Egyptian ad-tech startup dKilo has raised US$3.2 million in seed funding to create a new channel for brands to engage with consumers through its online platform, and expand into the Saudi market. Founded in 2020 by Mohamed Mousa and Sherif Abdelaty, dKilo aims to connect brands with audiences beyond the traditional digital space, which unlocks new means for e-commerce businesses to increase their awareness and conversions. The startup has secured US$3.2 million in a seed round of funding from Upturn Ventures, a recently-established venture builder specialising in e-commerce, in a mix of equity and debt financing. dKilo will use the new capital to revolutionise the out-of-home advertising landscape, introducing innovative approaches to the industry. The joint efforts of this partnership aspire to transform the way brands connect with audiences beyond the traditional digital space, which unlocks new means for e-commerce businesses to increase their awareness and conversions.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 15, 2024 09:42 UTC
A major internet outage struck West and Central Africa on Thursday, as reported by the internet observatory Netblocks, which cited information from operators indicating multiple subsea cable failures. According to Netblocks data, Ivory Coast faced a severe outage, while Liberia, Benin, Ghana, and Burkina Faso experienced significant impacts. Cloudflare, an internet firm, confirmed ongoing major disruptions in Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, and Niger through one of its monitoring accounts. Cloudflare Radar noted a discernible pattern in the timing of these disruptions, affecting regions from the north to the south of Africa. South African telecoms operator Vodacom also attributed connectivity issues to undersea cable failures impacting the country's network providers.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 15, 2024 09:24 UTC
Aerial view of the Gullfaks C oil platform, North Sea, August 23, 2023. [Photo/Agencies]The five major North Sea oil and gas producing countries are failing to align their drilling policies with agreed targets, posing a significant threat to global efforts to combat the climate crisis, according to a report. Urgent action is required from the countries to phase out oil and gas production by the early 2030s and transition to renewable energy economies, said Silje Ask Lundberg, North Sea campaign manager at Oil Change International. The countries bear significant responsibility for contributing to global warming and have ample resources to invest in clean energy solutions, Oil Change International added. Tessa Khan, executive director at the climate campaign group Uplift, said the UK government was set on "squeezing every last drop" of fossil fuel from the North Sea.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 15, 2024 08:50 UTC
Forty tons of foodstuffs and basic products were sent Tuesday to Palestinians upon the instructions of King Mohammed VI, chairman of Al Quds Committee. They also highlighted the timing of this strategic humanitarian operation that brought urgent needed relief to Gazans with the start of the Holy month of Ramadan. Regional director of the Dakar-based Timbuktu Institute, Bakkary Sambe, commended the land humanitarian operation launched to save lives in Gaza and Al Quds, describing the move as an “unprecedented”. The move confirms Morocco’s King attachment to the protection of Palestinians and the sacred status of the Holy City, underlined the Senegalese researcher. Former US ambassador to Rabat David T. Fischer on his part took to his X account to commend Morocco’s humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza and Al Quds via land routes.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 15, 2024 04:23 UTC
RABAT: Real Madrid winger Brahim Diaz was on Wednesday named in Morocco’s squad after deciding to represent the North African team rather than Spain. Diaz was included in Walid Regragui’s 24-man roster for the matches against Angola and Mauritania this month, the Moroccan Football Federation said in a statement. The 24-year-old represented Spain in one game and scored against Lithuania in 2021. Former AC Milan winger Diaz has produced fine displays with Real Madrid far this season, scoring eight goals in 32 games in all competitions. Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2024
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 15, 2024 04:04 UTC
Stock image. China’s North Copper may reduce copper output in future due to tight supplies of copper concentrates and lower processing fees, it told the state-backed China Securities Journal on Thursday. The news comes as major Chinese smelters scramble to secure raw material supplies after their profit margins were hit by shortages of copper ore due to mine disruptions and a vast expansion in global smelting capacity.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 14, 2024 20:11 UTC
How can we massively scale up nature-based solutions to address the global community’s major challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation? “This conference is intended to be a working event in every sense—an event that draws on your insights to tackle barriers to nature-based solutions,” said Armitage. Keeping nature-based solutions people-centricDr Michael Usi, Malawi’s Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change, underscored the need for meaningful solutions that resonate with local communities. He urged conference participants to ensure that the nature-based solutions are people-centred. Over the coming days, participants will engage in discussions, share insights, and work towards concrete commitments to accelerate nature-based solutions at the community level through effective partnerships.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 14, 2024 20:07 UTC
The first minister said: "When it comes to the Middle East, firstly, I will always recognise the constructive role that US administrations played in terms of the peace process. "But I think that same critical approach, practical approach, that they applied to the Irish peace process, they now need to apply to the Middle East." Emma Little-Pengelly said: "I do think that positive, joint leadership here this week is really important. Emma Little-Pengelly said: "There's a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of good will for us and for Northern Ireland and we want to maximise that for the benefit of everyone in Northern Ireland. "We can't grow our economy alone, we need foreign direct investment and we want to make Northern Ireland the thriving, better place we want it to be."
