Author: Editor

“Our role is to support African economies ” Admassu Tadesse, is President Emeritus and Group Managing Director of the Trade and Development Bank (TDB Group, former PTA Bank), a specialized development finance institution serving Eastern and Southern Africa and beyond. In this interview the “Best development banker in Africa“, a distinction presented during the last Financial Afrik Awards, looks back on the highlights of his institution and discusses the outlook for 2022. 2021 was a rich year for TDB. How has your portfolio evolved? Our portfolio has grown strongly over several years in terms of total balance sheet and revenue, with a…

By Maria Nadolu, Bucarest. Ion Florescu is born in Casablanca, from a Romanian father, refugee during the days when Romania was occupied by the Soviet Union, and an Italian mother with African connections. Growing up in between Rome, London, and Geneva, he graduated History at Cambridge, and then, went to Eastern Europe lured by some ancestral call, and challenging opportunities in a fast-transforming region. His investment fund group, Reconstruction Capital and Reconstruction Capital II, is well-known for its activities in Romania and South East Europe; having been involved in some of the most important economic sectors in the…

The General Commission has the honor to announce that the Inaugural Conference of The Africa Road Builders – Trophée Babacar NDIAYE 2022 will take place on March 31, 2022 in Abuja, Nigeria, under the theme: “Building roads, building economies”. As every year, for 7 years, the Inaugural Conference takes place in the country that won the previous edition of the Babacar NDIAYE Trophy. As a reminder, in 2021, it is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, HE Mr. Muhammadu BUHARI, who was named Winner of the Super Prize Great Builder – Trophée Babacar NDIAYE, for his personal leadership…

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a new policy that aims to strengthen debt sustainability among low-income African countries. The Board approved the Sustainable Borrowing Policy on 23 February 2022. The new policy primarily targets recipients of the African Development Fund, the concessional window of the Bank Group. The Fund caters to low-income and transitional countries on the continent. The Sustainable Borrowing Policy responds to a changing debt landscape in Africa, especially among the abovementioned countries. In recent years, low-income countries have gained access to new sources of finance, including private creditors and creditors…

Following our exclusive article announcing the dismissal of the Managing Director of Shelter Afrique, we received, on March 3, 2022, a right of reply from Mrs. Célestine Ketcha Courtès (photo), Minister of Housing and Urban Development of Cameroon in her as President of the Bureau of the General Assembly of Shelter Afrique. We publish the right of reply dated February 23, 2022 in its entirety. On February 18, 2022 you published an article in your newspaper entitled “The General Manager of Shelter Afrique dismissed”. In it, you allege the support of the Cameroonian Minister of Housing and Urban Development in…

OCP Group, the world’s leader in the phosphate fertilizer market, has earned the first level of EDGE (Economic Dividends for Gender Equality) certification. This is considered the global  standard for assessing corporate performance in terms of gender equality and the creation of  equal career opportunities for both female and male employees.   This first level of certification, called Assess, is based on a broad criteria including the gender  balance within core functions; recruitment and promotion policies; pay equity; and inclusive  culture. This certification also takes into account employees’ perception of the degree of inclusion and career opportunities within the company.  This…

From June to November 2021, Bolloré Logistics Tanzania carried out the logistics for the Songo Songo  project by transporting 5,000 freight tons of pieces and equipment. Relying on its expertise in industrial  projects and energy logistics, the company was able to accomplish a historic feat being the first to send  a large land craft on the Songo Songo island.  A total of seven barge vessels were required to deliver the equipment to the island at different intervals.  Several specialised pieces of equipment were used including a 130-ton and a 60-ton crane, an  excavator, a modular hydraulic trailer and 2 semitrailers…

African entrepreneurs provide a service to a growing business niche.  Mwungano, which means alliance in Swahili has been created by two communication industry veterans, Sophie Masipa, CEO of Fikira Consulting, and Kwame Senou, Founder and Managing Director of Holding Opinion & Public (HOP). Today, the pair have joined forces to expand their offering, launching the first specialist pan-African environment, social and governance (ESG) communications agency. Mwungano ESG will serve companies that are prioritising ESG, to address the complex landscape of issues with an effective and clear communications strategy – and a team of senior specialists to implement it. The agency…

The objective of this challenge is to identify Moroccan, African, and international start-ups  able to co-develop innovative digital solutions in connection with the Group’s industrial  businesses.  4 major topics are concerned: Safe Operations, Smart Operations, Supply Chain, and  Sustainability.  The 4 finalist start-ups will benefit from access to experimental and acceleration  infrastructures of the OCP Group’s Innovation ecosystem to launch their Proof of Concept  (POC) and thus demonstrate the feasibility of their concept or idea.   The OCP Group, the world’s leading producer of phosphates and leader in the phosphate fertilizers market, is extending its Open Innovation program to industrial businesses…

CDC Group, the UK’s development finance institution, today  announced its anchor commitment of $30 million to AXIAN Telecom’s inaugural 5-year $420  million public bond offering.  The company is a fast-growing provider of telecoms services and infrastructure in Madagascar,  Togo, Tanzania, Senegal, Comoros, Mayotte, Reunion and Uganda.   The provision of new financing will allow AXIAN Telecom to expand its footprint through  increasing access to affordable mobile and data services by improving digital access and thus  pursuing its strategy of inclusion in the telecom value chain for customers, extending access  in rural regions and lower-income demographics. The expansion of AXIAN Telecom into …

The OCP Group wishes to strengthen its partnerships with innovation players (start-ups,  research centers, sponsors, etc.) to bring out new solutions that create added value. • The “The Next Seed” platform promotes collaboration opportunities between the Group and  the most innovative Moroccan, African, and international players on the market, who will  gain access to the challenges shared by the Group’s businesses and its ecosystem. • The Group’s ecosystem intends to address technological challenges related to agriculture,  mining, sustainable development, supply chain, and even smart cities.   The OCP Group, the world’s leading producer of phosphates and market leader in phosphate  fertilizers,…

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres re-appointed Ibrahim Thiaw of Mauritania to head the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) for another three-year term. Since February 2019, Mr. Thiaw has been the Convention’s Executive Secretary, and serves as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. Mr. Thiaw has over 40 years of experience in sustainable development, environmental governance and natural resource management. At UNCCD, Mr. Thiaw has raised global interest in the land agenda, increasing the trust vested by Parties and the international community in the UNCCD process to lead on critical issues, such as land tenure and drought mitigation. During his…