Author: Contribution

The geopolitical chronicle of Benoit Ngom. To decipher the news and bring geopolitical and geostrategic depth to the information, Professor Benoit Ngom deals in these columns with a weekly analysis, to be found every Thursday. An international conference on the theme “Justice for International Crimes: Challenges and Strategies in West Africa and Elsewhere” was held on October 25-26, 2021 in Dakar, Senegal. This meeting, which brought together experts from the United Nations, the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Extraordinary African Chambers in Senegal, offers us the opportunity to put into perspective the work of Fatou Bensounda in the promotion of…

By Ilyes Zouari, President of CERMF (Center for Study and Reflection on the Francophone World). Some African countries are experiencing a particularly high level of indebtedness, which is expected to even exceed the symbolic bar of 100% of GDP at the end of 2021 for seven of them. With a stabilization of its global debt during the same year, French-speaking Africa remains the least indebted part of the continent, in particular because of the economic dynamism of the majority of its countries. According to the latest IMF statistics and forecasts, released this October, the ten African countries expected to post…

Support from Biden’s J&J vaccine donation  President Joe Biden’s commitment to donate a further 17 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine to the African Union, adding to the 50 million the US had previously sent, capped a useful visit by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. While such numbers are dwarfed by the billions still needed, this additional batch will help support African countries with lower vaccine penetration and in turn assist in mitigating some of the economic impacts of the pandemic. We are also watching closely amid signs that the Biden Administration is keen to ramp up engagement…

“LA BOAD will continue to support the development of regional banking champions” As part of our report “The 30 African banks with a strong regional impact”, published in number 82 of the monthly Financial Afrik, Serge Ekué, president of the West African Development Bank (BOAD), signed this exceptional editorial in which he reaffirms the institution’s commitment to supporting regional banking champions. Exclusive. The flagship project of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the Agreement for the Establishment of an African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) entered into force on January 1, 2021. It is the realization of an ambition African policy…

Mamadou Safayiou DIALLO, economic analyst. The Guinean banking system, like that of most African countries, has enormous shortcomings which should push the monetary authorities to undertake courageous reforms, the sole purpose of which will be to prepare an infallible financial inclusion strategy and thus allow a good part of the population take advantage of the services offered by these banks to a lesser extent. This is why we believe that subjects, such as the procedures for granting credits and collecting means of payment, should be reviewed according to the evolution of the size of our economy. It is however to…

By University Professor Dr Abderrahmane MEBTOUL and President of the National Council for Privatization 1996/1999. Algerian President Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE during his meeting with the national press on August 08, 2021, indicated his desire to open the capital of public enterprises including banks to the private sector, a condition for the establishment of a market economy productive with a social purpose, far from any monopoly, whether public or private, source of additional costs and economic and social inefficiency, having to avoid the mistakes of the past (the period 1995/2012) and the sale of public assets. Its orientations will be applied, itself…

Highway users between Abidjan (the economic capital) and Yamoussoukro (political capital) can spot the imposing industrial complex not far from Toumodi. With more than 20,000 tonnes at the start of its activities in June, the processing capacity of the Dorado Ivory plant (a subsidiary of the Royal Nuts PTE Ltd group based in Singapore) will be increased to 50,000 tonnes of raw cashew nuts per year when will reach cruising speed in a short time. The Rajkumar family have gone to great lengths to achieve this. The father and his 2 sons invested 10 billion CFA francs in the construction…

By Nicolas Clavel (photo), CIO, Scipion Capital Ltd and Edmund Fitzalan Howard, Analyste Intern, Scipion Capital LLP. Over the last eighteen months, the global supply chain has lurched from crisis to crisis as Covid-19 has wrought havoc with shipping practices. The closure of ports across Asia and Africa has caused particular harm with the consequences likely to be felt for years to come. When supply routes no longer function, this not only prevents the transport and trade of goods but also means that shipping containers, essential to the movement of commodities and any freight, are often left in the wrong…

In his 22nd speech on the Feast of the Throne, His Majesty King Mohammed VI wishes to take Morocco to a new stage. Internally, through the establishment of a “national development pact”, while continuing the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. At the external level, through a proximity approach with Algeria. an ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic As the Kingdom continues its fight against the spread of Covid-19, the King did not fail to note the complexity of the context, which imposed the adoption of difficult measures. The COVID-19 pandemic has left a negative impact on projects and economic activities…

An exceptional forum by Mo Ibrahim, president of the eponymous foundation dedicated to good governance in Africa and famous for its “Ibrahim Index” and its award dedicated to heads of state agreeing to peacefully leave power in accordance with the constitution and in the spirit of democratic change. It makes life better on the African continent today than in the past. The last two decades have been marked by constant improvement, so much so that today, a child born on the continent is more likely than ever to have a longer life expectancy, to escape the extreme poverty, to be…

