First Independent Mena Newspaper
Benin’s Cotonou port authority (PAC) lifted Wednesday December 27 the ban on the exportation of goods to neighboring Niger. The ban was part of the implementation of sanctions against Niger by the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), after the seizure of power on July 26 by a junta. Bart Van […]
East African trade is threading in the wrong direction as member states of the East African Community (EAC) are trading more with countries outside the bloc rather than with each another, owing to pesky trade barriers. While trading less within the EAC, members of the regional bloc are trading more with other African countries, particularly […]
The Malian armed forces, FAMA, announced Tuesday December 26 they dealt blows to radical Islamist militants of Ansar Dine militant group that attacked the Mourdiah Military Base in central Mali. Mourdiah base came under attack on Monday December 25. The militants claimed to have inflicted significant losses on the Malian Armed Forces. In a statement, […]
East African countries have been hit hard by higher freight costs and longer cargo delivery time, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels step up attacks on ships traveling through the Red Sea to the western end of the Indian Ocean. Ports in Kenya and other East African ports should expect slower business in the immediate future as […]
The Colombian designing and development company Quipux SAS has sold its minority shares in Abidjan-based Quipux Afrique SA, a company running integrated management center at the Transport ministry of the West African country. he company thus becomes a private company with 100% Ivorian capital. The Colombia firm sold its shares to Côte d’Ivoire, which owns […]
At least 160 people have been killed and over 300 injured in central Nigeria in a series of “well-coordinated” attacks on villages carried out by armed groups know as “bandits”, local government officials have said. On Monday (25 December), local officials said the toll of attacks by armed groups has risen to 113, increasing sharply […]
The Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) introduced a license for the fishing of the spanner crab species, the country’s State-run news agency reports citing a top official. Several factors, including the fact that more and more fishing units are getting into this sector, have motivated the move, Karyss Auguste, the assistant manager for license at the […]
Canada’s development financial institution, Findev Canada, has approved recently a €20mln loan to the West African Development Bank destined to boost agri-food and renewable energy in West Africa. The loan is the very first agreement between the Canadian financial institution and the West African Development Bank. It will increase financing for agri-food businesses and the […]
The Nigerien military government has announced the suspension of all cooperation with the International Organization of Francophone nations (OIF), citing France’s utilization of the OIF to defend French interest. Niger has cut ties with the OIF, Nigerien military leaders said, as the West African country has disengaged from multiple foreign partners since the military seized […]
The ruling Algerian junta has sparked a diplomatic crisis with another neighboring country, proving beyond doubt to be a regional pariah and a source of instability. Algeria is controlled by an opaque military-intelligence regime suffering from megalomania. It has already strained relations with Morocco, Spain, France, Mauritania, Tunisia, Niger, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and […]