Browsing: Africa

• At the current pace of electrification amid rising population, the number of people without electricity in Africa will remain unchanged unless bold action is rolled out.
• In response to this urgent need, the AfDB Group, the World Bank, and other partners have launched Mission 300, a plan that aims to provide electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030.
• The plan focuses on accelerating electrification through a mix of grid extensions and distributed renewable energy solutions, such as mini-grids and stand-alone solar home systems.

Across Africa, the sunlight shines bright and natural resources abound. Yet despite that lies a pressing issue that threatens to stifle the continent’s growth and prosperity: the lack of access to reliable and sustainable electricity. As we prepare for the Africa Energy Summit, taking place on January 27-28, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the urgency of addressing Africa’s energy needs cannot be overstated.

Without …

• Mukuru Wallet is set to allow millions of users in Zimbabwe to send and receive money locally and internationally via mobile phones.
• The service provides convenience and cost savings, such as paying for utilities, buying airtime, DStv bills and insurance.
• Launch of Mukuru Wallet comes after the company received a Deposit-Taking Microfinance Institution licence from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.

Financial services platform Mukuru has launched a mobile wallet in Zimbabwe just weeks after the company received a Deposit-Taking Microfinance Institution (DTMFI) licence from the country’s central bank.

With more than three-million customers in Zimbabwe, Mukuru wallet is poised to offer several services, including its standout features: two pockets that allow users to send and receive money locally and internationally from mobile phones, safe storage of funds as well as a free cashout on international transfers.

“To avoid disappointing people who travel long distances to receive their remittances which they …

• The partnership will help provide essential medicines, train healthcare workers, and ensure the delivery of maternal, newborn, and child health services.
• It will also focus on treating severe malnutrition, bolster vaccination drives, and strengthen outreach to underserved communities.
• The plan, dubbed SHARE Project, aims to create a robust healthcare framework by enhancing disease surveillance systems.

In Sudan, the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have joined forces to address the country’s dire healthcare crisis. The trio has signed an $82 million agreement to deliver critical health services to over 8 million vulnerable people, while also fortifying the country’s collapsing health infrastructure.

The initiative, named the Sudan Health Assistance and Response in Emergencies (SHARE) project, aims to provide immediate relief to communities suffering from conflict-related devastation and to lay the foundation for a resilient and sustainable health system.

Currently, more than 70 per …

• The UAE will host the third World Local Production Forum from April 7–9, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, focusing on advancing health equity, global health security, and sustainable development.
• The event, organized in partnership with the WHO, will gather over 4,000 participants to discuss innovation, technology transfer, and strategies for resilient healthcare systems.
• Forum highlights the UAE’s leadership in healthcare innovation and its commitment to fostering sustainable health solutions.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to host the third edition of the World Local Production Forum (WLPF) from April 7 to 9, 2025, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

Under the theme “Advancing Local Production for Health Equity, Global Health Security, and Sustainable Development,” the forum aims to bring together global leaders, policymakers, and industry experts to develop practical strategies for enhancing local production capacities in healthcare.

Hosting the WLPF underscores the UAE’s strategic role as a global …

• A staggering $16.2 million from the Bank of Uganda (BoU) was wired into suspect accounts in Japan, audit shows.
• Uganda’s Auditor-General fingers systemic flaws and possible criminal intent in the November 2024 cyber heist.
• Parliament has now forwarded the file for further investigantion by Uganda’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID).

In a high-stakes digital heist, hackers infiltrated Uganda’s treasury systems, siphoning off a staggering $16.2 million (approximately USh60 billion) from the Bank of Uganda (BoU). The theft, first reported in November 2024, sent shockwaves across the country, prompting a forensic audit by the Auditor-General.

The findings of this audit have since ignited intense investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID), laying bare the vulnerability of Uganda’s financial systems.

