Ten companies, five of which are from Africa, have been selected for Startup Boost, a global programme for social impact startups run by Sweden-based tech consulting company tretton37. Startup Boost, introduced in the latter part of 2023, offers pro bono help for startups that are looking to make an impact and challenge the world. Almost 50 applicants were selected for the programme, with 10 now picked – five from Africa. The selected startups will be provided free support in areas such as programming, design, and strategy, based around their specific needs. We’re excited to support the ten startups that were chosen and together make a positive impact in the world,” said Deniz Yildirim, CEO of tretton37.

In 2017, Senegalese troops led the West African mission sent to neighbouring The Gambia to force out long-time ruler Yahya Jammeh after he refused to accept he had lost an election. And in a region beset by coups, President Sall has been a key actor in the push by Ecowas to force military leaders to conduct elections and hand over power to civilians.

Archaeologists in Morocco have unearthed more than 80 human footprints dating back around 100,000 years and believed to be the oldest in North Africa. The footprints, probably left by five Homo sapiens, including children, were discovered on the coast of Larache, a city 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of Tangier, by archaeologists from Morocco, Spain, France, and Germany. "This group (of Homo sapiens) was crossing the beach towards the sea, probably in search of food and shellfish," Anass Sedrati, curator at the archaeological site of Lixus Larache, told AFP. The researchers, whose study was published in scientific journal Nature in January, said the footprints were some of the world's best-preserved human traces and the oldest in North Africa and the southern Mediterranean. "It would be interesting then to follow this erosion and uncover new traces that would provide more details on Homo sapiens who lived along this coast."

Morocco has sent a strong rebuking message to South Africa for its malicious and disruptive meddling in the Sahara issue and the UN-led political process. “South Africa was and will remain a marginal actor in the Moroccan Sahara issue and a dissonant voice, without any influence or weight,” said Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita at a press conference held Tuesday in Rabat. Bourita’s comments show Morocco’s firm standing regarding its territorial integrity and its reprobation of the talks held last week in Pretoria by UN Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura. But the Algerian regime, which funds, arms and shelters the Polisario armed militias, continues to refuse to take part in a new round of round-table talks with impunity. Half of the Southern African Development Community members have pulled out their recognition to the self-proclaimed SADR, while a third of them opened consulates in Dakhla and Laayoune.

In 2023, solar PV module prices declined by almost 50%. The IEA posits that renewable energy will surpass coal-fired power as the world’s largest source of electricity generation in 2025. Renewable energy capacity surging globally, but not enough yetPower Pools to aggregate demand for African electricityDlamini sees regional power pools as the offtakers of potential energy, rather than individual countries. “The South African Power Pool is the most advanced and connected power pool on the continent. To support local manufacturing of solar and battery energy storage, Africa must add gigawatts of renewable energy and batteries, year after year.

Home News ALBIS ALBISALBIS Distributor signs deal to market Röhm's Plexiglas, Pleximid compounds Röhm (Darmstadt; Albis (Hamburg;German chemicals producer(Darmstadt; www.roehm.com ) said it has appointed compatriot distributor(Hamburg; www.albis.com ) to market its Plexiglas and Pleximid moulding compounds in Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. Röhm Plexiglas: now available in Turkey and North Africa through Albis (Photo: Röhm)The distribution arrangement started on 1 February 2024, Röhm said. 07.02.2024 Plasteurope.com [254595-0] Published on 07.02.2024© 2001-2024 by Plasteurope.com, Bad HomburgDate of print: 07.02.2024 22:06:19 (Ref: 461179097)Text and images are subject to copyright and other laws for protection of intellectual property. Any duplication or distribution in any media as a whole or in parts requires prior written approval by Plasteurope. URL: http://www.plasteurope.com/news/detail.asp

Moreover, the largest age-standardised incidence rates were observed in Iran and Turkey, with only Egypt displaying a decline in the age-standardised point prevalence. Previous research by Xue and colleagues found that atopic dermatitis accounted for a larger burden than contact dermatitis and seborrheic dermatitis [16]. Females exhibited higher incidence rates across most age categories, while men displayed much higher incidence rates in the 1 to 24 age groups. In line with previous research, atopic dermatitis constituted the primary contributor to the dermatitis burden. There was a peak in the age-standardised point prevalence of dermatitis in the 10–14 age group for seborrheic dermatitis.

South Africa's chances of fighting back in the second ODI have been boosted with the inclusion of Marizanne Kapp as the Proteas make two changesMarizanne Kapp has been cleared to play in South Africa's must-win second ODI against Australia, while Australia are bowling first after winning the toss at North Sydney Oval. But the Proteas did make two changes to their XI, handing an ODI debut to 19-year-old quick Ayanda Hlubi, with 21-year-old speedster Eliz Mari Marx, who debuted against Bangladesh in December, the other inclusion. Marizanne Kapp proves her fitness ahead of the second ODI // cricket.com.auThe Proteas trail 6-2 in the points-based, multi-format series and need to claim their first ever win over the Aussies in an ODI to keep their hopes of bouncing back to claim an outright win alive. Australia named an unchanged XI from that one that romped to an eight-wicket win at Adelaide Oval in the first 50-over game on Saturday. South Africa have never beaten Australia in an ODI, with their closest result a tied match in Coffs Harbour in 2016.

