The ICD of the Private Sector and the BCEAO announced an agreement Monday that will support financing for small and medium businesses in the West African Economic and Monetary Union. ICD will help create a Sharia-compliant investment fund capitalized at up to $30 million, with the goal of attracting additional investment and growing the fund as large as $100 million. Read More »

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria Paul Arkwright concluded his first trip to Kano State Thursday. Arkwright met with numerous leaders, including Executive Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and Kano Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II. Among the topics discussed were U.K. involvement in Kano State and northern Nigeria, the Nigerian economy and work being done in the state by the U.K. DFID. Read More »

West African Resources Limited recently released the results of RC drilling at its M3 prospect in Burkina Faso. While previous drilling has extended shallow oxide gold mineralization at the M3 eastern zone, follow-up drilling has confirmed gold mineralization in the area. Oxide mineralization from M1 and M3 are expected to continue to show similar metallurgical characteristics. Read More »

The African Union (AU) Commission will host a luncheon Sunday to honor all who helped end the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The event will recognize the roles that different stakeholders played in defeating the epidemic centered around the West African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. These stakeholders included the governments and citizens of the affected nations. Read More »

IMF Deputy Managing Director Min Zhu landed in Botswana Monday to attend regional conferences. While in Botswana, Zhu will deliver a keynote speech at a conference in Gaborone focused on the challenges small- and- middle-income countries are facing in sub-Saharan Africa. Zhu will meet with President Ian Khama and officials. Zhu will also deliver a keynote speech in Ghana. Read More »

President Barack Obama's Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA) launched a mission to gather facts on commercial opportunities and challenges in Nigeria and Rwanda. Members of the council, which is chaired by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, are traveling to the African countries to enhance economic engagement between the United States and Africa. Read More »

Multi-platform production and distribution company Natcom entered into a deal with MK Productions Wednesday to provide major mobile operators in Africa access to its healthy living content. Consumers throughout the continent, including those in Nigeria, will be able to watch short-form videos on numerous health-related topics, including fitness, nutrition and wellness. Read More »

The AUC and Oxfam International started its annual two-day training workshop Monday to focus on providing an in-depth understanding of the African Union. Jointly organized by the Department of Communication and Information of the AUC and the Oxfam International Liaison Office, the workshop was created to educate representatives from the media and CSOs on the structures of the AU. Read More »

Ban Ki-moon, secretary general of the United Nations, met with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari Jan. 18. Read More »

Looking to develop accelerated growth in high-potential and emerging markets, telecom group Orange sought legal advice from Dechert LLP on purchasing all shares of Airtel's subsidiaries in Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso recently. Read More »

Senegalese musician Akon and partners Samba Bathily and Thione Niang's initiative, Akon Lighting Africa, will be introduced at the Powering Africa Summit in Washington, D.C., next week by Solektra International. The summit was organized by EnergyNet. Akon Lighting Africa's roll out highlights the importance of community engagement and how traffic volume delivers financial success. Read More »

The ALSF training on PPP in infrastructure projects ended Friday. The training started Monday in Marseille, France, and included PPP infrastructure experts from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, Togo, Congo, Mauritania and Nigeria. The training program, presented by the ALSF's Nomadic PPP, dealt with institutional, legal, contractual and financial aspects of PPPs. Read More »

Recent drilling at the M1 prospect in Burkina Faso has found high grade gold mineralization. West African Resources Ltd. announced the results of RC drilling at its M1 prospect. The samples show the existence of a continuous shallow gold field in an area more than 218 yards long, longer than two football fields. The M1 prospect is part of the Tanlouka Gold Project in Burkina Faso. Read More »

A new survey revealed that the continent's burgeoning middle class is a key driver for the African economy. The Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index, which gives insight into perceptions in the logistics sector, classifies the top 45 emerging global markets annually, analyzing them by size, procedures and aspects that attract freight, cargo and other distributors. Read More »

Bill Gates, James Entwistle and Alhaji Aliko Dangote recently met with leaders from Kaduna, Sokoto, Yobe and Borno states in Abuja to keep Nigeria healthy through immunizations. With brand-new Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) re-affirmed among the multiple jurisdictions, Nigerian Health Minister I.F Adewole praised the states for committing to a serious investment in inoculation. Read More »

An ailing packaging trade, identified as disadvantageous to Sierra Leone's export industry and exacerbated by the Ebola crisis, stands to be revitalized by a consultation to rebuild the nation's economy. With the ultimate goal of helping to jump start existing SMEs, the gathering will examine ways to improve the quality of packaging in fields and create an action plan. Read More »

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the ADFD will provide $46 million in funding to support renewable energy projects in both Africa and the Caribbean. The concessional loans will be divided among four projects expected to reduce emissions, improve energy access and create jobs.The funds will be used for a 3.6 megawatt solar project in Burkina Faso. Read More »

Offshore West Africa Conference & Exhibition in collaboration with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) will host its technology event Tuesday to Thursday for the oil and gas industry at Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos, Nigeria. Celebrating its 20th anniversary as it prepares for the annual conference, Offshore West Africa continues to benefit from its long partnership with the UKTI. Read More »

Guinea is reactivating health screenings on their borders following a new Ebola case in Sierra Leone. The Ebola case was confirmed on Jan. 12. Guinea will also reinforce their surveillance in Forecariah Prefecture. Guinea's National Emergency Operations Center and the Ministry of Health have requested that the IOM institute health screenings at the Pamelap checkpoint. Read More »

Golden Star Resources recently filed a technical report on the positive results of a feasibility study commissioned for its Prestea mine in Ghana. The feasibility study was conducted to evaluate the possibility of a low-cost non-mechanized mining operation in the mine's underground deposits. Company officials said surface mining at Prestea began late last year. Read More »