Traditional postal services face a looming challenge from the rapid advancement of digital technologies. To remain relevant in today's context, postal operators are undertaking efforts to modernize their services. To ensure the success of these modernization endeavors, they not only require effective methodologies but also need to enhance the skills of their workforce. The Universal Postal Union...

Zimbabwe has concluded a fourth Structured Dialogue Platform meeting on debt clearance with creditors and development partners. Government and development partners met Thursday 11 May, to review three draft policy reform matrices prepared by sector working groups on economic, governance and land tenure reforms. They also looked at compensation of former farm owners, and the resolution of...

Last January, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a $38.4 million assistance program for Guinea-Bissau under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF). This new disbursement should bolster donor confidence and further catalyze essential concessional financing. IMF’s executive board approved the immediate disbursement of about $3.2 million for Guinea-Bissau following the...

The points discussed are crucial for the proposed reform of the World Bank, but they only focus on U.S. priorities. Yet the World Bank's new role in Africa and its collaboration with other regional institutions deserve attention. A memo from the U.S. Congress highlighted "key" points to inform U.S. lawmakers’ debate on the World Bank’s proposed reforms. One of the key points discussed that...

After securing €13 million in financing from the EBRD last November, Moroccan banking group BOA is once more reaching out to the European lender for more support.  The Bank of Africa (BOA) group is seeking €50 million ($54.6 million) from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The Morrocan group says it will use the financing to support SMEs in...

The program is expected to reduce debt vulnerabilities and support the fight against money laundering, terrorist financing, and climate adaptation efforts. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced, Thursday (May 11), a staff-level agreement with Senegal on an over $1.8 billion assistance program to support reforms aimed at enhancing the country’s economic resilience.  The...

MTN Group is one of the largest telecommunications companies in Africa along with Airtel Africa, Orange, and Vodacom. The South Africa-based company has 291 million mobile subscribers across 19 markets.  MTN Group plans to exit three West African markets in the medium term. In its quarterly update for Q1-2023, the group said it was considering a takeover offer from Axian Telecom for its...

During the IsDB's 2023 Annual Meeting, Mali, Gambia, and Djibouti signed agreements with the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) that will support key sectors of their economies to create opportunities for economic growth. The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, signed four agreements with Mali, Gambia,...

At a time when protecting sensitive data and enhancing cybersecurity are seen as a challenge shared by African countries, experts are increasingly advocating for public and private actors to pool efforts to sanitize the cyberspace.  On the sidelines of the Cyber Africa Forum (April 24 -25, 2023) in Abidjan, Youssef Mazouz, Secretary General of the African Cybersecurity Center, agreed to be...

Egypt plans to cede its stakes in 32 companies, including Egypt Telecom, by March 2024. The initiative is part of a program to mobilize budgetary resources and boost growth in the national economy. Egypt has revived its plans to sell an additional 10% stake in state-owned company Telecom Egypt, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday (May 10), citing unnamed sources close to the matter. The transaction...