The Bolloré Group presents the annual review of the philanthropic initiatives carried out, among other actions as part of its Earthtalent by Bolloré programme. By the end of 2020, more than €2.7 million had been collected by the network subsidiaries, and donated to various local charities. A total of 369 social-impact projects were completed in 52 countries, 76% of them on the African...

After raising $61 million in 2020 to finance its deployment in Kenya, the solar home systems supplier d.light is pursuing its expansion across Africa with the aim of reaching 1 billion people by 2030. As part of this strategy, the company has just secured $10 million in financing from French group Proparco. “Proparco’s alignment with our mission and its commitment to job creation...

West African startups have started 2021 on a good note in terms of fundraising operations. Over the first three months of the year, they mobilized a total of $231.7 billion through 34 financing rounds. Figures were revealed in a recent report published by Baobab Insights. Although funding levels have not yet reached those of 2019, before the covid-19 crisis, the mobilization in Q1 2021...

In an interview with France 24, the Ivorian Finance Minister Adama Coulibaly looked back on the recent international summits held in Paris and Rome, respectively on the financing of African economies and global health. The Ivorian official highlights the need to help African countries accelerate their vaccination campaigns against Covid-19. “There is a need to start producing the vaccine on...

A U.K. Treasury -commissioned independent review on the economics of biodiversity has called for a change in the way the world thinks and acts with regard to nature. Africa, alongside the rest of the world, must heed the call to understand that our economies are embedded within nature and are not external to it, participants in a webinar heard. Professor Dasgupta, Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus...

The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) has extended a $1 million grant to help accelerate African countries’ transition to flexible green grids and other clean power solutions ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, scheduled to be held later this year. The technical assistance grant, sourced through a SEFA Rapid Response Facility, will enable up to five...

Aware of the economic benefits of modernizing its road infrastructure, Burkina Faso has intensified its efforts to improve the quality of its road network over the past six years. The West African country sees this as an essential lever for accelerating the development of its production sectors. The development of road infrastructure has been at the heart of the first term of office of Burkinabe...

Internet users in Mauritius have been experiencing Internet service disruptions since the afternoon of Tuesday, May 25. These issues, which include slow traffic, will continue for the next six days. According to Mauritius Telecom, this is due to repair work off the coast of West Africa. A few days earlier, the state-owned company had announced that "the SAFE/SAT3/WASC consortium will be carrying...

Africa Healthcare Network (AHN), which operates one of the largest chains of renal care and dialysis centers in East Africa, will receive the first disbursement of a $5 million loan from the Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The beneficiary, which has about 18 centers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda, plans to develop and operate additional centers throughout sub-Saharan Africa. "This...

The International Monetary Fund has reached a staff-level agreement with Egyptian authorities for the disbursement of $1.6 billion. In a May 25 statement, the Fund said the money will be made available as part of the second review of the economic program for the 12-month stand-by deal agreed with the country. The program, which has been implemented over the past 12 months, aimed to maintain...