The African Development Bank Wednesday joined leaders of government and international organizations in calling for stronger partnerships to support Africa’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic at the first Egypt-International Cooperation Forum. Participants also urged greater cooperation with the private sector in the short term to secure more rapid vaccine access for Africans. Gender equality...

Fintech MNT-Halan, which provides digital payment solutions and microcredit to Egypt's unbanked population, has secured a $120 million investment. The resources will help strengthen the company’s technology, develop new financial products, and expand business in Egypt. The funding was raised from a group of investors led by Apis Growth Fund II, which is a vehicle managed by the...

Francophone Africa can now boast of its first unicorn. With a capitalization of $1.7 billion, the U.S - and Senegal-based fintech Wave has become the region’s first Unicorn. The company has raised $200 million in a Series A financing round that saw the participation of renowned backers such as Founders Fund, Stripe, Sequoia Heritage, and Ribbit Capital. The operation thus values the...

Strengthening its healthcare system is a priority for the Ivorian government. In recent years, the country has multiplied projects to build or rehabilitate health centers across the territory. WHO estimated that the money allocated for the sector grew by an average of 16% every year between 2012 and 2016. Côte d'Ivoire has secured $50mln in loans from the Arab Bank for Economic...

Mr. Mugera, a Kenyan national, brings extensive experience to this role. He is a seasoned journalist and media manager with over 20 years of expertise working internationally. As Head of Journalism for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Africa, Mr. Mugera presided over the largest expansion of the BBC on the African continent since the 1940s, supporting the corporation in reaching a...

Global leaders stressed the critical urgency of climate adaptation when they came together in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Monday at a meeting of the Friends of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA). The agenda was the acceleration of adaptation solutions ahead of November’s United Nations global climate summit, COP26. The leaders underlined the imperative for all countries to step up...

From only nine in 2018, 15 African countries are now presented as cyber-secure. However, the number of nations completely vulnerable to intrusions and other cyber-attacks remains high. Last year, We Are Social and Hootsuite estimated the penetration rate of mobile connectivity on the continent at 34%, up 10% compared to 2019. However, the 453.2 million mobile internet users counted in the...

Growing violence in Ituri and North Kivu has forced the DRC government to establish a permanent military presence and martial law. However, these measures appear insufficient. The ADF, the most deadly militia in these provinces, has continued to claim lives. The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) jihadists are suspected of killing at least 30 people on Saturday, September 4, in the northeastern DRC...

Arise B.V announced a $75 million investment in Lomé-based Ecobank group. With this additional funding, Arise B.V aims to reinforce the capital of its West African branches and support its loan activity. “We are very supportive of ETI’s growth ambitions and its ability to increase financial services to Agri, SMEs & retail customers. Our investment will also strengthen the balance sheet...

Demand for high speed connectivity in Botswana has prompted investors and operators to inject more funds into the sector. Since 2019, the market has been experiencing a strong momentum. Broadband connectivity provider Paratus Africa has pumped about $6 million into the development of an optical fiber network across Botswana. The Managing Director Shawn Bruwer (pictured) said the new...