First Independent Mena Newspaper
Africa’s exports increased by 16.8% in 2023 compared with a year earlier, reaching US$665.4 billion, whereby this significant growth was primarily driven by minerals and IT services, according to a recently published Africa Export Competitiveness Report 2023. According to the report, the world economy recovered considerably from the Covid-19 pandemic in 2023, as the total […]
Chadian Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah has “reiterated his country’s support for the Royal Initiative to promote access to the Atlantic Ocean for the countries of the Sahel.” In a joint Communiqué issued Wednesday in Dakhla following a meeting with his Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita, the Chadian official “underlined the interest shown by the two Heads […]
Imagine booking a safari in Kenya, outsourcing IT work to Egypt, or enjoying a Moroccan-designed app on your phone. Sounds like a typical day in our interconnected world, right? Well, it’s more significant than you might think. In a surprising turn of events, three African countries have muscled their way into the world’s top 40 […]
Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have agreed to reopen their border after successful negotiations that have resolved a trade dispute between the two countries that led Zambia to briefly close its border over the weekend. Zambia announced on Sunday (11 August) it had closed its border with its northern neighbor after the […]
Kenya’s main aviation union has announced a strike starting next Monday, in protest against a proposed deal with India’s Adani Airport Holdings to develop Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). The union claims the agreement could lead to job losses and an influx of non-Kenyan workers. The Kenyan government insists the airport is not for sale […]
Morocco, which is already operating the Mediterranean’s largest container Port, Tanger Med, is poised to inaugurate another deepwater port dubbed Nador West Med, which would further strengthen the country’s role at the heart of global maritime traffic. While Tanger Med has a nominal capacity of 9 million containers, Nador will start with a capacity of […]
Ethiopia plans to build what would be the largest airport on the continent, with four-runways at an estimated cost of $6 billion. The airport will be located near the resort town of Bishoftu (Oromia region), 45 km from the country’s capital and will span over an area of 35 sq.km, Mesfin Taseu, CEO of the […]
Once the largest economy in the continent, South Africa reels under infrastructure degradation that risks ditching the country’s economic growth, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Infrastructure dysfunctions, notably irregular electricity, supply hit production at Africa’s most industrialized nation, stoked unrest and worsened the country’s macroeconomic balances. Thea Fourie, Director for Sub-Saharan Africa Economics and […]
Ghana, Africa’s biggest gold producer, has launched its first-ever refinery after centuries of mining of the valuable commodity, in a bid to reap more value from its abundant natural resources. The Royal Ghana Gold Refinery is set to refine 400 kilograms of gold a day, sourcing the raw material primarily from artisanal and small-scale mines, […]
Moroccan cement producer CIMAF has launched works to build a plant in Burkina Faso that will be powered by solar power. The inauguration ceremony was chaired by Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traore and CIMAF chief Anas Safrioui. Production will rely on locally sourced calcined clay as an alternative raw material to traditional clinker. The plant […]