Egypt has long been Washington’s strategic political and security partner in the Arab world.  The two allies now seek to expand their partnership more commercially and economically. The Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on November 8 with his American counterpart Antony Blinken. This was on the sidelines of the US-Egypt strategic dialog held on November 8-9, 2021, in Washington,...

Although Africa is the lowest emitting region worldwide (2-3% of CO2 emissions), it is the most vulnerable to climate change. Many partners have already contributed to addressing this issue, but much more needs to be done. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new partnership with the African Union Commission to help Africa further reduce its carbon emissions and...

General insurance company Santam has offered to buy the remaining 76% stake it does not own in Indwe Broker Holdings Proprietary. Under its plan, Santam engaged in talks with ARC Financial Services Investments Proprietary to acquire the 51% stake it holds in Indwe. The other 25% interest belongs to Sanlam, Santam's parent company. Santam bids R125 million ($8.3 million) in cash for its...

Côte d’Ivoire has been enjoying all its indicators in the green for nearly a decade, data from the government showed. The country wants to continue this momentum, accelerate reforms and improve the lives of its populations. The Ivorian government unveiled plans to create 8 million additional jobs by 2030. This ambition was revealed by the Prime Minister, Patrick Achi (pictured), during a...

Burkina Faso obtained from France a new moratorium on its debt of €5.9 million, or CFA3.8 billion. This deal is part of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) agreed by rich countries to help the poorest. The DSSI aims to reduce the debt burden of vulnerable countries, namely countries eligible for concessional financing from the World Bank Group. It was decided by the Paris Club...

Crédit Mutuel du Sénégal (CMS) announced it has obtained a loan of €5million ($5.8 million) from the Dutch investment company Oikocredit. The beneficiary will use the money to strengthen its loan portfolio, with a focus on the agricultural sector and activities in rural and peri-urban areas. “Through this loan, CMS is renewing its successful relationship with Oikocredit and plans to...

The Bolloré Group announces the creation of an international academic scholarship programme. Known as EarthTalent by Bolloré, this programme aims to provide financial support to students who have an excellent academic record but lack the financial resources to continue their studies. It also brings together similar actions already carried out in several other countries under a common name:...

MainOne, West Africa’s leading connectivity and data centre solutions provider, has upgraded Ivorian ISP, VIPNET’s capacity from 155Mbps to 1Gbps. VIPNET is a telecommunications operator that provides connectivity services and technology integration solutions through the national broadband coverage. Over the years, VIPNET has positioned itself as one of the major internet providers in Côte...

The Egyptian health-tech startup Bypa-ss announced last week it has successfully raised $1 million in a pre-seed round to develop its activity. The funding was raised from investors including Magic Fund, Acuity Ventures, Launch Africa, Plug and Play, and other regional and foreign VCs. Bypa-ss is known for digitizing healthcare information exchange between healthcare providers to deliver...

ECOWAS heads of state met yesterday November 7 to discuss the "lack of progress in the preparation of elections" in Mali. The officials announced they will tighten sanctions against the transitional authorities. As part of these sanctions, the transition members and their families are banned from traveling within the ECOWAS. Also, their financial assets as well as those of other transition...