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OPEC Fund Development Forum 2025: A Global Call for Inclusive Growth, Equitable Transition and South-South Cooperation

The OPEC Fund for International Development (the OPEC Fund) (www.OPECFund.org) will convene global leaders, policymakers and innovators for its fourth Development Forum on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Vienna, Austria, under the theme A Transition that Empowers Our Tomorrow. The Forum will spotlight inclusive growth, climate resilience and the power of South-South cooperation in advancing equitable and sustainable development.

OPEC Fund President Abdulhamid Alkhalifa will open the Forum alongside President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania and Minister of Finance Mohammed Aljadaan of Saudi Arabia. Senior government officials from across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin American and the Caribbean, along with heads of multilateral institutions, will join forces to drive solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.  

President Alkhalifa said: “Today’s interconnected crises – from climate change to economic volatility – demand institutions that are agile, responsive and resolute. The OPEC Fund stands firmly with our partners and with the Global South. Our Development Forum is not just a platform for dialogue – it is a catalyst for collective action and transformative impact. Together, we can transform adversity into opportunity.”

The 2025 Forum will tackle four high-impact themes: financing development, climate resilience, digital inclusion and sustainable transitions for vulnerable economies. Sessions will focus on generating actionable ideas and partnerships that can accelerate progress toward the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals. A series of cooperation agreements will be signed to further strengthen South-South partnerships.

Confirmed speakers at the OPEC Fund Development Forum include the Vice-President and Minister of Finance of the Republic of Botswana, Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe, the Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe, Américo d’Oliveira dos Ramos; the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Jeremiah Manele; the Minister of Finance of Nigeria, Adebayo Olawale Edun; the Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, Mikayil Jabbarov; the  Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of Guinea, Ismaël Nabé; the Minister of Finance of Nepal, Ghanshyam Upadhyaya; and the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning of Rwanda, Yusuf Murangwa.

Institutional leaders participating include the President-elect of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and current President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Sidi Ould Tah; the Executive President of CABEI,  the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, Gisela Sánchez; the Executive President of CAF, Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, Sergio Díaz-Granados; the President of the Caribbean Development Bank, Daniel M. Best, and the Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser.  

On June 16, one day prior to the Development Forum, the OPEC Fund will host the annual meeting of the Heads of Institutions of the Arab Coordination Group (ACG), followed by a high-level roundtable on Mauritania with President Ghazouani to mobilize coordinated support for Mauritania’s national development priorities, particularly in energy, food security and infrastructure.

The week’s activities will culminate with the OPEC Fund Ministerial Council and Governing Board meetings on June 18, where new projects supporting sustainable development will be approved.

For the full agenda and speaker list of the OPEC Fund Development Forum 2025, visit: https://apo-opa.co/4mYxTjp

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of OPEC Fund.

Contact:
Telephone: +43-1-515 64-0
Fax: +43-1-513 92 38
www.OPECFund.org

About the OPEC Fund:
The OPEC Fund for International Development (the OPEC Fund) is the only globally mandated development institution that provides financing from member countries to non-member countries exclusively. The organization works in cooperation with developing country partners and the international development community to stimulate economic growth and social progress in low- and middle-income countries around the world. The OPEC Fund was established in 1976 with a distinct purpose: to drive development, strengthen communities and empower people. Our work is people-centered, focusing on financing projects that meet essential needs, such as food, energy, infrastructure, employment (particularly relating to MSMEs), clean water and sanitation, healthcare and education. To date, the OPEC Fund has committed more than US$29 billion to development projects in over 125 countries with an estimated total project cost of more than US$200 billion. The OPEC Fund is rated AA+/Outlook Stable by Fitch and S&P Global Ratings. Our vision is a world where sustainable development is a reality for all.

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La Chambre Africaine de l’énergie (AEC) lance des services de conseil spécialisés pour soutenir les investissements énergétiques en Afrique

La Chambre africaine de l’énergie (AEC) (EnergyChamber.org), qui représente le secteur énergétique africain, a lancé des services de conseil spécialisés pour soutenir le développement du secteur énergétique africain. Conformément à la mission plus large de l’organisation, qui consiste à améliorer le paysage du secteur énergétique africain et à soutenir un environnement commercial axé sur les résultats pour les entreprises opérant sur ce marché, ces services sont adaptés aux secteurs du pétrole, du gaz et de la pétrochimie, et accompagnent les clients tout au long du cycle de vie de leurs projets.

S’appuyant sur la présence étendue de l’AEC en Afrique et à l’international, les services de conseil soutiendront les transactions commerciales, les investissements étrangers et les fusions et acquisitions (M&A) en Afrique, et visent à réduire la pauvreté énergétique en libérant davantage de valeur des ressources du continent. Les capacités de l’AEC dans ce domaine comprennent l’aide à la planification et à l’exécution de projets, les études de faisabilité et la modélisation financière, ainsi que les stratégies de coordination et de communication avec les parties prenantes. L’AEC propose également des services liés à l’application des meilleures pratiques du secteur afin d’optimiser les rendements et de stimuler la croissance, ainsi que des conseils en matière de conformité réglementaire, d’entrée sur le marché et d’atténuation des risques. Ces services permettront non seulement aux clients d’investir de manière stratégique sur les principaux marchés africains, mais aussi de maximiser leur retour sur investissement, d’accroître leur rentabilité et de poursuivre leur expansion sur le continent.

