Africa Finance Headlines International

Kenya launches flagship “resourceful fund” to support the poorest, revive economy

Kenya’s President William Ruto has officially launched his “resourceful fund”, the flagship measure of his campaign intended to give the poorest access to credit and revive the economy of this African country “from below“. Since taking office in September, Ruto has endeavored to deliver on his campaign promises in a country struggling with historic drought, […]

Africa Finance International

Kenya eyes taxing crypto transactions amid market meltdown

The government in Kenya, where about 8.5% of the population owns cryptocurrencies, has drafted a bill to tax crypto transactions in all exchanges in the country, even as the global crypto market undergoes a mass meltdown. The Capital Markets (Amendment) Bill, 2022 would allow for the taxation of crypto exchanges, digital wallets and transactions. Crypto […]

Africa Community International

East Africa regional force pledges to counter advancing M23 rebels, keep Goma safe

The East African Community Regional Force (EACRF), led by Kenya, has vowed to protect the city of Goma, which is home to one million people, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from the advancing M23 rebels. Kenya sent recently hundreds of troops to Goma to quell the violence after M23 rebels […]

Business Finance

IFC to invest $100m in Nairobi-listed Diamond Trust Bank to back SMEs hit by pandemic

International Finance Corporation (IFC) will invest 12.18 billion shillings ($100 million) in Nairobi-listed Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) impacted by Covid-19, Zawya reports, citing Kenyan Wall Street newspaper. The investment will be in senior debt under its Covid-19 emergency response working capital solutions scheme (WCS FIGE). IFC initiated the […]

Business Emerging Markets

Kenya, South Africa mulling plan to launch continental airline

Kenya Airways (KQ) and South African Airways (SA) are collaborating to form a pan-African airline, Zawya reports citing Kenyan Wall Street Exchange. Leaders of both countries namely William Ruto of Kenya and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa are discussing the feasibility of the project. “We have agreed that that agreement should be progressed forward as it […]

Africa International

Opposition in Kenya questions spending $37mil on its troops sent to Congo

Kenya’s parliament has approved the deployment of nearly 1,000 troops to fight an insurgency in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) amid questions about the $37 million cost for the first six months of the mission. A parliament committee report says the funds will be spent on equipment, allowances, and operations for […]

Africa Headlines International

On COP-27 sidelines, Kenya-UK ink green investment program deal

A new multipurpose dam that will be built in Kitui and Tharaka Nithi counties in Kenya will cost about $3,5 billion following a deal signed by the country’s President William Ruto and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday (7 November). The green investment programs — in energy, agriculture and transport — will become flagship […]

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 […]

Africa International

Former Kenyan leader Uhuru Kenyatta appointed to mediate crisis in Eastern DRC

The leaders of East African Community, EAC, have appointed former Kenyan leader Uhuru Kenyatta to broker political negotiations to end the security crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the army is facing some 100 armed groups. The appointment came during a high-level meeting on the sideline of ongoing COP27 in Egypt. […]

Africa International

Ethiopian gov’t, Tigray forces open new round of peace talks, establish hotline

Ethiopia’s government and Tigray regional representatives began a new round of talks Monday (7 November) to work out military and other details of last week’s signing of a “permanent” cessation of hostilities in a two-year conflict thought to have killed hundreds of thousands of people. Last week, the federal government and Tigray regional forces agreed […]