Category: Africa

Source: APO

A senior African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) official met with a high-level United States delegation at the Bank’s headquarters on 17 November to discuss ways to deepen cooperation and strengthen support for Côte d’Ivoire’s economic transformation and investment priorities.

The meeting was led on the Bank side by Joseph Martial Ribeiro, Deputy Director General for West Africa, and on the US side by Jessica Davis Ba, United States Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, and Alex Severens, the Bank Group’s Alternate Executive Director for the U.S. The discussions focused on opportunities to expand collaboration across key sectors.

Ribeiro provided an updated overview of the Bank Group’s portfolio in Côte d’Ivoire, noting that as of the end of October the institution was financing 46 operations totalling $4.2 billion. These investments support infrastructure, the financial sector, energy, agricultural transformation, industrialisation, and private sector development.

The Bank Group’s Lead Economist for West Africa, Marcellin Ndong Ntah, presented a detailed economic briefing, highlighting the country’s strong macroeconomic performance, with growth estimated at six percent in 2024 and expected to reach 6.5 percent in 2025–2026. He also outlined the strategic focus of Côte d’Ivoire’s Country Strategy Paper (CSP 2023–2028) — centred on diversification, sustainability, and structural transformation—and noted that a mid-term review is planned for 2026.

The meeting continued with a presentation of the Bank Group’s country portfolio and indicative operational programme for 2026 by Blanche Kiniffo, Country Programme Officer. She highlighted a particularly dynamic portfolio, dominated by the transport, finance, energy and agriculture sectors, which account for more than 80 percent of the institution’s financing in Côte d’Ivoire. Projections for 2026 foresee new opportunities in key areas such as industrialisation, governance, and water and sanitation.

For its part, the US delegation presented the country’s trade strategy in Côte d’Ivoire, developed by a specific working group (the US Embassy Prosperity Working Group). The discussions then identified several areas of convergence between US priorities and the Bank Group’s interventions, paving the way for joint initiatives starting in 2026, particularly in favour of the private sector.

Discussions also focused on procurement opportunities and the African Development Bank Group’s project pipeline in Côte d’Ivoire, as well as private sector operations, including financing mechanisms and prospects for US companies.

This working meeting, which was both technical and strategic, confirmed a shared desire to deepen dialogue and strengthen collaboration on high-impact projects. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to creating an investment-friendly environment and supporting companies interested in opportunities in Côte d’Ivoire.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Media contact:
Communications and External Relations Department
media@afdb.org

Source: APO

Zion Adeoye has been suspended for gross misconduct from his duties at CLG (www.CLGGlobal.com) pending an investigation. 

The suspension in no way constitutes any finding of wrongdoing. An outside firm has been hired to support the investigation. 

CLG as a firm believes the rule of law is supreme, including the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise. 

Mr Adeoye’s suspension is regarded as a necessary step to ensure an unhindered investigation. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of CLG.

Source: APO

Following a joint review, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) have approved a plan to improve the performance of the institution’s project portfolio in the Central African country. The Country Portfolio Performance Review, as the process is formally known, was conducted from 17 – 20 November in the capital, Kinshasa.

The agreed plan emphasises greater ownership of projects by sector ministries, concerted effort to support ongoing operations to maturity, and more coordinated investment programming. It also includes the digitisation of implementation and reporting processes, capacity building for project teams, and more proactive collaboration to reduce lead times. Additionally, it introduces a system for assessing the performance of project management units, together with incentives to speed up project implementation and optimize impact.

During the three-day review, the government’s technical teams – supervised by the Ministry of Finance’s Project and Programme Monitoring Unit and the Bank Group’s Project Management Units – worked in thematic workshops to examine each operation in detail, assess progress, identify challenges, and propose appropriate corrective measures and concrete actions for effective implementation.

“It is essential that projects financed by the African Development Bank perform well if we are to meet the legitimate expectations of our people,” said DRC Deputy Finance Minister Yamba Kazadi Gracia, at the review. “Every dollar unused represents a school not built, a road not rehabilitated, a health centre not equipped. We have a moral and political duty to transform this funding into tangible results for the development of our country.”

The Bank Group’s Deputy Director General for Central Africa, Mohamed Chérif, praised the quality of the dialogue with the Congolese authorities and reaffirmed the pan-African institution’s commitment to supporting the country in achieving its national priorities.

He said: “This meeting testifies to our shared commitment to the national vision and reaffirms our support for the major national priorities … This is why we need to work more closely together to improve the effectiveness of our projects and programmes and enhance their impact on the development and well-being of the Congolese people.”

Country portfolio reviews serve as milestone moments in the ongoing strategic and operational dialogue between the Bank Group and the countries in which it is financing operations.

The African Development Bank Group’s active portfolio in the Democratic Republic of Congo totals more than $1.6 billion, covering the agriculture, transport, energy, drinking water and sanitation, governance, human capital, and digital sectors. The Bank’s portfolio in the DRC is one of the Group’s largest in Central Africa in terms of commitments.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Media contact: 
Frédérique Pascale Essama Messanga
Communication and External Relations Department
African Development Bank 
media@afdb.org 

About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (ADB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). Represented in 41 African countries, with a field office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org.

Source: APO

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The ECOWAS Commission, with the support of TradeMark Africa, organized a two-day training and capacity-building workshop for border officials at the Akanu-Noepe Joint Border Post between the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Togo from 20-21 November 2025 in Lomé, Togo.

