Tunisia fruit exports drop 18% amid production and weather woes
TUNISIA - Tunisia's fruit export sector has experienced a significant decline in revenue and shipment volumes from January through November 21, 2023. The total volume of fruit exports also suffered a stark drop, shrinking from nearly 68 thousand tonnes in November last year to about 38 thousand tonnes currently. Libya continues to be the largest importer of Tunisian fruits, accounting for 80% of the exports, which equates to 30.7 thousand tonnes. Other countries importing Tunisian fruits include Italy, with a 12.7% share, the UAE at 2.5%, the Netherlands at 1.3%, and Kuwait at 0.8%. The Tunisian fruit export industry is grappling with these challenges as it navigates through an economically strained period marked by lower income from one of its key agricultural sectors.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 14:48 UTC
FILE PHOTO: Richard Teng, head of the Middle East and North Africa for crypto firm Binance speaks during an interview with Reuters in Dubai
The estimated cost is between $12.5 million and $45 million. Voters last week rejected a ballot measure that would have set aside $4.75 million in TABOR-related money for it.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 14:15 UTC
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Binance CEO Teng braced for uphill battle in post-Zhao era
[1/3] Richard Teng, head of the Middle East and North Africa for crypto firm Binance gestures as he speaks during an interview with Reuters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 30, 2022. Teng faces an especially tough task in transforming the culture of Binance, four of the people said. Still, leading a cultural shift at Binance - a firm shaped by Zhao in his own image - would be "hugely difficult," she said. For years it dominated the crypto market, but this year has rapidly lost market share. Last month it controlled 32% of crypto spot and 50% of derivatives trading, according to crypto firm CCData, down from 55% and 62% respectively in January.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 13:53 UTC
South Africa's Paralympic Oscar Pistorius, jailed 10 years for murdering his girlfriend, to get early parole
Follow us on Image Source : GETTY Oscar Pistorius leaving the North Gauteng High Court in June 2016The former South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been granted early parole by The Department of Correctional Services on Friday, November 24. The legendary Paralympic star was sentenced to a 15-year jail term for murdering his girlfriend on February 14, 2013, which turned one of the most famous sports personalities into a convicted murderer. The Department of Correctional Services had rejected Pistorius' parole requests in March. "The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) confirms parole placement for Mr Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius, effectively from 5 January 2024," an official said on Friday. He was sentenced to a five-year jail term and a separate three-year suspended sentence for a reckless endangerment conviction.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 13:21 UTC
Senegal, Guinea Bissau set up joint committee to sort out border issues – The North Africa Post
Senegal and Guinea Bissau set up a 26-member joint committee to iron out by 2025 the lingering border issues between the two countries. “It is a joint committee of twenty-six members that must carry out what is called reaffirmation of our borders,” said Vice-Admiral Ibrahima Wade, Chairman of Senegal’s National Border Management Commission. Both countries have been tangled in a border dispute created by former colonial powers namely France for Senegal and Portugal for Guinea Bissau. The two former colonial powers reportedly set up, 120 years ago, a joint committee that reached an agreement on the lay of the borders. For Ibrahima Wade, documentary research has enabled the establishment of border areas.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 13:16 UTC
Saviu Ventures’ second fund reaches €12 million first close to back Francophone Africa startups
Saviu Ventures, a VC firm targeting startups in Francophone Africa, has made an initial close of €12 million for its second fund with the backing of private investors, including French and Kenyan family offices. The VC firm aims to close the fund at between €30 million and €50 million to primarily invest in startups within Francophone Africa. Founded by Benoit Delestre and Samuel Touboul, Saviu Ventures has been active in the Francophone Africa startup ecosystem since 2018, when it began deploying its first €10 million fund. Saviu’s first fund invested between €250,000 and €500,000 in 12 startups, 82% of them from the Francophone region. “The ecosystem in francophone Africa is now much more developed than it was in 2018, when there were fewer founders and no incubators.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 13:09 UTC
Pro-Palestine or a trend? China’s stance on Israel-Hamas war splits opinion
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an end to the ‘collective punishment’ of Palestinians. China’s initial response to the conflict was cautious and equivocal in apportioning blame. China’s stance on the war is a matter of contention among analysts. “Since [October 8], Beijing has been critical of Israel’s actions, warning about violations of humanitarian law and against ‘collective punishment. “And overall, international public opinion is becoming increasingly unfavourable to Israel, which also shows that China’s position is not biased against Israel,” he said.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 12:33 UTC
How Nigeria’s 10mg Pharma is simplifying access to medication using AI
Nigerian startup 10mg Pharma is using AI-driven code trees to simplify access to low-interest credits and low-cost medications for healthcare providers in Africa. Founded in 2022, 10mg Pharma employs an AI algorithm based on the code tree model to pair healthcare providers with financing partners who meet specific criteria. This facilitates bulk medication purchases, leading to savings of up to 15 per cent, which are then passed on to patients. High medication costs compound the challenge of managing chronic pain in Africa, as does minimal insurance coverage and the rigidity of accessing investment for healthcare providers. The startup’s business model revolves around facilitating transactions between healthcare providers with medication suppliers, while also simplifying access to low-interest credit through its AI-driven platform.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 12:00 UTC