Au-delà des services de conseil, l’AEC offre également une expertise spécialisée dans l’identification et l’exécution d’opportunités d’investissement à forte valeur ajoutée tout au long de la chaîne de valeur pétrolière en Afrique. Tirant parti de sa présence internationale, de son expertise sur les marchés stratégiques africains et de ses solides relations avec les secteurs public et privé, l’organisation s’engage à soutenir des investissements mutuellement avantageux en Afrique. Les principales compétences de l’AEC dans ce domaine comprennent la création et le conseil en matière d’investissements en amont, en milieu de chaîne et en aval ; les études de préfaisabilité, la représentation des entrepreneurs et la structuration de projets ; les services techniques, notamment l’ingénierie, la maintenance et l’approvisionnement en matériaux ; et la planification stratégique et l’accompagnement opérationnel afin de maximiser la performance des investissements. Ces services fournissent non seulement aux financiers internationaux et aux développeurs de projets les outils dont ils ont besoin pour réussir en Afrique, mais ils soulignent également le rôle que joue l’AEC en tant que partenaire de choix pour les acteurs du secteur de l’énergie à la recherche d’opportunités de croissance sur le continent.

Ces services interviennent à un moment où le secteur énergétique africain est sur le point de connaître une croissance significative, les opérateurs internationaux élargissant leurs portefeuilles, les acteurs régionaux augmentant leurs investissements et la demande de pétrole continuant de croître sur tout le continent. Le rapport « State of African Energy 2025 Outlook » de l’AEC montre que les investissements resteront solides en 2025, avec des dépenses d’investissement totales estimées à 43 milliards de dollars. D’ici 2030, les investissements devraient atteindre 54 milliards de dollars, soulignant l’attractivité du continent en tant que destination pour les investissements énergétiques. Parallèlement, les activités de fusion-acquisition en Afrique ont connu une croissance robuste, avec une hausse de 73 % au premier trimestre 2024 par rapport à 2023. Cette évolution s’explique en grande partie par l’intérêt croissant des compagnies pétrolières nationales (CPN) d’Asie et du Moyen-Orient pour l’Afrique, ainsi que par l’expansion régionale des CPN africaines.

À l’avenir, les activités de fusion-acquisition devraient continuer à croître, les entreprises recherchant de nouvelles opportunités sur les marchés établis et émergents. En réponse, les pays africains offrent de plus en plus d’opportunités d’investissement. En Afrique du Nord, il s’agit notamment des prochains appels d’offres en Libye (22 blocs), en Égypte (12 blocs) et en Algérie (6 blocs). En Afrique orientale et australe, il s’agit notamment de l’Angola (10 blocs) et de la Tanzanie (24 blocs), tandis que l’Afrique du Sud devrait ouvrir des zones offshore et onshore. La Mauritanie se prépare également à lancer un cycle d’octroi de licences pour 15 blocs, tandis que le Nigeria et le Liberia ont tous deux lancé des appels d’offres en 2024. À mesure que les opportunités commerciales continuent de s’ouvrir, les pays réforment également leurs politiques réglementaires et fiscales afin d’attirer les investissements grâce à des conditions compétitives. Compte tenu de la complexité des transactions pétrolières et gazières, il est impératif de comprendre ces changements ainsi que les environnements réglementaires respectifs des pays africains. Grâce à sa gamme de services d’investissement et de conseil, l’AEC est un partenaire solide pour les entreprises qui souhaitent investir et conclure des accords en Afrique.

« L’AEC s’est donné pour mission de faire de la pauvreté énergétique en Afrique une chose du passé. Pour y parvenir, l’organisation s’est engagée à travailler en étroite collaboration avec les gouvernements africains, les opérateurs internationaux et les bailleurs de fonds. Grâce à son expertise sectorielle, ses compétences techniques et sa connaissance du marché, l’AEC permet à ses clients de créer de la valeur, de gérer les risques et d’atteindre une croissance durable sur des marchés énergétiques complexes », déclare NJ Ayuk, président exécutif de l’AEC.

Distribué par APO Group pour African Energy Chamber.

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President Ramaphosa to visit flood-affected areas in the Eastern Cape

Source: President of South Africa –

President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow, Friday, 13 June 2025, visit flood-affected areas in the Eastern Cape following rising casualties and damage to infrastructure caused by the severe weather which has engulfed the OR Tambo and Amathole District Municipalities.

The President is being kept abreast by Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa and Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabunyane on search and rescue efforts, and additional support needed to comprehensively respond across all levels to the devastating disaster.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his sadness at the loss of lives and conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, affected communities and Eastern Cape residents at large.

President Ramaphosa will commence his oversight visit to the flood-affected sites accompanied by Minister Hlabisa, Premier Mabuyane and leaders of the disaster response.

The delegation will monitor progress on the response and will interact with affected communities on government’s support.

*MEDIA PROGRAMME*

Closed Briefing by the interdisciplinary National Disaster Management Team
Time: 11:00
Venue : O.R Tambo District Municipality Council Chamber

Site visits to the Dicoligny , Jumba High School and Slovo Park
Time: 11:30

(Media to be stationed from the first site visit)

Media logistical arrangements to the site visits can be directed to Khuselwa Rantjie, Eastern Cape Provincial Spokesperson – 082 728 7476

COGTA Ministry enquiries: Pearl Maseko-Binqose, Media Liaison Officer – 082 772 1709

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

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Burundi: Elections Without Opposition

Legislative and local elections in Burundi on June 5, 2025, took place in a context of severely restricted free speech and political space, Human Rights Watch said today. 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (Commission électorale nationale indépendante, CENI) announced on June 11 during a press conference that the ruling party had won 96.5 percent of votes and all elected national assembly seats. The ruling party also won almost every seat in the commune-level election. Ruling party officials and youths intimidated, harassed, and threatened the population and censored media coverage to secure a landslide victory. 

