First Independent Mena Newspaper
Africa’s mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity fell sharply in the first half of 2025, with deal volumes declining by 21% and total values down 16% compared to the same period last year. According to a new report by DealMakers Africa, foreign investors are retreating from the continent due to global interest rate hikes, a strong […]
Morocco marks a new milestone in the development of its legal framework to combat organized crime and human trafficking following the publication of the new Criminal Procedure Code in the Official Gazette on 8 September 2025. This step is part of the country’s efforts to align national legislation with its international commitments. The National Coordination […]
Senegal is planning the construction of second refinery, SAR 2.0, by 2029, to increase its annual refining capacity and put an end to its paradox: exporting crude and importing refined fuel although it joined Africa’s oil-producing nations in 2024. Actually, Senegal finds itself in a paradoxical position: exporting its crude to Europe while importing both […]
Morocco and the European Union signed the exchange of letters amending the agricultural agreement binding both parties on Friday at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, reflecting their strong partnership grounded in extended multidimensional cooperation. Signed on Morocco’s side by Ambassador to the EU, Ahmed Réda Chami, the agreement immediately enters into force provisionally, pending […]
A sweeping new offensive by the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nasrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) in western Mali is rapidly reshaping the Sahel conflict, expanding both the geographic reach and economic impact of militant Islamist violence in the region, according to a new study by the Washington-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS). Led by the Maçina Liberation […]
Two major Africa-focused events — Global Africa Forum 2025 (GAF) and GABI 2025: Unstoppable Africa — held during the recent UN General Assembly in New York, showcased a bold shift in Africa’s global posture: from aid dependence to self-driven growth, investment, and innovation. At GAF 2025, convened by the Africa Prosperity Network, leaders rallied behind […]
In a speech delivered Tuesday (1 Oct) at Marine Corps Base Quantico before over 800 military leaders, U.S. President Donald Trump stunned allies by insisting that it’s not “our job … to police the far reaches of Kenya and Somalia.” He portrayed foreign deployments as misplaced priorities, arguing that the U.S. must instead confront an […]
The United States has pledged significant support for the construction of Bishoftu International Airport in Ethiopia, a landmark $10 billion project aimed at transforming the Horn of Africa’s aviation landscape. Announced by U.S. Senior Advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, during a recent visit to Ethiopia ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, this marks President […]
Former President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Joseph Kabila, has been sentenced to death in absentia by a military court on charges of treason, war crimes, and conspiracy linked to the brutal M23 rebellion in the country’s east. The verdict, delivered Tuesday (30 September) in Kinshasa, marks a dramatic fall from grace for […]
The Trump administration has backed a one-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) just as the two-decade-old trade agreement was set to expire on 30 September. While the move offers temporary relief, it has done little to dispel mounting fears over the future of U.S.-Africa trade. AGOA, first passed in 2000, provides […]