ItsOn recently entered into an agreement with MTN Group to drive subscribers and revenue via its ItsOn cloud-based services. Africa's largest mobile operator MTN will launch ItsOn's technology beginning in South Africa, with expansion to other countries. ItsOn provides clients with a device application plus cloud service for e-commerce and payment methods and loyalty programs. Read More »

Nigeria-based Pan-African e-commerce website Jumia released an infographic Friday to highlight the past calendar year's "key facts and figures" for the nation. Significant sales data are displayed in a compact, easy-to-read format in addition to the company's customer engagement and its campaign to provide career opportunities and support emerging talent in every business sector. Read More »

Mali has entered into a global WTO Trade TFA Wednesday and ratified a 2005 amendment to the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Following multiple other nations, Mali counts as the 68th. When two-thirds of the entire WTO membership signs off on the agreement, it will replace an older version of the protocol. Read More »

The ALSF is partnering with Benin to improve the management of the country's mining sector in Dakar. ALSF officials will review sample mining contracts with representatives of various state ministries. As more international companies negotiate deals for harvesting Africa's natural resources, ALSF officials said they were holding the training to increase African's acumen. Read More »

A diverse group of individuals have been appointed to raise awareness about the newly adopted SDGs. Known as the SDG Advocates, the group will be responsible for promoting the sustainable development agenda. Among the 17 SDGs are ending hunger, reducing inequalities, advocating for responsible consumption and production and promoting health and well-being for all. Read More »

Malawi and Nigeria will soon be receiving power plants from the environmentally conscious Nocart Oy. Two solar-diesel hybrid plants, a 2 MW and a 4 MW will be delivered to Malawi and a 1 MW solar-sawdust plant will go to Nigeria. The contracts total 12.9 million euros or approximately $14 million. Nocart's green solutions provide renewable distributed energy to off-grid locations. Read More »

The terrorist attacks on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, which killed 30 and injured more than 56, did not harm any SEMAFO employees. SEMAFO announced Tuesday that its employees were not involved nor harmed in the tragic events at the Cappuccino Cafe and Splendid Hotel. The corporation added that it expressed its deepest sympathies to the victims. Read More »

Viber launched its latest social channel, Public Chats, Tuesday on the African continent. Viber users can have “public chats” or live discussions to like and share with their community. This feature offers a new social experience, entering into live conversations not just with family and friends, but also with celebrities, personalities, brands and organizations. Read More »

Cape Verde was recently awarded a grant in the amount of $930,000 by the African Development Bank-hosted SEFA to develop the world’s first wave-driven desalination system. Called Wave2O, the system will be located in Praia Grande, Cape Verde, and will operate completely “off-grid,” supplying more than 48,000 people with clean fresh water at a competitive cost. Read More »

Microsoft is teaming up with online education marketplace Udemy to increase youth employment in MENA. Under the agreement, young individuals in the MENA region will have access to Udemy's skills-based courses offered through a network of youth employability portals known as YouthWorks (or Ta3mal in the Arab world) led by Microsoft and regional social initiative Silatech. Read More »

Zoetic Global entered into a 20-year power purchase agreement with ECG to provide 100 megawatts of additive power generation at the nation's Akosombo Dam on Lake Volta. Zoetic Global deploys life-sustaining technology solutions in energy, water and food security worldwide. Its new project with ECG involves the deployment of several modular hydrokinetic turbines in Akosombo Dam. Read More »

Toga Gayewea McIntosh, vice president of ECOWAS Commission, declared ECOWAS the most dynamic regional economic community in Africa on Jan. 8. At the 35th meeting of the West Africa Monetary Zone (WAMZ) Convergence Council in Accra, McIntosh said the sub-region is a good reference point on economic growth, despite political, security, health and economic challenges. Read More »

The IFRC recently credited local volunteers in helping to bring about the end of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the end of Ebola virus transmission in Liberia Thursday. The other two countries, Sierra Leone and Guinea, affected by the virus from 2014 were declared free of the disease toward the end of last year. Read More »

Oluseyi Soremekun, national information officer for the UNIC in Lagos, recently asked Nigerian media outlets to back Africa's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Soremekun made an appearance this week on "Civil Society Weekly," a program on Radio One 103.5 FM, where he spoke on the subject. Soremekun pointed out that UNIC Lagos planned to translate the SDGs into four languages. Read More »

An American company recently purchased World Pension Summit and World Pension Summit Africa Special from Netherlands-based company Global Platform BV. The summits were acquired by Pensions & Investments, a Crain Communications publication and global media source for institutional investors. The events are geared toward retirement industry professionals from around the world. Read More »

COPL President and CEO Arthur Millholland purchased more than 1.1 million common shares of the company on Monday. Interests of COPL, an international oil and gas exploration and development company, are focused in West Africa. One of its major projects is Block LB-13, where it has a partnership with ExxonMobil in offshore Liberia and holds a 17 percent working interest. Read More »

A 31-hole drilling project was completed at the end of 2015 at the Siribaya gold mine in the West African nation of Mali. The mine is owned by Merrex. The completion of the Siribaya project was announced by Merrex President and CEO Greg Isenor. The Siribaya Gold Project is in West Mali and is comprised of approximately 700 square kilometers of exploration permits. Read More »

L'Occitane, a France-based beauty company that has backed women's leadership programs in West Africa for the last two decades, recently donated $120,000 to the Dress for Success initiative. Dress for Success assists women in attaining professional goals. L'Occitane Director Maddie Smith traveled to New York to present the Dress for Success donation to the program's CEO, Joi Gordon. Read More »

With backing from the nation's government, Ghana will have 35,000 trained teachers make their way into its classrooms through the T-TEL program. Over the next four years, the initiative will transform Ghana's 38 colleges of education into T-TEL Centers of Excellence. Funding for the program is also coming from the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID). Read More »

With support from the ICD, Ivory Coast's Ministry of Economy and Finance recently closed on a $244 million sukuk, a Sharia-compliant bond used as an alternative financing tool. The sukuk carries a five-year maturity and was subscribed by regional and international investors as well as retail investors from all eight West African Economic and Monetary Union member nations. Read More »