Author: Albert Savana

In Niger, armed men killed at least 22 civilians this Sunday, March 21 in the southwest of the country, near the borders of Mali and Burkina Faso, according to security sources. The assailants attacked three villages in the Tillabéri region. A source within the security services blamed ISIS fighters for the attack. The other two local sources have not named any alleged perpetrators. “In these painful times for our country, following the cowardly and barbaric attack on Tillia, I extend my sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery. Everything is done to…

In Saudi Arabia, the energy giant Aramco (Saudi Arabian Oil Company) announced this Sunday, March 21, a drop of 44.4% of its net profit in 2020, weighed down by the fall in crude oil prices accentuated by the coronavirus pandemic which weighed heavily on global demand. It is “one of the most difficult years in recent history,” CEO Amin Nasser told Saudi media. “Revenues were affected by lower crude oil prices and volumes sold, as well as reduced refining and chemicals margins. Aramco achieved a net profit of 49 billion USD (41 billion euros) in 2020 “, compared to 88.2…

The Ivorian Cable Company (Sicable), a member of the Prysmian Group, the world leader in electric cables, will allocate to its shareholders, for the 2020 financial year, a net annual dividend of CFAF 787.360 million (€ 1.181 million), announced the leaders of this company based in Abidjan. This is one of the resolutions taken by the Board of Directors of the company following its meeting on February 18, 2021 and which will be submitted for approval to the Ordinary General Meeting on March 30, 2021. Compared to the 2019 financial year when it amounted to 444 million FCFA, this net…

In Mali, the army announces 33 dead and 14 wounded following an ambush on March 16, 2021 by around 100 men in pick-ups and motorcycles. The clash took place 20 km from Tessit, in the north of the country. According to a press release made public by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, “the ambush was set by a hundred men on board pick-ups and on motorcycles and the collision took place. 20 km from Tessit on the Lellehoxe-Tessit axis ”. However, the report shows 33 soldiers killed, 14 wounded, three vehicles were destroyed, 20 terrorists…

The after-tax profit of Bank Of Africa (BOA) Senegal, a subsidiary of the Moroccan banking group BMCE Bank, decreased by 1.448 billion FCFA (2.172 million euros) at the end of fiscal year 2020 compared to fiscal year 2019, announced the leaders of this Dakar-based banking establishment This profit stood at 7.667 billion FCFA against 9.115 billion FCFA, a contraction of 15.88%. As for the total balance sheet, it recorded an increase of 26.725 billion FCFA with an achievement of 561.588 billion FCFA against 534.863 billion FCFA in 2019. During the period under review, BOA Senegal collected resources from its clients…

The former boss of Credit Suisse succeeded in his bluff by raising money through a SPAC, a kind of blank check company introduced on the stock market with the only assets of the CVs and reputation of its initiators. Tidjane Thiam’s Special purpose acquisition company (Spac), launched in early February 2021, with the media drum that usually accompanies the actions of the former CEO of Prudential, responds to the name “Freedom Acquisition Corp”. Assembled with the support of Pimco, one of the world’s leading fixed income investment managers, and two buddies, Adam Gishen, and Abhishek Bhatia, this vehicle aims to…

The supposed prophet of subversive strategies made a lot of money in 2020 despite the backdrop of Covid-19. George Soros is more than ever against the trend. The stock portfolio of its Soros Fund Management jumped 71% in 2020. At 90, the finance wolf, who dared to speculate on the pound sterling in the 90s, continues to make money and fund the Open Society Foundations (OSF) network, which has become the painful sulfur of many diets like in Myanmar. George Soros’ heritage is estimated at 8.6 billion dollars, ranking 162nd in the world, a gain of 16 places compared to…

