AFRICA

As Safaricom launches M-PESA in Ethiopia with plans to mirror its huge success in Kenya, a battle with an incumbent looms large. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Safaricom’s activation of M-Pesa in Ethiopia, will initiate battle for a potentially huge mobile money market. But for once, the regional giant …

Dar es salaam, Tanzania | Xinhua | Negotiations between the East African Community (EAC) and the Federal Republic of Somalia on the admission of the country into the EAC will start on Tuesday next week in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. A statement issued on Saturday by the EAC headquarters in Tanzania’s …

Abuja, Nigeria | Xinhua | A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Saturday met Niger’s junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani and the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, a Nigerian presidential spokesperson said. The ECOWAS special envoys to Niger have returned to the Nigerien capital, Niamey, to continue their …

Cairo, Egypt | Xinhua | Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday that the government is formulating a plan to enhance domestic industrial production and reduce imports, with the goal of addressing the ongoing economic challenges in the nation. Sisi, also Egypt’s top military leader, made these remarks during his inspection …

Harare, Zimbabwe | Xinhua | Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday concluded his election campaigning trail in his home province of Midlands, urging voters to retain his party in power for the country to achieve its vision of becoming a middle-income economy by 2030. Clad in his trademark ZANU-PF party regalia, Mnangagwa …

Johannesburg, South Africa | Xinhua | The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) expects that the upcoming BRICS summit can boost tourism revenue of the country. TBCSA CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa told Xinhua in an interview that they are looking to the summit to bring in more tourists. “It’s a major …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | Kenya and South Sudan leaders on Saturday agreed to pursue joint infrastructure projects to boost regional integration and spur trade between the two countries. Visiting South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | Rigathi Gachagua, deputy president of Kenya, met with Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency, here on Thursday, with both sides pledging to strengthen media cooperation. Gachagua said this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kenya and China, and that …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | “There’s a movie called Out of Africa, but I think we should get closer and know about Africa and its people,” Mo Yan, a Chinese of Nobel Prize winner in literature, told Xinhua after his recent tour in Kenya, and he encouraged more Chinese to visit …

Beijing, China | THE INDEPENDENT |  Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 15th BRICS Summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa and pay a state visit to South Africa from August 21 to 24, at the invitation of President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, Foreign …