Key PointsMalian director Souleymane Cissé became the second African in the festival’s history to receive the Carrosse d’Or award An unprecedented number of African films is being screened across the festival’s various selections Still, critics believe Cannes and other Western film bodies should give a bigger platform to African cinema This year, Africa has marked an impressive presence, dubbed Africa’s “Cannes Moment”, at the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival in the south of France. The festival opened in a grand way for Africa on Wednesday, as Malian director Souleymane Cissé received the Carrosse d’Or award from the French directors guild…
Author: Johnson Akinyi
Read More
M-Kopa, which pioneered a pay-as-you-go-model for solar panels and smartphones in east Africa, has raised more than $250mn in debt and equity in one of the largest fundraisings by an African technology start-up. The cash will allow the company, founded in Kenya in 2011, to acquire up to 100,000 new customers a month, according to Jesse Moore, M-Kopa’s chief executive.Standard Bank is lending $100mn of the $202mn in debt, which can be drawn down as M-Kopa attracts new customers. Other lenders include the International Finance Corporation, with $65mn; Lion Head’s Group, a frontier market investment bank; and British International Investment,…
In 2019, Kenya’s Ministry of Energy launched its Gender Policy. This was a key milestone in a long collaborative journey of gender mainstreaming, accompanied by ENERGIA International, Practical Action, and partners, which extends back to the mid-2000s. We have outlined the journey which offers valuable lessons to other countries interested in learning about the ‘how’ of gender mainstreaming. In 2006 – supported by the European Union – ENERGIA International, Practical Action, the East African Energy Technology Development Network, and the University of Nairobi collaborated with the Kenyan Ministry of Energy to conduct a gender audit of Kenya’s energy policies and…
Ever since a French diplomat and developer, Ferdinand de Lesseps, sliced the Suez canal through Egypt in 1869, linking east and west, many Middle Eastern countries have tried to follow suit. Israel has recently broached cutting a canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, or a rail link from its port at Haifa via Jordan and on to the Gulf. A former Iraqi transport minister tirelessly promotes a scheme to carve a canal from Iraq’s southern port of Basra all the way to Turkey. The most serious venture, though, is a Russo-Iranian one to link the Caspian sea to…
Download logoOn April 30, commencing at 5:00 p.m. local time (11:00 p.m. April 30 Japan time), Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, who was on a visit to Cairo, Egypt, attended the Japan-Egypt Friendship Reception hosted by Prime Minister Kishida. The summary of the reception is as follows. The reception was attended by H.E. Prof. Hany HELAL, former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, as well as approximately 140 guests from both Japan and Egypt who have contributed to the promotion of people-to-people exchange and friendship between the two countries in a wide range of fields, including education,…
Enterprises must prioritise security, governance and user adoption for successful implementation By Lee Wearne, Senior Business Intelligence Consultant at Insight Consulting The urgency of implementing enterprise data management strategies comes from an acute awareness that businesses need to put their data to work effectively to influence business decisions and efficiency, and ultimately help steer the direction of the business. C-suites understand that this urgency is not a fad, that an effective enterprise data strategy is a fundamental component of their digital transformation journeys. However, unless the data strategy is driven from the top of the organisation, there will – at…
The African Development Bank recently hosted a workshop for stakeholders in Kenya’s energy sector to discuss the new Public-Private Partnership Act 2021 and how it can advance the country’s power industry. The 23 March to 24 March event was organized together with the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO), the country’s power transmission agency. Participants looked at the status of the Act and made recommendations that would help to expedite the development of PPPs. Signed into law in December 2021, the new Act recognizes the need to enhance private sector participation in the financing, construction, development, operation or maintenance of infrastructure…
The supplementary election for some areas of the Edo State House of Assembly as well as the National Assembly has commenced with increased business activities and free movement of vehicles within the axis. Security agencies such as officers of the Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were also present in the affected areas such as some wards and units in Oredo East, including Ward 01, Garrick Memorial school; Ogbe, Central Park, among others. The supplementary election for the Edo State House of Assembly is currently taking place across several wards and units in Oredo East,…
The head of Libya’s state oil company said he had the backing of both the government in Tripoli and the renegade general Khalifa Haftar who controls the east of the country, as he outlined plans to attract investment and boost production.A battle for control of oil revenues has been at the heart of the conflict in the north African country over the past decade. Armed groups allied to Haftar, who commands the self-styled Libyan National Army, have frequently blockaded oilfields and export terminals as part of efforts to exert pressure on the government, cutting oil exports by a third in…
The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the Nigerian Communications Commission over how it has utilised the Universal Service Provision Fund, an allocation of 2.5 per cent of the annual turnover of the mobile telecommunication network operators as annual licence renewal fee. At the plenary on Thursday, the House specifically resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to “investigate the failure/inability of the NCC to promote widespread availability and usage of mobile telecommunication network services throughout Nigeria, including the underserved and un-served areas.” The panel is to report back within four weeks for further legislative action. A member…