AFRICA

Stung by price pressure, some cab operators in Africa are pushing to electrify their fleets, while others adopt hybrid and LPG-powered versions SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Consumers love cheaper rides and there’s always a driver willing to take less per ride. To cushion themselves from losses, many taxi …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Xinhua |  Ethiopian Airlines eyes tapping the surging market in China via opening new flights, using Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, as a gateway to Africa, chief executive officer of Ethiopian Airlines Mesfin Tasew has said. “China is a very important market for Ethiopian Airlines. …

Khartoum, Sudan | Xinhua | Sudan’s state mining services company said its gold production has dropped to two tons amid the ongoing clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), compared to 18 tons in 2022. “The total gold produced by the corporate sectors …

Celebrated Burkinabé architect Francis Kéré has won the 2023 Praemium Imperiale prize, compounding his meteoric rise as one of the world’s most fêted architects. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Burkinabé maestro Diébédo Francis Kéré has bagged the prestigious Praemium Imperiale honour to become 2023’s most fetéd African architect. The …

Tripoli, Libya | Xinhua |  Thousands of people were killed and over 10,000 more missing after floods, triggered by Mediterranean storm Daniel, hit eastern Libya on Sunday. At least 5,300 people are feared dead, said the eastern-based Interior Ministry on Tuesday, as emergency workers uncovered more than 1,500 bodies in …

Johannesburg, South Africa | THE INDEPENDENT | Sanlam, Africa’s largest non-banking financial services provider, and Allianz, one of the global insurance and financial services leaders have got approvals from regulators to merge their operations in 27 African countries including Uganda. The two have announced that they have received regulatory approvals …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s first official dairy exports to Algeria will start next month, the Dairy Development Authority (DDA) has revealed. Uganda and Algeria signed the diary deal in March this year. Uganda is expected to export milk products worth up to USD 500 million to the North African country. At …

3 key factors that ended the Bongo dynasty ANALYSIS | DOUGLAS YATES | The recent military intervention that put an end to the Bongo family’s 56-year hold on power in Gabon has been many years in the making. Its roots can be traced back to when deposed president Ali Bongo Ondimba …

Over US$23bn committed to Africa but not everyone is happy Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | While opening the inaugural Africa Climate Summit at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi on Sept.4, President William Ruto referred to it as “no ordinary summit.” Ruto said the organisers of the conference, Kenya …

2000 southern white rhinos are set to be introduced to parks and reserves across the continent over the next decade, after being rescued by an NGO – part of an ambitious rewilding project. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | After a failed rhino farming business left 2000 southern white rhinos …