Global broadband connectivity provider AFR-IX telecom announced on March 16 it has signed a peering deal with Asteroid Mombasa IXP to boost its network in Africa. Asteroid Mombasa IXP is a major gateway for submarine fiber optic cables and is on the verge of becoming one of the main hubs for Internet traffic in East Africa. “Today, we have added Mombasa-based Asteroid IXP to our already...

Rwanda will not suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as part of its Covid-19 vaccination campaign. The information, reported by Health Minister Daniel Ngamije (pictured), is a response to the recent health concerns expressed by the United Kingdom about the vaccine. Various reports found that the AstraZeneca vaccine creates blood clots in some of the vaccinated people. The situation has...

Tanzania's Vice President Samia Suluhu (pictured) will become the first female president of the country, replacing John Magufuli, whose death was announced on the night of March 17, 2021. She was the one who reported the death of the president on television saying “we have lost our courageous leader, President John Magufuli, who died at 6 p.m. of heart disease.” She declared a 14-day...

The United Nations launched on March 16 a humanitarian response plan of $1.7 billion to fight hunger in South Sudan. In an official statement, the institution said it wants to give a helping hand to the various humanitarian agencies engaged in the country. These include the World Food Program (WFP) and the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The assistance plan targets 6.6 million...

French banking group BNP Paribas has finalized the sale of 39% stake in Union Bancaire pour le Commerce et l'Industrie (UBCI) to the Tunisian group Carte for TND183.3 million ($67 million). The parties involved in this transaction notified the Tunis Stock Exchange on March 16, 2021, that the agreement has been completed. With this transaction, the French group now retains a minority share of...

The US Special Operations Forces have begun training Mozambican marines as part of efforts to combat the jihadist insurgency in the north of the country. The announcement of the two-month training program, called Joint Combined Exchange Training, was made on March 15, by the U.S. Embassy in Mozambique. The initiative reflects a new U.S. commitment against the jihadist organization Ansar...

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi announced last March 15 his intention to increase the minimum wage for civil servants. The information was relayed by the spokesman of the Egyptian presidency, Bassam Rady, in a statement issued the same day. The announcement follows a meeting with PM Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, and the Minister of Finance, Dr. Mohamed Maait, which saw the authorities discuss...

The unemployment rate in Nigeria jumped to 33.3% in the fourth quarter of 2020. The figure was provided by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in a new report on unemployment and under-employment issued last March 15. The report found that over an active population of 69.7 million people, a total of 23,187,389 are unemployed, representing 33.3%. In Q2 2020, the rate was 27.1%. As for...

Kenya Commercial Bank is close to concluding a loan for a maximum amount of $150 million to strengthen its capital and support SMEs that develop environment-friendly projects. Particular focus is on women-led businesses. $101.7 million of the money will come from the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO) will provide $22...

In an interview, last March 14 with Alger Chaîne 3, Brahim Boumzar (pictured), the Algerian Minister of Post and Telecommunications, said the deployment of 5G technology is not an immediate priority of his department. The official said his ministry is rather focused for the moment on providing a good 4G to Algerians. "We are working pragmatically. Our current facilities are 5G Ready. At the...