The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women has partnered with the ExxonMobil Foundation to develop the Road to Women’s Business Growth project. Women entrepreneurs face tough challenges in accessing financial services. The initiative plans to give women in Nigeria the financial tools they need to help them grow sustainable businesses. The initiative started in 2015. Read More »

As part of a three-segment strategy to provide farmers in Africa and the Middle East with a range of machines to fit their needs, Massey Ferguson recently unveiled the new MF 6700 series. Read More »

The Economic Community of West African States, the Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, the Coordinator of the UN Systems and the International Organisation of the Francophonie recently convened to discuss Niger's elections. During the meeting, the Heads of Missions attempted to persuade political figures to follow the rules. Read More »

800 Commerce Inc. recently completed its acquisition of West Africa-based Petrogres Co. Limited and all its subsidiaries and assets. Petrogres, founded in 2009, is an oil and LNG shipping company operating in the Marshall Islands, Greece and the United States. The company quickly became a majority player in West Africa with its four vessels pushing crude oil and oil product. Read More »

VAALCO Energy Inc. recently announced changes in its finances. VAALCO is an independent energy company. Much of its oil comes from Gabon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea -- all of which are located in West Africa. Though VAALCO's borrowing base had been set at $20.1 million in December 2015, that amount has since been redefined due to the decrease in oil prices. Read More »

In a recent agreement between the IDB and Mali, $44 million has been allocated to the Kabala Water Project.The funding will go toward the second phase of the project and will drastically improve the lives of individuals in the vicinity of Bamako by increasing access to drinking water from 60.25 percent in 2013 to 80 percent after 2020. These improvements are critical. Read More »

Preparations are underway for the upcoming fourth African-Arab Summit as well as the ninth senior officials meeting of the Coordination Committee of the Africa-Arab Partnership. Read More »

In an effort to speed up the adoption of the Draft Common African Position (CAP) on Habitat III, the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development recently gathered a group of experts and government representatives to discuss the draft. Read More »

Orange and Google announced a new partnership to offer mobile Internet access across all areas covered by Orange MEA footprint. With the combined strengths of Orange’s mobile network and Google’s mobile applications, the partnership will offer customers an all-inclusive digital communications package adapted to youth and others that desire the latest smartphone technology. Read More »

The first annual Southern Ghana Agribusiness Pre-Harvest Event, hosted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ghana Grains Council, was held to discuss agricultural issues in the region. The event was attended by a wide variety of people with interests in the agricultural business in Ghana, including farmers, agro input dealers and processors. Read More »

The African Leadership Academy (ALA) and the MasterCard Foundation are now accepting applications for the 2016 Anzisha Prize for African entrepreneurs younger than 22. Twelve finalists will be selected for the prize, with the grand prize winner earning $25,000, the first runner-up getting $15,000, the second runner-up receiving $12,500 and the others earning $2,500 each. Read More »

Delegates from the West African Health Organization (WAHO) and the Human and Social Development Department (OSHD) of the African Development Bank met Feb. 25 to discuss the Ebola epidemic and improve living conditions in Africa. The meeting was held at the bank's headquarters in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. Sunita Pitamber, acting director of OSHD, lauded the partnership. Read More »

Quantum Power recently selected Micoperi as the EPC contractor for its upcoming Tema liquefied natural gas facility in Ghana. Construction of the facility is set to begin in 2016. Upon completion, the facility will provide up to 2,000 MW of power generation. Quantum Power is working with Ghana's national gas aggregator the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation on this project. Read More »

Centurion Law Group has started a new pro bono initiative to help startups and small- to- medium-sized businesses. The Centurion Business Mentorship Program will offer legal and business advice, covering labor, tax and customs issues. The pilot program will begin in Cameroon. The program is designed for any entrepreneur desiring more knowledge about launching a successful company. Read More »

Mitsuhiro Furusawa discussed his visit and meeting with President Alassane Dramane Ouattara. Furusawa praised the country's increase in pro-poor spending and its changes in the distribution of cocoa and coffee revenue in order to change farmers' stakes. However, Furusawa noted that there were still high numbers of unemployment, poverty and inequality in the nation. Read More »

Global payment company Visa Inc. announced Tuesday that it is opening an office in Côte D'Ivoire. This expansion is part of Visa's strategy with the World Bank Group to provide universal financial access and electronic payment accounts to 500 million people by the end of 2020. Visa is working with several government representatives and local organizations to establish its new office. Read More »

SimbaPay recently expanded its African money transfer services to several European Union countries. The service allows Africans located in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain to instantly transfer money via an app with no charge to any mobile money wallet, merchant or bank account in Africa. SimbaPay plans to expand the service to six more countries by the end of March. Read More »

The African Development Bank recently hired Kevin Urama as its senior policy advisor on Inclusive and Green Growth. Urama's new responsibilities are to lead the bank's efforts in matters involving energy, climate change, natural resource management and agriculture. He will also aid the Senior Management Coordination Committee. Urama previously worked for Quantum Global. Read More »

The Economist will hold its 11th annual Nigeria Summit on March 7 and March 8 to discuss the business climate in Nigeria. The event will bring together a wide variety of business and government representatives and experts to discuss the global economy and Nigeria's economic future. It will include speakers, panel discussion, exhibitions, submissions from experts and more. Read More »

The first Oxford Business Forum Africa will soon hold sessions themed “Unreasonable Africa” to encourage people to discover unique solutions and opportunities on the continent. The goal of the forum is to encourage business people in Africa to act on their bold visions for the future. Africa is expected to be one of the greatest worldwide economic powers in the near future. Read More »