In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of pay-TV subscribers is expected to reach 47.26 million by 2025, from the current 30.7 million, according to a study by the American firm Digital TV Research. Major improvement will come from Nigeria which will have 10 million of the 47.26 million expected. According to experts at Digital TV Research, Nigeria will overtake South Africa, which so far has the...

While it initially forecasted Algeria’s economic growth at 0.2% for the current year, the World Bank now estimates it to be 1.9%. From an initial forecast of 0.8%, growth for 2021 was also revised upward to 2.2%. In the related report issued on January 8, 2020, the institution says the good news is spurred by a recovery in investment and a reduction in political uncertainty, in addition to the...

The number of people killed in terrorist attacks rose significantly over the past three years. In Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, deaths rose from 770 in 2019 to more than 4,000 in 2019, according to figures reported by the head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mohamed Ibn Chambas (photo).   The number of Internally Displaced Persons in these three...

The Ivorian government signed two financing deals totaling €43 million (about $47 million) with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) for the sanitation of 12 cities including the capital Abidjan. This was announced following the Council of Ministers meeting held on Wednesday, January 8, 2020. The project covers the construction of an anaerobic digestion plant with a capacity of 500...

The Government of Burkina Faso has announced an investment of about 1.9 billion CFA Francs to provide 10,013 undergraduate students with laptops, as part of the “one student, one computer” program initiated by the President. The equipment will be provided by the French company Horizon Informatique SA which sells ICT tools. Through the “one student, one computer” program, the Burkinabe...

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is giving the Tunisian microfinance institution Advans Tunisie the equivalent of $2.2 million in local currency to improve financing to SMEs. The loan deal was signed yesterday January 9 in Tunisia and also includes technical assistance that will enable Advans Tunisie to strengthen its capacity to manage credit and operational...

The International Monetary Fund approved yesterday, January 9, the disbursement of $27.67 million for Mali. This disbursement follows the first review of the Extended Credit Facility signed with the country in late August 2019. The resources will support Malian authorities’ continued commitment to implement policies and reforms to achieve the program’s objectives. According to Tao Zhang...

Avaya International, a company specializing in business communications, announced the opening of an international service center in Egypt. The infrastructure is being promoted as a technology environment that will contribute to the promotion and adoption of innovation in research and development (R&D) of intelligent cloud-based technologies, software, and solutions, as well as improving the...

France has updated its tax haven blacklist. The update brings good news for Botswana which was removed from the list since the diamond-producing country “has complied with the rules on the exchange of information on taxable entities,” the French authorities said. However, the archipelago Seychelles have been added to the list and Gérald Darmanin (pictured), the French Minister of Action and...

The Ivorian government has adopted new provisions in the Fiscal Annex 2020 to support private sector development. These include 29 measures of tax exemption, tax rate increases, tax suspension, and creation of new taxes; as well as the clarification and improvement of tax management modalities. With this new step, the government wants to speed up the objectives set in the National Development...