First Independent Mena Newspaper
As the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) quietly expired on 30 September, uncertainty looms over U.S.–Africa trade ties, though business leaders and policy experts insist this is “no cliff edge,” as African Report calls it — but a wake-up call. At the recent Global Africa Summit in Washington, D.C., U.S. trade advisors said African […]
The Trump administration has backed a one-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) just as the two-decade-old trade agreement was set to expire on 30 September. While the move offers temporary relief, it has done little to dispel mounting fears over the future of U.S.-Africa trade. AGOA, first passed in 2000, provides […]
The European Union has announced a €545 million ($638 million) initiative to accelerate Africa’s transition to clean energy, aiming to expand electrification, modernize power grids, and improve access to renewable power across nine countries. Unveiled by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Global Citizen Festival in New York, the funding forms part […]
African nations are racing against time to renegotiate trade terms with the United States, as sweeping tariffs — initially set to begin 1 August — now loom for 7 August following a last-minute executive order by President Donald Trump. Trump’s latest executive order slaps a uniform 15% tariff on most African exports — threatening industries […]
Amid a deepening U.S.-China trade war, Beijing has issued a stern warning to nations — particularly in Africa — not to strike trade deals with the United States “at the expense of China’s interests,” raising the stakes for countries already grappling with economic strain. China’s Ministry of Commerce declared it “will never accept it and […]
US president Donald Trump has unveiled a controversial new tariff policy, imposing sweeping duties on imports from over 180 countries, including 51 African nations. The tariffs, which include a baseline 10% on all imports and higher duties on certain countries, are part of Trump’s strategy to combat what he describes as unfair trade practices that […]
Sub-Saharan Africa remains the world’s most expensive region when it comes to transferring remittances, with an average cost of transferring money of 8.37% in the second quarter of 2024, according to the World Bank’s most recent report. This cost remains significantly above the global average, despite the increasing importance of remittances in the region’s economies. […]
Home to the second most crypto-currency holders in the world, Africa is in urgent need for greater consumer protection and regulation of the crypto industry, experts say, which has been highlighted by the collapse of the world’s third largest crypto exchange FTX and subsequent plunge in the prices of major crypto assets, most notably Bitcoin. […]
Police in Lesotho are looking for First Lady Maesaiah Thabane for questioning in connection with the killing of the Prime Minister’s former wife. According to court documents seen by some media, the country’s police chief accuses the First Lady of involvement in the killing of Lipolelo Thabane. The Prime Minister’s former wife, Lipolelo Thabane, was […]
Lesotho put yet another nail in the coffin of the Polisario separatist militia by affirming its neutrality in the Sahara conflict and support for the UN process after it proceeded to an evaluation of its stand. “This evaluation of promoting a just and peaceful solution of this regional conflict will best be served by a […]