How Kenya’s Peercarbon is helping SMEs reduce CO2 emissions, access green finance
Kenyan climate-fintech platform Peercarbon aims to help SMEs integrate sustainability into their operations, by cutting emissions and accessing green finance. Founded in 2023, Peercarbon offers science-based tools to enable businesses to measure, manage and reduce their CO2 emissions, and then connects these businesses with lenders who prioritise green finance. These tools empower finance providers to structure and service green finance products for business customers, allowing them to report the impact of the financing to stakeholders. “These SMEs are eager to leverage the platform to access green finance for transitioning into more sustainable operations. “This reflects the practicality and acceptance of Peercarbon’s offerings in the sustainable finance landscape,” Maiyo said.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 07:15 UTC
Libya : With no embassy in Tripoli, Russian diplomats set up shop at Radisson hotel
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Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 05:46 UTC
Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) Expands into North Africa
Afrieximbank’s Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) has expanded into North Africa after Banque Centrale de Tunisie (BCT) joined the regional payments platform as its thirteenth member. PAPSS is a cross-border, financial market infrastructure enabling payment transactions across Africa. In 2022, BCT also joined the inter-Arab payment and settlement System (BUNA), in continuation of its commitment to the country’s strategic priorities. Banque Centrale de Tunisie has joined PAPSS under the commercial bank settlement model that was introduced in 2023 at the Afreximbank Annual Meetings in Accra, Ghana. The PAPSS model is meant to ease cross-border payments on the continent.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 04:46 UTC
Germany to get Algerian gas for first time
Germany is to get Algerian gas with the signing on 8 February of a contract tying gas producer Sonatrach to Leipzig-based gas trader VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH (VNG H&V). VNG is the first German company to procure gas from Algeria, opening more opportunities for Sonatrach to expand into the lucrative German market. Germany is now added to Sonatrach’s current list of clients, which expansion in Western Europe accelerated with the reduction of the Russian presence as a gas supplier amid the war in Ukraine. Since the European energy crisis erupted in February 2022, Algerian gas has increasingly been coveted by European countries due to its availability and proximity. Italy has been the first country to lobby Algeria to increase its gas delivery, creating a model that other Europeans appear to be following.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 04:11 UTC
Kenyan marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum dies in road accident
"Kiptum was my only child, now he's left me," he told Kenya's Citizen TV. "I don't know what to say, I see his children will be looking to me and my child is gone... Now, who will help us raise his kids?"
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 02:53 UTC
Yemen peace process on hold as crisis grows in Red Sea after Houthi attacks
But Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping and American and British retaliation have thrown the peace process “up in the air”, said Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. “Peace in Yemen requires international and regional commitments different than those that exist now,” Mr. Muslimi said. However, Majid Al-Madhaji, of the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies think-tank, said that with the flare up in the Red Sea, “a peace plan no longer has a place on the discussion table”. It has not joined a U.S.-led naval coalition to deter Houthi attacks on shipping and expressed “great concern” following the first round of strikes by the U.S. and Britain, calling for “restraint”. “The international community is less likely to support a Yemeni peace plan due to concerns about rewarding the Houthis for Red Sea attacks, thus freezing the UN-led and U.S.-backed peace process,” he said.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 02:13 UTC
Liberia: President Boakai Receives Letter of Resignation from The Minister of National Defense Mr. Prince C. Johnson
The President of the Republic of Liberia and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia, His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr., has received and accepted a letter of resignation from the recently confirmed Minister of National Defense Mr. Prince C. Johnson. The President expressed gratitude to Minister Johnson for his invaluable service to the country and described him as a patriot. The President will address the nation this evening. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of Liberia: Executive Mansion.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 13, 2024 01:57 UTC
Building a Tech Ecosystem in Nigeria Beyond the Traditional Tech Hub: Challenges and Opportunities
By 2016, Ismaila had established CoLab, marking it as Kaduna’s inaugural tech hub and the second in the northern region of Nigeria. On a bright afternoon in 2018, Pablo observed two young individuals entering the barbershop donned hoodies that bore the CoLab and Python logos. Despite this support, persuading young individuals to dedicate themselves to learning technological skills remains an arduous task. His efforts have already impacted around a thousand young individuals, equipping them with coding and digital marketing skills. This academic presence has historically supplied a steady stream of young talent into Lagos’ tech scene, a dynamic yet to be replicated in other regions.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 12, 2024 23:21 UTC
