Category Archives: African News

African Business News

Challenges Of Access To Finance For MSMEs In Somalia

Access to finance for MSMEs in Somalia has become an issue since the state lacked an effective government to cater for the financial services. Therefore, the willingness to offer such exceptional services became paramount, leading to the emergence of private financial institutions in Somalia. A decade ago, a group of Somali businesspeople started financial institutions in Somalia to provide commercial financial services […]

World Trade Organization waives intellectual property rights to support vaccine production in Africa

By Virusha Subban, Partner and Head of Indirect Tax, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg The World Trade Organisation (WTO) announced in June an agreement to waive the intellectual property rights that usually apply in the manufacturing of vaccines, to assist the production of COVID-19 vaccines in developing countries. The measures were proposed to the WTO by the South African and […]

Kenya: Shared prosperity – the United States and Kenya sign Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership

By Virusha Subban, Partner specialising in Customs and Trade, Head of Tax, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg  The United States-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP) was signed on 14 July 2022. The agreement outlines the enhanced engagement and high standard of commitment between the two countries, and focuses on increased investment and sustainable and inclusive growth that will […]

Smart minds look to smart solutions at Africa’s only dedicated Smart Cities Summit

Big industry players join forces to tackle urban decarbonization challenge   The world’s population is on a fast-track from rural to city living. With around 55% already residing in urban areas, this figure is expected to rise to 70% by mid-century. Cities may be the engines of growth and account for more than 80% of global […]

Public Private Collaboration is Key to a Sustainable Mining Sector in Africa

Leading event in Accra shines a spotlight on responsible change The town of Obuasi in the Ashanti region of Ghana, West Africa, has a long and rich mining history. In 1897, large scale commercial and industrial mining began at the Obuasi Gold Mine and continued for over a century until its closure in 2014 for […]

The road to recovery for Africa: The potential of DFIs to halt the spiraling unemployment rate

DFIs directly or indirectly support over 6 million African jobs in the private sector New report published today by the ONE Campaign and the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET) reveals that the 10 largest global bilateral development finance institutions (DFIs) could substantially reduce Africa’s spiraling unemployment rate by 2025. The report titled Shifting and Accelerating DFI […]

New Handling Record at Port of Maputo Points to a Positive Market Recovery

Leading transport event tackles the key challenges of inter-Africa trade expansion In 2021, the Port of Maputo achieved a new handling record of 22.2 million tons, representing 21% year-on-year growth compared to the previous year’s handling volume of 18.3 million tons. A reflection of a post-Covid market recovery, Mozambique’s Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) CEO Osório […]

Top Trends Shaping Transport Infrastructure in Africa

Transport infrastructure is a fundamental enabler of sustainable economic growth in Africa and essential for global competitiveness and trade. As with many industries around the world, the transport industry is currently experiencing great change, which is being driven by several global trends, including technology and automation and Environment Social Governance (ESG). Tech-Driven Efficiency  From self-driving […]

Trends Toward A Circular Agriculture In Kenya

Circular agriculture is termed a food system that is in harmony with nature and meets social needs simultaneously. With the growing population in Kenya, the food supply has been in high demand and this has come at the expense of the environment. Farmers have shifted to using more intensive farm chemicals causing land erosion and […]

Finding a silver lining in offshore investments during unprecedented times

Finding a silver lining in offshore investments during unprecedented times

There isn’t a better time to equip offshore investors with the best product options available for their needs. Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on the further opening of the South African economy, more people are looking for new investment opportunities. In 2020, South Africa’s share in the global gross domestic product (GDP) adjusted for Purchasing Power Parity […]