First Independent Mena Newspaper
Despite the €600 million spent by the European Union on training security personnel in the Sahel, the countries in the region had “failed to bolster democracy,” the head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell has admitted in the wake of a series of recent coups, the latest of which were in Niger and Gabon. Speaking at […]
Africa, the world’s richest region for renewable energy, must tap into its vast untapped resources to drive sustainable development and industrialization — this was the main message coming from fruitful discussions on the Africa Green Minerals Strategy (AGMS) during the recent Africa Climate Summit 2023 in Kenya. At over 5500 exajoules per year, Africa boasts 44.8% of […]
UAE has unveiled an initiative that will provide $4.5bn to help tap Africa’s clean energy potential amid increasing negative impacts of the climate change on the continent. COP28 President-Designate Sultan Al Jaber made the announcement during his keynote address at the inaugural African Climate Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. The initiative will bring together public, private, […]
European Union ministers have expressed deep concern about “domino effects” following last Wednesday’s coup in oil-rich Gabon — the eighth nation in the Central or West African region to be hit by a military takeover in the last three years. The EU is increasingly concerned about the growing number of military coups across the continent […]
Russian authorities on Sunday (27 August) confirmed the death of Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane that crashed on August 23, sparking concerns for some client governments in Africa who rely on his unique services. Russia’s presence in Africa depends heavily on the Wagner Group and since Prigozhin was the face of the […]
Morocco on Thursday called on the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) in Addis Ababa to improve African governance of cyberspace. At a meeting of the AU PSC held via videoconference and dedicated to a communication on the development of a common position on cybersecurity in Africa, the Kingdom also called for respect for […]
African countries have called on China, Africa’s largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years, to shift the focus of the economic relationship from building infrastructure on the continent to supporting local industrialization. With China’ trade with Africa having surged in 2022 by 14.8% year-on-year to reach $282 billion, the Asian powerhouse has been Africa’s largest […]
Japan has secured deals with five African countries in a move aimed at mitigating Tokyo’s reliance on China for critical minerals, which comes as strategic competition between Western allies and China for access to key raw materials used in high-tech industry heats up. Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, accompanied by Ichiro Takahara, […]
African nations must flee from the subtle recolonization tactics being pursued through the “honeyed policy shackles” of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the United Nations dogma, according to Nigeria’s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo. Yet, he has also attributed the continent’s rising poverty and underdevelopment to poor leadership, bad governance, and massive corruption by […]
Ukraine is ready for a “long-term” fight to “revive” Kiev’s relations with Africa and reduce Moscow’s “grip” on this continent, which is based on “coercion, corruption and fear,” Ukraine’s top diplomat Dmytro Kouleba declared in an interview last week. After decades of oblivion, Ukrainian officials have now vowed to invest significant political capital to deepen […]