The Anglo American AAL.Lunit said in a statement that it is embarking on a restructuring that could affect about 3,700 jobs at its South African operations as it battles to keep the lid on costs amid falling platinum-group metals prices. The miner is also reviewing contracts with 620 service providers, Amplats said.

Nearly all Morocco’s trains are operating using green energy, the country’s National Railway Office (ONCF) announced recently. The office said in a statement that 90% of its train fleet is now powered by green energy. This is in line with the national energy strategy which places renewable energy sources at the heart of the Morocco energy mix. From Our ArchivesMorocco invests into new high-speed rail infrastructureThe Al Boraq train started operating in Morocco in 2018 as the first high-speed railway system in Africa. The company will make driving cabs for regional and underground railway trains at the facility.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians Abroad considers that the selection of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, to assume the presidency of the African Union by his counterparts in North Africa, and the unanimous recommendation of this selection by the countries of the continent, are evidence of the recognition of His Excellency’s commitment to the unity and progress of Africa, as well as the success and dynamism of Mauritanian diplomacy. This statement was issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians Abroad on Saturday, a copy of which was received by the Mauritanian News Agency. The statement reads as follows:“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians Abroad views the selection of His Excellency the President of the Republic by his counterparts in North Africa to carry out this noble mission on their behalf, and the unanimous endorsement of this choice by the countries of the continent, as evidence of the recognition of the commitment of His Excellency the President of the Republic to the unity and progress of Africa, and of the success and dynamism of Mauritanian diplomacy, thanks to his vision and tireless efforts to strengthen the country’s position on the international stage. “The leadership of the African Union in this sensitive regional and international circumstance will enable His Excellency the President of the Republic to utilize his vast experience and remarkable wisdom, in close cooperation with his counterparts, the African Union Commission, and its various bodies, to promote cooperation, sustainable development, and peace in Africa, and to achieve the aspirations of our African peoples for a more prosperous, advanced, and secure future.”Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Mauritanian Embassy in Jakarta.

The report, based on a survey of over 600 women in the Mena region, indicates an opportunity to promote investment literacy among women in the Middle East. The expansion of women’s wealth in the Middle East raises further considerations and inquiries. Economic empowerment: The surge in growth signifies that women in the region are acquiring economic influence and achieving greater financial autonomy. This might encompass disparities in inheritance laws, restricted availability of financial education, and cultural norms that discourage women’s involvement in financial decision-making. The previous UBS research indicates that a 10 per cent gender pay gap can result in a 40 per cent gender wealth gap, which increases to 85 per cent for a 20 per cent gender pay gap.

Sending sea migrants back to Libya is unlawful. A ruling by Italy's top appeals court on Feb 1 upheld earlier decisions by two lower courts. The Court of Cassation also upheld the conviction of the captain of an Italian towboat, Asso 28, who in 2018 rescued 101 migrants from a rubber dinghy and returned them to Libya. The rescue which had pregnant women and children were among the migrants took place in international waters about 105 km off Libya, according to the court. The Libya to Italy crossing is one of the most-used sea migration routes in the world.

But observers see that Algerian diplomatic blunders are discouraging Sahel countries from engaging with Algiers. These announcements were met with no enthusiasm by Sahel countries where young leaders are taking their distances from the Algerian regime. Most Moroccan investments in Africa and the Sahel in particular are led by a vibrant private sector. Sahel countries are right to question how a country with such import restrictions would enter into a free trade agreement? Before trying to compete with Morocco economically in the Sahel, Algeria should have launched reforms to diversify its economy and improve the competitiveness of its small private sector.

Head of the Moroccan government Aziz Akhannouch said his cabinet needed a reshuffle as the government assesses its mid-term achievement. Speaking to his RNI party members at a rally, Akhannouch defended his cabinet saying he ensures “to guarantee harmony and cohesion within the government’s majority.”The specter of the change of PAM leadership hovered around the meeting. PAM elected a trio led by current housing minister Fatima Zahra Mansouri to lead the party succeeding to justice minister Abdellatif Ouahbi. Government’s spokesman has earlier denied the accusations saying cabinet members were responding to MPs questions. At mid-term, Akhannouch government faces a series of challenges notably drought and social demands by different sectors calling for wage hikes.

