North Africa has been enjoying the best visa acceptance rates, while Central Africa was seeing the worst. Photo: PexelsAccess Denied: Unveiling Disparities in study permit approvals for African students in Canada stressed that while Canada is a globally preferred destination, in 2018-2023 consistent disparities in study permit application acceptances were obvious and is putting up “barriers” for African students. A table within the report revealed African students were seeing an average acceptance rate of less than 50% – while acceptance rates for students from the rest of the world never dipped below 75%. African students saw an average acceptance rate of 47% in 2023, but no figures for those on the SDS were given. The issue of visa acceptance rates for Africans has been contentious for some time.

North Texas Fintech Triples Down in India, Boosting AI and Innovation Lab Efforts Plano-based Trintech, which saw 20% year-over-year growth in Q1 bookings, announced its AI-focused Innovation Lab in May. This move comes amid strong growth and just weeks after the launch of Trintech’s Innovation Lab at its North Texas headquarters. The Bengaluru facility, joining existing operations in Noida and Pune, will support Trintech’s Innovation Lab. The Bengaluru facility will play a key role in supporting Trintech’s Innovation Lab, the company said. Dwivedi will develop the Bengaluru center, enhancing the capabilities of Trintech’s Innovation Lab, which aims to innovate for the “office of the CFO” using state-of-the-art AI technology.

But the successful armed struggle for independence enabled Algeria to position itself as the spearhead of African liberation and the champion of pan-African unification. There, Algeria took the stage, front and center, and for Ben Bella, it was time to talk of blood. During a decade when a new international order was rapidly taking shape, African states’ had to prioritize consolidating their own statehood. “This aggression is a battle between progressive republic and conservative monarchy, between revolution and imperialism,” proclaimed Ben Bella. Many Algerians criticized Ben Bella as a hubristic president who preferred fixing the world’s problems instead of focusing on Algeria’s grim socioeconomic realities.

Though Ghazouani is widely expected to win the election, his main opposition is Biram Dah Abeid, a Black anti-slavery activist who has accused him of gross mismanagement of the country. Mauritania is no stranger to human rights abuse accusations, as it was the last country in the world to abolish slavery in 1981. But the practice continues, human rights groups said, with around 149,000 people in modern slavery in this nation of less than 5 million, according to the 2023 Global Slavery Index. “Given the status of slavery in society, the status of a slave, the status of a free man, and especially the status of the men who hold these slaves. It’s ingrained in Mauritanian values, which is why slavery continues to plague Mauritania in such a massive way,” he said.

According to the latest UNCTAD World Investment Report, FDI outflows from Egypt rose 14 percent annually to $390 million in 2023. In Africa, total FDI inflows saw a 3 percent decline year-on-year to $53 billion, primarily due to a decline in investments in Egypt and South Africa. In North Africa particularly, FDI inflows saw a 12 percent decline last year. Read: Egypt fulfills $25 billion debt obligations, representing 7 percent of GDP: IIFGlobal FDI trendsThe decline and stagnation of FDI inflows was not limited to Africa or Egypt alone. Post-pandemic, manufacturing FDI saw negative growth signaling a rising trend in regionalization and deglobalization despite strong global manufacturing activities.

Morocco and Turkey agreed to foster cooperation in the fields of mining and energy, including innovative fields such as green hydrogen. The deal was signed by Morocco’s energy minister Laila Benali and her Turkish peer Alparslan Bayraktar, who also agreed to cooperate on electricity distribution, decarbonization, and energy efficiency. Morocco and Turkey both face a surge on electricity demand as well as ambitious environmental goals, he said. Energy cooperation would add momentum to the growing ties between the two countries, said Benali, noting that Morocco is forging ahead in its renewable energy and natural gas plans. Morocco aims for renewable energy to represent 52% of its electricity mix before 2030 and plans to set up an LNG terminal in Nador’s port.

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

The search giant also announced the 1,000 Languages Initiative, a commitment to build AI models that will support the 1,000 most spoken languages around the world, it said in a blog post. With the PaLM 2 large language model, Google is rolling out 110 new languages to Google Translate, in its largest expansion ever. Here are some of the newly supported languages in Google Translate:Afar is a tonal language spoken in Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Cantonese has long been one of the most requested languages for Google Translate. It’s written in Latin script and Tifinagh script, both of which Google Translate supports.

