First Independent Mena Newspaper
Ahead of its annual meeting taking place in Davos in Switzerland, the World Economic Forum (WEF) says that short-term fixes to the energy crisis including subsidies and coal consumption could imperil the transition to net-zero, while proposing several solutions that have a special resonance in the context of some African countries, such as Senegal and […]
Four Malian gendarmes were killed and three wounded on Sunday (15 January) in an ambush in the west of the Sahelian country, as diplomats, analysts and human rights groups say indiscriminate violence against civilians has grown since the arrival of the Wagner Group mercenaries more than a year ago. Two gendarmerie vehicles were reportedly burned, […]
Belgium’s energy firm, John Cockerill, plans to invest in green hydrogen as part of a joint venture in Morocco where they plan to manufacture key equipment to transform electricity into hydrogen at a lower cost, Afrik21 reported. “In Morocco, John Cockerill will manufacture alkaline electrolyzers. This is the most widespread technology for the production of […]
The trial of two ex-French journalists, who blackmailed Morocco’s King Mohammed VI in 2015, demanding €3 million in exchange for not publishing a damaging book on Morocco, started this Monday in Paris after lengthy judicial proceedings. The two blackmailers, Eric Laurent and Catherine Graciet, are charged with aggravated extortion and blackmail. The case dates back […]
China and Benin signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on partial debt cancellation Saturday during the visit of the Chinese top diplomat Qin Gang to the African country. Qin said his visit was to “identify more fields of action”, Africa News reports. “China intends to work together with Benin to implement the projects agreed by […]
At least 15 people were killed and more than 50 injured in three bombings Saturday (14 January) in central Somalia, which comes after the country’s government announced a “people’s uprising” Thursday (12 January) as it seeks to pressure al-Shabab from all angles, including financial ones. The suicide car bomb in Bulobarde town, some 220 kilometers […]
A bomb killed at least 10 people and wounded about four dozen others Sunday (15 January) in a bomb attack on a church in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) claimed by Islamic State jihadists. The “terrorist act” happened in a Pentecostal church in North Kivu province’s Kasindi, a town on the border with Uganda, […]
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that it will open an investigation to establish the extent to which political statements and events at the opening ceremony of the African Nations Championship for local players (CHAN) in Algeria violate the statutes and regulations of CAF and FIFA. In a statement published Sunday on its […]
Special economic zones (SEZs) are mushrooming in Africa and while many challenges lay ahead, these zones have shown considerable potential for they can play a tremendous role in the development of the African continent. Policymakers all across Africa have increasingly resorted to SEZs with the aim of turning around their countries’ economic fortunes, as they […]
African nations need to do more to address the widespread displacement, killings and other abuses that have come about from the continent’s many conflicts, according to a new report published this week by Human Rights Watch. The report that summarizes human rights trends in 23 African countries has found that in many countries on the […]