“Burundians voted in an atmosphere devoid of genuine political competition as the ruling party further consolidated power,” said Clémentine de Montjoye, senior Great Lakes researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Against a backdrop of growing discontent over a deepening economic crisis and systemic human rights failings, the ruling party took no chances in the elections.”

The National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (Conseil national pour la défense de la démocratie-Forces pour la défense de la démocratie, CNDD–FDD), in power since 2005, has sought to dismantle all meaningful opposition, including from its main rival, the National Congress for Freedom (Congrès national pour la liberté, CNL). Several opposition parties, including the CNL, the Patriots’ Council (Conseil des Patriotes, CDP), and the Union for National Progress (Union pour le progrès national, UPRONA) denounced irregularities in the vote. Senatorial and further local elections are scheduled for July 23 and August 25, respectively, and the next presidential polls will be in 2027.

In the days following the vote, Human Rights Watch spoke with local activists, journalists, private citizens, and a member of the ruling party’s youth league – the Imbonerakure – who spoke of intimidation and irregularities in both the lead-up to the election and during the voting.

Media reports and witness accounts indicate that the voting on June 5 was overwhelmingly dominated by the ruling party. “The Imbonerakure were in front of the polling station telling people to vote for the ruling party,” said a voter in the town of Bururi. “All the workers at the polling station were members of the ruling party. The head of the polling station himself told me to vote for the ruling party.” 

People interviewed in Bujumbura, the country’s largest city, Cibitoke, and Rumonge described similar scenes at their polling places. A Burundian civil society organization reported the same patterns in Bubanza, Gitega, Makamba, and Ngozi. “We were told to do everything necessary to make sure that people only voted for the CNDD-FDD,” the Imbonerakure member said. 

Opposition parties and witnesses said that opposition party representatives, journalists, and observers were prevented from entering polling places, including when votes were being counted. 

In several communes (municipalities), the number of votes cast reportedly exceeded the number of registered voters. Media and witnesses also reported ballot stuffing and the selective distribution of voter cards, excluding opposition members from voting.

A coalition of radio stations, television channels, and print or online media outlets coordinated coverage of the elections, reportedly funded by the Ministry of Communication, Information Technology and Media, and all content produced had to be submitted to a central editorial team, which censored reports that did not align with the official narrative, media reported. A journalist told Human Rights Watch that officials of the electoral body told the media “not to talk about irregularities.”

In December, the electoral commission barred opposition candidates, including members of the opposition Burundi for All (Burundi Bwa Bose in Kirundi) coalition and the CNL, from contesting the June elections, effectively sidelining major opposition voices. Some were able to appeal the decision at the Constitutional Court, but presidential runner-up and former leader of the CNL, Agathon Rwasa, was among those still barred from running.

In January 2024, the interior minister accused the CNL of collaborating with a terrorist organization, after which the party’s general assembly voted to remove Rwasa from leadership. In April 2024, Burundi adopted a new electoral code that significantly raised candidate registration fees and imposed a two-year waiting period for those leaving political parties before they can run again, effectively ensuring that Rwasa would not be eligible.

The authorities, aided by the Imbonerakure, forced the population to register to vote in late 2024, according to media reports and witness accounts. “The population wanted to show that they don’t see the point in this election, and tried to boycott the registration process,” said an observer in Cibitoke. “They were forced [to register], prevented from accessing markets, healthcare centers, administrative services or going to the fields. The Imbonerakure were everywhere to intimidate people.”

The African Union deployed an observation mission and issued a preliminary report on June 7 praising the “peaceful” conduct of Burundi’s legislative and communal elections. It also praised high voter turnout, the “climate of freedom and transparency,” and media coverage. This stands in stark contrast to the AU’s own normative framework on democracy, elections, and human rights, which emphasizes credible, inclusive, and transparent electoral processes. The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and the Economic Community of Central African States also deployed observer missions. The Catholic Church, which has criticized previous elections, deployed observers but some were turned away from polling places.

General elections in May 2020 took place in a highly repressive environment, marred by allegations of irregularities. Throughout the pre-election period, Imbonerakure members committed widespread abuses, especially against people perceived to be against the ruling party, including killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, beatings, extortion, and intimidation. 

Burundians have told Human Rights Watch that they feel growing frustration at the ruling party’s governance, at a time when the population is facing a 40 percent annual inflation rate, chronic shortages, significant discrepancies between official and unofficial exchange rates, limited foreign currency reserves, and a fuel crisis that has crippled transport for years. The escalating conflict in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, which has jeopardized cross-border trade and prompted the arrival of over 70,000 refugees and asylum seekers since January 2025, as well as cuts in donor funding have further compounded the situation.

In February, Burundian authorities expelled the director and security officer of the United Nations World Food Programme from the country, after they reportedly advised staff to stock up on essential goods. Civil society and opposition figures continue to report ongoing harassment, extortion, arbitrary detention, and beatings by the Imbonerakure and the authorities as the government remains deeply hostile to perceived criticism. 

Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Burundi is a party, states, “Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity … [t]o vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors.”

