First Independent Mena Newspaper
Benin and Niger finally appear to have resolved their trade dispute following the mediation by the Chinese government, which has led Benin to lift the blockade preventing Niger’s oil export through its territory to China. Tensions between the two West African neighbors began last year after Niger’s ruling junta ousted the country’s democratically elected president […]
Timber smuggling, estimated to be worth $23 million a year, from Mozambique’s ancient forests to China is helping to fund the country’s Islamic-State linked militants operating in its northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, according to a new report by Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), A multi-year investigation by the NGO, which campaigns against alleged environmental crime, […]
Benin-Niger spat: China may try to mediate to access crude oil from ‘its’ pipeline Tensions between Benin and Niger have escalated since the military coup in the latter in July 2023, with the borders between both countries remaining closed and with Benin preventing Niger from using its port to export its crude oil, mostly bound […]
Nigeria’s and South Africa’s senior government officials have urged African countries to boost collaboration, rather than compete with one another, and work together to improve air connectivity, which would in turn boost tourism and economic growth. Speaking during the recent African Tourism Ministers Dialogue in South Africa’s port city of Durban, the country’s Minister of […]
China’s copper foil producer Hailiang and anode maker Shinzoom signed a deal with Tanger Tech to build two plants for a total investment close to $1 billion, adding to a list of Chinese electric battery investors in the Kingdom. Hailiang signed a deal with Tanger Tech to build a copper factory for a total cost […]
China’s Ganfeng Lithium Group Co. plans to acquire 40% of the Goulamina lithium project in Mali from Australia’s Leo Lithium Ltd, to take full control of the precious mine. Lithium together with Cobalt and other critical minerals for energy transition are at the heart of fierce competition in Africa between Chinese and Western companies. A […]
Chinese company Zhejiang Hailiang has announced plans to invest $288 million in a Moroccan facility to produce copper foil for lithium batteries to power electric vehicles. According to press reports, citing the Company’s filing to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, the new Moroccan base will enable the Chinese producer of copper tubes and rods to meet […]
A recent opinion poll found that China is now more popular in Africa than the United States. Yet, this popularity apparently goes hand in hand with a backlash the Chinese face in a growing number of African countries, with many accusing them of “malicious” behavior. According to a recent Gallup polling, 58% of respondents in […]
With geopolitical confrontation and tensions deepening, the key global players are swiftly turning their focus on Africa, experts and observers note, with some of them warning African leaders to exercise prudence in forging international alliances, in particular with countries led by such “‘power-drunk’ leader(s) like Putin”. As African leaders are making strategic choices based on […]
The US is planning to counter China’s strategy regarding rare metals in Africa through investing in a rail project connecting copper and cobalt mines in central Africa to Lobito port in Angola. The new route, which could potentially extend to Zambia, offers an alternative route to export rare metals to the Chinese controlled outlets. It […]