Category: Africa
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Brexit: US ambassador to UK Johnson warns on trade deal
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Donald Trump’s offer of a “quick, massive, bilateral trade deal” will not be possible if Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement is approved, the US ambassador to the UK has warned. President Trump had previously said her Brexit proposal sounded like a “great deal for the EU”. Woody Johnson told the BBC the UK was “in…
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Nigeria’s first gold refinery to triple capacity in 5 years
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Nigeria’s first gold refinery is expected to more than triple its capacity within five years after operations begin next June, an executive at the company developing it said on Tuesday. Nere Teriba, vice chairman of local firm Kian Smith Trade & Co, said the refinery would initially be able to produce three tonnes per month…
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World Bank announces $200 billion for Climate Action
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The World Bank Group today announced a major new set of climate targets for 2021-2025, doubling its current 5-year investments to around $200 billion in support for countries to take ambitious climate action. The new plan significantly boosts support for adaptation and resilience, recognizing mounting climate change impacts on lives and livelihoods, especially in the…
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ECOWAS to introduce new certification mark for export products
Traders seeking to export products from Ghana to other states within the ECOWAS region, will from March 2019 need a certification mark from ECOWAS for their products to be recognized as authentic and of good quality. The certification mark which is called the ECOMARK would be provided to all 15 ECOWAS countries for it to…
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Nigeria’s central bank revokes license of Skye Bank
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the licence of Skye Bank Nigeria Plc. CBN Governor and the Managing Director of the Nigeria Insurance Deposit Corporation (NDIC), Godwin Emefiele, disclosed this on Friday at a media briefing in Lagos. He also announced the change in the name of Skye Bank to Polaris Bank which…
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Nigeria slaps $2bn bill on phone giant MTN
Nigeria has asked mobile phone operator MTN to pay a $2bn (£1.6bn) tax bill, the company says. MTN challenged the figure, saying it related to activities over the past decade. It said it had settled the bill with a $700m payment. The tax demand is the latest in a series of disputes between MTN and…
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Africa needs $621bn to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals
The Global Infrastructure Hub, a G20 initiative, has today published two reports that reveal an urgent need for infrastructure investment in 10 Compact with Africa countries, and highlight the reforms required to encourage greater investment. The first of these reports, Global Infrastructure Outlook: Infrastructure Investment Need in the Compact with Africa Countries, reveals that, unless…
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Low internet penetration in Africa due to lack of terrestrial fibre
Experts at the Africa Session of the International Telecoms Week conference in Chicago have described terrestrial fibre constraints as the mother of all bottlenecks hindering increased Internet penetration on the continent. During his presentation on the theme “Enabling Content on the African Continent”, Chief Executive Officer of research firm, Xalam Analytics, Guy Zibi analyzed the…
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Mining Firm’s License Renewal Fuels Protests
Demonstrators have taken to the streets in at least a dozen southern Ethiopian towns this week to protest the federal government’s renewal of a license for a mining company that they say jeopardizes local residents’ health and economic well-being. The protesters, in the restive Oromia region, criticize a 10-year license for Mohammed International Development Research…
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Nigeria: Reps Mull Buhari’s Impeachment Over $496m Tucano Aircraft Purchase
Miffed by his unilateral decision to expend the whopping $496,374,470.00 for the purchase of Super Tucano aircraft, members of the House of Representatives almost began moves to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari. The lawmakers queried the powers of President Muhammadu Buhari to appropriate and spend money without any recourse to the National Assembly, which statutory function…