South Africa to deploy 2,900 troops to fight armed groups in eastern Congo
The one-year deployment will cover the period between Dec. 15. 2023 and Dec. 15, 2024, and will cost around 2 billion rand ($105.75 million), the statement said. The 16-member state SADC approved the eastern Congo mission in May last year to help Congo, the world’s top supplier of cobalt and Africa’s top copper producer, address instability and deteriorating security in its restive eastern region.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 08:21 UTC
Deadliest Cholera Outbreak in Past Decade Hits Southern Africa
Sandra Mwayera wailed as her older brother slouched next to her in the back seat of a car — he had died from cholera as he waited for treatment among dozens of others outside a hospital in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. “My brother! My brother! Come back!”In neighboring Zambia, inside the 60,000-seat National Heroes Stadium in the capital, Lusaka, rows of gray cots lined rooms at a makeshift treatment center where 24-year-old Memory Musonda had died. Her family said they were not informed until four days later — the government buried her, and they have yet to locate her grave.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 08:03 UTC
Stellantis to Expand Electric-vehicle Charging Options in North America With Adoption of Proposed SAE Standard J3400 Connector
We are happy to announce our backing and adoption of the SAE J3400 connector, a milestone for all customers on the path to open and seamless charging," said Ricardo Stamatti, Stellantis SVP of global energy & charging. Stellantis has joined with six other world-leading automakers to develop a high-powered charging network with at least 30,000 charge points in urban and highway locations across North America by 2030. Charging stations will be accessible to all BEV customers, offering both Combined Charging System and J3400 connectors natively. Stellantis North AmericaStellantis (NYSE: STLA) is one of the world's leading automakers, aiming to provide clean, safe and affordable freedom of mobility for all. In North America, it's best known for producing and selling vehicles in a portfolio of iconic, innovative and award-winning brands, including Jeep®, Chrysler, Dodge//SRT, Ram, Alfa Romeo and Fiat.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 07:43 UTC
How Kenya’s Peercarbon is helping SMEs reduce CO2 emissions, access green finance
Kenyan climate-fintech platform Peercarbon aims to help SMEs integrate sustainability into their operations, by cutting emissions and accessing green finance. Founded in 2023, Peercarbon offers science-based tools to enable businesses to measure, manage and reduce their CO2 emissions, and then connects these businesses with lenders who prioritise green finance. These tools empower finance providers to structure and service green finance products for business customers, allowing them to report the impact of the financing to stakeholders. “These SMEs are eager to leverage the platform to access green finance for transitioning into more sustainable operations. “This reflects the practicality and acceptance of Peercarbon’s offerings in the sustainable finance landscape,” Maiyo said.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 07:15 UTC
Libya : With no embassy in Tripoli, Russian diplomats set up shop at Radisson hotel
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Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 05:46 UTC
Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) Expands into North Africa
Afrieximbank’s Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) has expanded into North Africa after Banque Centrale de Tunisie (BCT) joined the regional payments platform as its thirteenth member. PAPSS is a cross-border, financial market infrastructure enabling payment transactions across Africa. In 2022, BCT also joined the inter-Arab payment and settlement System (BUNA), in continuation of its commitment to the country’s strategic priorities. Banque Centrale de Tunisie has joined PAPSS under the commercial bank settlement model that was introduced in 2023 at the Afreximbank Annual Meetings in Accra, Ghana. The PAPSS model is meant to ease cross-border payments on the continent.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 04:46 UTC
Germany to get Algerian gas for first time
Germany is to get Algerian gas with the signing on 8 February of a contract tying gas producer Sonatrach to Leipzig-based gas trader VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH (VNG H&V). VNG is the first German company to procure gas from Algeria, opening more opportunities for Sonatrach to expand into the lucrative German market. Germany is now added to Sonatrach’s current list of clients, which expansion in Western Europe accelerated with the reduction of the Russian presence as a gas supplier amid the war in Ukraine. Since the European energy crisis erupted in February 2022, Algerian gas has increasingly been coveted by European countries due to its availability and proximity. Italy has been the first country to lobby Algeria to increase its gas delivery, creating a model that other Europeans appear to be following.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 04:11 UTC
Kenyan marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum dies in road accident
"Kiptum was my only child, now he's left me," he told Kenya's Citizen TV. "I don't know what to say, I see his children will be looking to me and my child is gone... Now, who will help us raise his kids?"
