Tag Archives: africa

Biotechnology and biodiversity in Africa

Though biotechnology is most often seen as a tool to meet Africa’s food needs, it could also play a role in protecting the continent’s unique biodiversity. Ugandan environmental activist, geneticist and conservation biologist Clet Wandui asserts that biotechnology has in fact helped to preserve and protect Africa’s biodiversity, a term that refers to the number […]

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy threatens to derail war against pandemic in Africa

Vaccine hesitancy in many parts of Africa has emerged as a potent threat to efforts to mitigate COVID-19 and could considerably counteract wider move to contain the pandemic, despite significant gains made to control the disease in the continent. There is consensus among a cross-section of health experts from the continent that the fight against […]

Digital Lab Africa calls on Video Game creators

Video Game category is now open to all prototypes/concepts of video games for any type of device The second phase of the Digital Lab Africa (DLA) call for applications is now open after a successful first phase for animation and immersive experience categories. The focus of this phase is on Video Games. The destabilising impact of the pandemic […]

No IPOs in Africa in the first half of 2021, but global IPO Activity on Pace to Hit Historic Highs in 2021

There were no cross-border Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) on African exchanges in the first half of 2021 (H1 2021) according to new Baker McKenzie analysis, H1 IPO Snapshot: Unfolding Trends for 2021. However, the continued global demand for special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) IPOs reached African shores in the first half of 2021 – with a cross-border […]

An interview with N’Gunu Tiny on COVID and its impact on education in Africa

Interviewing N’Gunu Tiny, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Emerald Group about education in Africa. Finding out about education in Africa, its pre-pandemic trajectory and how it has been interrupted by COVID-19. N’Gunu Tiny talks about how this will further impact social mobility and, crucially, what should be done now? Discussing education in Africa, the […]

Solar Cow- a Samaritan for the Children in Need

The relief of indigence is the primary goal in bringing about a positive change in the lifestyles of children in Africa. To this day, 1 in every 5 children in Africa is devoid of the right to education owing to child labor. Since electricity is a dire need of people even in the utmost rural […]

New report outlines shifting patterns of infrastructure funding in Africa

Baker McKenzie’s latest report – New Dynamics: Shifting Patterns in Africa’s Infrastructure Funding – shows the state of the African infrastructure market, and how the major global players’ approach infrastructure lending on the continent is changing. While the IJ Global data shows a decline in the value of infrastructure lending, it is expected that as economies recover, new types of […]

African Development Bank, IFAD and partners redouble efforts to stop hunger in Africa and strengthen food security

Download logo The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in partnership with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the CGIAR System Organization, today pledged to work closely with African leaders to address rising hunger on the continent and shore up adequate financing to transform and modernize […]

Banker-turned-poultry farmer becomes champion for African agriculture

Download logo “If we must satisfy Africa’s food security with our growing population, then there must be high commercialization of agriculture. That is modern farming.” – Ayotomiwa Yinka Ogunsua, poultry farmer When Ayotomiwa Yinka Ogunsua got a job as a loan officer at a microfinance bank in Ibadan, Nigeria, after graduating from university, he thought […]

Generation Africa is back with the third annual US$100,000 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition looking for young, agrifood change makers with business models that can revolutionize food systems across the African continent

Returning for its third year, the ground-breaking US$100,000 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition (http://GoGettaz.africa) continues to inspire agrifood entrepreneurs from Cape Town to Cairo to use their energy, courage and creativity to solve the biggest problems facing Africa’s food systems. Launching on 19 April 2021, this year’s competition aims to expand the GoGettaz community of agripreneurs, […]

International Conference on the West African Food Security Storage System: ECOWAS to build a multilateral partnership around its experience

Download logo The ECOWAS Commission is set to organize, from 28th April to 10th May 2021, by videoconference, an international conference to share with its partners and the other regions of the world, the experience of its regional food security storage system. The official opening ceremony, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 28th April 2021 at […]

Greenpeace and Western Anti Africa Energy Groups Take the Wrong Approach to East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) in Uganda and Tanzania