VFS GlobalNews SummaryVFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions, significantly added to its business footprint in 2023. Building on its trusted partnership, the company won seven global contracts from the governments of the UK, Australia, Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Iceland, and Austria. Among the most significant wins of 2023 was being awarded a global contract for UK visas and citizenship services.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) Regional Consultative Group for the Middle East and North Africa (RCG MENA) met today in Riyadh. The group discussed global and regional financial stability vulnerabilities, including financial risks arising from the higher interest-rate environment and vulnerabilities in non-bank financial intermediation. A key focus for the FSB is the effective implementation of its global regulatory and supervisory framework for crypto-asset activities and markets. Members discussed the joint IMF-FSB roadmap to ensure effective, flexible, and coordinated implementation of the comprehensive policy response for crypto-assets, including of the FSB framework. A key focus for the FSB is the effective implementation of its global regulatory and supervisory framework for crypto-asset activities and markets.

A third consecutive year of drought conditions could push Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia to increase their wheat imports again in 2024/25 to meet demand and bolster wheat stocks. Wheat imports to the area rose in 2023/24 to the highest level in seven years amid record-setting drought. View this Gro display showing wheat production and imports for Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. With soil moisture in Algeria’s wheat-growing regions currently at the lowest level for this time of year since at least 2010, the country’s wheat imports will likely remain elevated in 2024/25. Tunisia also saw its 2023/24 wheat imports increase from the year before as production dropped and its wheat stocks fell to the lowest level in over 10 years.

Under the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement, fragmented regulatory systems will be harmonised and intra-African trade in medicines and pharmaceuticals is set to grow. According to the World Economic Forum’s AfCFTA: A New Era for Global Business and Investment in Africa report, companies like Novartis are already taking notice of the growing opportunities African pharmaceuticals present. Any growth in the packaged medicines industry on the continent will not only be good for business — it will save lives. These go beyond packaged medicines to include building quality healthcare infrastructure and increasing capacity for vaccine manufacturing. Novartis is just one example of the immense investing potential in pharmaceuticals across Africa, and its strategy provides a blueprint for how to interpret and translate the AfCFTA’s impact on the sector into company-specific actions.

It is a significant move of Cosco Shipping Lines to provide services for Belt and Road initiatives and a step forward on expanding business in North and West Africa region, commented the commented. "With the opening of Cosco Shipping Lines (Morocco) in Casablanca, we are delighted to make a clear commitment to the importance of North Africa in trade with Europe and the world, as we continue to pursue our mission to serving the global trade and local societies together,” said Wang Mingfeng, President of Cosco Shipping (Europe). Related: Cosco Shipping acquires Italian logistics player TrasgoThere is a huge potential for Morocco and our customers to grow together in the next couple of years, as North Africa, and Morocco in particular, will be a key focus for our global coverage by our liner services,"Headquartered in Shanghai, Cosco Shipping Lines runs nine overseas branches in Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, West Asia, South America, Australia, Japan, Korea and Africa respectively. By the end of December 2023, Cosco Shipping Lines owned and operated 381 container vessels with a total capacity of approximately 2.1 million teu. Related: China Cosco’s Chen takes over helm at OOIL

Meanwhile, Taiwan saw a decrease of 8.9% from 20.8 million metric tons to 18.9 million metric tons. Meanwhile, the country currently at war with Russia, Ukraine, produced just 6.23 million metric tons, off 0.6% year on year from 6.26 million metric tons. The reported figures were 35.4 million metric tons, down from 36.8 million metric tons in 2022. The United Kingdom, which officially left the European Union in 2020, recorded a 6.5% decrease to 5.57 million metric tons from 5.96 million metric tons. Worldsteel notes the continent produced a total of 41.5 million metric tons, down from over 44 million tons.

Nigerian startup Feegor is a B2B wholesale marketplace optimising product-sourcing end-to-end for SMEs across Africa, with Nigeria as its initial focus. Founded last year, Feegor enables retail businesses to discover, negotiate, and source goods directly from a vast network of manufacturers, wholesalers, and major suppliers nationwide. “Our focus is on the small to medium scale manufacturers and the major suppliers across local market regions,” Lucy Mbuthia, co-founder and COO of Feegor, told Disrupt Africa. Unlike businesses seeking manufacturers or suppliers in China, which commonly turn to Alibaba, Nigerian SMEs must navigate a fragmented landscape. “Last year was a challenging year for fundraising, and to build and scale Feegor we need to raise funds from VCs.