April 27, 2023
Refugees in Rwanda quiz diplomats on "terrible" situation in DR Congo's east
According to Hudson Kuteesa from The New Times, refugees from DR Congo who are in Rwanda have questioned foreign diplomats on what the international community is doing to address the political instabilities that have continued to make their country inhabitable. Kuteesa writes, “besides the volatile situation in North Kivu province where Rwandophones, especially Congolese Tutsi communities continue to be persecuted by their own government, farther south, in South Kivu province, the Banyamulenge community has often petitioned the UN over continued ethnic cleansing targeting them.” In response, Ambassador Eduardo Filomeno Leiro Octavio, the Angolan envoy to Rwanda, called for joint efforts from the international community to address the refugee's plight.
New MoU between Nigeria and Campus France
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has sealed a pact to strengthen bilateral ties between Nigeria and France with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Campus France. The agreement signing exercise was in the presence of Nigerian Ambassador to France, Kayode Laro and the France Ambassador to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann. Campus France will help facilitate the placement of TETFund scholars in specialized institutions in France at very low tuition. They will be placed in the areas of Science, Technology and Engineering, which are essential to the technological and economic development of Nigeria.
African governments urged to simplify maritime transport for AfCFTA’s success
Adaku Onyenucheya from The Guardian shares that the Secretary General of Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa, Dr. Paul Adalikwu argues that for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to thrive, member states must create an enabling environment for the simplification of the intra-Africa movement of goods and persons. Adalikwu also stated that the growth of intra-African trade under AfCFTA depends on the willingness of member states to increase the availability, efficiency, capacity, and safety of their maritime transport systems. According to him, the continent’s maritime industry is grossly under-utilized. He believes that for it to achieve AfCFTA’s aspirations, governments of member states must create enabling environments for the movement of goods and persons through tax incentives and lower interest rates to African shipowners to acquire vessels.
Court okays Meta to be served outside Kenya
The Business Daily shares that two Ethiopians who sued Meta Platforms over claims of fueling violence in East Africa want to be allowed to serve the company outside Kenya. Appearing before High Court judge Mugure Thande, the two Ethiopians sought permission to serve the Facebook owners outside the country. The company has argued in two other cases that it is a foreign entity that does not trade in the country, and therefore Kenyan courts do not have jurisdiction. Judge Thande directed lawyer Mercy Mutemi, representing the Ethiopians, to serve Meta with the application.
Takeover of African chemicals expansion
According to Andrew Mizner from African Law & Business, Africa’s continuing urbanization and industrialization have driven the takeover of chemical distribution company Solevo, with operations across the continent. Solevo has operations in Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Côte D’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, Angola and Madagascar, distributing to the life sciences, industrial and agricultural sectors, among others. Investment firm Development Partners International (DPI) partnered with minority investors, Mauritius-headquartered private equity specialist South Suez and German development finance institution DEG on the deal. DPI corporate partner Bayo Odubeko said, “The transaction shows the maturing of African private equity with one of the continent’s leading private capital managers buying out another in a big-ticket secondary with management of the target rolling over.”
AfricaNews shares that Africa is struggling to bring down the price of the internet. According to the World Bank, it will take $100 billion by 2030 to guarantee high-speed Internet access to all of Africa and an additional half million kilometers of fiber to cover the continent. Africa hopes to complete its digital transformation by expanding access to broadband at lower cost through funding between startups.
EVENTS- 04.27.2023
"Standards and the Sustainable Development Goals: Leveraging sustainability standards for reporting on SDG progress." International Institute for Sustainable Development. Webinar. 9 May 2023.
Reminder:
"7th ICC Africa Conference on International Arbitration." African Arbitration Association. Lagos, Nigeria. 31 May- 2 June 2023.