“Burundi’s democracy has been hollowed out, with a ruling party unaccountable to its people and unwilling to tolerate dissent, even as economic desperation grows,” de Montjoye said. “Without credible opposition, this election only further entrenches authoritarian rule and pushes Burundians further into a deeply rooted governance crisis.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

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The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC)-Supported Nakkaş-Başakşehir Motorway Wins TXF Social Infrastructure Deal of the Year 2024

The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) (http://ICIEC.IsDB.org), a Shariah-compliant multilateral insurer and member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, is proud to announce that the Nakkaş-Başakşehir Motorway Project in Türkiye has been named TXF’s Social Infrastructure Deal of the Year 2024, awarded during the TXF Global Awards Ceremony held on 11 June 2025.

This landmark project involves EUR 1.044 billion in non-recourse financing for the development of a 35-kilometer greenfield motorway in Istanbul Province—the final section of the Northern Marmara Motorway, a 450-kilometer corridor connecting Türkiye’s Asian and European regions. The public-private partnership is expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion, improve trade logistics, and cut commute times by up to 40 minutes.

The project aligns with multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 8 (Decent Work), SDG 9 (Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships), by creating jobs, modernizing transport infrastructure, and fostering international cooperation.

ICIEC played a pivotal role in the financial close by offering a comprehensive risk mitigation solution, including a EUR 74 million Non-Honoring of Sovereign Financial Obligations (NHSFO) policy to Standard Chartered and Deutsche Bank, and Equity Investment Insurance to Korean investors.

“This award reflects the strength of our partnership with the Government of Türkiye, our member institutions, and the private sector,” said Dr. Khalid Khalafalla, CEO of ICIEC. “We are particularly proud to have supported this project alongside other Export Credit Agencies and Multilateral Development Banks—most notably our parent institution, the Islamic Development Bank, and our sister entity, the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector. Together, we leveraged synergies to mobilize Islamic finance and de-risk strategic infrastructure. Congratulations to all parties involved in delivering a project with lasting developmental impact.”

This transaction exemplifies ICIEC’s mission to provide innovative risk mitigation solutions that enable impactful trade and infrastructure investment across its 50 member states.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC).

Media Contact:
Email: ICIEC-Communication@isdb.org

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About The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC):
ICIEC commenced operations in 1994 to strengthen economic relations between OIC Member States and promote intra-OIC trade and investments by providing risk mitigation tools and financial solutions. The Corporation is uniquely the only Islamic multilateral insurer in the world. It has led from the front in delivering a comprehensive suite of solutions to companies and parties in its 50 Member States. ICIEC, for the 17th consecutive year, maintained an “Aa3” insurance financial strength credit rating from Moody’s, ranking the Corporation among the top of the Credit and Political Risk Insurance (CPRI) Industry. Additionally, ICIEC has been assigned a First-Time “AA-“ long-term Issuer Credit Rating by S&P with Stable Outlook.  ICIEC’s resilience is underpinned by its sound underwriting, reinsurance, and risk management policies. Cumulatively, ICIEC has insured more than USD 121 billion in trade and investment. ICIEC activities are directed to several sectors – energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, healthcare, and agriculture.

For more information: visit: http://ICIEC.IsDB.org

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L’autoroute Nakkaş-Başakşehir, soutenue par la Société islamique d’assurance des investissements et des crédits à l’exportation (SIACE), remporte le prix TXF du meilleur projet d’infrastructure sociale de l’année 2024

La Société islamique d’assurance des investissements et des crédits à l’exportation (SIACE) (http://ICIEC.IsDB.org), assureur multilatéral conforme à la charia et membre du Groupe de la Banque islamique de développement (BID), est fière d’annoncer que le projet d’autoroute Nakkaş-Başakşehir en Turquie a été désigné « Meilleur projet d’infrastructure sociale de l’année 2024 » lors de la cérémonie de remise des prix TXF qui s’est tenue le 11 juin 2025.

Ce projet historique représente un financement sans recours de 1,044 milliard d’euros pour la construction d’une nouvelle autoroute de 35 kilomètres dans la province d’Istanbul, venant compléter le dernier tronçon de l’autoroute du Nord de Marmara – un corridor stratégique de 450 kilomètres reliant les régions asiatiques et européennes de la Turquie. Ce partenariat public-privé devrait considérablement réduire les embouteillages, améliorer la logistique commerciale et diminuer les temps de trajet de jusqu’à 40 minutes.

Le projet s’inscrit pleinement dans la réalisation de plusieurs Objectifs de développement durable (ODD) des Nations Unies, notamment l’ODD 8 (Travail décent et croissance économique), l’ODD 9 (Industrie, innovation et infrastructure), l’ODD 11 (Villes et communautés durables) et l’ODD 17 (Partenariats pour la réalisation des objectifs), en créant des emplois, en modernisant les infrastructures de transport et en renforçant la coopération internationale.

La SIACE a joué un rôle déterminant dans le bouclage financier en proposant une solution complète d’atténuation des risques, notamment via une police d’assurance contre le non-respect des obligations financières souveraines (NHSFO) de 74 millions d’euros au bénéfice de Standard Chartered et Deutsche Bank, ainsi qu’une assurance investissement en fonds propres destinée aux investisseurs coréens.

« Ce prix témoigne de la solidité de notre partenariat avec le gouvernement turc, nos institutions membres et le secteur privé », a déclaré le Dr Khalid Khalafalla, Directeur Général de la SIACE. « Nous sommes particulièrement fiers d’avoir soutenu ce projet aux côtés d’autres agences de crédit à l’exportation et de banques multilatérales de développement, notamment notre institution mère, la Banque islamique de développement, et notre entité sœur, la Société islamique pour le développement du secteur privé. Ensemble, nous avons su exploiter les synergies pour mobiliser la finance islamique et réduire les risques liés à des infrastructures stratégiques. Félicitations à toutes les parties prenantes qui ont contribué à la réalisation de ce projet à fort impact pour le développement durable. »

Cette transaction illustre la mission de la SIACE: fournir des solutions innovantes d’atténuation des risques permettant des investissements commerciaux et d’infrastructures à fort impact dans ses 50 États membres.

