Africa is richly blessed with a wealth of these critical minerals, and the increasing demand underscores the importance of responsible resource management. Where are the critical minerals in Africa? Malawi on taking full advantage of critical minerals mining in AfricaPlatinum Group Metals (PGMs) such as platinum, palladium and rhodium are used in hydrogen fuel cells as catalysts. As global demand for vital minerals rises, so will their ability to contribute to African resource holders’ economic progress. The new value chains in place would provide a significant opportunity for Africa to benefit from the global energy transformation.

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People walk past the new headquarters of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Canary Wharf, London, Britain, September 14, 2023. REUTERS/Alishia Abodunde/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Iraq has become the 74th member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the multilateral lender said on Thursday, while Ghana and Senegal have also applied to join. Iraq first submitted its request to join the bank in 2018, and its shareholder status enables it to apply to become a recipient economy, which would unlock EBRD finance and policy support. "When the time comes, we are looking forward to starting work in Iraq, applying our expertise to developing its economy," EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said in a statement. Renaud-Basso told Reuters that Senegal and Ghana had submitted applications to join the bank in the latest sign of its push into sub-Saharan Africa.

China is reportedly on track to control the ailing African Tazara railway connecting Tanzania and Zambia, originally funded by Mao Zedong’s government in the 1970s, despite geopolitical needling over control of mineral trade routes. Amid growing geopolitical tensions over the control of trading routes for critical minerals in Africa, China has chosen the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to negotiate a concession to operate the Tanzania-Zambia Railway line. Once upgraded, it will provide a key transport route for critical minerals used in the production of batteries for electric vehicles. They will also develop the Lobito transport corridor, which will connect inland southern DRC and northwest Zambia to regional and global trade markets via the Angolan port city. Washington is studying a US$250 million financing package to build a key transport corridor in southern Africa aimed at securing access to critical minerals like copper and cobalt used in electronics and batteries for electric vehicles.

When Ethiopia’s prime minister asserted on 13 October that gaining low-cost, permanent access to a Red Sea port is “an existential matter” for his landlocked country, his seeming imperial ambitions have left neighbors uneasy. “What I wanted to talk to you today is regarding water; regarding the Red Sea Water. We can see that only a narrow strip of land separates us from the sea. The comment has spawned resentment amongst Ethiopia’s neighbors, with Eritrea saying the commentary was “excessive and perplexing to all concerned observers,” according to a statement published by Eritrea’s Information Ministry. Ethiopia’s dreams of building a ‘great power’ in the region should worry all Africans, experts say.

Meanwhile, as an increasing number of countries are breaking or at least downgrading ties with Israel, further alienating the Global South — including Africa — is high on the US’ list of the many diplomatic risks Washington is facing amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza. “Meanwhile, amid both the Ukraine war and the crisis in Gaza, some Africans feel that the continent’s own conflicts and tragedies have been ignored, a dynamic that veteran observers have warned about as well,” Thurston argues. Unlike the more distant war in Ukraine, the situation of Palestine evokes numerous solidarities all across Africa: ethnic, religious, political, and more. Those solidarities are growing amid the present conflict, undoing some of Israel’s diplomatic gains and posing long-term challenges to Washington’s own diplomatic clout. To that end, Washington may thus find it increasingly difficult to convince African leaders and the public that the US represents a particular set of universal values, Thurston concludes.

TOMRA Food is a world leader in the manufacture of optical sorting and calibration machines for the food sector. In the citrus sector, TOMRA solutions are already being used in the US, Europe, Australia, South Africa, North Africa, South America, and Asia. Spectrim is the world's most powerful fresh produce calibration platform, featuring uniform lighting, powerful imaging, two infrared waves, and machine learning. The TOMRA 5S Advanced sorting platform is the system that handles the product in the most careful way within the industry. Another innovative technical solution is the TOMRA Insight cloud-based data platform, which turns the sorting machines into the sorting and packaging operations' digital epicenter.