The after-tax profit of Bank Of Africa (BOA) Burkina Faso, a subsidiary of the Moroccan banking group BMCE Bank, decreased by 903.448 million FCFA (1.355 million euros) at the end of fiscal year 2020 compared to previous year, announced the leaders of this banking establishment based in Ouagadougou. This profit stood at 17.607 billion FCFA against 18.511 billion FCFA, a decline of 4.88%. For its part, the bank’s total balance sheet increased by 13.94% to 988.180 billion FCFA against 867.213 billion FCFA in 2019. The resources collected by the bank from its customers amounted to CFAF 761.160 billion against CFAF…

Bitcoin ATMs increased by 70%, reaching 16,500 in March 2021, according to data provided by the TradingPlatforms.com platform. Bitcoin ATMs, also known as BTM, allow users to quickly access cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Developed countries like the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom hold the highest number of BTMs. However, they have also become very popular in countries with volatile financial markets where citizens need a quick exchange of an official currency for a digital asset not regulated by the government. As of December 2017, there were 1948 BTMs in the world according to Coin ATM Radar and Statista data.…

The 45th President of the United States of America will learn the hard way that politics and finances do not mix. Indeed, according to the 2021 ranking of Forbes magazine concerning the first 400 American billionaires, Donald Trump slipped from 275 th place in 2019 to 339 th in 2020, losing 64 steps in one year. However, the radical Republican is not on the straw, with a fortune estimated at 2.5 billion dollars that he is sure to start rising again once his political and legal woes are over. Trump was born into a wealthy family and inherited approximately $…

On 26 February 2021, Bolloré Transport & Logistics Côte d’Ivoire successfully completed the runway pick-up, customs clearance and delivery of over 500,000 vaccine doses and syringes as part of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in Côte d’Ivoire. Mandated by UNICEF, the Bolloré Transport & Logistics teams rolled out logistics solutions right from the landing of the plane at the international airport of Abidjan. The 28 parcels of AstraZeneca vaccines, weighing 1.8 tonnes, and the 25 parcels of syringes, weighing 3.8 tonnes, were then transported and delivered to the customer in full respect of the cold chain. Committed to the fight against…

Vice-president of the Union for the Republic (UPR), party in power, Djindah Mohamed El Moustapha Bal, is a communication specialist, holder of a Master in Communication and Marketing obtained in 2005 at the European Higher Institute of Management (ISEG). His company Butterfly, created in 2005, has an extensive portfolio in the fields of consulting, communication and events. The former Minister of Youth and Sports, originally from Kaédi (the largest city in the South, located 400 km from Nouakchott), was the communications manager of the current president, Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani during the 2019 presidential elections. of the Women’s Leardship in…

Oikocredit Abidjan has approved a first medium-term refinancing line of € 2.3 million to Fin ‘Elle (Finance Pour Elle), the youngest member of the Cofina Group, dedicated to female entrepreneurship. Funding for female entrepreneurship is a key factor in accelerating financial inclusion in Africa. This line of financing in this month dedicated to gender, is the first line of this development institution, which offers solutions of capital, debt and technical assistance, through these offices in West Africa and Africa. Is. Fin’Elle has succeeded in two (02) years of exercise, to position itself in the ranking of the Top 10 microfinance…

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara has appointed, this Monday, March 8, Patrick Achi, secretary general of the Presidency, to act as Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko, announced “absent for medical reasons”. This information from a statement broadcast on National Television and on the social channels of the Ivorian Presidency also announces that the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Téné Birahima Ouattara, is acting as the Minister of Defense, a portfolio held by Hamed Bakayoko. Evacuated since February 18, 2021 in Paris (France) for a health check, Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko is still not back.