Distribué par APO Group pour Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC).

Contact média :
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À propos de la SIACE :
La SIACE a commencé ses activités en 1994 avec pour mission de renforcer les relations économiques entre les États membres de l’OCI et de promouvoir le commerce et l’investissement intra-OCI à travers l’assurance-crédit et l’assurance investissement. La SIACE est le seul assureur multilatéral islamique au monde et s’est imposée comme un acteur de premier plan dans la fourniture d’une gamme complète d’outils de réduction des risques au service du commerce et des investissements transfrontaliers pour ses 50 États membres. Pour la 17ᵉ année consécutive, la SIACE a maintenu la notation de solidité financière « Aa3 » attribuée par Moody’s, la plaçant parmi les leaders de l’industrie de l’assurance-crédit et d’assurance des risques politiques. En outre, la SIACE s’est vu attribuer pour la première fois une notation de crédit à long terme de « AA- » avec une perspective stable par S&P Global Ratings. La résilience de la SIACE repose sur des pratiques de souscription rigoureuses, des accords de réassurance solides et un cadre de gestion des risques performant. Depuis sa création, la SIACE a assuré cumulativement plus de 121 milliards de dollars américains en opérations commerciales et en investissements, soutenant des secteurs clés tels que l’énergie, l’industrie manufacturière, les infrastructures, la santé et l’agriculture.

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez visiter : http://ICIEC.IsDB.org

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Le Ministre de l’Industrie et des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises (PME) de la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC), Louis Watum, prendra la parole à la DRC Mining Week à Lubumbashi


Son Excellence l’Ingénieur Louis Watum, Ministre de l’Industrie et du Développement des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises de la RDC, est le dernier membre du gouvernement de haut niveau confirmé comme intervenant et invité VIP à l’occasion de l’édition 2025 de la DRC Mining Week, qui se tiendra à Lubumbashi du 11 au 13 juin. Le ministre Watum, figure bien connue et très respectée du secteur minier, devrait s’exprimer lors de la conférence, rencontrer des dirigeants de compagnies minières et des investisseurs, et visiter l’espace d’exposition afin d’échanger avec les exposants et sponsors qui y présenteront des technologies et des solutions de classe mondiale pour le secteur.

« Félicitations à la DRC Mining Week pour son 20ᵉ anniversaire, une étape majeure », déclare le ministre Watum, ajoutant que « l’événement n’a cessé de se renforcer, et cela reflète la vitalité du secteur. »

Il poursuit : « C’est toujours un plaisir de participer à la DRC Mining Week et d’y retrouver de nombreux visages familiers ; mais il y a également beaucoup de nouveaux visages, ce qui est un très bon signe, un signe de progrès et de croissance. L’industrie minière est essentielle pour notre économie, particulièrement dans cette région, et de nombreuses PME ont la possibilité d’offrir de l’emploi, de faire croître le secteur et de jouer un rôle important dans la montée en compétences des hommes et des femmes qui ont la mine dans le sang. »

Avant d’entrer au gouvernement, le ministre Watum a connu une brillante carrière de plus de 20 ans dans l’industrie minière au Mali et en RDC, notamment au sein du projet Kibali de Randgold et chez Ivanhoe Mines en tant que Directeur Général de Kamoa Copper SA.

Les organisateurs de la DRC Mining Week ont également annoncé précédemment que la Première Ministre de la RDC, Son Excellence Madame Judith Suminwa Tuluka, ainsi que le Ministre des Mines, Son Excellence Monsieur Kizito Pakabomba Kapinga Mulume, seront présents lors de cet événement de longue date prévu pour la semaine prochaine.

Depuis sa création, la DRC Mining Week est devenue la plus grande plateforme dédiée au secteur minier et aux infrastructures en RDC et dans le Copperbelt, réunissant plus de 11 500 participants venus de plus de 50 pays. Placée sous le thème : « 20 ans à façonner l’industrie minière en RDC : investir dans le développement des infrastructures et la sécurité énergétique – Vision 2025–2030 », cette édition marquante mettra en lumière les avancées réalisées et les opportunités futures. Avec l’industrie minière au cœur de l’industrialisation du pays, l’accent sera mis sur l’investissement, le développement des infrastructures et la sécurité énergétique pour stimuler la croissance à long terme.

Un soutien de longue date

« Accueillir de nouveau S.E. l’ingénieur Watum à la DRC Mining Week, c’est comme accueillir un membre de la famille », affirme Samukelo Madlabane, Directeur des Événements – Secteur Minier au sein du groupe VUKA, organisateur de l’événement. Il ajoute : « L’expérience du ministre dans le secteur est inestimable pour un événement comme le nôtre. Nous attendons avec impatience son allocution ministérielle. Notre 20ᵉ anniversaire n’aurait pas été possible sans le soutien précieux et constant du gouvernement envers cet événement, qui favorise la collaboration et le développement du secteur minier depuis plus de deux décennies. »

Une visibilité stratégique

Plus de 11 500 professionnels du secteur minier, locaux et internationaux, sont attendus cette semaine à la DRC Mining Week, promettant une visibilité précieuse et des opportunités de contacts pour les partenaires participants.

