UPDATE 1-US, China officials discuss Russia-North Korea military cooperation, State Department says
The U.S. senior official for North Korea, Jung Pak, and her Chinese counterpart, Liu Xiaoming, also addressed North Korea’s “increasingly destabilizing and escalatory behavior,” the department said in a statement. It said the growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea was “in violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions.”
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 20:34 UTC
AI in Oil and Gas: North America Leads Global Market Towards $5.96 Billion by 2028 - Long-term Forecasts to 2033 - ResearchAndMarkets.com
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "AI in Oil and Gas Global Market Report 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the artificial intelligence (AI) impact on the oil and gas industry. This comprehensive market report unveils that the global AI in oil and gas market is expected to surge to an impressive $5.96 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.3%. It examines a wide gamut of AI applications across various sectors of the industry, including predictive maintenance, production optimization, and safety management. Enabling Industrial ProgressThe AI in oil and gas market represents not just a technological revolution but a requisite shift towards sustainable, efficient, and safer energy practices worldwide.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 19:34 UTC
Egypt secures $1 billion in IFC support for local small businesses
Public Management(Ecofin Agency) - The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private sector arm, plans to invest $1 billion in Egypt in 2024. Cheick-Oumar Sylla, the IFC's Regional Director for North Africa and the Horn of Africa highlighted the organization's commitment to supporting the growth of Egyptian businesses. The investment will include providing loans to Egyptian companies and offering credit lines to local banks that are focused on financing SMEs. This strategy aims to stimulate economic development and create jobs by empowering smaller companies, which are often the backbone of emerging economies. The IFC's total investment portfolio in Egypt amounts to around $8 billion, spanning various sectors including healthcare, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, and ICTs
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 19:18 UTC
E-mobility sector in Africa crying out for clearer policy certainty
While e-mobility has the potential to transform cities across Africa, governments must set the tone with clear policies for the sector. E-mobility sector needs policy direction certaintyThis means policy direction that provides confidence for manufacturers, operators, financiers via stimulus packages and incentives, said Madikizela. “Manufacturers need policy certainty so they can adjust… financiers want policy certainty and the right type of incentives for the sector,” she said. Government must set the tone for the e-mobility transition to engender confidence in e-mobility technology, said Madikizela. “To encourage the production of electric vehicles in South Africa, government will introduce an investment allowance for new investments, beginning 1 March 2026.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 17:46 UTC
Red Sea surcharges and the power of uncertainty…
When it comes to the Red Sea crisis, the cause has been well documented over the past few months. "Diversions away from the Suez Canal have hit ocean freight trades hard from Asia to the Mediterranean, North Europe and U.S. East Coast. For a standard FEU, the Red Sea surcharge for exports out of the Mediterranean on long-term contracts sits higher than North European exports with a spread of $162. While the market low for both of these trades sits at $400, the market high sits at $1,295 for the Mediterranean and $750 for North Europe. "Bringing a reefer out of North Europe heading for the Far East, the average surcharge sits at $1,007 per box."
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 17:12 UTC
Solid waste is choking African cities’ potential to grow and develop
The alarm about the “critical state” of solid waste accumulation in Africa was sounded at Africa’s Green Economy Summit on Thursday in Cape Town. She added that more than 70% of solid waste is not collected but directly dumped into the environment, with no recycling. Waste management to rethink South Africa’s employment opportunities“This is affecting health, it causes flooding in certain areas, choking the potential that cities have to grow, develop and be competitive in today’s world. “The good thing is that the solid waste management generates a lot of interest, innovation and a lot of passion,” said Marulanda. Solid waste management practices in Africa need to changeNon-landfill activities and climate funding for solid waste managementDave Morrey, Inland General Manager of EnviroServ agreed that 20 years ago, all waste that was collected and removed ended up in landfills.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 14:34 UTC
When words fail, we must turn to the law
For the sake of children, we have to demand an end to the violence and adherence to international law in Palestine. As a Palestinian, I can assure you if there’s one thing Palestinians aren’t short of, it’s words. There are still some words we can and must fall back on, words that anchor us to our collective humanity. In September, a Save the Children report found that 2023 had become the deadliest year for Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank on record. The number of children killed in the first nine months of the year was triple the number killed in 2022- itself previously the deadliest year on record since 2005.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 14:11 UTC
EBRD invests over €400 million in Morocco’s water sector, says Local director – The North Africa Post
