Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | International aviation industry experts have challenged African governments to accelerate the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), an initiative of the African Union (AU) to liberalize air transportation on the continent. Adopted in 2015 as AU’s flagship project to achieve Agenda …
Read More »M23 boss Bisimwa says DRC making Rwanda, Uganda scapegoats
North Kivu, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | The President of the March 23 Movement (M23), Bertrand Bisimwa, has refuted persistent accusations by the Democratic Republic of Congo that the rebel movement is supported by Rwanda and Uganda. Bisimwa argued that if these allegations were true, M23 would have captured the …
Read More »Hong Kong- based hotel group to manage Kenya’s Nairobi Safari Club
Safari Club by Swiss-Belhotel boasts 146 rooms, ranging from studio and panorama rooms to executive and presidential suites Nairobi, Kenya | THE INDEPENDENT | On the eve of its 40th anniversary, the Nairobi Safari Club has signed a management partnership deal with global hotel operator Swiss-Belhotel International to manage the iconic …
Read More »M23 rebels question plans to bar North Kivu from DR Congo polls
North Kivu, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | Bertrand Bisimwa, the president of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels, has voiced concern about the possibility that several areas in the country will miss out in December’s national election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). Last month, the government spokesperson …
Read More »Drop in crime despite 6,900 murders in South Africa in Q3
Johannesburg, South Africa | Xinhua | A total of 6,945 people were murdered in South Africa in the third quarter (Q3) of this year, down from 7,004 during the same period last year, data showed late last week. South Africa recorded some decline in various crimes including murder, carjacking and …
Read More »African banks take over after international lenders exit
Local financial companies are capitalising on the opportunities left by international banks exiting Africa yet continue to struggle with the gap between perceived and actual risks in the market. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | In early 2022, UK-headquartered Standard Chartered Bank announced it was exiting five African countries and …
Read More »M23 warns against deployment of SADC troops in North Kivu
North Kivu, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | The deployment of Southern Africa Development Cooperation (SADC) troops in North Kivu province will make the Democratic Republic of Congo government understand that it is a wrong move, Bertrand Bisimwa, the president of the March 23 Movement has warned. The DR Congo government …
Read More »An innovative sales system has cassava farmers enjoying extra profits
Up to 70% of Nigerians consume cassava on a daily basis. The farmers who bring this staple to Nigerian tables are finding innovative ways to increase their profits. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | On an unusually sunny day in October in Umudike, Abia State, the brilliant rays of the …
Read More »Dream of ‘father of hybrid rice’ takes root in Africa
Sanya, China | Xinhua | In front of a bronze statue of Yuan Longping, scores of African visitors planted hybrid rice seedlings in memory of the “father of hybrid rice.” The delegates to the Second Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Agriculture were visiting the Paddy Field National Park in Sanya, …
Read More »South Sudan calls for lifting arms embargo after deploys forces without firearms
Juba, South Sudan | Xinhua | South Sudan on Friday called on the United Nations Security Council to lift the existing arms embargo, after it deployed the first battalion of 750 soldiers to Malakal town of Upper Nile state without firearms. Michael Makuei Lueth, minister of Information and Communication, Technology and …
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