This development will provide the necessary infrastructure to support the influx of SEZ enterprises and ensure we meet the demand for high-quality office space. It allows us to maintain a balanced financial structure, ensuring both stability and growth potential for Trific SEZ. This flexibility is crucial for large-scale developments like Trific SEZ, where capital requirements vary significantly. Trific SEZ, therefore, offers an ecosystem designed to provide businesses with a competitive edge. This exemption creates a more attractive investment environment for current and potential SEZ enterprises.

The private equity fund will invest in fast-growing SMEs, mainly in North Africa. The Tunis-based fund manager launched the fund as a successor to the Africa Industrialization Fund (AIF), which attracted investment from some of the same institutions, and closed in 2020 having raised $260m. Key sectorsThe new fund is a generalist private equity fund that will invest in fast-growing SMEs, mainly in North Africa, targeting sectors such as healthcare, education, manufacturing and processing, and business services. The fund will make majority or significant minority investments, aiming to take a hands-on, value-added approach to investee firms. Ralph Keitel, head of fund of funds investments at responsAbility, said his firm intended to scale up its efforts to drive economic development, create quality jobs, and promote sustainable growth in North Africa, with SIFEM’s support.

A statement from the DGSN-DGST notes that these meetings focused on assessing security cooperation between Morocco and Germany, discussing security issues of common interest, and addressing regional and international security challenges. The security during the organization of major sporting events was also part of the discussions between Hammouchi and the German officials. The discussions centered on cooperation mechanisms, and sharing expertise and technical assistance between the two parties in securing major events, the statement added. They examined the security equipment and measures put in place and visited the Police Operations Management Center that oversees safety and security protocols during this soccer event. These various visits are part of the advanced preparations of Moroccan security services for upcoming continental and international security and sporting events that the Kingdom is preparing to host, the statement emphasizes.

The country has an ambitious target of boosting the share of renewables in its energy mix to 42% by 2030. “Grids are a big challenge” for developers of larger electricity projects, he said. Cameroon EntryOn the wider continent, Infinity Power is targeting by 2030 to increase its capacity to 10 gigawatts from 1.3 gigawatts. Those projects, concentrated in Western Cameroon, may include solar, wind, battery storage and biomass facilities. Infinity Power is also looking to expand in South Africa after acquiring 60% of Amsterdam-based Lekela Power last year.

SMB marketplace specialist honoured among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. Pax8, the technology marketplace linking partners, vendors and small to SMBs through AI-powered insights and comprehensive product support, has won the Global 2024 Microsoft Partner of the Year Award. The company was honoured among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. “We are honoured and humbled to be named Microsoft’s Global Partner of the Year,” said Nick Heddy, President and Chief Commerce Officer, Pax8. “Congratulations to the winners and finalists of the 2024 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards,” said Nicole Dezen, Chief Partner Officer and Corporate Vice President at Microsoft.

EBRD commits up to US$ 40 million to new fund raised by SPE CapitalFund supports mid-cap companies in Egypt, Morocco and TunisiaFund of up to US$ 350 million raised to support firms in African countriesThe European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is committing up to US$ 40 million to SPE PEF III (PEF III), the new fund raised by SPE Capital, to support mid-cap companies in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. SPE Capital is a prominent fund manager operating in Africa, able to deploy around US$ 500 million, including co-investments in more than 15 companies across the continent. This new EBRD investment follows the first made with SPE Capital, back in 2019-20, when the EBRD invested in SPE AIF I (AIF I) fund, the predecessor to PEF III. To date, through AIF I, SPE Capital has invested in nine companies across a broad range of sectors including healthcare, education, fast-moving consumer goods and food processing. Anne Fossemalle, EBRD Director for Private Equity Funds investment, said: “We are excited to support SPE Capital, a key strategic partner to the EBRD in the southern and eastern Mediterranean region, in their next phase of development, through our investment in PEF III.

At this year's ITM in Istanbul where the majority of visitors came from Turkey, the Karl Mayer Group once again demonstrated it is a reliable partner for its customers, especially in difficult times. Nevertheless, the Karl Mayer Group trade fair team was able to report successes. for gauge conversions, were very well received," says Axel Wintermeyer, Vice President Care Solutions at the Karl Mayer Group. There were also a number of discussions about the performance of Karl Mayer multiaxial machines, especially with representatives from the wind power industry. Karl Mayer has a particularly interesting composite machine for them in the product range with the new Max Glass Eco, which is optimized in terms of price-performance ratio.