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 14, 2024 19:22 UTC
Trade between Morocco and China grew by 50% from 2021 to 2022 as China becomes Morocco’s first trading partner in Asia. Mehdi Laraki, head of Morocco-China business council, told le360 that Chinese investments in Morocco totaled 56 million dollars in 2022 in vital fields such as industry, transport, real estate, and energy. There has been a growing flow of Chinese business delegations to Morocco which they see as a gateway to the African and European markets, he said. “Morocco has signed 56 free trade agreements. Exporting from Morocco to these regions would enable cutting customs duties and transport costs,” he said.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 14, 2024 18:58 UTC
GENEVA (AP) — FIFA has awarded 10 editions of its Under-17 World Cups to be hosted by Qatar and Morocco, starting in 2025 when they become annual tournaments. Qatar will hold each 48-team edition of the men’s Under-17 World Cup from 2025 through 2029. In the same period, Morocco will hold five editions of the women’s Under-17 World Cup for 24 teams. The decisions of FIFA ruling council on Thursday reflect the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region's growing influence in soccer. Qatar hosted the men’s 2022 World Cup and Morocco will be one of six co-hosts of the 2030 edition.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 14, 2024 17:18 UTC
The central themes of this year’s 49th edition of Middle East Energy (MEE) are accelerating the global energy transformation and exploring opportunities at the cusp of the transition towards sustainability. Middle East Energy Leadership Summit,2. What else is in store for Middle East Energy attendees? During the three-day event, participants can access two additional conferences that will run alongside the Middle East Energy Leadership Summit. Register to attend Middle East Energy
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 14, 2024 16:39 UTC
from OKORO CHINEDU in Lagos, NigeriaNigeria BureauLAGOS, (CAJ News) – BOOM, the blockchain-based e-commerce ecosystem and digital payments platform, is investing €500 million (R10.5 billion) in its expansion and to create a stable liquidity pool for tokenised currencies. Boomswap has been created to foster cross-border trades, especially in emerging markets where 90 percent of all transactions are settled in cash. Peter Alfred-Adekeye, CEO and Founder of Boom, said Boomswap made commerce more equitable by enabling Africans and citizens of other emerging economies to pay cross-border in their local currencies. This while extending the utility of local currencies beyond borders into DeFi, which injects international liquidity, reduces settlement costs and enhances transaction transparency. “Boomswap will boost intra- African cross-border trades, which will translate into a growth in GDP and socio-economic well- being of all Africans,” he pledged.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 14, 2024 16:17 UTC
At least 60 people died as the boat spent about a week lost at sea after leaving Libya, survivors tell rescuers. Survivors from a deflating rubber dinghy rescued in the central Mediterranean Sea reported that at least 60 people who departed Libya with them a week ago died during the journey, a charity rescue group has said. “The survivors departed from Zawiya, Libya, seven days before they were rescued,” SOS Mediterranee said on X. Survivors report that at least 60 people perished on the way, including women and at least one child,” it added. According to testimonies the group gathered, the boat spent about a week lost at sea, with survivors saying many people perished and many others are missing.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 14, 2024 16:07 UTC
Checkout.com received a 5 out of 5 score in the payment performance optimization criterion. Forrester's report states that 'Checkout.com is a great fit for merchants seeking a partner for digital-first use cases.' The Forrester report specifically stated that Checkout.com moves fast and is developer-friendly. According to the Forrester report, Checkout.com 'continues to differentiate from its peers in South West Asia and North Africa in specific usability improvements' and calls out its 'deeper support in these regions'. Meron Colbeci, Chief Product Officer at Checkout.com, said, "It is humbling to be recognized by Forrester on what is our core investment area - Performance.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 14, 2024 14:53 UTC
India and Ethiopia are in the final stages of finalizing a defense cooperation pact, Ethiopia’s ambassador to New Delhi said. Under the agreement, to be likely signed after India’s general elections, India will offer equipment and training to Ethiopia’s army, ambassador Demeke Atnafu told Indian news outlet The Print. Analysts believe that Ethiopia had the full backing of India to join the group of states with fast growing economies last year. The defense cooperation agreement is part of a larger push by India to strengthen its foothold on the African continent, where it is already selling air defense systems, small arms, missiles, and anti-drone weapons. India has also extended a credit line of nearly 14 billion dollars to 42 African nations.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 14, 2024 13:13 UTC