President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Biarritz, France to take part in the G7 Summit that is focused on the elimination of inequalities of various kinds globally, the presidency said on Sunday.

The G7 comprises France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, whose government leaders meet annually to discuss important global economic, political, social, and security issues.

President Ramaphosa was invited to this year’s G7 Summit by the host, President Emmanuel Macron of France. The summit is structured into three tracks: G7 and Africa Partnership co-opting South Africa, Rwanda, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and the chair of the African Union Commission; the G7 and four Biarritz Partners which are South Africa, India, Australia, and Chile; then the G7 and all partners.

“The working visit will also provide a platform for President Ramaphosa and members of Cabinet to invite global partners to experience South Africa as …

Gemstone mining company Gemfields said on Friday an auction of predominantly commercial quality rough emerald held in the Zambian capital Lusaka this week raised US$18.6 million in revenue.

In a statement, Gemfields said the stones were extracted by Kagem Mining, in which it has a 75 percent stake while the Industrial Development Corporation of Zambia owns 25 percent.

“The proceeds of this auction will be fully repatriated to Kagem in Zambia, with all royalties due to the government of … Zambia being paid on the full sales prices achieved at the auction,” the company said.

Gemfields said a 15 percent Zambian export duty imposed on emeralds since January 1 remained Kagem’s biggest impediment.

The auction saw 34 companies placing bids, with 37 percent of the offered carats being sold.

Gemfields’ 33 auctions of emeralds and beryl mined at Kagem since July 2009 have generated US$608 million in total revenue.

Its …

South Africa’s trade and industry deputy minister Nomalungelo Gina and Tunisian secretary of state for foreign affairs Sabri Bachtoji have committed to strengthening bilateral economic relations in order to increase trade and investment between their two countries, the government said on Wednesday.

During a meeting in Pretoria, the two emphasised the need to establish a framework and create a conducive environment for the two countries’ business communities to work together.

“Our countries have enjoyed historically strong political ties but it is incumbent upon us to strengthen our economic ties and increase economic cooperation between our countries,” Bachtoji said.

“As the government, we need to work together in setting up a framework and creating an environment that will encourage our business communities to explore the economic opportunities that are available in both countries.”

He said a number of sectors in the Tunisian economy were teeming with opportunities that South African companies …

A lobby group consisting of organizations that advocate for sustainable agriculture is pushing for the immediate withdrawal of harmful pesticides in Kenya.

These are pesticides containing active ingredients that are toxic to human health and the environment, and that threaten food security and affect food safety in the country.

According to the group, at east 32 per cent of pesticide active ingredients that are currently registered and being sold in products in Kenya, have been withdrawn from the European market, due to their serious potential impact on human and environmental health.

The group comprises the Route to Food Initiative (RTFI), Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya (BIBA-K), Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) and Resources Oriented Development Initiatives (RODI).

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Informed by a White Paper on pesticide use in Kenya that was commissioned by the RTFI, the organizations are calling for the withdrawal …

The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project, is a railway under construction in Tanzania which was seeded in 2016, linking the country’s strategic regions and neighboring countries including, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the anticipated project with the line length of approximately 1,800 kilometers, intends to revolutionize mobility and distribution of commodities in Tanzania, through replacing the ineffective meter-gauge railway system.

The Turkish (Yapi Merkez)  contractor, is on the clock to bring to life the awaited transportation machine that, might transform Tanzania’s economy (for starters; production, labor supply, and consumption). Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC), the state-owned railway company, oversees a strategic railway network of 2,561 kilometers length, of which is a 112-year-old German colonial transportation remnant. Running from Dar es Salaam (nation’s
business hub) to Kigoma, then having a north-south connection Korogwe to Ruvu. More than USD 1.2 billion has been attached to the project, which …

A region in Tanzania that focused on improving obstetric care services potentially averted an estimated 2,100 maternal deaths between 2011–2018, according to data released by the CDC Foundation. The data include the results of treatment provided by all emergency obstetric care facilities in the Kigoma Region, where maternal deaths were among the highest in Tanzania, a nation which has the sixth-highest number of maternal deaths in the world.

The Maternal and Reproductive Health in Tanzania Project began in 2006 as a collaborative effort with the Tanzanian government to prevent maternal deaths and increase access to emergency obstetric care and other reproductive health services by upgrading health facilities and training health workers. The CDC Foundation has supported the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in monitoring and evaluating the program since 2010.

The new data released by the CDC Foundation provide new information related to maternal mortality and …