EU mobilises €82.5 million to strengthen cooperation with Africa in digital and space technology
The EU has announced today €82.5 million for six new projects under the Pan-African Programme to strengthen its cooperation with Africa in multiple sectors, including sustainable resource management, regional integration and trade, air transport and digitalisation.
Many of the new projects share the innovative use of digital technologies or space applications, such as satellite imagery, to contribute to sustainable economic growth and climate action in Africa.
Jutta Urpilainen, Commissioner for International Partnerships, said: “We are scaling up our long-standing partnership with Africa with a boost to the Pan-African Programme. The versatile use of satellite technology not only contributes to building resilient ecosystems and maintaining sustainable land use, but also safer air transport. Together with our African partners, we are harnessing digital technologies to prioritise the climate and sustainable economic growth.”
A trip through 2020: How Africa-Europe relations played out
Like us, you probably can’t wait for 2020 to be over. It’s been an intense year full of plot twists that have definitely left their mark on how the world goes round – Africa-Europe relations included. If you dare to relive 2020, join us on a journey from January to December to see what the year brought for the relationship between both continents, and what we had to say about it.
South Africa To Close All Land Borders Until Mid-Feb
Topline: In yet another “family meeting”, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Monday evening that the country would stay on alert level 3. In addition to regulations put in place, the South African government has chosen to close all 20 land ports of entry.
Key Facts.
- Land ports of entry will be closed until February, 15 for general entry and departure. These will include the six busiest border posts; Beitbridge, Lebombo, Maseru Bridge, Oshoek, Ficksburg, and Kopfontein.
- This decision has been made as a way to reduce congestion and the high risk of transmission as South Africa has reported nearly 190, 000 Covid-19 cases since the start of 2021. The country has also recorded more than 4,600 Covid-related deaths so far this year.
- Alcohol sales are still not permitted, however, curfew times have changed slightly from 9 pm to 6 am to 9 pm to 5 am.
China-Africa trade falls 10 per cent on pandemic, commodities slump
- Chinese customs data shows exports to the continent edged up 0.6 per cent in first 11 months, but imports from Africa plunged 23 per cent
- Analysts say it was driven down by China’s reduced buying of raw materials and lower prices of key commodities such as oil and copper
Food security, agriculture, AfCTA, crucial for Africa’s post-COVID-19 recovery - African Economic Conference
“The agriculture sector is among the most vulnerable. Agriculture is important not only for food security issues but also for inter-regional food integration,” African Development Bank Director of Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research, Hanan Morsy, said during a news conference on the opening day of the African Economic Conference 2020.
“We see this as an area that needs particular support, an area of opportunity going forward to increase inter-regional integration and to increase resilience against external shocks,” Morsy noted.
The African Development Bank has provided much-needed financial and technical assistance to the sector, including small scale agribusinesses. In June 2020, the Bank launched the Feed Africa Response to COVID-19 (FAREC), a strategic roadmap to safeguard food security against the pandemic's impact by supporting agriculture and creating regional food self-sufficiency.
The three-day annual conference, which opened Tuesday was hosted virtually. It is being organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), under the theme, “Africa beyond COVID-19: Accelerating towards inclusive sustainable development.”
Leave No One Behind - Fostering Digital Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Africa
How can people in Africa acquire the skills to digitize work and help diversify and grow economies?
This was one of the main questions posed at an online colloquium on Digital Technical and Vocational Education and Training (DTVET) co-organized by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and Festo Didactic on November 26.
Digital learning tools will be key to unlocking the potential of African youths, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, participants heard. But learners and teachers need support from the private sector and development partners.
Over 200 participants discussed innovative solutions to support DTVET in Africa. They included representatives from several African countries - Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Rwanda, and Tunisia. Regional and international development partners also joined the discussion, such as the African Development Bank, the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, and German government development agency GIZ, as well as civil society and private sector representatives.
Fears of Desert Locust resurgence in Horn of Africa
The Desert Locust crisis which struck the greater Horn of Africa region earlier this year threatening food supplies for millions, could re-escalate as recent strong winds carried mature swarmlets from southern Somalia into eastern and northeastern Kenya, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Tuesday.
Although some of the swarmlets that reached Kenya may have already laid eggs before their arrival, there remains a risk of further egg-laying in sandy areas that saw recent rainfalls, according to FAO.
“In this case, hatching and hopper band formation can be expected in early December,” said the agency.
Breeding also continues in central Somalia and eastern Ethiopia where bands of hoppers – non-flying, nymphal stage locust – are present, and a new generation of immature swarms could start forming by the end of November.
Cyril Ramaphosa handled COVID-19 well, but more could have been done on governance, security and violent extremism.
South Africa is set to conclude its one-year tenure as African Union (AU) chair at the next AU summit in February 2021. Like for many, its plans for the AU, which included silencing the guns, women’s financial inclusion and championing infrastructure development, were largely derailed by COVID-19.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leadership and inclusive approach to handling COVID-19 on the continent have been widely acknowledged. ‘Everyone is grateful that Ramaphosa was the one chairing the AU during the pandemic,’ a high-ranking AU official told ISS Today.
Ramaphosa appointed several committees and special envoys to deal with the health and economic fallout of the pandemic. There were at least seven virtual meetings of the AU bureau, with each region of Africa represented. At the most recent gathering last week, Ramaphosa launched the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team to ensure African countries have access to a future vaccine, for which around US$13 billion must be raised.
Africa: As AU Chair, South Africa's Leadership Fell Short in Key Areas
South Africa is set to conclude its one-year tenure as African Union (AU) chair at the next AU summit in February 2021. Like for many, its plans for the AU, which included silencing the guns, women's financial inclusion and championing infrastructure development, were largely derailed by COVID-19.
President Cyril Ramaphosa's leadership and inclusive approach to handling COVID-19 on the continent have been widely acknowledged. 'Everyone is grateful that Ramaphosa was the one chairing the AU during the pandemic,' a high-ranking AU official told ISS Today.
Ramaphosa appointed several committees and special envoys to deal with the health and economic fallout of the pandemic. There were at least seven virtual meetings of the AU bureau, with each region of Africa represented. At the most recent gathering last week, Ramaphosa launched the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team to ensure African countries have access to a future vaccine, for which around US$13 billion must be raised.
Cameroun : Société Générale et la BEI s’associent pour financer le développement des PME et débloquent une ligne de crédit dédiée de près de 10 Milliards de Francs CFA
- Lancé en présence du Ministre Camerounais des PME, ce projet permettra à des centaines de PME de bénéficier de cette facilité pour financer leur développement,
- Cette ligne de crédit permettra de financer des investissements ou des besoins en fonds de roulement dans des conditions de décaissement plus souples,
Société Générale et la Banque européenne d’investissement (BEI) annoncent aujourd’hui la signature d’un partenariat en faveur du développement de l’économie camerounaise. Ce financement destiné à aider le secteur privé s’inscrit dans le cadre de l’appui de plus grande ampleur apporté par la BEI en vue de favoriser le développement des PME et de renforcer leur résilience en Afrique et dans le monde entier face aux difficultés économiques, sociales et sanitaires, notamment la pandémie COVID 19.
L’initiative régionale a été officiellement lancée lors d’une cérémonie organisée à Douala en présence d’Achille Bassilekin III, Ministre des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises, de l’Economie Sociale et de l’Artisanat du Cameroun, de Marème Mbaye Ndiaye, Directrice Générale de Société Générale Cameroun, et de Nikolaos Milianitis, Chef de la Représentation de la BEI en Afrique centrale.