Afcon: How Nigerians console themselves after final heartbreak
Former senator Shehu Sani, who has millions of followers on X, wrote "with afcon trophy gone, we can now face cup of garri" [cassava flour] - meaning now it's back to reality, in a country where the price of garri, one of Nigeria's staple foods, has shot up in recent months.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 12, 2024 22:48 UTC
Ancestral Threads
In a new solo show at Cape Town’s Brutal Gallery, artist Amy-Leigh Braaf (aka Hakopike) is displaying vivid paintings meant to evoke her ancestral past. A mixed race woman with ancestry in Indonesia and South Africa, her latest works were created based on dreams she experienced while traveling in South East Asia during a recent artist residency. DESIGN INDABA
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 12, 2024 21:06 UTC
Nigerian DisCos have fleeced millions of unmetered customers
Known commonly as DisCos, the 11 companies over-billed around 7.1 million unmetered electricity consumers between January and September 2023. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has now sanctioned the 11 Nigerian DisCos “over non-compliance with capping of estimated bills for unmetered customers.”NERC has issued a N10.5bn (around $7m) fine to the DisCos and ordered that they provide credits to the overcharged electricity customers. “A review of the Electricity Distribution Companies (“DisCos”) billing of unmetered customers for 2023 has revealed non-compliance with the monthly energy caps issued by the commission,” NERC said in a press statement. In response, the Commission has issued an order on non-compliance with capping of estimated bills, which stipulates the following:Credit Adjustment to Customers: DisCos are to issue credit adjustments to all over-billed unmetered customers from January to September 2023 by the March 2024 billing cycle. Nigeria: Electricity meters now cost 40% more after government decree
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 12, 2024 19:29 UTC
Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) Expands into North Africa as Banque Centrale de Tunisie Becomes Thirteenth Member
The Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) is proud to announce the entry of Banque Centrale de Tunisie (BCT) into its network as its thirteenth Central Bank member, further strengthening its commitment to promoting seamless cross-border payment services and enhancing financial integration across the African continent. In 2022, BCT also joined the inter-Arab payment and settlement System (BUNA), in continuation of its commitment to the country’s strategic priorities. “We are thrilled to welcome Banque Centrale de Tunisie as our thirteenth member and first Central Bank in North Africa. With this development, the Tunisian commercial banks can now commence their onboarding process onto the PAPSS system. Additionally, it is anticipated that more central banks will join the platform throughout the current year.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 12, 2024 19:28 UTC
Is avocado cultivation exacerbating Morocco's drought crisis?
As Morocco faces its sixth consecutive year of drought, water-intensive agricultural projects are under scrutiny. Climate change poses a major threat to the country, impacting the vast agricultural sector which employs 39% of the workforce. Concerns are mounting over the environmental impact of water-intensive crops like avocados, cultivated by foreign companies. The irrigation of avocado trees, assuming usage of drip irrigation, could consume between 4,000 to 8,000 m3 of water per hectare. This water usage equates to the consumption of the entire city of Casablanca for 134 days.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 12, 2024 18:59 UTC
Uganda: We need more funding to end human-wildlife conflicts in parks
Martin Mugarra, has rallied Members of Parliament to push for increased funding for Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), with the aim of fighting human-wildlife conflicts in Lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth national parks. UWA has constructed dams in Lake Mburo National Park to keep animals from going to the communities, but they still stray. It is important that we start catering for Ugandan travelers who are now over 60 percent of Lake Mburo visitors. He argued that Lake Mburo once sufficiently funded to improve on infrastructure is able to considerably boost its annual revenue presently at Shs3.2 billion. At the Queen Elizabeth National Park, MPs learnt of the plan to domesticate wild but edible rats called cane rats which are among the most poached mammals.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 12, 2024 18:53 UTC
Houthis Strike Greek Ship in Red Sea Due to ‘American’ NASDAQ Listing
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis fired two missiles at a Greek-operated vessel reportedly carrying corn to Iran through the Red Sea on Monday, causing damage to the vessel but no casualties. The vessel, the Star Iris, failed to escape Houthi attacks near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea despite the fact that its cargo was bound for Iran, with the Houthis describing the vessel as American-owned. The ultimate owner of the vessel is Greek-based Star Bulk Carriers Corp, which is traded on the New York-based NASDAQ stock market. This latest attack intensifies concerns related to shipping through the Red Sea en route to or from the Suez Canal, as it remains unclear what the Houthis will consider an “American” vessel. In the meantime, China is said to be ramping up Red Sea voyages, hoping to maintain what it views as immunity from Houthi attacks.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 12, 2024 17:41 UTC