Browsing: Somalia

The diplomatic ties between the two neighboring countries of Kenya and Somalia has been a bone of contention for months now, this is after Somalia severed diplomatic ties with Kenya in dead of night of December 14, 2020 citing interference and violation of her sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In announcement, Somalia Minister of Information Osman Abukar Dubbe said that cutting ties with Kenya at around 1:40 am Mogadishu time on state-run SNTV, hours after President Uhuru held talks with break-away Somaliland President Muse Bihi at State House, Nairobi, he said that Mogadishu will withdraw all its diplomats from Kenya and has ordered Kenyan diplomats to leave the country within 7 days.

But while everything to restore the diplomacy sanity between the two warrying nations proved to be a difficult thing Qatar stepped in overseeing the mediation of the whole process, in an interview Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign …

While Nigeria is the largest exporter for Sesame seeds, there’s still a lot of untapped potential of the lucrative export business this even as the seeds demand increases  globally.

According to United states market based research report known as Hexa Research the Global sesame seeds market size is expected to hit $17.77 billion by 2025.

The fueling market demand was associated with its Increased application of the product as an anti-oxidant in various pharmaceutical formulations.

With the world production of Sesame seeds estimated to be 4. 8 million tonnes, ten [10] countries accounts for over 80% of it which includes Myanmar, India, China, Tanzania, Sudan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Uganda, and Niger.

Africa, accounts for over 45 per cent of the crop, and in the last 10 years has become as a fast-growing supplier of sesame seed in the world market.

Of the Sesame seeds global production, over two million …

Unrelenting Conflict outbreak in Mozambique is threatening billions of dollars’ worth of energy projects, this is after a Dozens of people were reported killed in a raid that is suspected to have been carried by Islamist Militants in one of the Africa’s poorest nation.

The fighting was also reported early Monday morning, with Foreign companies suspending its operations triggered by the violence that began on march 20. According to the government sources the armed attackers assaulted the northern coastal town of Palma, close to a $20 billion liquefied natural gas project being developed by France’s Total SE, prompting the suspension of its operation on weekend.

ALSO READ: Bean Farmers Reap Big Benefits In Rwanda

The attack is the latest in a series of incidents that are undermining the southern African country’s hopes of developing some of the continent’s biggest private investment projects. As much as $120 billion of investments by …

Diplomatic passport holders must obtain prior approval from Somalia’s foreign affairs ministry.…

The African Development Bank (AFDB) approved grants worth $25 million to Somalia to boost its national budget efforts to mitigate the national and regional impacts of the pandemic.

The grants comprised of $15.06 million grant from the Regional Operations Envelope and a $10.04 million grant from Pillar 1 of the Bank’s Transition Support Facility which is under the bank’s COVID-19 Response Facility.

“It is the first time the Bank is leveraging the Regional Operation Envelope resources for a Budget Support Operation. This approach was pertinent to ensure that Somalia has adequate resources to contain the spread of the disease in its territory and limit cross-border impacts that pose serious risks for health, social and economic development for the Horn of Africa sub-region,” said Nnenna Nwabufo the Acting Bank Director General for East Africa.

The grant will be used to carry out three interlinked responses to the COVID-19 pandemic that will …

World Bank has approved a $40 million International Development Assistance (IDA) grant for Somalia as part of the Emergency Locust Response Program.

This comes days after Food and Agriculture (FAO) gave an update on the locust invasion situation across the region. According to the organisation, hopper bands and an increasing number of swarms are present in the northwest between Boroma and Hargeisa and in central areas near Galkayo in Somalia.

Although control operations continue, a general northerly movement of swarms will occur in the three countries. Some of the swarms in northwest Kenya are expected to transit through South Sudan to reach the summer breeding areas of Sudan where some rains have already fallen. In Kenya more swarms continued to form and were seen flying in the northwest.

A statement from the World Bank has indicated that the locust invasion has gravely impacted the livelihoods of nearly 2.6 million living …

Early this year, the United Kingdom Government and the European Union helped Somalia in settling arrears with the African Development Bank which paved way for the lifting of a 30-year-old sanction imposed by the bank.

To mark the reunion, the Bank Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, Khaled Sherif and Somali Finance Minister Abdirahman Beileh signed a $122.55 million grant.

With assistance from the Bank and other development partners, the shift to a new Somalia can speed its national development agenda of consolidating peace, fighting poverty and ensuring growth.

“We stuck with our reforms, we were persistent, and it has paid off,” Minister Beileh said.

IMF Staff Monitored Programs (SMPs) driven reforms restored the confidence of the bank and led the United Kingdom and the European Union to provide funding for clearing Somalia’s loan arrears to the Bank.

“I am absolutely delighted that the African Development Bank …

In Somalia, the challenge to contain COVID-19 is staggering. The country’s health infrastructure has been gutted by decades of conflict and instability.

A large part of the population lives in close quarters, while millions reside in decrepit settlements for internally displaced people without money to buy soap or access to regular running water. At the same time, staying at home is not a practical option for most informal workers who need to leave their homes daily to earn money and put food on the table.

Somalia’s capacity to manage the Covid-19 public health threat is a cause for concern. More needs to be done to ensure we curb the spread of the virus.

Grounds for hope still exist that Somalia may escape the type of outbreak that has overwhelmed some Western health systems.

Somalia finds itself in good standing with international financial institutions for the first time in 30 years. …

Africa’s close development partner, World Bank—on Thursday took a serious initiative to restore its relations with Somalia, after being dull for almost 30 years

According to the statement from World Bank Group, the bank’s Board of Executive Directors moved toward normalizing its relations with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS).

World Bank anticipates that the restoration will open up opportunities for Somalia to access concessional financing from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) and to work closely with all arms of the World Bank Group to attract investment that will support the country’s stability and development.

The restoration could revitalize Somalia’s economic sphere, as the nation’s real gross domestic product (GDP) growth weakened in 2017 due to the severe drought. Although Somalia averted widespread famine in 2017, the drought led to large-scale food insecurity, affecting more than six million people.

In that context, World Bank Vice President for Africa …