L’événement propose un large éventail de contenus enrichissants et d’opportunités pour rencontrer des partenaires et clients existants ou potentiels dans les secteurs minier et extractif, notamment :

  • Forum sur l’investissement énergétique ;
  • Sessions de conférences de haut niveau, avec des thématiques telles que : la Feuille de route minière 2025–2030 ; groupe d’experts ; dynamiques de marché et volatilité des prix ; et positionnement de la RDC comme pays minier leader ;
  • D’innombrables opportunités de rencontres et de réseautage pour plus de 1 300 décideurs de haut niveau, dont des dirigeants miniers et représentants gouvernementaux ;
  • Une vaste exposition avec plus de 280 sponsors et exposants présentant les dernières technologies et services éprouvés pour le secteur, dont 9 pavillons nationaux ;
  • Forum ministériel (sur invitation uniquement) ;
  • Forum d’affaires du gouvernement américain (sur invitation uniquement) ;
  • Forum d’affaires de l’Union européenne (sur invitation uniquement) ;
  • Forum des ambassadeurs et déjeuner d’affaires de réseautage (sur invitation uniquement) ;
  • Forum des PDG – Executive Business Forum (strictement sur invitation) ;
  • Forum sur l’investissement dans la chaîne de valeur ;
  • Forum sur le développement régional ;
  • Forum Femmes & Leadership dans les mines — toujours très attendu et point fort de l’événement ;
  • Dîner de gala prestigieux (réservé aux détenteurs de billets) ;
  • Visite du site de Kamoa (complet).

Le programme complet de l’édition 2025 de la DRC Mining Week est disponible sur le site de l’événement. Cliquez ici (https://apo-opa.co/4mXh9ZJ).

Soutien de l’industrie

Comme c’est désormais la tradition, la DRC Mining Week bénéficie cette année encore d’un large soutien du secteur et d’un appui institutionnel solide, notamment de la part de ses partenaires officiels : le Ministère des Mines de la RDC et la FEC (Fédération des Entreprises du Congo). Ses principaux sponsors incluent Standard Bank en tant que sponsor principal. Les sponsors diamant plus sont : Ecobank, Equity BCDC, Kamoa Copper S.A., Glencore, Kamoto Copper Company S.A. et MUMI. Parmi les maisons minières présentes cette année, on compte notamment Barrick, CMOC, ERG Africa, Gécamines, Ivanhoe Mines et MMG.

Dates et lieu de la DRC Mining Week

  • Exposition et conférence : du 11 au 13 juin 2025
  • Déjeuner de clôture : 14 juin 2025 (strictement sur invitation)
  • Lieu : Hôtel Pullman Grand Karavia, Lubumbashi, RDC

Distribué par APO Group pour Vuka Group.

Réseaux Sociaux :
Site web : http://www.DRCMiningWeek.com
Twitter : https://apo-opa.co/3HFrGJ5
Facebook : DRC-Mining-Week
LinkedIn : https://apo-opa.co/43EeVHg

À propos de DRC Mining Week :
DRC Mining Week est organisé par The VUKA Group (anciennement Clarion Events Africa), un organisateur basé au Cap, maintes fois primé, spécialisé dans les salons, conférences et événements digitaux à travers le continent dans les secteurs des infrastructures, de l’énergie, des mines, de la mobilité, du e-commerce et de l’expérience client. Parmi ses autres événements phares figurent : DRC-Africa Battery Metals Forum, Nigeria Mining Week, Enlit Africa, Africa’s Green Economy Summit, Smarter Mobility Africa, ECOM Africa et CEM Africa.

Mining Review Africa, principal magazine mensuel et plateforme digitale dédiée à l’industrie minière africaine, est le partenaire média premium de l’événement.

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Third Strategic Dialogue between the State of Qatar and the French Republic

Source: Government of Qatar

Paris,  June 12, 2025

The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic, Mr Jean-Noël Barrot, co-chaired the third annual Qatar-France Strategic Dialogue in Paris on June 12 2025. 

Qatar and France welcomed the holding of their third Annual Strategic Dialogue and reviewed the important progress made since the State Visit of His Highness the Amir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to France in February 2024 which resulted in new cooperation initiatives within the fields of security, defence, economy, trade, investment and education. Both countries affirmed the strength of their bilateral relationship and pledged to further develop it by expanding strategic partnership on key files.

POLITICAL AND DIPLOMATIC COOPERATION

Both Ministers reaffirmed the commitment of Qatar and France to upholding a rules-based international order and international law, the promotion of peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East, and to close cooperation in relation to regional and global crises.

Palestine-Israel: Both Ministers called for a ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages and a long-term political solution that will offer the best hope for the victims of this conflict on all sides and achieving a pathway to a two-state solution. The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs expressed France’s deep appreciation for all Qatar’s mediation efforts, including those to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Both Ministers called for full, unhindered humanitarian access allowing aid for the Palestinian population to enter Gaza. The Ministers further stated that politicising of humanitarian assistance, threats of forced displacement, or Israel’s plans to remain in Gaza after the war are unacceptable. The two Ministers stated that the Israeli government’s restrictions of essential humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population of Gaza are totally deplorable and breach International Humanitarian Law.  They further highlighted that Israel is duty-bound to meet all its obligations to ensure immediately a massive and unhindered flow of aid to Gaza – this includes engaging with the UN to ensure aid delivery is in line with humanitarian principles. 

Both ministers reiterated their opposition to any forced displacement of Gaza’s Palestinian population, which would be a serious violation of international law and a major destabilizing factor for the entire region.

