Tag Archives: economy

Mantasoa, Madagascar | AFP |  Madagascar, renowned for its unique wildlife and vanilla production, has a new claim to fame — the island nation is Africa’s first and only source of caviar. The business is an unlikely project in a country beset by grinding poverty, but its owners are determined …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP |  A cradle of mankind, modern-day Ethiopia is riven by ethnic tensions, with the latest unrest flaring in the region of Amhara in what the government called a regional “coup” bid. Here are some key facts about Africa’s second most populous nation: – People and …

Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday described the country’s economic outlook as “extremely weak” as he vowed to speed up emergency funding for the debt-laden Eskom state power supplier. Ramaphosa delivered a downbeat economic assessment in his first state-of-the-nation address since the ruling …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |  The Democratic Republic of Congo’s new leadership is under mounting pressure to diversify the country’s economy from its dependence on raw materials following the plunge in the price of cobalt. Economic experts currently visiting the country have a sobering figure on which to base …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |   Liberian President George Weah faces a key test on Friday when demonstrators take to the streets of Monrovia to protest at inflation and corruption. The nation’s football icon is being challenged over the same issues on which he campaigned in his historic ascent to the …

  Blantyre, Malawi | AFP |  Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika, 78, is a former Washington law professor with two successive election victories to his name and a political career clouded by claims of corruption, even treason. He won his first term in a closely-contested poll in 2014 — two years after …

Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | Cyril Ramaphosa vowed a “new era” Saturday after he was sworn in as president of South Africa at a colourful ceremony in the capital, as he looks to revitalise his push to revive the economy and fight corruption. Foreign heads of state from more than …

  Pretoria, South Africa | AFP |  Newly-elected South African President Cyril Ramaphosa faces herculean tasks after he gets down to work after Saturday’s inauguration. They include: – Fixing the economy – South Africa has the most advanced infrastructure in the continent, but its commodities-dependent economy has been in a …

    Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP |  Zimbabwe on Tuesday announced a fresh increase in fuel prices, months after a price hike triggered nationwide protests and a brutal security crackdown as the country’s economy woes deepen further. Upping prices by about 46 percent, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) said …

Paris, France | AFP | Revamping global food production, retooling the financial sector, moving beyond GDP as a measure of progress and other “transformative changes” are needed to save Nature and ourselves, a major UN biodiversity report is set to conclude. Delegates from 130 nations wrap up week-long negotiations in …