Auditor-General report on $16.2 million cyber theft

The explosive revelations landed in Parliament on January 9, 2025, where Government Chief Whip Denis Hamison Obua presented the Auditor-General’s report. The report painted …

• Africa’s exploding population presents huge growth opportunities; A world-class digital payments ecosystem will be fundamental to that.
• There are opportunities for anyone who can simplify, rationalise and standardise payments for the continent’s dynamic financial economy.
• Any platform entering this space must recognise that there isn’t one answer; there are many.

Africa is an exciting, vibrant, and creative place to do business. But make no mistake, it has its challenges. Currency devaluation, political instability, and service disruptions are endemic. Africa is not for sissies, as the saying goes.

In navigating those challenges, relationships matter. It’s not so much about throwing money at a problem, it’s about investing time, building trust, meeting with partners and regulators, and understanding each other’s needs.

Africa offers an enormous upside for those prepared to make this time investment. The continent’s population is set to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, and Africa’s people are embracing digital technology, …

• Decentralized power generation—typically based on solar home systems and mini-grids—is the best bet to eradicate energy poverty among people in more isolated rural areas.
• By decentralizing power generation, Africa can secure a sustainable energy future and improve the lives of millions of people.
• Standalone power systems or localized power networks (otherwise known as “mini-grids”) have become efficient means of power that utilize solar in combination with battery storage and backup generators.

Think about a time when your electricity went out. As you sat in the dark, maybe you wondered how long it would be before you could power up your computer again. Or perhaps you considered what you could make for dinner that didn’t require cooking.

Many people in Africa don’t need to imagine such a scenario — they live it. Every day.

A large portion of the continent, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, lacks access to reliable and affordable electricity. …

• Rights group has called on DRC President Felix Tshisekedi to immediately halt plans for mass executions of over 170 death row prisoners transferred to Angenga prison.
• Amnesty has condemned the move, citing concerns over fairness, human rights, and appalling prison conditions.
• Since the DRC’s resumption of executions in March 2024 after a 20-year moratorium, there has been a sharp increase in death sentences.

The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing mounting pressure from Amnesty International following the transfer of over 170 death row inmates to Angenga prison.

Amnesty’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Sarah Jackson, described the development as “absolutely appalling,” warning that these prisoners may face imminent execution amid opaque legal processes and alarming prison conditions.

“President Felix Tshisekedi must immediately, publicly, and unambiguously halt any plans to execute people in Angenga prison or elsewhere,” Jackson urged. Amnesty has also called on …

• Development of the Misurata Free Zone, road to Chad and Niger, and support for the Sahel-Saharan Bank for Investment and Trade are some of the key projects targeted in new era of cooperation.
• The partnership is poised to facilitate the development of vital infrastructure, bolster trade, and support Libya’s efforts in economic diversification and reconstruction.
• With a GDP of $50.49Bn in 2023, Libya is ranked as Africa’s 12th largest economy. However, less than 10% of its trade occurs with other African nations.

Libya has formally acceded to the Afreximbank Establishment Agreement, becoming the 53rd member nation of the pan-African financial institution. The entry of oil-rich Libya marks a crucial step in advancing continental integration through trade and investment.

Signed by Libya’s Minister of Finance, Dr. Khaled Al-Mabrouk Abdullah, the accession document sets the foundation for a new era of cooperation between Libya and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). The partnership is …

• When she tested positive for mpox, the news left Anna, a Ugandan, deeply shocked.
• Anna had never imagined that the disease she had been reading about on her smartphone was what she was suffering from. Yet, she did not lose hope.
• As of 18 December 2024, Uganda’s Ministry of Health reports show that 1,089 cumulative mpox cases had been confirmed.

Twenty-year-old Anna Akola smiles, a beautiful wide smile that lights up her whole face. She speaks very softly, and if you are not attentive, you can miss her words. It is hard to believe that this is the same person who, a fortnight ago, was writhing in pain and discomfort in the isolation unit at Pallisa General Hospital in Eastern Uganda.

Anna had been diagnosed with mpox, a viral disease that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 14 August 2024. …