Browsing: Pandemic

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to the accelerated rate of digital technology adoption around the world heralding a shift to what has become a new normal for day to day life.

However, for millions of people living in Africa without access to the internet or laptops and smartphones, the pandemic has resulted in greater social and economic isolation.

By December 2020, about 634 million people in Africa were internet users representing 47.6 per cent of the continent’s population. This figure is expected to keep growing but there are many factors that entrench the continent’s digital divide with the latest one being the pandemic.

Read: Tanzania, Kenya ranked worst mining countries on earth

The usual hindrances to Africans seeking to access technology are the high cost and unreliable connectivity due to the lack of a reliable network infrastructure.

Lockdowns and restrictions necessitated by the pandemic have hit Africans …

AfCFTA Secretary General Wamkele Mene notes that a uniform payments platform will eliminate the costly process on converting currencies which contributes to the inefficient trade patterns on the continent.

In addition to this good news, the Covid-19 pandemic was a silver lining for Africa’s integration since the continent has to create its own solutions to its problems. As such, Africa needs not only to harmonise its financial systems but also step up productive and infrastructural integration.…

Does your business have any VAT credits on the KRA legacy system that have not been migrated to the current KRA system, iTax? If so, there may be an opportunity to offset these credits against future VAT liabilities.…

Africa is not very far for Asian investors who might be interested in the investment opportunities on the continent.…

Unemployment will be on an upward trend, more companies will be facing bankruptcy; supply chains will be fragile; confidence is shaken and demand weak. …

The trade finance gap remains unacceptably high at US$81 billion as of 2019.…

Africa spends upwards of US$ 35 billion per year importing food.…

Most African currencies have depreciated against the US dollar except for the Malawian Kwacha.…

Africa’s real GDP is projected to contract by 1.7 per cent in 2020, dropping by 5.6 percentage points from January 2020 pre-COVID–19 projection.…

Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Ethiopia, Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

These are the African countries set to be allowed to enter the EU territory as the borders reopen in July, according to a draft list of the countries obtained and reported by euronews.

As the European Union gets ready to reopen its borders, officials in Brussels are debating behind closed doors, the draft of two lists; one with those countries that will be accepted, and one for those which will not, as the territory struggle to meet their previously announced July 1st goal.

The euronews sources also reported that officials “could not reach an agreement”, that talks would continue and that the deadline to open the borders may very well be extended beyond July 1st, suggesting agreements will not be forthcoming in time.

Also read: Air passengers travel confidence key to salvaging African airlines

Notably, Brazil, Qatar, …