By NJ Ayuk, Executive President of the African Energy Chamber. If someone were to put me on the spot and ask me to name an environmentalist group, I’d probably blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, Greenpeace. There are obvious reasons for this: Greenpeace has been around for more than 50 years, and […]

Competition law in post-pandemic Africa a key driver for market participation, consumer protection and fair practices

 With the growth of economies across Africa, competition law has remained one of the key drivers for effective market participation, consumer protection and fair business practices. However, the global pandemic introduced new challenges for competition authorities in Africa and abroad, with each enforcer pursuing the most beneficial enforcement method for its national or regional jurisdiction. […]

Demand surges for 4IR tech as 4,600 register for Africa’s largest AI trade event

AI Expo Africa — the continent’s largest annual gathering of buyers and suppliers of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) smart technologies — is set to have its biggest edition this year as 4 600 delegates and several international and local sponsors have already registered to attend the trade show […]

ITFC and the Republic of Cameroon Sign a US$750 Million Three-year Framework Agreement to Support Cameroon’s Key Sectors through Integrated Trade Solutions

The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) (www.ITFC-IDB.org), a member of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB) and the Republic of Cameroon have signed on April 12, 2021 two agreements in a virtual signing ceremony between H.E. Alamine Ousmane Mey, Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development (IsDB Governor) and Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, CEO, […]

Africa’s largest inter-university hackathon brings students together on Zindi for data science, for good

UmojaHack Africa 2021 was an unprecedented success, bringing more than 1000 students from 126 universities across Africa to compete on Zindi in a virtual machine learning hackathon on the weekend of 27-28 March. More than $10 000 USD in prizes were awarded to data science students from 9 African countries, and more than 8500 submissions […]

Vertis Aviation adds Africa-based Challenger 604 to portfolio

Switzerland-based Vertis Aviation, is expanding its footprint in Africa with the addition of a Bombardier Challenger 604 to the Vertis Charter Management Programme, VCMP. This is the second aircraft to sign up to the VCMP in as many months and represents the first Challenger 604 that the Argus Certified Broker will exclusively market for charter. […]

Challenges remain for Industrials, but calculus shifts

Disruption arising from COVID-19 has accelerated trends already apparent in the industrials market –– particularly digitalisation and trade volatility –– and transformation has gone from a “nice to have” to a necessity, according to the latest findings from Baker McKenzie. The law firm surveyed 700 company leaders in six industrial sub-sectors in early 2020, and […]

Africa needs Pragmatic Free Market policies to attract capital into Gas markets

NJ Ayuk, CEO, Centurion Law Group

Speaking at the International Petroleum (IP) Week on February 25, 2021, I commended Nigeria for its efforts in driving gas monetization, but we have to be clear that our industry and hardworking people remain frustrated by the delays and inability to pass and sign the Petroleum Industry Bill. There needs to be that fierce sense […]

Cisco Small Business Partner Summit to Explore Growth Opportunities Across MEA

Hani Raad, General Manager of Small Business at Cisco MEA

Changing Market Conditions and Strategic Priorities for the Sector to be Showcased During Regional Event Cisco’s Small Business Partner Summit is taking place virtually this week, outlining the importance and growth potential of the small business sector across the Middle East and Africa. Small businesses account for 44% of all IT spending and continue to […]

N’Gunu Tiny on Why social entrepreneurship supports local communities throughout Africa

Transformative tech and social innovation expert N’Gunu Tiny talks about how social entrepreneurship helps communities in Africa. N’Gunu Tiny, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Emerald Group, is an expert in transformative tech and social innovation. His book Impacting Lives will be published in Fall 2021. Before the pandemic, Africa was surging ahead with local and national […]

The New Creative Sector Workspace – Adapt, Innovate and Thrive Creative Africa Nexus Virtual Event

The Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), a programme put in place by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to support Africa’s creative and cultural industries, announces a series of virtual forums in the lead-up to the Intra-African Trade Fair 2021 (IATF2021). On 25 February at 15:00 CAT, digital innovators and experts from across some of Africa’s key […]