AFRICA

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Tugende, the innovative fintech platform for MSME credit and asset-financing in East Africa, closed in Q2 pre-Series B equity funding  from existing shareholders led by Partech and two new investors, including Women’s World Banking. The new investors add to the diversity of Tugende’s shareholding …

Africa startups have defied a slump in global venture capital funding, raking in a record US$ 4 billion in the nine months ending September, just US$ 500 million short of surpassing its total 2021 haul SPECIAL FEATURE | BIRD STORY AGENCY | Africa’s VC scene remained resilient in spite of …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua |  Affected by foreign investors’ flight in the wake of rate hikes in the United States, the Nairobi Securities Exchange has returned to lows last seen at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, reported the Kenya-based newspaper Business Daily. The U.S. Federal Reserve benchmark …

Khartoum, Sudan | Xinhua | A tripartite mechanism tasked with facilitating intra-Sudanese dialogue announced on Monday that they are getting closer to a satisfactory settlement for Sudan’s political impasse. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, met here on Monday with representatives of the tripartite mechanism, which …

Kigali, Rwanda | Xinhua | Cases of mental health disorders have increased in Rwanda since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Health said Monday. At least 7,817 patients consulted for depression at Ndera Neuro-Psychiatric Teaching Hospital from January to August, higher than 1,743 that were recorded last year, …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | Kenya’s foreign exchange reserves declined by 12.5 billion shillings (about 103 million U.S. dollars) this week to hit a five-year low as the shilling fell to the lowest level in history against the dollar, the Central Bank of Kenya said in its weekly update of …

Algiers, Algeria | Xinhua | French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne arrived on Sunday in Algiers for a two-day visit to boost cooperation with Algeria. Leading a delegation of 16 senior officials, she held talks with her Algerian counterpart Ayman Benabderrahmane and laid a wreath of flowers before the Martyrs’ Memorial …

For couples in Africa who are unable to have children, surrogacy has been a little-publicised option. Nigerian Toyin Lolu Ogunmade is changing that SPECIAL FEATURE | BIRD NEWS AGENCY | For many couples, especially newlyweds, the birth of a baby not only spices up their lives but also brings a …

Accra, Ghana | Xinhua | The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) secretariat based in Accra, the capital of Ghana, late Friday launched a guided trade initiative for seven member countries. The seven countries which have signaled their readiness to start trading under AfCFTA were Tanzania, Mauritania, Kenya, Egypt, Cameroon, Rwanda, …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | Xinhua | The 10th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition (EAPCE) is expected to attract more than 1,000 participants from across the world, the East African Community (EAC) said in a statement Friday. The EAC statement issued by its headquarters in Tanzania’s northern city of Arusha …