#Africa

Red Sea

Retailers demand more action from EU to resolve Red Sea crisis

Retailers calling for firm action include members such as supermarket giants Carrefour, Lidl, M&S, and Tesco

GCC airline Saudia offering 50 per cent discount on tickets GettyImages

REVEALED: 10 most punctual airlines in Middle East, Africa

Global aviation analytics provider, Cirium, has unveiled its latest statistics for airline punctuality in 2023

Masdar and Africa50 MoU Image Masdar

Masdar, Africa50 align efforts to hasten clean energy transition across Africa

Africa50 and Masdar will also explore opportunities to collaborate on the implementation of the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa

UAE

UAE announces $4.5bn initiative to support deployment of clean energy in Africa

 The landmark initiative brings together Abu Dhabi Fund for Development , Etihad Credit Insurance, Masdar and AMEA Power among others

UAE Carbon Allaince to buy African Carbon credits for illustratie purposes only _ Getty Images

UAE Carbon Alliance aims to buy African carbon credits by 2030. Here’s their value

The UAE Carbon Alliance aspires to aggregate demand for high-quality carbon credits from the UAE; demand which already exceeds the supply available from the UAE alone

Flydubai first UAE carrier to operate direct flights to Mombasa (Image: Supplied by flydubai)

Flydubai first UAE carrier to operate direct flights to Mombasa

With the launch of this route, flydubai will grow its network in Africa to 11 destinations in 10 countries

Mastercard MTN

Mastercard to buy stake in MTN’s $5.2bn fintech unit

Signing of the definitive investment agreements is expected to occur in the very near term, said MTN chief executive officer Ralph Mupita

Moove

Moove raises $76m with investment from Mubadala, BlackRock

The round brings total funding to over $335m since inception across equity and debt

rice price

Soaring rice prices stretch budgets for billions in Asia, Africa

Rice contributes as much as 60 per cent of total calorie intake for people in parts of Southeast Asia and Africa

Kenya Airways

Kenya Airways, Delta Air Lines expand codeshare partnership

The partnership offers customers additional travel options within the US and increased flying opportunities within Africa

FOO

SME story: Interview with Ghady Rayess, managing director of FOO

Financial services embedded into existing business models are no longer optional, but necessary

Kenya Airways

Emirates, Kenya Airways sign interline partnership

The partnership increases Emirates’ footprint to 148 African points

UAE announces fund to support restoration of heritage projects in Africa Photo credit WAM

UAE to fund world heritage restoration, rehabilitation projects in Africa

These projects will be implemented in cooperation with local governments, alongside local and international partners

Business travel

These are the world’s 10 most expensive cities for business travel

The survey was based on 2022 data for four-star hotels, meals, laundry and incidental costs

Infinity Power acquires Lekela Power Photo Masdar

Masdar JV Infinity Power acquires Africa’s Lekela Power in landmark renewable energy deal

Lekela Power currently operates 1GW of wind power projects in South Africa, Egypt and Senegal, and has a 1.8GW project pipeline in different stages of development

Dubai's Emirates to ramp flight frequencies to more than 15 destinations

Dubai’s Emirates to ramp up flight frequencies to more than 15 destinations

The carrier continues to scale up its A380 operations with the reintroduction of the aircraft across its network

Africa Energy Expo

Informa Markets to launch Africa Energy Expo in 2024

The expo aims to support Africa’s COP27 climate commitments and align with the Africa Power Vision by bringing together key energy stakeholders

Agility opens data centre sites

Kuwait’s Agility launches data centre sites across Middle East and Africa

The company plans to build additional sites in other rapidly growing data centre markets including Nairobi, Casablanca and Lagos

EgyptAir

EgyptAir takes delivery of Africa’s first Airbus A321neo

The A321neo brings 20 per cent reduction in fuel consumption and emissions per seat

DP World

DP World inks cooperation pact to spur Greater Caspian Region-Africa trade

The partnership will provide cargo owners with easy booking and shipment tracking via DP World’s SeaRates platform

Flydubai to launch daily service to Mogadishu

Flydubai to launch daily flights to Mogadishu

With the launch of the new service, flydubai will expand its network in Africa to 11 destinations

India

India energy firms see growth prospect in Africa and Middle East

State-run energy consultant Engineers India expects to finalise a nearly $25m order for a chemicals and fertiliser plant in Nigeria

Zambia

Zambia signs $2bn solar power development pact with UAE

Construction will be done in phases, starting with the installation of 500 megawatts

Africa

AD Ports Group, Africa Finance Corporation ink deal

The two organisations aim on identifying, developing and investing in ports, warehouses, maritime and logistics infrastructure projects across Africa

Gitex Global: Hub71 and GetFundedAfrica to fundraise support for startups

Gitex Global: Hub71 and GetFundedAfrica to support growth of tech startups

Qualifying startups from Abu Dhabi and Africa to gain guidance, resources and support to setup, scale and raise funding in new markets

Gitex

Gitex to launch Africa edition in 2023

Gitex Africa marks first international venture for the mega tech showcase, in partnership with Morocco’s Digital Development Agency

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister and the secretary general of the Digital Cooperation Organization in Riyadh

Digital Cooperation Organization to establish HQ in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Cyprus, Djibouti, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Jordan and Rwanda are member states of the organisation founded to drive collaboration in digital transformation

Africa

McKinsey sees Africa fintech sales surging eightfold by 2025

Financial services revenues in Ghana and francophone West Africa will enjoy the fastest growth, with Nigeria and Egypt the next quickest

dubuy.com adds Al Ain Farm products to its offerings

Al Ain Farms to offer dairy products in Africa through DP World’s DUBUY.com

Dubuy.com connects 10,000 registered customers to 2,000 registered vendors and facilitates the trade of 1.4 million products on a daily basis

CAFU partners with Dubai Cares

CAFU, Dubai Cares partner to build school in Malawi

CAFU aims to raise Dhs154,000 in donations to help construct and run a primary school with two classrooms in one year.