First Independent Mena Newspaper
Africa’s volatile Sahel region risks becoming a forgotten crisis because of the many competing emergencies around the world, a senior United Nations official has warned. The head of the regional office for West and Central Africa for the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Charles Bernimolin, noted that millions of people in six Sahel […]
The members of the Africa Regions Forum (FORAF), convened in Saidia, committed to implement the mandates of regional governments, by releasing the full natural and human, tangible and intangible potential of regional territories in Africa to create wealth, jobs and opportunities for people. In the “Saïdia Declaration”, adopted at the end of this first Forum […]
The demand for Chinese 5G smartphones across Africa continues to rise, as more countries on the continent keep testing 5G networks and their citizens are upgrading from 4G smartphones to 5G-enabled ones. Despite the slow pace of 5G network infrastructure development in Africa, the enthusiasm among people across the continent to be part of the […]
Algeria’s aged and ailing military regime is still bogged down in a cold-war mentality that made the country diplomatically and politically isolated more than ever. The recent maneuvers at the TICAD Japan-Africa summit once again shows the fading voice of Algeria on the continent. Algeria has squandered its oil and gas wealth to buy positions […]
A new report published by the International Trade Centre (ITC) last Thursday urges countries in Africa and the Caribbean to tap into the more than $1 billion in export potential between both regions. ITC’s “Expanding African-Caribbean Trade“ report, released at the inaugural AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (AFCTIF) in Barbados, highlights partnerships such as between […]
The landmark multi-billion-dollar Arab-Africa Guarantee Fund (AAGF), which is due to start operations in 2023, could provide a boost to the Arab-Africa trade that has been static at 17% of the continent’s total trade for the last seven years. Despite centuries of exchanges, Arab-Africa trade has been static at 17% of the continent’s total trade […]
Nigeria continues to lag behind in making the AfCFTA trade agreement operational, as a number of other African countries have been chosen to begin exchanging goods and services under the AfCFTA terms. Almost two years after the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA), which came into force on 1 January 2021, […]
The United Nations is urging governments of Benin and Zimbabwe to address alleged discrimination against minority and marginalized groups in their respective countries. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination released last week its findings on progress in seven countries whose records were under review. The monitoring committee specifically expressed regret that Benin’s […]
The ozone gas can cause substantial losses by quickly aging crops before they reach full production potential and scientists are particularly worried about Africa, which will see more vehicle traffic and waste burning as the population is set to double by mid-century. More vehicle traffic and waste burning means more ozone pollution, a major challenge […]
China has announced plans to waive 23 interest-free loans to 17 African countries that were due in 2021 amid a growing rivalry with the West and accusations that it is creating “debt traps” on the continent. The relief was announced on 18 August in an address to Chinese and African diplomats at a follow-up meeting […]