Egypt gets €83m AfDB loan for electricity sector to spur economic recovery
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved an €83 million loan to finance the second phase of Egypt’s Electricity and Green Growth Support Programme. The funding is part of the bank’s budget support to the Egyptian government to strengthen its electricity infrastructure to bolster the private sector and accelerate recovery...
Equatorial Guinea petroleum minister pulls out of Africa Oil Week in Dubai in protest
Equatorial Guinea Minister for Mines and Hydrocarbons Gabriel M. Obiang Lima has announced that his country will not participate in this year’s edition of Africa Oil Week that is scheduled to be held in Dubai. Mr Obiang Lima made the announcement on Tuesday June 15 in the capital Malabo in...
Rattled by thinning sign-ups, WhatsApp goes on charm offensive to regain users
Government attacks on WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption are akin to demands that an Orwellian telescreen be installed in every living room, the app’s head has said as it launches a major advertising campaign in defence of privacy. Will Cathcart told the Guardian in an interview that the abstract nature of digital...
Africa energy industry defies Covid threat, sets November conference in Cape Town
The African Energy Chamber is set to host the first-ever African Energy Week (AEW) in Cape Town from November 9-12, 2021. Themed ‘Replacing Africa Oil Week’, the four-day interactive conference seeks to unite industry stakeholders, international speakers and movers and shakers from the African oil and gas sector. The conference...
Former South Sudan petroleum minister opposes decision to move African Energy Week to Dubai
Former South Sudan Petroleum Minister Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth has expressed his disappointment at the decision by London-based Hyve Group to move Africa Oil Week to Dubai. “I think it will be unacceptable to move the Russian Energy Week from Moscow or ADIPEC from Abu Dhabi to Juba, South Sudan Africa...
Google will stop treating EU antitrust remedy as a ‘promotional opportunity’
Google and the European Union have been fighting for several years over Android’s default search engine. Just like when the EU took issue with Microsoft bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, the EU Antitrust enforcers don’t want Google using its Android operating system monopoly to prop up Google Search and Google...
Sea transport experiencing boom in ships that fly ‘fake’ flags, pollute environment
Ships transport 90 per cent of the world’s traded cargo, so are crucial to the global economy. But when tankers and other large vessels are demolished, they generate huge amounts of marine pollution, particularly if it happens in countries where environmental regulations for ship-breaking yards are lax. Research now shows...
Central African energy industry wary of bloc’s punitive foreign exchange protocols
Financial flow regulations adopted by the Central Bank of Central African States (BEAC) are likely to slow down business in the economic bloc, oil companies operating in the bank’s jurisdiction warn. Fears of imminent economic and business setbacks were expressed at a May 17 meeting between BEAC and African Energy...
Hamburg German-African energy forum to power Africa’s economic growth
The African energy sector is in the process of solidifying its partnership with German investors and technology to provide a bridge between businesses in Europe and Africa. From upstream to downstream, Africa’s energy sector is speeding up transition to net-zero and continues to adopt new technologies to realise the goal....
Mauritanian Bank launches Masrvi – digital bank powered by TagPay
The Mauritanian Bank for International Trade (BMCI) has partnered with TagPay to roll out its digital bank Masrvi to provide digital, value-added financial services to its customers. Powered by TagPay, Masrvi was launched at the end of April and responds to Mauritanians’ banking needs by providing secure and accessible banking...