By Alexander B. Cummings On 26 July, my country Liberia celebrates its 174th anniversary. In that time, few national days have arrived on the back of such turmoil. Today, our health workers are fighting day in, day out on the front line against COVID-19. I am proud of how Liberia, like the rest of Africa, is truly united in its determination to overcome the twin threats of a health crisis and the economic slowdown it has triggered. The pandemic has created a global economic crisis and Africa will emerge from its battle with COVID-19 into a very different economic environment.…

What makes you richer, faster. By Judy Smith Investing is no longer an activity that the richest do to increase their market values. Nowadays, even small households are taking the plunge to improve their quality of life and secure a better future. The options are varied: stocks, funds, bonds … Something to suit all profiles. Today, we’re looking at the hottest investments right now, cryptos and real estate! Crypto vs Real Estate: which is the best decision? We tell you everything! Advantages and disadvantages of investing in cryptocurrency Did you know that only 5% of French people have BTCs? Reaching…

By Khalid Cherkaoui Semmouni, Professor at the Faculty of Law in Rabat and at ISIC Terrorism is one of the most serious threats to peace, security and stability, as well as to the enjoyment of human rights and economic and social development in Africa. It compromises security, well-being, and cripples the economy and destabilizes entire regions. Indeed, in recent years, terrorism and violent extremism continue to grow in different parts of the continent, especially in the Sahel zone, whose offensives have claimed the lives of thousands of civilians and caused great economic losses in the region. region. Many terrorist groups…

By Khalid Cherkaoui Semmouni, Professor at the Faculty of Law in Rabat and at ISIC Recent advances in information and communication technology (ICT) have changed our lives in ways that could hardly have been imagined 20 years ago. Aware that these technologies make it possible to overcome the constraints of geography and time, to accelerate economic integration and the transmission of information, whether in the world of administration or business, and to carry out electronic commercial transactions (“e-commerce”) which are constantly evolving, Morocco has developed an ICT strategy focused on strengthening “digital trust” which manifests itself in a legal framework…

By Charles Njoroge, Advisory Board Member of World Mobile  African vaccine rollouts have been deficient, to say the least. Not only are the roll outs slow, but most of the African nations cannot afford to obtain medical supplies needed to help fight the disease, let alone have the collateral to secure enough vaccines. The African Union had only obtained 672 million vaccines, which is enough for only 38 percent of Africans, by March 2021. Now, they have secured 400 million doses of Johnson & Johnson but very few have finalized their orders. Compared to developed nations such as the United…

Since coming to power in 2012, Senegalese President Macky Sall has been seen as the herald of regional diplomacy geared towards dialogue, appeasement and diplomatic, military and economic cooperation with his neighbors. A posture that fits in with the supposed Senegalese destiny of being “the friend of all countries”, in Macky Sall’s own words. This approach to African affairs also allows it to assert itself as a privileged interlocutor of the international community in the field of respect for the rule of law and democracy in West Africa, but also to guarantee a network of allies at the borders. Become…

It was perhaps not necessary that we speak about the “Paris Summit on the Financing of African Economies Post Covid” since we have already developed our position on the subject in a series of contributions inaugurated by the one entitled “Consensus of Dakar Not the Choice of African Youth ”. This contribution followed the Dakar Conference on African Debt held in 2019 in the presence of the Managing Director of the IMF. His main thesis was that Africa could be an important locomotive of world growth, but that this locomotive should not be made an objective from the outside financed…

An internal study by Wärtsilä making it possible to model the optimal development scenarios for the Ivorian energy sector, sheds new light on the government strategy aimed at increasing the share of renewable to 16% of the country’s electricity mix by 2030. According to Wärtsilä, this ambitious objective is not only possible, but it would even be optimal from a cost-system point of view and grid stability, on the sine qua non condition that the country acquires 1GW of flexible thermal capacity to counterbalance the intermittence of the grid. renewable. Demand for energy in Côte d’Ivoire, which remains one of…

By Guy Gweth * If, in an agricultural country like Cameroon, the efforts of the public authorities in favor of seed companies and nurserymen do not reach their targets, it is necessary to be worried. Usually so discreet, these key players in the agricultural chain sit in front of the line ministry to claim their billions in arrears. Some claim to have exhausted the means to obtain the payment of their arrears of production services of seeds and plants. Others, among them, confirm that the members of the Collective of nurseries and seed companies of Cameroon (CPSC) are not unanimous…

African governments must digitize in order to become more innovative, more inclusive and more resilient By Ryno Rijnsburger, Director of New Technologies, Microsoft 4Afrika initiative More than ever, the Covid-19 pandemic now offers Africa the opportunity to make a huge leap forward in development and potentially position itself as a major digital power internationally. While the private sector has an important role to play in this dynamic, governments across Africa should step up efforts to further encourage digitization. To do this, they must capitalize more on the development of digital infrastructures, but also on the digitization of their own…