The Executive Secretary of the African Economic Commission (ECA), Dr Vera Songwe, has shown her institution’s desire to work with the Regional Stock Exchange (BRVM), in order to boost automation, especially among women. Which has become, according to her, the mark of excellence in the face of Covid-19. Speaking, Monday March 8, 2021, by videoconference as part of the “Ring the bell for gender” initiative of the Abidjan-based stock exchange, included in the agenda of the International Women’s Day, the representative of the ECA makes it clear that Agenda 5 (gender) of the Sustainable Development Goals is one of the…

SouthBridge Investments (SBI) and New African Capital Partners (NACP) are proud to announce the launch of their joint venture: SBNA.  SBNA will act as a “permanent capital fund” aiming to attract investors who take a long-term view on Africa. The joint venture intends to directly invest in Africa’s future with long-term capital, focusing on FinTech, the financial sector integration, and micro and meso finance.  Charles Kié, CEO and co-founder of New African Capital Partners, will head SBNA. His professional career has included top jobs at Citibank, Banque Atlantique, Ecobank and AFC (Africa Finance Corporation), before co-founding NACP in October 2018…

Despite the army’s deployment to hotbeds of tension, in Niamey, erupted protests continued in the Nigerien capital. Breakages have been perpetrated again. During the day of Thursday, February 25, the home of Moussa Kaka, Rfi correspondent in Niamey, was set on fire. At the end of the evening, there were two dead, including the close guard of Seïni Oumarou, third in the first round of the presidential election who allied with the candidate of the ruling party for the second round. According to indiscretions, an army officer by the name of Boureima, close to Hama Amadou, was arrested two days…

The rating agency Moody’s downgraded, on February 23, 2021, Tunisia’s sovereign rating from B2 to B3, while maintaining the outlook for this rating to “negative”, according to a press release from the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) . “According to Moody’s, this decision is mainly motivated by its fears about Tunisia’s ability to continue the reform process mainly related to fiscal consolidation and public sector restructuring,” officials said. ‘Issuing institute. The rating agency argues that Tunisia’s institutional and political context, currently marked by strong social pressures and parliamentary fragmentation, inhibits the Tunisian government from making adjustment decisions relating to major…

Facing Adama Wade, editor of Financial Afrik magazine, Emmanuel K. Dogbevi, editor of Ghana Business News, teaches us through his experience that “life is not a long quiet river”. A fundamental Africanist, Emmanuel is staying the course and remains optimistic even though a fire ravaged his office a few months ago, taking away computers and archives. Life, says Emmanuel, is an eternal restart.

Sitarail, the operator of the railway between Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, has since 2019 rolled out a large-scale programme of investments to modernise its maintenance workshops in order to improve the quality of rail traffic. In 2019-2020, the company invested over two billion CFA francs in the acquisition of modern equipment for its locomotive and wagon maintenance workshops in Abidjan and Bobo Dioulasso. The acquisitions include a Demoor tower, a pit tower, a Berthiez vertical tower, three Lincoln loaders, an Alpha Laval centrifuge, a shot-blasting machine, a folding press, and a press for wheel assembly and disassembly. The company…

By our Special Envoy in Niamey, Issouf Kagamaté Gathered around Mahamane Ousmane, the opposition candidate in the second round of the presidential election in Niger, members of the opposition reject the first results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI). For the Union of Patriotic Forces for the Refoundation, close to the candidate of Rdr Tchanji, the results of regions like Tahoua are illogical. “The participation rate is around 90% when the national rate hardly exceeds 90% … These are crude and shameful figures”, protests this platform. Just like General Salou Djibo, the tomboy of Tandja, who maintains: “we…

The State of Togo, through its General Directorate of Treasury and Public Accounts, obtained on February 19, 2021 on the financial market of the West African Monetary Union (UMOA) an amount of 22 billion FCFA (33 million euros) at the end of its 5-year Treasury stimulus bond issue (ORD) organized in partnership with the UMOA-Titres Agency based in Dakar. Launched by the UMOA-Titres agency in collaboration with the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), the issuance of ODRs aims to allow the issuer to mobilize the savings of individuals and legal entities with a view to ensuring the financing…

