Benin: 10,000 Women Entrepreneurs Receive Business Development Support
WASHINGTON, January 15, 2026 - The World Bank approved $100 million in financing from the International Development Association (IDA) to help Benin promote access to finance and growth for women entrepreneurs in both the formal and informal sectors.
World Bank Scales Up Support to Cabo Verde’s Energy Transition and Universal Access
The World Bank today approved a $13.30 million concessional financing through the International Development Association (IDA) for Cabo Verde’s renewable Energy and Improved Utility Performance Project (REIUP). The operation is co-financed by a $1.2 million concessional loan and $0.41 million grant from the Canada Clean Energy and Forest Climate Facility (CCEFCF), as well as a $0.4 million reimbursable grant from the Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF).
The financing will support Cabo Verde to accelerate its clean energy transition and achieve universal access to electricity.
Generali and UNIDO partner to promote the sustainable development of coffee production in Africa
Milan, Italy, 12 January 2026 – Generali and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have today signed a joint declaration under the ACT Programme (Advancing Climate-Resilience and Transformation in African Coffee) to promote sustainable coffee production in Africa. The collaboration aims to strengthen international partnerships and technical cooperation to improve socio-economic conditions, enhance climate resilience, and support local value addition in key coffee-producing communities.
Agro-industrialization Offers Clear Path Toward Increased Economic Growth and Job-creation in Uganda
KAMPALA, December 24, 2025 — Uganda’s economic growth remains strong, with real gross domestic product (GDP) rising to 6.3% in FY2024/2025, up from 6.1% the previous year. A new World Bank report attributes this performance to recovery in household consumption, accelerated government spending, and continued investment growth.
EU’s €33 .3 MILLION CONTRIBUTION HELPS WFP REACH MILLIONS ACROSS WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA WITH LIFE SAVING ASSISTANCE
DAKAR, Senegal – Amid a deepening hunger crisis across West and Central Africa, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has reached over 3.3 million of the most vulnerable people in West and Central Africa with emergency food and nutrition assistance between June and September 2025, thanks to critical funding from the European Union’s (EU) Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.
Japan and WFP provide life-saving food assistance for refugees and returnees in Burundi
BUJUMBURA, Burundi – The World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of over US$625,000 (approximately BIF two billion) from the Government of Japan to provide life-saving food assistance for refugees fleeing the recent violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Burundians returning from refugee camps in Tanzania.
UNIDO joins the African Energy Efficiency Alliance
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 10–11 December – The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), through its Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Livelihoods (EELA) Programme, announces its membership in the African Energy Efficiency Alliance (AEEA).
Eastern and Southern Africa: Foreign investment surged to record highs
The region attracted a record $65 billion in foreign investment in 2024. To keep up the momentum, more efforts are needed for economic integration, diversification and resilience.
Bucking a global downturn in foreign direct investment (FDI), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, known by its acronym as COMESA, made remarkable progress.
A new report from UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) shows that in 2024, FDI inflows to the region’s 21 economies shot up by 154%, hitting an all-time high of $65 billion.
High-level Africa Investment Roundtable advances pathways for sustainable industrial development
Riyadh, 24 November 2025 – A High-Level Africa Investment Roundtable was held under the theme “Powering Africa’s Industrial Future: Strategic Investments and Partnerships for Agenda 2063 and the SDGs” on the margins of the 21st Session of the UNIDO General Conference. The Roundatable convened ministers and senior government officials from Burkina Faso, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo, alongside high-level representatives from the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank), West African Development Bank (BOAD), Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), OPEC Fund, World Bank, Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency (CCTTFA), and leading private-sector partners. The Roundtable focused on accelerating investment-ready industrial opportunities aligned with the AU Agenda 2063 and the AfCFTA.
Africa and Europe can shape a fairer global system
The UN Secretary-General says the world is shifting fast towards a multipolar system – where power is spread across several regions instead of concentrated in one or two.
But António Guterres warns this shift will not guarantee stability.
“Multipolarity alone is no guarantee of peace,” he said. Without strong cooperation, it can fuel rivalry rather than balance.