A program recently developed by the World Bank hopes to expand access to higher education for students in Benin. eLearning Benin allows students to access approximately 20 distance learning programs from universities around the world as an alternative to brick and mortar institutions within the country. The project was developed through the Youth Innovation Fund. Read More »

AIFS was held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex in New Delhi, India, and overseen by representatives from the African Union (AU) and the government of India, including Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, chairperson of the AU, and Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The event's keynote speaker was Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, chairperson of the African Union Commission. Read More »

True Gold Mining Inc. has begun open pit mining and grade control drilling at Karma Gold Mine near the city of Ouauigouya, Burkina Faso. True Gold estimates the Goulagou II deposit contains 273,000 leachable ounces of gold. The company expects to extract gold from the project during the first quarter of 2016. The total project is expected to last 11 1/2 years and is fully funded. Read More »

U.S. officials extended congratulations to Côte d’Ivoire for the nation's peaceful Oct. 25 election. Provisional results from Côte d’Ivoire’s Independent Electoral Commission showed that Alassane Ouattara scored a decisive victory in his bid for re-election as the nation's president. Kirby also spoke to the future, encouraging Ivorians to maintain auspicious relations. Read More »

Parcel delivery company DHL is working to increase its African presence by recruiting local business owners to act as DHL resellers. The 2015 A.T. Kearney 2015 Global Retail Development Index™ cited African nations Botswana, Nigeria and Angola as three of the top 30 developing countries for retail investment globally. DHL has 5,800 retail outlets throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Read More »

During the Main One/Microsoft Enterprise Seminar, representatives from the two software companies spoke about the need for data center co-location and enterprise cloud solutions for businesses Monday. The theme of the seminar was “Innovative Business Models.” Opeke pointed out that Tier III rated MDX-i has received the PCI DSS and ISO 9001 and 27001 certifications. Read More »

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) will provide $19 million of financing over five years to improve food security in São Tomé and Príncipe. More than two thirds of Africa's second smallest country live in poverty, and more than 20 percent don't have a secure food supply. The funding plans to train 16,000 farmers and 3,000 fishermen on producing and marketing their products. Read More »

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will hold the Development Minerals Programme Nov. 9 in Addis Ababa.Africa’s supply of dimension stones, industrial minerals and semi-precious stones may be the key to boosting the continent's economy by creating millions of jobs and spurring intra-Africa trade. It is estimated that 8 million workers currently hold jobs in this sector. Read More »

With President Alassane Ouattara recently winning re-election in the Cote d'Ivoire, the Secretary General's Office made a number of statements, lauding the country and organizations for helping to make the elections successful. It also thanked civil society organizations as well as the African Union and ECOWAS for the role they played in making the elections successful. Read More »

Amid growing violence in concession areas, Liberia's National Investment Commission (NIC) said Oct. 18 it will institute a new program to proactively prevent disputes between residents and foreign investors. The Free Prior Informed Consent Process will be required to obtain consent from Liberians living in an area of proposed development before NIC is allowed to open it to investors. Read More »

The AfDB welcomed 160 young entrepreneurs and techies from around West Africa to its headquarters in Abidjan Oct. 9 to 11 for its Innovation Weekend. A major focus of the meeting was to generate tech-based solutions in order to bring more women and young people into the workforce. Approximately 60 percent of unemployed people in Sub-Saharan Africa are between 15 to 24 years old. Read More »

Frost & Sullivan finds that Sub-Saharan Africa is primed for renewable energy investment. South Africa, Tanzania, Namibia, Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria and Ethiopia are all ripe for investment in grid-tied solar, wind, and geothermal projects. Frost & Sullivan cited International Finance Corporation's Scaling Solar Programme as an example of solutions addressing the funding gap. Read More »

Indian automotive manufacturer Mahindra announced recently that it was launching a number of new vehicles in partnership with Ghana-based Svani Limited. Read More »

Seasoned British diplomat Guy Warrington was recently named the British High Commissioner for Sierra Leone. Warrington has been working with the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 1986. The appointment to Sierra Leone will be his 10th foreign mission, with previous stints in Singapore, New York, Geneva, Seoul, Dubai and other locations around the world. Read More »

Telecommunications company Millicom will cash in its equity in Helios Towers Africa for 24 percent of the company's shares. Helios Towers Africa is one of the largest telecommunications towers companies in Africa. In 2010, a group of companies owned by HTA acquired 2,450 towers owned by Millicom who kept an equity stake in the towers that are now being traded in. Read More »

A permanent office of Export Development Canada was opened in Johannesburg Thursday. The export credit agency, which has to date put into motion more than $7.4 billion worth of business between African and Canadian companies over the past five years, is focusing its efforts in Ghana. EDC offers financing to sub-Saharan corporations, project owners and banks willing to doing business. Read More »

The African Union heads of state and government will host the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa Week from Nov. 12 to Nov. 17 in Abijan. Since the African Union launched PIDA, they are still working to fulfill the goals of the strategic initiative. PIDA Week will be observed to promote PIDA within the private sector as well as to bring awareness to PIDA's projects. Read More »

Organic Potash Corp. (OPC) will build multiple production facilities and change its funding practices as it works with strategic partners in major West African cocoa producing nations. Additionally, OPC's board announced the resignation of director Michael Galloro as well as the termination of the subscription agreements and financing contracts with three three Chinese companies. Read More »

Trade finance agency Export Development Canada (EDC) opened a permanent representation in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday. Over the past five years, EDC has brought more than $7.4 billion to African and Canadian businesses; $235 million of it in Nigeria. EDC extends financing to sub-Saharan corporations, project owners and banks that seek business with Canadian companies. Read More »

Bamboo Finance and agribusiness leader Louis Dreyfus Holding will establish and manage NISABA, a $50 million impact investment fund. The fund's focus will be on small- and- medium-sized agribusiness ventures in Sub-Saharan Africa. The $10 million needed to launch the fund will be provided by Louis Dreyfus Holding. The fund will be supported by a network of local expertise. Read More »