Author: Reputation Poll

Africa’s immense potential to become a global powerhouse is undeniable.  It has all of the ingredients including a market of 1.2 billion consumers (rising to 1.7bn by 2030) and a combined GDP worth US$2.5 trillion.  So what is holding it back? The African Union’s (AU) members have all indicated their support for and recognition of the benefits of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, the Single Africa Air Transport Market and the Free Movement of Persons Protocol.  All of them are intended to unlock free trade, tourism, economic opportunities and promote widespread prosperity across the continent. At the SITA Borders…

The organisers of the awards, held on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank, said that the awards to Afreximbank were in recognition of the Bank’s growing leadership within Africa’s financial services sector. They said that the African Bank of The Year award was going to Afreximbank for being the bank in Africa that had demonstrated a high performance across various metrics and had “considerably changed the banking landscape by reaching out to new customers, offering new services, adopting inclusiveness by bringing the unbanked into the banking space, making use of new technologies, and helping to…

In the capital of Sierra Leone a key historic landmark has been brought down by a storm. The iconic natural landmark in Freetown – a towering cotton tree – was hundreds of years old and considered a symbol of freedom. It was said to have been the site of prayers by a group of formerly American enslaved people when they settled the site of what is now Freetown. Journalist Umaru Fofana told Newsday how the demise of the historic cotton tree immediately changed the face of the city. “It’s been raining heavy about a week ago and one of the…

The Government of the Lao PDR has committed to improving the quality of basic education, enrolling all children and keeping them in school, and improving education financing. Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone read the National Statement of Commitment to Accelerating Learning Recovery at the first Lao Human Capital Summit today. Human capital is the knowledge, skills, and health that people accumulate throughout their lives, enabling them to reach their potential as productive members of society. Laos currently has a low human capital ranking, and this first Lao Human Capital Summit sought agreement on how the country can boost its opportunities by investing in…

 Africa’s biggest oil refinery has been opened in Nigeria, where it is hoped it will alleviate chronic fuel shortages. Nigeria is a major oil producer but most of this is sent abroad while it has to import the refined fuel used in vehicles and elsewhere. As a result the country often faces chronic fuel shortages. This is the problem that the $19bn (£15.2bn) refinery, owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is intended to tackle. “This is a game-changer for the Nigerian people,” said President Muhammadu Buhari. The plant, which is not yet operational, has the capacity to produce about 650,000 barrels of petroleum…

For the third time since 2017, the EIB Group — the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) — and BNP Paribas are launching a synthetic securitisation operation to support French companies. The transaction consists of an EIB Group guarantee on an existing portfolio of loans granted by BNP Paribas to French small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps. The guarantee enables BNP Paribas to free up part of the regulatory capital allocated to this portfolio, and to deploy €515 million in new loans to SMEs and mid-caps in France over the next two years. These new…

African leaders defy the lackluster global economy to forge ahead with digital transformation collaborations at inaugural GITEX Africa Digital Summit. Generative AI, finance, infrastructure development and investment among core theme explorations at Africa’s most impactful leadership conference programme Access Multimedia Content MARRAKECH, Morocco, May 19, 2023/ — African ministers, government and private sector leaders are set to converge in a powerful cross-continental forum in Marrakech this month to press on with digital transformation alliances as the tech world reorganises itself in the wake of the global digital upheaval. Against the biggest market correction in recent years, Africa continues to march…

The 13th African Achievers Award (AAA) is to hold in United Kingdom on July 14th 2023. Hosted by The Lord Woolley of Woodford, (Member of The House of Lords, Lord Temporal), the Arican Achievers Awards, which focuses on Africa and Africans, is one of the most prestigious awards recognising exceptional Africans for their contributions to the development of the continent. The theme for this year’s event is ‘Unlocking Trade and Investment Opportunities for Sustainable Development in Africa’. On the choice of this year’s theme, Chief Executive Officer of AAA, Dr. Tonye Rex Idaminabo, reiterated the importance of addressing the challenges…

The World Bank has reassured of its commitment to support governments at all levels in Nigeria to deliver on their mandate of providing good governance and services to the people. Shubham Chaudhuri, Country Director of the Bank, said this at the induction for elected governors in Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday. Chaudhuri said that the bank looked forward to more bilateral engagements and programmes that could be supported in various states. “We are here to help Nigerian government, both the federal and sub national level to deliver to all your citizens”. “We can we are here to support Nigeria, not…

Location-tracking devices help users find personal items like their keys, purse, luggage, and more through crowdsourced finding networks. However, they can also be misused for unwanted tracking of individuals. Today Apple and Google jointly submitted a proposed industry specification to help combat the misuse of Bluetooth location-tracking devices for unwanted tracking. The first-of-its-kind specification will allow Bluetooth location-tracking devices to be compatible with unauthorised tracking detection and alerts across iOS and Android platforms. Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security, and Pebblebee have expressed support for the draft specification, which offers best practices and instructions for manufacturers, should they choose to…