About Shelter Afrique Development BankFounded in 1981 in Lusaka, Zambia, Shelter Afrique Development Bank (ShafDB) is a Pan-African Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) committed to financing and promoting sustainable green housing, urban development, and related infrastructure. It operates with the support of 44 African governments and two institutional shareholders: the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Reinsurance Corporation (Africa-Re). ShafDB provides financing for housing and infrastructure projects across the entire value chain, addressing both demand and supply-side challenges through its four business lines: Financial Institutions Group (FIG), Project Finance Group (PFG), Sovereign and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) Group, and Fund Management…
Author: Johnson Akinyi
Listen to this story. Your browser does not support the element.SOUTH SUDAN could have been off to a good start. Thanks to its oil riches, the world’s youngest country qualified as a middle-income one when it got independence from Sudan in 2011. The new country also had minerals, livestock and timber for export. As it was near the bottom of most global development indices on health and education, it received more aid per person than almost anywhere else on earth.Yet 13 years on, things in South Sudan have not gone to plan. The country is experiencing perhaps its worst economic…
When Brook Taye became chief executive of Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) in August, he was taking on one of the biggest jobs in Ethiopia: reforming the country’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs).The institution was established in 2021 as the strategic investment arm of the Ethiopian state and now boasts a portfolio of 40 companies, collectively worth tens of billions of dollars. They include the national airline, the state-run telecoms company and the country’s dominant bank, as well as state firms involved in electricity, manufacturing, construction, trading, chemicals, hospitality and insurance.“We think of ourselves as an entrepreneurial state,” says Brook, who also sits…
In Summary● Africa’s startup scene is thriving, with South Africa and Mauritius leading the rankings, followed by Kenya and Nigeria.● Fintech and agritech dominate, with nations like Senegal and Cape Verde emerging as key players.● These countries are shaping Africa’s future, driving innovation, and attracting global investments. DEEP DIVE!If you’re looking for the best places to launch or grow a startup in Africa, then you’re in the right place. The right ecosystem can be the difference between an idea that takes off and one that struggles to survive. Across the continent, certain countries are setting themselves apart, offering fertile ground for…
In Africa, the demand for housing far exceeds supply, and across the continent, only a small fraction of the population can afford the homes that exist-leading to a significant gap between current demand and the existing housing supply, with estimates pointing to a shortage of over 50 million units (CAHF 2023).To close the affordable housing gap and achieve one of the major objectives of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, which calls for adequate, safe, and affordable housing by 2030, greater investment in these same sorts of housing projects is essential. Ultimately, housing development involves substantial capital required by developers and…
The Bank of Industry (BoI) has met with representatives from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), and the Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI) to discuss strategies that will foster industrial growth. Olasupo Olusi, managing director, BoI, speaking at an interactive forum with key stakeholders from the organised private sector on Monday, in Abuja, said that the forum aims to strengthen collaboration and develop innovative solutions to challenges facing the manufacturing and small-scale industrial sectors. Olusi emphasised the pivotal role these organisations play in driving Nigeria’s economic progress, describing them…
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.McKinsey has agreed to pay $122mn to authorities in the US and South Africa over its role in a sprawling corruption scandal during the administration of former South African president Jacob Zuma.The consulting group paid bribes to win millions of dollars of consulting work with South African state-owned companies between 2012 and 2016, according to a deferred prosecution agreement announced by the US justice department on Thursday and a statement by South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority.One of McKinsey’s former senior partners in…
A clutch of artists, curators and enthusiasts is welcomed by drummers, dancers and an unforgiving bout of sunshine amid cranes and scaffolding. The burgeoning, clay-coloured edifice with its earthen finish designed by David Adjaye, a knighted Ghanaian-Brit, is to house the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), a new hub for arts and culture in Nigeria’s historic Benin City. A jamboree of talks and workshops is more a proof-of-concept than a full-blown opening. Yet MOWAA already stands shoulders above most other Nigerian museums, where many valuable artefacts are shut away in old warehouses.
Today, women in Africa generally have better access to education, healthcare, and opportunities than ever before. Yet, as they step into the world, a gap between them and their male counterparts persists, a reminder that gender equality remains out of reach. The evidence is all around us. One in three women still experience physical or sexual violence. Nearly every woman spends twice as much time on unpaid household work as men. And not a single country offers women in Africa full legal protection.For me, this reality stirs a mix of frustration and hope in recognising how far we have come…
The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has assured depositors of the defunct Heritage Bank that challenges delaying access to guaranteed sums above N5 million are being resolved. Bello Hassan, Managing Director, NDIC, gave the reassurance on Saturday during the 2024 edition of the NDIC Editors Forum in Lagos. The theme of the conference is: “Strengthening Nigeria’s Financial Safety-Net: The Role of Deposit Insurance”. Mr Hassan, represented by NDIC’s Executive Director, Operations, Mustapha Ibrahim, said the corporation was working diligently to facilitate payments. Mr Hassan explained that depositors with amounts above the maximum insured limit of N5 million were being reimbursed…