The United States Trade and Development Agency today awarded Senegal Minergy Port a grant to design, finance and build a new multi-commodity port in Bargny-Sendou. USTDA’s grant will fund a feasibility study to provide SMP with a proposed design, terminal layout and operational plan for the port. The study will also assess the port’s environmental and social impact. Read More »

AMI began operating a Beechcraft Corporation 1900C from James Spriggs Payne Airport in Monrovia, Liberia. The turboprop will provide general aviation and aero-medical evacuation services to West Africa, including Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Niger and Nigeria. It is able to support critical patients using advanced life support equipment. Read More »

Canadian Overseas Petroleum, Ltd (COPL) provided a positive update on its activities in offshore Liberia on Sept. 23.  COPL said its project which is mainly exploring the deep water Block LB-13 is on schedule for a well to be drilled in late 2016 in the 2nd Exploration Phase, with the primary goal of proving a commercial quantity of hydrocarbons in the Cretaceous Santonian-age reservoirs. Read More »

Sage West Africa recently said that a hard-line attitude to noncompliance by Nigerian federal and state tax authorities means that companies must get all their processes and paperwork in order to avoid tax troubles in the months to come. Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service announced in August it would crack down on tax evaders by conducting increased audits of companies. Read More »

Independent gas and oil explorer FAR, Ltd. announced Sept. 24 it has entered into a farm in option agreement with a subsidiary of Trace Atlantic Oil, Ltd. for the Djiffere block offshore Senegal. The Djiffere block is adjacent to FAR’s prospective Rufisque, Sangomar and Sangomar Deep (RSSD) blocks that contain significant SNE-1 and FAN-1 oil discoveries. Read More »

While hydropower has been the main source of electricity for Ghana, the urbanization of the country has led to the demand for better power options. New thermal and solar power plants are coming to Ghana after the demand finally gained massive investments in other sources of power from the country’s government. More than 1,800 megwatts from five emergent barges are expected soon. Read More »

The first edition of the new vegetarian magazine, Health Africa, was released this month in the Ghana market to spread information and positive feelings about vegetarianism. The magazine, which is written in both English and French, seeks to demystify individual perception and misconception about vegetarianism using a plant-based diet. The magazine is an 80-page publication. Read More »

Ghana recently was elected to serve on the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) during the 21st session of its General Assembly, which met in Medellin, Colombia this month. The General Assembly is considered the most important global meeting of tourism ministers, senior tourism officials and high-level private sector representatives. Read More »

Elenilto was chosen by the Togolese government to develop a $1.4 billion phosphate mining and fertilizer plant project in West Africa. Controlled by Isreali billionaire Jacob Engel, Elenilto is cooperating with Wengfu as its strategic partner. Wengfu is one of the leading international phosphate and fertilizer groups with vast experience in the industry in China and globally. Read More »

AGC Nigeria, a health care innovation startup, on Monday was named Startup of the Year at the Nigeriacom Entrepreneurs Hug held in Lagos, Nigeria. AGC Nigeria, a startup from Obafemi Awolowo University, was one of the scores of startups that vied for the critically acclaimed Pitch & Win event organized by Informa UK in collaboration with Wennovation Hub and Disrupt Africa. Read More »

U.S. Ambassador Robert Whitehead and Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Robert Dussey last week signed a bilateral Open Skies agreement, allowing any Togolese airline and any U.S. airline to fly to and from any points in Togo and the United States. The negotiations between the United States and Togo for the air transport agreement started in 2012. Read More »

Mauritania and China recently agreed to enhance their fishery activities, while also combating illegal, unreported and uncontrolled fishing activities, and upgrading outdated fishing vessels off the coast of western North Africa. Of all African nations, Mauritania has been the longest to conduct fisheries cooperation with China and hosts the most Chinese fishing boats. Read More »

Randgold Resources and AngloGold Ashanti made an investment agreement to reform and redevelop AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi gold mine in Ghana. The high-grade gold deposit at Obuasi has proven ore reserves. As part of the deal, Randgold will lead and fund a development plan to rebuild Obuasi as a viable long-life mining business with an attractive cost-structure and returns. Read More »

The Africa Islamic Finance Forum 2015 recently wrapped up its inaugural two-day event in the Ivory Coast. The two-day forum aimed to stimulate national and international market players to explore development opportunities in Islamic finance in African markets. Participants engaged on discussions on how to capitalize investment opportunities in strategic African markets. Read More »

Telecom services in Mali are forecast to generate $789 billion in revenue this year, according to a report posted by Hexa Research, Inc. on Sept. 22. Mobile voice will be the major contributor for revenue in the mobile service industry, and the growing adoption and usage of low-cost smartphones and value-added services will drive mobile data growth. Read More »

A group from the International Monetary Fund visited Dakar, Senegal earlier this month to discuss a three-year agreement under the Policy Support Instrument (PSI) approved in June. The PSI is a flexible tool allowing low-income countries that do not want -- or need -- financial assistance to still receive the IMF's advice and support without a borrowing arrangement.  Read More »

Digital payment and commerce provider Interswitch has announced a corporate rebrand to reflect its leading market position and continuing ambition to increase its delivery of world-class service across the African continent. The new bold-but-simple design captures the Interswitch brand’s personality, drive and values of integrity and trust, according to the company Read More »

East View Geospatial recently acquired the rights to sell Senegal’s nationally produced maps and data across the globe in digital and hard copy formats. The partnership covers a catalog of 687 products including topographic maps, digital elevation models, GIS/Vector data, nautical and aeronautical charts and geological and scientific maps in a variety of formats and scales. Read More »

Victor Boacharie Foh, vice president of the Republic of Sierra Leone, today concluded a six-day visit to Liberia where he was the guest speaker at the Cuttington University commencement convocation. Accompanying Foh was a 12-member delegation that included his wive, Jonta Memunatu Foh;  the Minister of Youth Alimamy Kamara; and Jengo Stevens, adviser to the vice president. Read More »

Rachid Benmessaoud has been named country director for Nigeria and coordinating director for the West Africa Regional Integration Program at The World Bank. Benmessaoud has been with World Bank since 1990, when he came on as an energy planner. The Morocco native has held various jobs with the company including operations adviser for India and country director for Pakistan. Read More »