Browsing: Ghana

Africa debt crisis
  • As national debts grow, many African countries find themselves spending more on debt than on health.
  • IMF says the debt ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa surged to 60% from 30% of the countries’ GDP between 2013 and December 2022.
  • Kenya is for instance using nearly 60% of its annual revenues on paying debt obligations.

As the Africa debt crisis roils, over half of the countries have found themselves spending more money in servicing their loan obligations than even the amount they have budgeted for health services to their citizens.

This unfolding scenario is further burdening millions of their citizens who have little choice but to shoulder heavy tax burdens to settle mountains of debt.

Prof Danny Bradlow, a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship in Pretoria, South Africa, captures the dire situation, stating: “over the  last three years (2019/22), more than 25 African governments allocated …

Opera MiniPay
  • Opera MiniPay Momentum continues following the successful launch of MiniPay in Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana.
  • MiniPay empowers users to save, send, and receive funds instantly on their mobile phones with very low transaction fees.
  • With a mission to onboard millions of users to Web3 across Africa, Celo and Mento Labs aim to provide accessible financial tools through MiniPay embedded in Opera Mini.

In collaboration with Celo and Mento Labs, Opera has announced a significant achievement: surpassing 1 million users of the MiniPay wallet across Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana markets.

This milestone for the global web innovator was marked today at the Africa Money and DeFi Summit, taking place on February 14-15 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Launched in 2006, Opera Mini has unique features such as data compression, offline file sharing, and a built-in ad-blocker. MiniPay is a self-custodial dollar stablecoin wallet seamlessly integrated into the Opera Mini browser for Android …

European Investors | Africa's energy sector
  • The continent’s abundant resource base and untapped opportunities have already begun to attract European Investors, countries, and companies.
  • Clear transition strategies and enhanced regulatory frameworks consolidate Africa’s attractiveness as an investment destination.
  • With the resources available, many African countries – either oil producers or those on the verge – have begun implementing strategies to define a long-term vision for the sector.

Amid supply challenges and efforts to diversify imports, Africa has emerged as a highly strategic investment opportunity for many European Investors, countries, and companies.

The continent’s abundant resource base and untapped opportunities have already begun to attract players from across the bloc. New market dynamics offer the chance for African countries to take tangible actions to advance the continent’s attractiveness for foreign investment.

The upcoming Invest in African Energy Forum in Paris from May 14-15 has been touted as a testament to the efforts to promote investment in the …

Artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers new job opportunities for tech-savvy African graduates.
  • African policymakers must, however, protect current employees from job losses in the new AI era.
  • Gen AI has the potential to offer solutions for Africa’s medical, nutrition, and financial difficulties.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the new frontier, offering numerous possibilities for efficient productivity. However, what does it mean for Africa’s job sector?

AI means new job opportunities for tech experts. Yet, it also means lost jobs for less tech-savvy staff. For example, Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) can generate text, images, or other media using generative models. This implies that graphic designers, copywriters, artists, personal assistants, and others are no longer needed.

“Gen AI is being embedded in everyday tools like email, word processing applications, and meeting software, which means the technology is already positioned to radically transform how people work,” writes Sandra Durth, a researcher with consulting firm, …

African Queens
  • Chido Mpemba is the youngest senior official in the African Union and advocates for young Africans to have a prominent role on the global stage.
  • Deniece Laurent-Mantey, a Special Advisor at the US State Department, cites African innovation, culture, talent, and creativity in addressing global challenges.
  • Areej Noor aims to bridge the gap between African and diaspora women filmmakers and the international market.

At the just-ending United Nations General Assembly, the Unstoppable Africa Summit showcased a group of exceptional young African women who are reshaping the narrative of Africa’s global influence.

These three remarkable individuals represent the forefront of a transformative era, one marked by innovation, resilience, and the indomitable spirit of a continent on the cusp of a new era.

Chido Mpemba, the youngest senior official ever appointed in the African Union and the cabinet’s youngest diplomat epitomizes Africa’s boundless youth potential. She advocates for amplifying the voices …

www.theexhange.africa
  • UK’s $18.86M investment  will support healthcare workers recruitment and retention efforts in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana.
  • Financing is seen as a boost to achieving universal health coverage while bolstering global pandemic preparedness.
  • The three countries were selected for the financing due to their evident need for workforce support.

In a significant move to address pressing healthcare workers’ challenges in Africa, the UK government has allocated $18.86 million in funding to boost healthcare staffing levels in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana.

This investment is geared towards supporting healthcare staff recruitment and retention efforts. Overall, the investment seeks to fortify these nations against global health crises.

UK Health Minister Will Quince, speaking on the importance of this funding, emphasized that it aims to enhance the performance of health systems in these countries. Quince added that the initiative will have a cascading effect on improving global pandemic preparedness and reducing health disparities.

Boosting global

AfCFTA

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is now widely touted as the African Union’s (AU) most audacious project. The framework ties together the most significant number of member countries of any trade agreement since the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1995.

The AfCFTA had become topical even before its formal launch. Members of the business community eagerly awaited the full implementation of the AfCFTA. But two years since its formal launch, how far has the AfCFTA ushered in the ‘new era’ of African integration it promised?…

Ghana's economy
  • Despite Ghana’s economic woes, Fitch Solutions maintains a 2.9 per cent GDP growth for 2023. The IMF and the World Bank project growth rates below 2.0 per cent.
  • The IMF estimates that public debt will remain at 87.8 per cent of GDP in 2023 and 89.2 per cent of GDP in 2024
  • Ghana can enhance downstream value-added activities, stabilise petroleum prices, create jobs in the refining industry.

Ghana, previously known as one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, has encountered obstacles to its growth trajectory due to the economic downturn caused by falling oil prices and the Covid-19 pandemic. This trend has continued to evolve, with economic growth slowing down to 3.6 per cent of GDP in 2022 amidst the global economic shock resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that GDP growth is expected to further decrease to 2.8 percent in 2023 before rebounding to 3.9 percent …

UK Ghana
  • Ghana and the UK have unveiled an investor group to help identify mutually beneficial investment opportunities.
  • Target industries are pharmaceuticals, textiles, and agro-processing.
  • The announcement at the 8th UK-Ghana Business Council meeting in London, saw the two countries commit to strengthen trade and increase investment.

The UK and Ghana are looking to further strengthen boost their existing trade partnership with a new investor group. The two countries have launched a new investor group to help identify mutually beneficial investment opportunities boost existing economic partnership.

The announcement at the 8th UK-Ghana Business Council meeting in London, co-chaired by the Minister for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, the Minister for International Trade, Nigel Huddleston, and the Vice-President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, comes as the two countries committed to strengthen trade and increase investment.

Generate leads on viable projects

The business-led UK-Ghana Investor Group will include UK investors and key

Africa Data Centres
  • Data centres are IT facilities that manage big organisations’ data. They house state-of-the-art computing infrastructure with very powerful machines. 
  • The new facility will be built on a part of the former Trade Fair showgrounds site, one of the key central locations in the city. 
  • This new facility is part of Africa Data Centres’ continental expansion plans spanning 10 of Africa’s major economic hubs. 

Africa Data Centres, the largest network of interconnected data centre facilities on the continent, is set to open West Africa’s largest facility in Ghana in the next 12 months. The firm announced it will shortly start construction on its newly acquired land in Accra, Ghana. 

The new facility has been designed for an initial 10MW, which can expand to 30MW depending on demand. It will be the largest facility in West Africa to date, outside of Nigeria.

“We continue to bring internationally recognised services and products through