The African Development Bank Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Gauthier Boulard as Director and Special Advisor in the Office of the President, effective 1 January 2021.In his new role, Gauthier will support President of the African Development Bank Group Akinwumi Adesina, to strengthen partnerships and engagements with multilateral development banks, international institutions...

The leasing company, Arab Tunisian Lease (ATL Leasing), has again contracted a loan with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). This time, the company secured a €5 million credit line to improve liquidity and access to financing for many SMEs in difficulty. The partnership agreement was signed between the two parties on December 15, 2020. The loan granted to ATL...

The Nigerian Communications Commission has introduced new guidelines on the identification of telecom subscribers. Subscribers must now provide a valid National Identification Number (NIN) to update their SIM card identification. They have until December 30, 2020, to do so. After this deadline, unidentified SIM cards and those whose identification has not been updated will be blocked. The new...

The U.S. investment firm Capria Ventures has entered into an undisclosed strategic transaction with the UAE-based venture capital firm Global Ventures. The transaction consists of an investment in Global Ventures' second fund, dedicated to startups in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. This is Capria Ventures' first direct transaction in the region. "We are delighted to welcome a new...

Kenyan startup Ilara Health, which markets diagnostic equipment to clinics and hospitals in Africa, raised $3.75 million in a deal led by venture capitalist TLcom Capital. The round also saw the participation of Dutch-based Dob Equity, Global Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on companies in emerging markets, and Chandaria Capital. The latter was already a shareholder of Ilara...

The Kenyan government has ordered 24 million doses of covid-19 vaccine for 2021, according to official comments reported by The Star last Dec 14. According to the media, the government's request was submitted last week to the Gavi global vaccine alliance. The operation is expected to cost the government a total of $89.5 million (10 billion shillings). Kenyan authorities believe that this...

Global Voice Group (GVG), a company specialized in ICT and RegTech solutions for governments and regulatory bodies, and MedUX, a firm which specializes in the measurement and monitoring of the experience and performance of telecom networks, have signed an agreement today. This agreement entails a decisive step towards improving the quality of service on the African continent, thanks to a new...

Huawei has successfully held the second Africa Broadband Forum, with the hosting by Informa Tech. The theme of the event was “Unleashing the Power of Home Broadband under New Normality in Africa”. Experts and industry stakeholders from all over the world shared their experiences and explored how to further develop the broadband industry in Africa under new normal, to accelerate the Africa...

Mobile operators MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9Mobile cannot sell, let alone activate new SIM cards in Nigeria until further notice. An injunction has been issued to them by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) which has initiated an audit of their compliance with the SIM card identification guidelines. The telecom regulator was assigned this task by the Minister of Communications and Digital...

The Swedish development finance institution, Swedfund, contributed an additional $10 million to African Development Partners (ADP III), a private equity fund dedicated to African growth-stage companies. This second transaction comes one year after the first investment of $15 million. Swedfund's new intervention aims to support large African companies and ensure the growth of the...