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 02:53 UTC
Yemen peace process on hold as crisis grows in Red Sea after Houthi attacks
But Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping and American and British retaliation have thrown the peace process “up in the air”, said Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. “Peace in Yemen requires international and regional commitments different than those that exist now,” Mr. Muslimi said. However, Majid Al-Madhaji, of the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies think-tank, said that with the flare up in the Red Sea, “a peace plan no longer has a place on the discussion table”. It has not joined a U.S.-led naval coalition to deter Houthi attacks on shipping and expressed “great concern” following the first round of strikes by the U.S. and Britain, calling for “restraint”. “The international community is less likely to support a Yemeni peace plan due to concerns about rewarding the Houthis for Red Sea attacks, thus freezing the UN-led and U.S.-backed peace process,” he said.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 02:13 UTC
Liberia: President Boakai Receives Letter of Resignation from The Minister of National Defense Mr. Prince C. Johnson
The President of the Republic of Liberia and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia, His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr., has received and accepted a letter of resignation from the recently confirmed Minister of National Defense Mr. Prince C. Johnson. The President expressed gratitude to Minister Johnson for his invaluable service to the country and described him as a patriot. The President will address the nation this evening. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of Liberia: Executive Mansion.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 01:57 UTC
Building a Tech Ecosystem in Nigeria Beyond the Traditional Tech Hub: Challenges and Opportunities
By 2016, Ismaila had established CoLab, marking it as Kaduna’s inaugural tech hub and the second in the northern region of Nigeria. On a bright afternoon in 2018, Pablo observed two young individuals entering the barbershop donned hoodies that bore the CoLab and Python logos. Despite this support, persuading young individuals to dedicate themselves to learning technological skills remains an arduous task. His efforts have already impacted around a thousand young individuals, equipping them with coding and digital marketing skills. This academic presence has historically supplied a steady stream of young talent into Lagos’ tech scene, a dynamic yet to be replicated in other regions.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 12, 2024 23:21 UTC
Afcon: How Nigerians console themselves after final heartbreak
Former senator Shehu Sani, who has millions of followers on X, wrote "with afcon trophy gone, we can now face cup of garri" [cassava flour] - meaning now it's back to reality, in a country where the price of garri, one of Nigeria's staple foods, has shot up in recent months.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 12, 2024 22:48 UTC
Ancestral Threads
In a new solo show at Cape Town’s Brutal Gallery, artist Amy-Leigh Braaf (aka Hakopike) is displaying vivid paintings meant to evoke her ancestral past. A mixed race woman with ancestry in Indonesia and South Africa, her latest works were created based on dreams she experienced while traveling in South East Asia during a recent artist residency. DESIGN INDABA
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 12, 2024 21:06 UTC
Nigerian DisCos have fleeced millions of unmetered customers
Known commonly as DisCos, the 11 companies over-billed around 7.1 million unmetered electricity consumers between January and September 2023. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has now sanctioned the 11 Nigerian DisCos “over non-compliance with capping of estimated bills for unmetered customers.”NERC has issued a N10.5bn (around $7m) fine to the DisCos and ordered that they provide credits to the overcharged electricity customers. “A review of the Electricity Distribution Companies (“DisCos”) billing of unmetered customers for 2023 has revealed non-compliance with the monthly energy caps issued by the commission,” NERC said in a press statement. In response, the Commission has issued an order on non-compliance with capping of estimated bills, which stipulates the following:Credit Adjustment to Customers: DisCos are to issue credit adjustments to all over-billed unmetered customers from January to September 2023 by the March 2024 billing cycle. Nigeria: Electricity meters now cost 40% more after government decree
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 12, 2024 19:29 UTC