First Independent Mena Newspaper
While global powers scramble for Africa’s critical minerals, Singapore is quietly charting a different path — targeting the continent’s carbon credits to meet its climate goals and become Asia’s carbon trading hub. The city-state, constrained by its small size and lack of natural resources, has limited scope to develop large-scale carbon offset projects domestically. Instead, […]
In a bold step to safeguard global trade from rising protectionism, fourteen small and medium-sized countries, including Morocco and Rwanda, have officially launched the Future of Investment and Trade (FIT) Partnership, a new international alliance aimed at promoting open markets, attracting investment, and addressing modern trade challenges. Announced during a virtual ministerial meeting attended by […]
In a strategic move to reduce global reliance on the U.S. dollar, China has welcomed six new financial institutions from Africa, the Gulf, and Central Asia into its Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS). The expansion, announced during a ceremony in Shanghai, brings direct participation in the yuan-based payment network to 174 institutions, as China steps […]
Tanzania’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) figures went up almost twofold year-on-year to $1.05 billion between July and September against $524.4 million in the same period last year, a positive development that is widely attributed to growing investor confidence in the East African country. Released by the state-run Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) in its quarterly bulletin […]
Casablanca Finance City (CFC) has maintained its position as the leading African financial center in the half-yearly rankings of the 34th edition of the Global Financial Centers Index (GFCI) that has also included Mauritius, Kigali, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Cape Town, and Lagos on the list. Within the North Africa and Middle East region, the leading Moroccan […]
Singapore’s Changi Airports International inked Thursday August 17 in Singapore two deals with Cairo Airport Company to jointly develop Cairo International Airport, “Ahram Online” reports, citing the North African country’s Civil Aviation Ministry. The first deal, a consultancy agreement, is passenger-focused and seeks to implement impactful solutions to improve the passenger experience at Cairo International […]
The World Bank’s private sector financing arm, International Finance Corporation (IFC), has provided a credit package of $150 to Olam Palm Gabon, the subsidiary of Singapore-based Olam International, to boost the company’s production of palm oil in the central African country. The loan, Gabon Review reports, will be used in the construction of a biodiesel […]
The number of Singaporean companies doing business in Africa has soared from only 60 in 2018 to more than 155 companies today, which demonstrates that the wealthy city-state increasingly views Africa as a very important market that should not to be ignored. In a sign of this deepening connection, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong […]
Recorded executions in 2022 reached the highest figure in five years, according to an Amnesty International annual report published on Tuesday (16 May), which also decries the situation particularly in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with its “most notorious executioners (carrying) out killing sprees”. Recorded executions worldwide reached 883 last year, the highest […]
Group One Holding, a Singapore-based company backed by Qatar’s wealth fund, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), is considering a US initial public offering (IPO), reports say. The company is reportedly changing its legal domicile to the Cayman Islands from Singapore as a step towards the listing. Group One Holdings is Asia’s largest global sports media platform […]