Qatar welcomes the endorsement by France of the Gaza Reconstruction plan formulated by the League of Arab States in March as a serious, credible basis for immediately meeting reconstruction, governance and security needs in the aftermath of the war in Gaza. It guarantees the respect of international law and maintains Gaza’s future within the framework of a future Palestinian State.

HE Prime Minister Al Thani welcomed the French-Saudi jointly chaired international meeting on June 18 for the implementation of a two-state solution. Both Ministers declared such efforts as the only way to bring durable peace and security to Israelis and Palestinians while ensuring the stability of the wider region.   

They stressed that the High-Level International Conference on the peaceful resolution of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-State solution, decided by UNGA resolution A/RES/79/81, would contribute to this goal by designing a credible roadmap for the implementation of this solution in which the two countries would be able to live side-by-side in peace within their internationally recognized borders. Both ministers stressed that the future Palestinian state would have sole responsibility for rule of law, including policing primacy. 

Syria: Both Ministers acknowledged the historic transition process underway in Syria. They emphasised the importance of an inclusive political dispensation that protects the rights of all irrespective of ethnicity, sect, religion or gender. They reiterated their support for the reconstruction of a new Syria – free, stable, sovereign, that respects all components of society. They agreed that stability and security in Syria is paramount for all its citizens as well as the surrounding region. To that end both Ministers committed to work together wherever possible to provide humanitarian assistance, as well as support economic development, and long-term reconstruction. They welcomed the lifting of international sanctions on Syria’s economy and encouraged foreign investments in the country. Qatar welcomed French support for the recent EU decision to lift economic sanctions on Syria and the recent meeting between President Macron and Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Such support and initiatives enable Syria and the Syrian people to undertake a transition to stability, peace and prosperity. The Ministers condemned violations of Syria’s territorial integrity and warned of escalation tactics designed to de-stabilize the region.  

Lebanon: Qatar welcomed the hosting by France of the International Conference in Support of Lebanon’s People and Sovereignty in October 2024. Progress to political and economic reform in Lebanon is welcomed by both countries. 

Qatar and France support the territorial integrity and sovereign rights of the Lebanese people, both Ministers called on all parties to honour the commitments made under the ceasefire reached in November 2024. To this end they called for a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the complete deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces and their ongoing support to ensure security and achieve State monopoly on arms, assisted by UNIFIL and the supervision mechanism of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, of which France alongside the U.S. participates in. 

They emphasized their support to the process of change that has begun under the new Lebanese government, aimed at putting Lebanon back on the path of reconstruction, recovery and stability. They expressed their continuing support to the Lebanese Armed Forces and to the UN interim force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) whose action is essential to guarantee the stability of South Lebanon.

Iran: Both Ministers reaffirmed Qatar and France’s support for a diplomatic solution leading to an agreement that addresses and resolves all international concerns related to Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, in order to preserve the non-proliferation global architecture as well as stability and de-escalation in the Gulf region. They reiterated their support to the ongoing talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America.  They also called on Iran to fully and effectively cooperate with the legitimate requests and work of the International Atomic Energy Agency.   

Rwanda and eastern DRC: Both ministers emphasised their shared commitment to peace, stability and security in the Great Lakes region. France commended Qatar’s mediation efforts between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and between Congolese authorities and AFC/M23. They stressed the need for parties to continue working towards the conclusion of a ceasefire, as called upon by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2773 (2025). Following its participation, along with the U.S., DRC, Rwanda and Togo, to the Doha meeting on April 30, France recalled its continued support to Qatar’s peace efforts.

Sudan: Both Ministers resolved to further work together to address the devastating conflict in Sudan. Qatar and France recalled the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2736 (2024) demanding that the Rapid Support Forces halt the siege of El Fasher and calling for an immediate de-escalation. They reaffirmed their support to the unity of the country and called on the warring parties to immediately cease hostilities, abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law, protect civilians, and guarantee full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access. 

UNOC: Both ministers welcomed the organization of the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, from 9 to 13 June 2025, inter alia to support a blue carbon economy and the fight against illicit fishing. They praised the treaty on marine biodiversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction on the high seas (BBNJ) as a milestone in the collective protection of the high seas.

ECONOMY, TRADE AND INVESTMENTS

Qatar and France emphasized the importance of their growing economic, trade and investment partnership, with a total trade of more than €1.3 billion in 2024. The Ministers highlighted that bilateral trade makes a significant contribution to supporting jobs, innovation, and economic development in both countries.

The two Ministers reviewed progress on Qatar’s 2024 landmark engagement to invest 10 billion euros into key sectors of the French economy. Qatar’s investment will cover mutually beneficial sectors ranging from food security, digital economy, AI and IT, semiconductors, energy transition, space, Intellectual Property, health, tourism and hospitality and culture. They also welcomed the forthcoming Qatar-France Business Forum as an opportunity for mutual trade growth and investment. They discussed ways to further strengthen their investment partnership and underlined their willingness to facilitate cooperation between the Qatari and French private sectors. They also explored areas of common interest, such as fiscal policy, sustainable finance and public-private partnerships (PPPs).

Qatar’s innovative investment in France’s semiconductor industry highlights its role in key technology subsectors, including supply chain developments that are also propelling digital and green transformations across vital industries such as AI, mobility, and consumer technology. 

Both sides discussed ways to further develop their trade and investment partnership, through a Roadmap focused on strategic areas in alignment with the framework of the economic diversification goals stated by Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and in accordance with the economic plan “France 2030.” 

The French Minister praised Qatar’s ongoing commitment to ensure continued and reliable supplies of energy to Europe, including France and thus contributing to the country’s energy security. 

