The AfDB and the Federal Government of Nigeria have launched the Inclusive Basic Service Delivery Livelihood Empowerment Integrated Programme ­ ̶ a US$258 million comprehensive multisectoral intervention aimed at bolstering rehabilitation efforts in north-eastern Nigeria. Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo launched the program at the African Development Bank premises in Abuja on...

A truly successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement cannot be achieved without the “people dimension,” which ensures that the integration process will be inclusive and not lead to inequalities. In an interactive plenary session with experts and policy makers on the final day of the African Economic Conference, delegates discussed the risks of integration,...

The African Development Bank has approved a US$ 35 million loan for the Shire Valley Transformation Program - Phase 1 (SVTP-1), aimed at reducing poverty through the development of agricultural value chain and climate adaptation mechanisms. The Shire Valley Transformation Project will provide access to gravity fed irrigation and drainage services to the Chikwawa and Nsanje Districts south of...

AirtelTigo, born from the merger of Airtel and Tigo on November 14, 2017, announces that it has successfully completed the integration and upgrading of its network this year. The last step was the integration and upgrading in the Western, Central and Greater Accra region after the works realized in the North, the Upper East, Upper West, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, Volta and Eastern. This means that in...

Technology-neutral licenses are now available in Burkina Faso. Indeed, during the ministerial council held on December 5, 2018, in Ouagadougou, the government adopted a decree in that regard. This decree defines the terms and conditions for the attribution of the license for establishment and operation of electronic communication networks and services in the country. A technology-neutral license...

The humanitarian organisation Mercy Corps announced, in a statement published on December 4, 2018, that it commissioned the council cabinet Islamic Finance Advisory & Assurance Services (IFAAS) to prepare the launch of an Islamic microfinance institution in Ethiopia.   The Islamic institution which will be partially financed by the British department for international development will offer...

The Omani cement group Raysut Cement announced, in a communique published on December 4, 2018, that it was planning to buy its Kenyan peer ARM Cement, in the framework of an African expansion plan. "Raysut has expressed its interest to the administrators to acquire ARM Cement", Omani group revealed in the communique.   "The acquisition will complement Raysut’s revised strategy to...

On November 28, 2018, the European Commission published an updated list of airline companies no more meeting international security standards and thus subjected to a prohibition or operational restrictions within the European Union. Overall, 115 companies in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Iran, North Korea and in Africa are on this blacklist. However, Africa is the region with the largest...

The US military presence in Africa is more important than what the Pentagon pretends, documents published by the American magazine The Intercept on December 3, 2018, reveal. Overall, the United States has 34 military sites in Africa, the investigative magazine informs. There are namely 14 bases as well as 20 camps and outposts. The continent is thus the second American military operation...

The latest report on Africa’s sustainable development urges governments to strengthen their urban planning capacities to manage the potential of the region’s ever-expanding cities and address environmental challenges including climate change, droughts and floods. The 2018 Africa Sustainable Development Report titled “Transformation towards a sustainable and resilient continent” was...