The Covid-19 pandemic is still wreaking havoc around the world. In Madagascar, the country is fighting to save lives. President Andry Rajoelina has acted for the acquisition of new healthcare capacities and the forthcoming opening of a new covid-19 treatment center. Since the first wave of the pandemic, Madagascar has deployed a vast pandemic response operation through the creation of dedicated care centers, test centers and equipment supplies. Despite this, as in many other countries, the pandemic continues to claim victims on the Big Island. Hence the desire to bring additional material capacities to the country, intended to prevent new…

After the worst economic downturn on record, with an estimated 1.9% contraction in 2020, sub-Saharan Africa is set to lag in the recovery this year, with growth of 3.4% vs. 6% forecast for the rest of the world, according to the IMF’s regional economic outlook. That’s in part because of the region’s limited access to Covid-19 vaccines and a lack of policy support seen in the developed world. The impact of the pandemic also led to significant capital outflows from Africa, with $5bn being pulled from the continent—$3.1bn from South Africa alone, according to a report from Afreximbank. That has…

By Mohamed Salem Ould Brahim, political scientist Nouakchott. Under judicial control, forbidden to cross the boundaries of Nouakchott, the former Mauritanian president, Mohamed Abdel Aziz nevertheless retains his overflowing verve. At a Ramadan press conference held on the evening of April 28, the General did not bother with oratorical precautions to spit out “his raw truths”. Like this journalist who had the good fortune to question him in French. “We are in a 75% Arab country. Ask me your questions in Poular and why not in Wolof, but not in French, ”retorts the former president in substance in an attempt…

On the advice of the Egyptian authorities, the 2021 Inaugural Conference of The Africa Road Builders – Trophée Babacar NDIAYE, initially scheduled for the end of March, will finally take place on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 in Cairo. The General Commission thanks the Egyptian authorities and expresses in particular its deep gratitude to the Egyptian Minister of Transport, His Excellency Mr. Kamel ELWAZEER and his collaborators. The General Commission recalls that the Inaugural Conference is a forum for exchange to share experiences on the road and transport, in relation to the central theme of the year. For this 6th edition,…

Lagos-based pan-African fintech Appzone has raised $ 10 million in a Series A funding round led by CardinalStone Capital Advisers with participation from V8 Capital, Lateral Investment Partners, Constant Capital and Itanna Capital Ventures. Specialized in creating solutions for the banking and payments sector in Africa, fintech platforms are used by 18 commercial banks and more than 450 microfinance institutions in Africa for an annual transaction value and annual loan disbursements of 2 billion USD and 300 million USD respectively. “We are delighted not only to obtain a significant capital increase, but also to welcome on board strategic investors whose…

By Khalid Cherkaoui Semmouni, Lecturer at the Faculty of Law in Rabat and at ISIC In recent days, we have seen a new impetus in Moroccan-French relations. The statement of the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean Yves Le Drian, last Thursday, during a videoconference interview with his Moroccan counterpart, Mr. Nasser Bourita, about the quality of security cooperation between France and Morocco and the reiteration of his country’s position of support for the Moroccan Autonomy Plan for the Sahara, requires further reading. No one could doubt the very dense and historical bilateral relations between France and Morocco,…

By Samir Bouzidi Slowly but surely Togo is advancing on the very strategic question of the mobilization of the diaspora. Under the leadership of Robert Dussey, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad, a convinced “diasporist”, the country has made real progress in recent years: organization of diaspora trophies , adoption of a roadmap for mobilizing the diaspora, launching a High Council of Togolese abroad, granting the right to vote to the diaspora in the presidential elections of 2020 … This pro-diaspora voluntarism even constitutes a strong axis of the Togolese pan-African diplomacy, all haloed by this first…

By Mr. Richard Cao, Human Resources Director of Huawei Northern Africa We are proud to have received Top Employer 2020 certification from Huawei in 13 of our countries of activity in Africa, including 9 countries in the Northern Africa region. This award is recognition of Huawei’s deep and consistent commitment to its teams across the continent. Beyond the well-being of employees, it is the importance and quality of managerial policies that are highlighted today. At Huawei, we believe in each of our employees in Africa, 76% of whom come from the countries where we operate. Because it is important for…

By Mokoko Theophane , Brazzaville. A tons of unlisted art pieces are exposed in many international museums (New York, London, Paris etc.). It is certainly very tough to get to know how these precious pieces have been traded while we are all aware of the fact that few centuries ago, during the colonization era in Africa explorers used essential goods such as hunting guns as a commerce term. From a more legal aspect These unregulated terms, can be considered today as an abuse since they knew that our people could not properly give an economic and financial value of their pieces. The…

By LAURENT MUCCHIELLI, Sociologist, research director at the CNRS (Mediterranean Laboratory of Sociology). A study by Public Health France shows that the increase in the number of daily contaminations had ceased before the date of the second confinement in the most affected departments. The health effectiveness of this type of measure has never been demonstrated in the long term. On the contrary, the societal effects could prove disastrous. By Jean-François TOUSSAINT, Professor at Paris Descartes University Santé Publique France (SPF) posts figures every day, the analysis of which constitutes an instrument for monitoring the pandemic in France. The agency also…