The Moroccan organizers of next month’s Annual Meetings with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) welcomed the decision to go on with the Marrakesh events, despite damage from a magnitude-6.8 earthquake that struck the region on September 8. “Marrakesh is ready for the world’s most significant economic and…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
The United Kingdom says it has arrested Romy Andrianarisoa, the 46-year-old chief of staff to President Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar, as part of a corruption investigation that also led to the arrest of a French partner. The UK’s National Crime Agency said Andrianarisoa, as well as 54-year-old Philippe Tabuteau, have…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
A deal between the Liberian government and a Dubai-based company would rely on the West African nation’s trees to provide carbon offsets, but it’s raising questions about how Liberia would relinquish nearly 1 million hectares of forest to allow others in the United Arab Emirates and beyond to meet their…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Africa depends on wildlife conservation to drive economic development, not just in tourism but in fisheries, farming and more, according to executive director Richard Vigne of the African Leadership University’s School of Wildlife Conservation. “The overall health of the continent’s economy actually depends on conservation. In fact, almost 60% of…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Sara Sabry of Egypt, the first African woman in space, is calling for more Africans to participate in space exploration and take advantage of related technologies and economic opportunities. “I don’t think space should be such an exclusive club. To be the first at something is to kick down the…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
They call it the pangenome: a new type of human genome that takes a more genetically diverse approach than the first human genome, released for research purposes about 20 years ago. This new model includes a breadth of diversity drawn from 47 people across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and beyond….
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
South Africans faced another round of power cuts on Sunday night as the country’s chronic Eskom electricity grid failures continue, despite reassurances from officials that there will be no system collapse in the face of increasing winter demand. Stage 4 loadshedding was planned into Monday and will be “repeated daily…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Melvyn Lubega is the founder of the online education business Go1, South Africa’s first unicorn tech company valued at over $1 billion, and a Partner at venture capital firm Breega. He shares his thoughts on the future growth of Africa’s tech ecosystem. Breega has invested in early-stage tech companies across…
Key ministers from Somalia and Burkina Faso presented the scope of Africa’s challenges with food insecurity and the “Triple C” crisis of COVID, climate, and conflict, during a core session of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) annual meeting as it wrapped up Saturday in Saudi Arabia. The two ministers were…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
An Egyptian lawyer filed a court case against Netflix on Tuesday, calling on the public prosecutor to shut down the entertainment platform because of plans to air “Queen Cleopatra” with a Black actor in the title role. Mahmoud al-Semary claims that the documentary series, spearheaded by executive producer Jada Pinkett…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
The Africa Fintech Summit will be held Wednesday in Washington D.C., with speakers from top African startups like Flutterwave and a keynote address from Ethiopian investor and summit co-founder Zekarias Amsalu. The event, the latest of the Africa Fintech Summit series launched in 2018, will place partnership with U.S. officials…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
The East African Court of Justice is set to hear arguments on whether or not it has jurisdiction in a legal battle over the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), with the governments of Uganda and Tanzania among the parties challenging whether the case, brought by activists seeking to stop…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Africa’s startup founders and investors are watching what happens next for Silicon Valley Bank (SBV), which was shutdown by regulatory authorities in the United States on Friday—essentially freezing thousands of accounts at the tech-friendly bank and raising questions about what happens to startup funds. “Check in on your fellow tech…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
A high-level Ethiopian delegation’s visit to Beijing has led to speculation about how China is dealing with the African nation’s deepening debt crisis, but a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied any plans to restructure Ethiopian debt. “China takes the debt issue of developing countries seriously…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
South Africa is facing a shortage of more than 23 million houses, and Dr. Blade Nzimande, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, says 3-D printed houses—built entirely in just eight hours— may be the solution to help meet demand. “It is a quick way to build good quality…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times