faso has initiated the formal approval process for its National Rural Electrification Strategy (SNER), in a workshop that took place on March 19, overseen by the Minister of Energy, Mr. Yacouba Gouba. According to...

In June 2023, Hummingbird Resources endowed Guinea with a new gold mine with a forecast output of 100,000 ounces per year. The project should ramp up the country’s overall production which was estimated at 12 tons in 2020. A contractual dispute could hamper Hummingbird Resources’ plans of entering, this quarter, commercial production at its Koussoura gold mine in Guinea. The dispute is with...

Due to the processing methods used by local small-scale gold miners, artisanal mining threatens the environment in Burkina Faso. The government has decided to provide cooperatives with modern equipment to address this issue and better regulate this activity. Burkina Faso now has its first shared ore treatment center. The Minister of Energy, Mines, and Quarries, Yacouba Zabré Gouba, chaired the...

Mali faces one of its biggest electricity crises, with frequent outages lasting hours. While the Malian people complain about the situation, which hampers economic activity, mining companies reported that it did not affect their operations. In Mali, mining firms are unfazed by the ongoing electricity crisis. The firms, we gathered, do not rely on the national grid. Gold mines, for example, have...

After experiencing a setback in 2023, Côte d'Ivoire has once again become the happiest country in West Africa, surpassing Guinea, Senegal, Nigeria, and Niger, according to the 2024 rankings in the World Happiness Report Côte d'Ivoire has reclaimed its title as the happiest country in West Africa, according to the latest data from the 2024 World Happiness Report. This comprehensive annual...