From our Special Envoy in Niamey, Issouf Kamagaté This Sunday, February 21, the day of the second round of the presidential election in Niger, a car of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) exploded following the passage on an antipersonnel mine in the rural commune of Dargol, not far from the three border zone and killing seven people, authorities report. A sad day for the country and the two candidates who wished, this Sunday after their vote, a calm and peaceful ballot. Registered at the Niamey Town Hall polling station, Mohamed Bazoum (Pnds Tarayya), the dolphin of Mahamadou Issoufou who…

Thanks to a new valuation of his company SpaceX, Elon Musk again exceeds Jeff Bezos with an estimated heritage of $ 200 billion, reports Bloomberg. This situation comes less than 48 hours after having ceded his throne to Jeff Bezos. Elon Musk therefore returns to the founder of Amazon, whose fortune is estimated at 194 billion dollars. The rise is due to SpaceX, its unlisted space exploration company that raised funds last week. A fundraising that has inflated the valuation of SpaceX by 60% compared to its last fundraising last August. This is why the company is now worth $…

As part of its solidarity actions in favour of young people, Bolloré Transport & Logistics in Sierra Leone made financial, material and food donations on 29 January 2021 to the Don Bosco association, which works for the safety and development of vulnerable children. The company is thus supporting the 180 children of the Don Bosco camp in During Town. These are children who have been abused and who are supervised by the Don Bosco Association with a view to their social reintegration. This solidarity action aims to support the efforts of social actors in Sierra Leone to break the silence…

Orange posted EBITDAal * down 1.4% to 12.68 billion (-1% on a comparable basis) over fiscal year 2020. EBITDAaL fell slightly, strongly penalized by the drop in roaming and the additional costs generated by the health crisis (-545 million euros) as well as by Spain (-13.0%) and Business (-14.9%). These effects were mitigated by the remarkable performance of Africa and the Middle East (+ 10.0%), the good results of Europe (+ 2.3% excluding Spain) and the resilience of France (+0 , 2%). In Africa and the Middle East, growth is driven by 4G and Orange Money, the main engines of…

The year 2020 has seen impressive growth for the entire crypto market, with many investors turning to digital coins as a store of value amid the COVID-19 crisis. However, more money flowing through digital exchanges has created an opportunity for hackers and crooks. According to data presented by Finaria.it, crypto-criminals stole $ 1.9 billion in 2020. A significant amount but down sharply compared to the $ 4.5 billion stolen in 2019. Statistics show that the fraud was the main crypto crime of last year, followed by theft and ransomware. Although the total value of crypto-crime fell in 2020, crypto theft…

Under the aegis of the International Society of Horticultural Sciences (ISHS), in partnership with the Government of Senegal, through the Ministry of Employment, Vocational Training and Handicrafts, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Equipment, the Horticulture Cluster of Senegal is organizing the 4th All Africa Horticultural Congress (AAHC). This major international event, the first in the French-speaking world, will be held in Dakar from 29 to 31 March 2021. More than 500 participants from academia, research, the private sector, African national public institutions, and many others, from over 30 countries, are expected to connect remotely or be present in…

African Guarantee Fund has issued a loan portfolio guarantee amounting to USD 10 million to Afriland First Bank to support SMEs, women entrepreneurs and green economy in Cameroon. The signing ceremony took place at African Guarantee Fund’s head office in Nairobi. Signed by Alphonse Nafack, Managing Director of Afriland First Bank and Jules Ngankam, Group Chief Executive Officer of African Guarantee Fund, this agreement will enable Afriland First Bank, on the one hand, to strengthen its commitment to the SME/SMI sector and, on the other hand, to promote the development of green entrepreneurship and women’s leadership in the business community.…

Bolloré Transport & Logistics has been recertified as a Regional Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) in East Africa. The certification, which covers Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania, recognizes Bolloré Transport & Logistics as a secure and reliable trade partner and offers the benefit of expedited clearance procedures through pre-arrival clearance, reduced physical inspection and priority service channels among other benefits. “As a global logistics player operating in East Africa, the AEO certification allows us to extend the privilege of fast-tracked cargo handling to the numerous importers and exporters in our client base. It is a boost to efficiency in the…