Chinese scientists from the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS) have unveiled plans to enhance cassava cultivation in Africa, where cassava is a crucial source of food. The action plan aims to introduce new cassava varieties and advanced farming techniques to more than 500,000 hectares of land in African countries. According to Xie Jianghui, vice head of CATAS, the implementation of improved varieties and techniques is anticipated to increase cassava yields to over 17 tonnes per hectare. CATAS plans to collaborate with countries such as Nigeria, Mozambique, and the Republic of the Congo to develop better cassava varieties, enhance cultivation techniques, and advance mechanization on cassava farms. The initiative seeks to contribute to food security, improve agricultural practices, and boost the economies of the involved African nations.

Australia beats South Africa in thriller to set up Cricket World Cup final against India and Kohli Nov 16, 2023 | 10:52 AMKOLKATA, India (AP) — Australia will play Virat Kohli and India for the Cricket World Cup trophy after beating South Africa by three wickets in a semifinal thriller on Thursday. After restricting the South Africans to 212, Australia eked its way to 215-7 to win with 16 balls to spare in a tense atmosphere inside Eden Gardens. Australia will be bidding to win the 50-over World Cup for a record-extending sixth time, while host nation India is seeking a third title. The championship match is in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Researchers warn that a cyberespionage actor that targets government entities in the Middle East and North Africa and is generally aligned with Palestinian interests has changed its infection chain tactics three times in recent months. The group is known for targeting a very small number of organizations in every campaign to deliver a custom malware implant dubbed IronWind. In previous campaigns observed during 2021 and 2022, the group’s phishing emails contained links that took users through a redirect script that checked their IP address location. In new campaigns seen in July attackers included links in their emails that directed victims to download a malicious Microsoft PowerPoint add-in (PPAM) file from Dropbox. In October the group shifted delivery tactics again and included malicious RAR attachments instead of XLL, while the lure was changed to “Report and Recommendations of the 110th Session on the War on Gaza."

Fintech company Cellulant has obtained initial approval to operate as a Payment Service Provider and Payment Facilitator in Egypt. We are excited to successfully secure these licences and solidify our operations in Egypt, making our payment solutions accessible to the regional and global businesses operating in and getting into Egypt,” Ahmed Marwan, Cellulant’s General Manager for Egypt and North Africa, said. Customers are expanding their purchase methods, necessitating businesses to expand their payment methods to alternative and locally relevant ones. According to the company, it currently powers payments for over 2000 businesses, processing 20 million monthly transactions valued at about $1bn. CBK Grants Cellulant a Payment Service Authorization – Kenyan Wallstreet

Payments fintech company Cellulant has today announced that it has obtained the initial approval as a Payment Service Provider and Payment Facilitator in Egypt. By The NumbersAdding these licences strengthens Cellulant’s operations in Africa, where it has the most comprehensive payment infrastructure, integrating over 370 payment methods, operating in 35 markets with licences and physical offices in 19 countries. Customers are expanding their purchase methods, necessitating businesses to expand their payment methods to alternative and locally relevant ones. “More importantly, we’re committed to intensifying our efforts to provide reliable payment options for businesses in the region. We’re excited to successfully secure these licences and solidify our operations in Egypt, making our payment solutions accessible to the regional and global businesses operating in and getting into Egypt.

Representatives of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s main opposition parties began talks this week in Pretoria to decide on a potential joint candidate to challenge President Felix Tshisekedi in the December 20 general election. The electoral commission has approved a list of 25 candidates to face Tshisekedi who is seeking a second five-year term. Opposition candidates include Tshisekedi’s old rivals such as Martin Fayulu, a 66-year-old former oil executive who came second in the disputed 2018 presidential vote which he claimed to have won, and first-timers such as Congo’s renowned Nobel Peace Prize-winning gynaecologist Denis Mukwege. Moise Katumbi, the former governor of mineral-rich Katanga province and chairman of football club TP Mazembe is also in the running. SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

President Lazarus Chakwera has suspended with immediate effect all international travel involving himself and all government officials. He has also ordered all ministers currently outside the country to return home. Speaking in a televised address on Wednesday night, he also announced restrictions on local travel and reduction by half of fuel allocation to cabinet ministers and senior government officials. The measures will be in place until the end of the financial year in March 2024. The president asked the minister of finance to make provisions for a reasonable wage increase for all civil servants in the next budget review.