First Independent Mena Newspaper
President Macky Sall of Senegal announced Monday in a televised speech that he will not seek re-election in the upcoming elections scheduled for February next year, putting an end to all speculations. Speculations had been circulating that Sall would attempt to extend his time in office, which led to unrest and violence in the country […]
Conflicts around the globe cause more deaths — over 238,000 people in 2022 only — than they have ever done this century, with Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) having all ranked among the world’s ten least peaceful countries since the index was launched in 2007. The number of […]
With the first summit on global Artificial Intelligence (AI) regulation due in the autumn, experts and stakeholders call for African voices to be represented in forming the new rules – digital inequalities must not be exacerbated by Artificial Intelligence. The United Kingdom will host a global summit on safety in artificial intelligence in the autumn, […]
Sunu Finance group has pulled out as main shareholder from Cote Ivoire’s trade and industry bank BICICI now controlled by a State-run consortium, “Sika Finance” reports. The holding has sold its 19.11 shares for $35.6 million to Abidjan-based Brandon & MCain Capital, an investment firm founded by Ahmed Cisse, the President of Côte d’Ivoire’s employers’ […]
China will build an industrial complex for several industries including agri-food, manufacturing, mining and real estate in Niger’s capital Niamey, Beijing’s envoy to the West African country indicated Monday. Jiang Feng made the announcement after meeting with President Mohamed Bazoum. He also argued that the future complex is the translation of agreements of April 26 […]
Burkina Faso has adopted a decree increasing minimum monthly wage to up $75 from $51, few days following talks between Labors Unions and the National council of private employers. The measure, Sika Finance reports, does not apply for the agriculture sector. Labor Unions late last month inked a deal with the country’s private employers’ Council […]
Khartoum was rocked on Monday by heavy artillery fire from paramilitaries and the army, besieged on several fronts and once again calling for civilian reinforcements in a war with no end in sight, after around three months. The noise of the fighting “started at around 4 a.m. and hasn’t stopped since”, reports one of the […]
Dutch King Willem-Alexander apologized on Saturday (1 June) — the day to remember the 160th anniversary of abolition of slavery in the Netherlands — for his country’s role in slavery, acknowledged that racism is still a problem and asked for forgiveness in a historic speech. The Netherlands formally abolished slavery in its colonies in 1863, […]
A naval fleet of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA-N) arrived for a five-day visit in Nigeria on Sunday (2 July) for a rare visit by the Chinese military to Africa’s Atlantic coast, reinforcing speculation that the Gulf of Guinea could offer a base for Beijing. As the destroyer Nanning and an accompanying frigate, long with […]
Botswana and mining company De Beers have announced, after years of negotiations, a new diamond sales deal that gives the South African country a bigger share of rough stones from their joint venture. Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers (a subsidiary of Anglo American, a UK-listed multinational mining company) and Botswana’s government, sells 75% […]