Browsing: African Union

Ten African heads of state and government, as well as the president of the African Development Bank, were handed awards for their instrumental role in the realization of the African continental free trade area. 

“As Africans, we are proud of the extraordinary effort made by our leaders towards the success of the AfCFTA.” Hailemariam Boshe, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Ae Group Patron

A consortium of African stakeholders banded together to show acknowledgment for the efforts undertakes towards realizing Africa’s dream. The stakeholders included AeTrade Group in collaboration with the African Union Commission, the African Business Council, the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the East African Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture.

The heads of state that received recognition included:

• Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo 
• Egyptian President Ahmed Fattah Al-Sisi; 
• His Majesty

Until early 2019, Omar al-Bashir was the President of Sudan after holding the position from June 30, 1989, to April 11, 2019.

For the three decades he was president, the country had not witnessed an uprising over food in the scale as huge, and widespread until 2018 when the country erupted in violence over the price of bread.

So dire was the need for bread which was unavailable that people could go for days without bread. Not because they could not afford it but because it was simply not there.

Read: Will digital agriculture bring economic development to Africa?

This scenario sounds like a scene from a movie but it is the reality facing many African countries.

The lack of food is getting worse every passing year due to several factors including poor seeds and the ravaging effects of climate change and soil degradation. With the continent whose agriculture is …

The countdown to the commencement of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area is drawing to an end. 

The world celebrates the coming of a new year with the hope of a reprieve from the chaos and hardships that 2020 brought. For Africa, the New Year’s Eve celebrations bring hope for a brighter future. A future with Africa no longer the dark forgotten continent left behind by the rest of the world. Neither engulfed by poverty, inefficiency, and negativity nor identified by conflict and hopelessness.

A future where Africa stands shoulder to shoulder with economic giants. Where economies of scale and scope position African manufacturers favorably. Where African economies boast integrated efficiencies and world-class digital infrastructure. Where road networks and physical infrastructure on the continent take a turn for the better. Where Africa means business and has the trade statistics to prove it.

Africa is going for gold and …

The 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) was held from 9th to 10th February 2020 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The theme was, “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development”.  

In his opening address, the newly elected Chairperson of the African Union H.E. President Cyril Ramaphosa of the Republic of South Africa outlined key priority areas that will drive Africa’s growth within the framework of Agenda 2063. The Chairperson’s address focused on: deepening unity in Africa, advancing inclusive economic growth and sustainable development, ensuring political and economic unity, good governance and peace, supporting integration, industrialization, economic development, trade and investment, development of an appropriate strategy for the fourth industrial revolution, economic and financial inclusion for women and mainstreaming the interests of women, conflict resolution and championing the position of Africa as a strong and influential …

The African Development Bank approved a grant of $27.4 to boost the efforts of the African Union (AU) to mobilize continental response to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

“With this financing package, we are reaffirming our strong commitment to a coordinated African response in the face of COVID-19. Most importantly, we are sending a strong signal that collectively, the continent can address the pandemic in Africa, which is straining health systems and causing unprecedented socio-economic impacts on the continent.” Said Akinwumi Adesina, African Development Bank President after the approval of the funds.

About $26.03 million of the grant will help strengthen the institutional capacity of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to respond to public health emergencies across the continent. The remaining balance of about $1.37 million will be a contribution to the AU COVID-19 Response Fund.

The two grants are from the bank’s African …

In the recent budget estimates, the East African nation hailed as the economic hub of the region saw a paltry Kshs 98 billion allocated to the fledgeling sector.…

Africa’s food security is dependent on reliable harvests from smallholder farmers who make up a large percentage of the food sources on the continent.…

Biofortification can mitigate the effects of vitamin A deficiency in people…

The UK will invest up to £20 million in the new ‘African Union Covid19 Response Fund’ to tackle coronavirus and save lives.

This makes the UK the largest national donor to the fund, which was announced by Cyril Ramaphosa, Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and President of the Republic of South Africa last month. It will support African leaders and technical experts to slow the spread of coronavirus and save lives in Africa and worldwide.

The fund will tackle the pandemic by recruiting African health experts and deploying them where they are needed most, strengthening global tracking of the pandemic, combatting potentially harmful misinformation, providing specialist coronavirus training for health workers and making information about the virus more accessible to the public.

Announcing the funding on May 20th, International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

“As the UK faces its biggest peacetime challenge in tackling coronavirus, it’s never been more

Since the turn of the century, Africa’s GDP has grown by 4.6 per cent annually, on average.

Domestic demand has been Africa’s key driver of the growth performance accounting for 69 per cent of annual growth between 2000 and 2018, according to the African Union (AU).

The AU notes that this is reflected in the demand for processed food which is growing 1.5 times faster than the global average. On the other hand, the demand for many other products such as vehicles, manufactured metals and industrial machinery, is expanding faster than the global average.

This makes it a good opportunity for local firms to grow in size and productivity.

Start-ups in Africa

On the tech front, start-ups in Africa have also increasingly emerged with the top three activities relating to information technology and communications (ICT) and internet services; digital applications and software; and the creation of audio-visual content and broadcasting.…