Over two months, Togo’s government has launched no less than ten reforms to facilitate business creation by youth and women in the country. These reforms include: removal of registration fees and stamps duties, liberalization of social capital, exemption of business tax for young entrepreneurs, reduction of legal ads costs to CFA1,000 from CFA5,000, tax incentives etc. Also, 20% of public...

Coris Bank international has signed, on behalf of its subsidiary in Côte d’Ivoire, a guarantee agreement worth CFA1.72 billion ($3.2 million) with African solidarity fund (FSA). This initiative enables the bank to finance the creation and exploitation of a quarry in the country.    According to FSA’s commitments, the guarantee will supersede the borrower when the latter fails to...

Today, in Dakar, the Agricultural and rural prospective initiative (IPAR) and the National Council for Rural Collaboration and Cooperation (CNCR), launch the action research project named “Promotion d’une gouvernance foncière inclusive par une amélioration des droits fonciers des femmes au Sénégal”, a statement reveals. “This project aims to contribute to the improvement of...

Cocoa prices could increase by the end of 2017-18 cocoa season. Indeed, Reuters reports that the price could increase to $2,200 per ton on New York futures exchange (ICE) and £1,550 on British futures market (LIFFE). Compared to the price during 2016-2017 cocoa season, this would represent increases by 16% and 11% respectively.   This good performance should stem from a...

Mohamed Ali Bathily (picture), Malian former minister of State property and land affairs, advises “self-defense” to landowners victim of speculators as the country’s judicial system is unable to severely punish land speculators, Mali Actu reports. According to the authority, mobilization and concerted actions are now required. “Since 2015, I’ve lodged complaints against...

Tanzania could export 84, 000 tons of rice to Kenya and 60, 000 tons to Rwanda in 2018, according to the East Africa Cross-border Trade (EACT)’s recent forecasts.   In a document relayed by the East African, this outlook is based on an assumption of strong market supply in the country, thanks to a good harvest in August and high stocks which could lead to a price...

The Ivorian government wants to increase coffee producers’ income to CFA180 billion from CFA60 billion, by 2020. The trade minister, Souleymane Diarrassouba (photo), announced during the 57th annual general meeting of the Inter-African Coffee Organization (OIAC) which ends today in Grand Bassam. According to him, this should be achieved through the implementation of various...

Orascom Construction Ltd, a company that conducts industrial infrastructure works in MENA area and the USA, announced in a statement posted yesterday that it has received new orders valued at $650 million during the fourth quarter of 2017. According to the group, a major part of these orders ($580 million) was from Egypt-based companies operating in renewable energy and building. In...

In Ghana, Volta River Authority (VRA) wants to import 200 MW of power from Côte d’Ivoire to complement its local production and avoid the rationing of power supplied to consumers. The operation was made necessary by the shutdown on last Feb 1st, of the gas processing plant at Atuabo plant for maintenance purposes. The plant usually supplies power to various thermal power...

The Egyptian Arab Land Bank (EALB), plans to grant new credit lines worth EGP3 billion ($169.6 million) to companies specialized in various sectors in the country. In an interview granted to an Egyptian media, Amr Kamal, the bank’s manager, explained that he received a strong demand of credit from steel, fertilizer, agribusiness companies as well as companies specialized in...