These investments primarily address issues pertaining to water supply and demand management, Sallé de Chou told MAP, on the sidelines of the water masterclasses focusing on innovative financing models and mechanisms. Sallé de Chou highlighted that the Guelmim-Oued Noun region was the first beneficiary of EBRD financing in Morocco, specifically targeting wastewater purification and reuse. In December 2023, the EBRD provided €12 million (MAD130 million) loan to the Guelmim-Oued Noun region to enhance drinking water supply in rural areas and upgrade four existing wastewater treatment plants. She also emphasized various other initiatives and strategies focusing on wastewater treatment to support green space irrigation. Barret applauded the efforts of Moroccan stakeholders in water infrastructure and investment in water conservation programs.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 13:46 UTC
Sudan: Horrific violations and abuses as fighting spreads
“For nearly a year now, accounts coming out of Sudan have been of death, suffering and despair, as the senseless conflict and human rights violations and abuses have persisted with no end in sight,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. By mid-December, more than 6.7 million people had been displaced by the conflict – both within Sudan and into neighbouring countries. Many of the rapes, according to the report, were committed by RSF members, in homes and on the streets. African ethnic communities, including the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa also reportedly responded to recruitment campaigns by the SAF, the report finds. Read the full report (Advance unedited version in English)Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 13:30 UTC
Video shows dozens of migrants stripped and forced across Serbia-North Macedonia border
A video recently published by a Skopje-based NGO has brought attention to a distressing incident with migrants at the Serbia-North Macedonia border. The footage allegedly shows a group of semi-naked men apparently being pushed back into North Macedonia by Serbian border police. The police noted that since January 13, 2023, the border police have overseen the state border between Serbia and North Macedonia in collaboration with police officers from Austria and Hungary under the trilateral cooperation memorandum. Neither Austrian nor Hungarian police members have reported any incidents or misconduct by the Serbian border police during their joint monitoring efforts along the state border, the Serbian police said. In 2015, the Western Balkan route running via North Macedonia and Serbia emerged as an important pathway for irregular migration from the Middle East and North Africa to the EU member countries.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 13:06 UTC
Mauritanian president loses his main bodyguard in Algeria visit – The North Africa Post
Mauritanian president returned from a short visit to Algeria without his main bodyguard who was reported dead in a suspicious incident. While Algerian pro-regime media speak of a car accident, Mauritanian media says the President’s convoy was attacked in Tindouf area by armed men loyal to a Mauritanian dissident based in Algeria. Videos on twitter showed the moment a military aircraft brought the body of the bodyguard, Mohamed Ould Chibani, to Nouakchott. The Algerian president said his country will build a road connecting Tindouf to Zouirate in Mauritania. The reported incident comes following warnings by the US to its citizens to avoid Tindouf and southern Algeria in general for fear of terrorist activity.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 12:29 UTC
Exploring the Programmatic Pulse of MENA
Are we witnessing the golden age of programmatic advertising in MENA? Compared to its global counterparts, MENA's programmatic advertising landscape is marked by a distinctive blend of growth and opportunity. In the digital advertising landscape of the region, several DSPs stand out as most utilised, and are pivotal in shaping the digital advertising strategies across MENA. A Mobile-First ApproachIn MENA, the rise of a mobile-first landscape is dramatically reshaping the programmatic advertising arena. These regulations complicate traditional programmatic advertising techniques, which rely on third-party tracking cookies for personalised content delivery.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 12:22 UTC
First Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 in North Africa
The Italian Sea Group (TISG) continues to expand its international commercial development plan with the introduction of the first Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 in North Africa. The iconic motor yacht Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 offers unparalleled luxury with high-performance capabilities. The region's burgeoning elite tourism sector, driven by entertainment and exclusive water sports activities, has paved the way for the introduction of the Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63. Recognized for its avant-garde luxury and sporty design, the Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 has earned accolades in the luxury industry. Notably, it was named among the "Best of the Best" in the "Motor Yacht Weekend Cruiser" category by Robb Report and received the "Motor Yacht under 25 meters" award at the 2022 International Yacht & Aviation Awards.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 11:20 UTC
DEWA's Innovation Centre And Gulf Renewable Energy Lab Empower Professionals With Financial Modelling Expertise In Renewable Energy Projects
In a collaborative effort to advance expertise in the renewable energy sector, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) Innovation Centre partnered with the Gulf Renewable Energy Lab to organize a comprehensive training program. This initiative focused on key factors crucial for the successful development and implementation of renewable energy projects, aligning with global best practices in the industry. Graduates of the program were awarded the prestigious ‘Financial Modelling & Analysis of Renewable Energy Projects’ international certificate. The focus was on enabling them to develop comprehensive financial models for planning, investments, and financial analysis within the renewable energy sector. Saeed Abubaker Belhaddad, General Manager of Gulf Renewable Energy Lab, expressed pride in the partnership with DEWA, highlighting the lab’s role in supporting the transition to renewable energy through knowledge localization initiatives.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 23, 2024 11:10 UTC