During Kaspersky’s 9th annual Cyber Security Weekend – META 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, experts delved into the changing cyberthreat landscape in the region. Kaspersky’s Cyber Immunity approach was highlighted as a strategy to develop solutions that are highly resistant to compromise, thereby minimizing potential vulnerabilities. In Africa, Kaspersky’s telemetry revealed a 29% decrease in overall cyberthreats in South Africa in 2023 compared to 2022. Nigeria experienced a 10% decrease in overall threats but witnessed an 8% increase in banking malware attacks aimed at stealing online banking credentials. Amin Hasbini, Director of META Research Center Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) at Kaspersky, remarked on the evolving cybersecurity landscape and the increasing diversity and sophistication of cyber threats.

by MTHULISI SIBANDAJOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – THE Madagascan-founded firm, SmartOne, is establishing its presence in North America. This follows the acquisition of Nadeau Innovations, a consultancy in artificial intelligence/ machine learning, robotics and emerging technologies. “Joining forces with SmartOne is a natural progression for Nadeau Innovations,” said Nadeau. A family business and a pioneer in the field of data labeling for AI, SmartOne was founded in 2012. “SmartOne’s acquisition of Nadeau Innovations marks a new chapter in our journey to drive positive and impactful AI advancements,” said Shahysta Hassim, CEO of SmartOne.

This year’s Africa’s Green Economy Summit will feature a water track, highlighting the important role well-planned water infrastructure plays in climate adaptation and mitigation and the dearth of investment in this space. Hellen Njoki Wanjohi-Opil, Resilience Africa Cities Lead (Cities Programme) at the World Resources Institute, will participate this week in a session on Water Resilience in African Cities at Africa’s Green Economy Summit. Join ESI Africa at Africa's Green Economy Summit this week, 21 to 23 February, at the Canal Walk Conference CentreHellen Njoki Wanjohi-Opil. Innovation in green economy investment opportunities in AfricaAddressing water resilience can lead to job creation in Africa’s green economy“The WRI is really excited to be moderating a session on water resilience in African cities at the upcoming Africa’s Green Economy Summit. Green projects to present investment pipeline of over $1bn at Africa’s Green Economy SummitThe full programme for AGES is available online.

Iran’s involvement in the regional conflict hinders its economic growth efforts, further reduces the value of the Iranian rial, and decreases government income. On February 15th, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) released a report on the Global Economic Fallout of a Regional War. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has underscored the adverse economic impact of Iran's participation in the Gaza conflict on local and regional businesses. The IMF cautions that if the Gaza conflict escalates, Yemen's economy could shrink by up to 8% in 2024, while Iran and Lebanon might face GDP declines of 5% and 20%, respectively. Furthermore, the potential for trade disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz looms if Iran becomes directly involved in the Gaza conflict.

Hence, businesses must deploy data protection measures capable of shielding both their assets and data repositories. Data protection tools devoid of built-in cyber resilience risk compromising data integrity and safety during backup procedures. Restoration of affected data from backups containing dormant malware only perpetuates the cycle, necessitating verification of data integrity before recovery or transfer. In today’s business realm, data serves as the lifeblood of enterprises, underscoring the need for robust data security measures to ensure business continuity. Enterprises must proactively safeguard their data and leverage available tools to uphold data integrity, reassuring both internal stakeholders and customers.

Sub-Saharan Africa’s investment in renewable energy needs to be boosted five-fold to meet the commitment of increasing global clean energy capacity to 11,500 gigawatts by 2030, according to a recent study. At COP28, governments reached a consensus to triple global renewable energy installations by 2030, to cap global warming at 1.5°C. But for Sub-Saharan Africa to play its part in achieving this target, investments must increase from $20 billion in 2023 to $100 billion annually by 2030, as outlined by Climate Analytics. The report has also found that Sub-Saharan Africa scales relatively quickly at 6.6x due to low levels of existing renewable capacity and high energy access needs. But it cautions that achieving such a rapid renewables rollout in Sub-Saharan Africa would require significantly upscaled international climate finance.

OpenAI, the company renowned for the innovative chatbot ChatGPT, has introduced a new tool named Sora, capable of generating hyper-realistic videos based on text commands. Sora is an AI model designed to bring to life vivid and imaginative scenes from simple text instructions. Sora represents the latest advancement in generative artificial intelligence from OpenAI, following the success of the widely used image-generation AI model Dall-E. Furthermore, Sora integrates with the large-scale language model ChatGPT to comprehend natural language and generate diverse and relevant content. Ultimately, OpenAI envisions Sora as a tool that inspires and empowers people to create captivating videos that enrich the world.

The state, reluctant to allow the exchange rate to adjust fully, has proven incapable of limiting demand among the population as confidence in the dinar remains low. The widening parallel exchange rate underscores how every day Algerians have lost buying power as the government has juggled competing priorities, trying to combat inflation and maintain state spending, subsidies, and price controls that keep people afloat. In the oil-rich North African nation, business owners are rumored to be dumping their assets and scrounging up euros on the black market so their wealth isn’t stuck. Middle-class people also rely on euros and dollars to buy things in short supply like medicine, vehicle parts, or certain foods. Last week, the official exchange rate allowed one euro to be sold for 145 Algerian dinar, while on the same day, currency traders were selling one euro for nearly 241 dinars on the black market — 66% higher than the official exchange rate.