Africa Asia Energy International

Namibia restores Chinese firm’s lithium export permit despite ongoing corruption investigation

Chinese company’s lithium ore export permit has been restored by Namibia’s mining authority despite an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption. In October, Namibia banned Xinfeng Investments from exporting lithium ore, which is used in the manufacture of electric batteries and related products, until the investigation by the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) was finished. But in […]

Energy Headlines

Nigeria to build refinery with 100,000 liters per day capacity

Nigeria’s Gasoline Integrated International is planning to build a refining capacity of 100,000 liters per day and other petroleum products, for a total investment of 3 billion naira ($68 million), reports say. The project, according to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, is expected to produce 400,000 liters per day in the long run. The refinery […]

Business Egypt Finance Headlines

Egypt applies to join Shanghai-based New Development Bank

Egypt has reached a deal with Shanghai-headquartered New Development Bank (NDB) to join the financial institution whose strategy the Arab country says is in line with its vision. Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait according to the statement from his department held talks with NDB’s Chairman Marcos Troyjo on the sidelines of COP27. Both parties, the […]

Business Finance

Kenyan MPs demand more details on secret $5bn railway loan deal with China

Some Kenyan lawmakers are demanding to see more documents from a secret $5bn loan agreement with a Chinese bank that financed a cross-country railway, with critics of the deal blaming the government of the day for having given too much legal authority to China. The 2011 agreement was shielded from public view until Kenya’s transport […]

Business Emerging Markets Energy

Blood diamonds: Botswana wins bid to host anti-conflict diamond watchdog

Botswana, the world’s second-largest diamond producer, has won its bid to host the permanent secretariat of the Kimberley Process (KP), the grouping that certifies that diamonds are not used to fund rebel groups. The KP, a coalition of governments, the diamond industry and civil society representatives, said in a statement on Monday (7 November) it […]

Business Emerging Markets Headlines

From Chengdu to Casablanca: new rail-sea lines to speed up China-Africa trade

China is using new hybrid logistics links or multimodal rail-sea lines to bypass cargo chokepoints in an effort to speed up trade with Africa, where it is the largest trading partner. New rail-sea hybrid transport options stretching from western China as far as Europe, which are speeding up goods movement to Africa, imply the belt […]

Business Headlines International Morocco

Chinese clothing manufacturer opens 3rd factory in Morocco

Chinese-owned garment manufacturer “Omega Textile Maroc” opened in Casablanca a new facility, the third of its kind in the North African Kingdom, which is attracting more and more investors and businesses. The company, which makes socks and lingerie items, has invested over $7.1 million in the new unit to create 627 new jobs, including 240 […]

Americas Asia International

Africans still see China favorably, but prefer US as global superpower — survey

China is still seen favorably by many in Africa, where it is vying for influence with Washington, though, worldwide, support for Beijing has undergone a sharp decline, a new global public opinion survey of people in 25 countries has revealed. The survey by the Britain-based YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project that asked people about their opinions on […]

Asia International

Ex-RAF pilots recruited by S.African firm warned about training Chinese military pilots

Retired members of the British Royal Air Force who were recruited via a South African company to train pilots in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) must be fully aware of the risk of prosecution under the Official Secrets Act, the British Defense Ministry has warned in its rare “threat alert”. China has been recruiting former […]

Business Finance

Kenya demands renegotiation of $5bn borrowed from China

Kenya wants to renegotiate a multibillion-dollar loan from China that was used to build a major railway because though the country is up to date on its payments, it cannot continue with the current 20-year schedule. Answering questions from a parliamentary committee, Kenya’s incoming transport minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, said the country will have to ask […]