‘The war is not over’: Israel blocks Palestinians’ return to northern Gaza
Israeli military warns people against returning to northern Gaza, saying ‘the war is not over’. Israel has said that northern Gaza is out of bounds as displaced Palestinians attempt to use the pause in fighting to return to their homes. Videos obtained by Al Jazeera showed Palestinians returning to their homes in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, despite the Israeli army’s insistence that it is a combat zone. At least two Palestinians are reported to have been killed by the Israeli military, and 11 wounded, as they have attempted the trip to northern Gaza. Citing witnesses, Palestinian news agency Wafa said that seven people were wounded by Israeli forces as they attempted the trip to northern Gaza.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 11:04 UTC
Germany, Italy to partner on hydrogen pipeline to North Africa
Germany and Italy have agreed to push ahead with the development of a hydrogen pipeline from North Africa to southern Germany to support long-term energy security and transformation. Under the plan, Germany and Italy will seek to advance the development of new gas and hydrogen pipelines connecting the two countries via Austria or Switzerland. Special attention is focused on the South Central Corridor linking southern Germany and Italy to North Africa which should expand cross-border infrastructure and help import 10 million tonnes of hydrogen by 2030. The pipeline will connect demand centres in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, thereby contributing to the establishment of a larger European hydrogen network. In pursuit of these goals, Germany and Italy will also actively promote the acceleration of renewable energy, gas, and hydrogen production in North Africa.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 09:45 UTC
Renewable energy opportunities in Mauritania
This is according to a new IEA report, Renewable Energy Opportunities for Mauritania, which finds that the country could deploy these resources at scale to generate low-cost renewable electricity and hydrogen through electrolysis. “Mauritania has significant opportunities to tap its renewable energy resources and accelerate its sustainable development journey in line with the government’s policy priorities,” said IEA Africa Programme Officer Rita Madeira. Lehbib Khroumbaly, Advisor to the Minister of Petroleum, Energy and Mines of Mauritania, said that the analysis explores Mauritania’s major renewable energy potential and helps put the country on the map for clean hydrogen production. Renewable energy holds the key to accelerated developmentMauritania currently has the largest pipeline of renewable hydrogen projects to 2030 in sub-Saharan Africa. Read the full Renewable Energy Opportunities for Mauritania.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 09:40 UTC
Op-ed: There cannot be another COP
While civil societies will celebrate minor victories and criticise COP for not rising to the critical occasion, moulded by stark climate reality. We cannot have market rules and politicians’ aspirations, guided by extremely short time horizons, derail and mislead COP judgment and decisions. Science is above all and science has been clear all along for 28 consecutive COP sessions. The following diagram showing the evolution of CO2 emissions as a function of COP conferences speaks volumes, which do not make pleasant reading. As is always customary before a COP, reports by UN institutions and globally renowned organisations summarising the state of play, are published.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 08:54 UTC
MENA faces big – and needed – opportunity to cut carbon emissions
More cross-border public-private collaboration will be needed for MENA countries to meaningfully address climate change. Overall, around 60% of emissions and GDP in the MENA region have come under net-zero pledges. Diversity among MENA countriesBecause there is significant diversity in the economies and amount of emissions among the different MENA countries, strategic priorities on how to decarbonize vary. These lower GDP non-GCC countries make up only 30% of all emissions across the MENA region, yet contain 70% of the population. On the other hand, all MENA countries, including North African countries, have a lot to gain from large-scale deployment of sustainable energy like solar and wind power.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 07:48 UTC
1.5TW of additional transmission needed for net zero by 2040
Image credit: 123rf.com1.5TW of new transmission at a cost of $1.7 trillion could deliver savings of $3 trillion in the net zero transition by 2040, new analysis based on the Future Energy Outlook shows. “Grid modernisation is the blind spot of the net zero transition. The system optimisation includes projections of future electricity demand, fuel prices, technological costs and performance, as well as policies and regulations in order to give a long-term view of the changing energy system. In 2024, a model builder should be added to the features to enable non-technical users to expedite energy transition planning decisions through an intuitive web interface. TransitionZero’s stated ultimate goal is to create and scale a global standard for energy planning data.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 07:40 UTC
GrindstoneX, Naspers Labs announce 2nd cohort of 10 female entrepreneurs
GrindstoneX has announced the second cohort of 10 female entrepreneurs who will benefit from its growth engineering programme, run in partnership with Naspers Labs. Disrupt Africa reported in 2022 South Africa’s Grindstone Accelerator had partnered Naspers Labs to launch GrindstoneX, a new all-female accelerator programme designed to make women-led startups more investible, scalable, and exit-ready. Naspers Labs, meanwhile, is the youth development programme of global consumer internet group and technology investor, Naspers. Grindstone Ventures is at the forefront of gender-lens investing in South Africa to help close the gender funding gap. Qualifying companies in the GrindstoneX accelerator may benefit from future acceleration programmes or investment opportunities through the Grindstone network.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 07:31 UTC