The training sought to strengthen the operational capacity of border officials and enhance coordination among key agencies by improving their understanding of the JBP concept, commitments under the Bilateral Agreement signed between the two Member States, harmonized procedures, and joint operational mechanisms to promote efficient border management, trade facilitation, and regional integration.

Participants shared experiences and provided critical feedback to the ECOWAS Commission as part of measures to ensure the efficient and sustainable operation of the Akanu–Noepe Joint Border Post. Among the key recommendations from the training workshop were the development of a sustainable funding mechanism for JBP operations, regular engagement with relevant national authorities to address challenges at the JBP, and ECOWAS Commission support in the immediate retooling and equipping of the Akanu-Noepe JBP.

In all, forty-five (45) participants took part in the training session, which focused on topics including the JBP concept, the legal and institutional framework for the operations of the Joint Border Post, the role and mandate of the Joint Border Management Committee, digital tools for cross-border trade facilitation and social inclusion, and environmental and sustainable border management.

The Akanu–Noepe Joint Border Post plays a crucial role in the facilitation of trade and transport along the Abidjan–Lagos Corridor and serves as a critical node for intermodal logistics value chains. It also provides an important link in transport connectivity to the Sahelian hinterlands of the region.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Source: APO

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The ECOWAS Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations successfully concluded two end-of-year retreats: Expert-Level Retreat of Election Officers from the 14th to 16th of November, 2025 and High-Level Retreat of Permanent Representatives from 21st to 22nd of November, 2025 in New York, United States of America. The retreats are aimed at enhancing regional coordination and positioning the Community for strengthened engagement and greater visibility within the multilateral agenda in 2026.

The Expert-Level Retreat of Election Officers Mission convened expert ECOWAS Election Officers, presided over by H.E. Amb. Kinza Jawara-Njai, ECOWAS Permanent Observer to the United Nations. The meeting reviewed the 2025 election cycle, implementation of the Revised ECOWAS Guidelines on Candidatures, and regional preparations of candidacies for upcoming positions in organs and agencies of the United Nations for which elections will hold in 2026.

A key outcome of the retreat was the adoption of the West Africa Chart on Candidacies for elections holding in 2026. The meeting also resulted in the consolidation of regional agreement on outstanding candidatures requiring further alignment and strengthened expert-level coordination and information-sharing.

The High-Level Retreat of Permanent Representatives was presided over by H.E. Amb. Michael Imran Kanu, Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the United Nations and Chair of the ECOWAS Group, reviewed the Group’s engagements in 2025 and outlined strategic priorities for 2026 aimed at advancing the region’s interests across multilateral fora. The retreat also received briefings from senior UN leadership on key United Nations initiatives of particular relevance to West Africa.

The retreat concluded with the adoption of a Strategic Coordination Roadmap for 2026 and agreement on priority thematic and diplomatic engagements to reinforce ECOWAS visibility, coherence, and unity at the United Nations. It also strengthened coordination to ensure continuity of ECOWAS priorities in the UN Security Council, as Liberia takes over from Sierra Leone, ensuring a seamless relay of West Africa’s positions on peace and security matters.

Together, the two retreats strengthened ECOWAS’ expert coordination and high-level diplomacy, positioning the region for more unified engagement within the United Nations system in 2026.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Source: APO

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The Cultural Week organized by the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students of Sawa and Higher Education Institutions, in collaboration with Warsai–Yikealo School, was enthusiastically concluded at a closing event held on 23 November. The program, which was conducted for over two months, featured cultural, educational, and artistic activities including general knowledge competitions, drama, music, fashion shows, poems, and more.

Ms. Mensura Ismail, head of the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students branch of Sawa and Higher Education Institutions, said that the event contributed to enabling students to identify their talents, competitive spirit, and creativity.

Mr. Saleh Ahmedin, chairman of the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students, highlighted the importance of creating forums where students can showcase their talents and capacities, exchange experiences, and enhance their competitiveness.

At the event, awards were handed out to winners of various competitions.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

Source: APO

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The Eritrean National Cycling Team, which achieved remarkable victories in both men’s and women’s categories at the African Continental Cycling Championship 2025 in Kenya, was warmly welcomed upon its arrival at Asmara International Airport.

The welcoming ceremony was attended by Ambassador Zemede Tekle, Commissioner of Culture and Sports, along with officials from the Eritrean Cycling Federation and enthusiastic sports fans.

Ambassador Zemede said that the Eritrean National Cycling Team delivered victory according to expectations and plans, making the country and its people very proud. He also expressed gratitude to the National Team, on behalf of the public and Government, for the tenacity and courage they demonstrated.

At the African Cycling Championship 2025, held from 20 to 23 November, the National Team clinched a total of 10 medals in both genders, including 3 gold, 5 silver, and 2 bronze.

At the final road race conducted on 23 November, Olympian Merhawi Kudus in the elite group, Awet Aman in the under-23 category, and Natan Medhanie in the junior category shined in their respective categories by winning gold medals.

Likewise, Nahom Efrem won a silver medal in the junior category, while Mewael Germay secured a silver medal in the under-23 category.

In the women’s category, Adiam Tesfu won a silver medal in the junior time trial, Monaliza Araya won a bronze medal in the under-23 category, Suzana Fesehaye secured a bronze medal in the under-23 category, and Birikti Fesehaye won a silver medal in the road race.

At the competitions, which lasted four days, competitors from over 30 countries took part.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.