DEFENSE, SECURITY AND COUNTERTERRORISM 

Qatar and France reaffirmed the importance of the defence and security as a foundation stone of their partnership.  This was illustrated by the increase in official-level visits in the last 12 months, and the deepening coordination on an operational level.  

The Ministers welcomed the implementation of joint defence operational partnership including joint planning, training and military exercises, most recently the Pegase, Al Salam, Al Koot exercises, as well as joint projects in defence industries and innovation and ongoing defence acquisitions including cooperation through both nations’ air forces, facilitated by the common possession of Rafale combat aircrafts. 

They praised the strategic convergences between Qatar and France, which contribute to enhancing bilateral interactions between the two military institutions. Qatar and France are keen to explore ways to develop new synergies between their armed forces for future defence capabilities. 

They also explored ways to build on existing links and expand activities on common strategic interests particularly as they contribute to de-escalation and security in the Gulf and the Red Sea.  

Both Ministers welcomed the robust and long-lasting partnership between their respective security forces, including cooperation and important knowledge-sharing on Mega Sports Events, Crisis Management and Major Event Management, Air and Aviation Security, Cybersecurity and Digital Investigations, and mutual professionalization and capacity-building. 

They commended the friendship and trust between the French Gendarmerie and the Qatari Lekhwiya celebrating in 2025 the 20th anniversary of their cooperation. They also welcomed the development of a strategic partnership between the French and Qatari national police forces and the establishment of a High Police Committee. They also emphasised building on this cooperation. 

Both Ministers emphasised that the fight against terrorism remains a key bilateral realm for cooperation. They said that such cooperation is crucial in prevention and countering terrorism and ensuring the safety of their citizens. These efforts reflect the need for a coordinated approach to deal with an ever-evolving set of terrorist threats that transcend national borders. They also agreed to continue their strong partnership in cybersecurity and in combating terrorism, countering violent extremism and illicit financial flows. 

HUMANITARIAN AND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

On humanitarian and international development cooperation, both Ministers affirmed the continuing success of programmatic bilateral cooperation and coordination between their respective implementing agencies including QFFD, EAA, Silatech and AFD.

Regarding development, both Ministers welcomed the renewal of their bilateral cooperation in this field, building on the signing of two major agreements between the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Qatar Fund for Development, the Education Above All (EAA) foundation and Silatech in February 2024. They expressed their appreciation concerning the first cooperation between AFD and QFFD for an ambitious project to renovate and expand Saint Joseph’s Hospital in East Jerusalem. They welcomed that QFFD and the AFD Group (AFD, Proparco and Expertise France) renewed their commitment to cofinance development projects and agreed to raise the cofinancing target from $50 million to $100 million for the duration of the MoU. In the short term, QFFD and the AFD Group commit to operationalizing the partnership in the following countries where there are pressing needs and discussions have already started on joint priorities: Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. They welcomed that QFFD and AFD Group will also, in the medium term, work on joint global advocacy activities and expand the partnership to innovative finance.

Both Ministers praised the ongoing discussions between the Crisis and Support Centre of the French ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Qatar Fund for Development to explore possible new areas of dialogue and joint funding, including in the Middle East, Africa and Asia as well as in the field of humanitarian logistics. 

Following the joint commitment by the Emir of Qatar and the President of the French Republic to dedicate 200 million dollars in 2024 to humanitarian relief in Gaza both Ministers expressed the necessity of answering without delay the urgent needs for aid there. The Ministers also commended the humanitarian impact of joint health relief efforts in Gaza, including medical evacuations, delivery and flow of humanitarian aid, medicines and ambulances. Additionally, they highlighted joint relief efforts in Lebanon to support conflict-affected populations. Recalling these recent successful joint humanitarian operations, both Ministers support a new joint emergency operation to supply medical equipment and medicine to Afghanistan.

Such cooperation is the embodiment of the longstanding strategic partnership as well as the commitment of Qatar and France to stand by conflict-affected populations.  

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SPORTS 

Both Ministers lauded the strong cooperation in the fields of education, health and sports. On education the Ministers addressed the growing partnership in the field of education, in particular knowledge sharing and research agreements between Qatari and French Institutions of Higher Education (HEI), including Sciences Po and Doha Institute. 

Cooperation on research and innovation has been boosted by the strong collaboration between Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council (QRDI) and French HEI’s including Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux energies alternatives (CEA), Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) and HEC Paris. Under the Qatar Open Innovation Scheme French companies have also received QRDI awards and are working in collaboration with Qatar-based SME’s and institutions to make strides in Agricultural Sciences and Medical Healthcare.  

Qatar and France are looking forward to the signing of the 8th executive program enhancing bilateral cooperation particularly in French language learning, technical, professional and higher education, and mobility of students and teachers. This agreement aims at establishing a steering committee dedicated to learning French from the 9th (third French) class in Qatari public institutions, as well as a steering committee related to the development of university cooperation. Both sides expressed their mutual intention to strengthen their cooperation in higher education and research, promoting exchanges of students and researchers, as well as further exploring joint training and programmes that enable students to achieve their personal and professional goals.

Qatar and France also expressed their wish to strengthen the sharing of expertise between the medical communities of the two countries, through the rapprochement or exchange of researchers. The minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs expressed his appreciation for the help of Qatar for the recent opening of the World Health Organization Academy in Lyon.The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Al Thani congratulated the Republic of France on its hugely successful hosting of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.  Both sides expressed their willingness to share expertise and knowledge and to continue their cooperation on the positive impact and the legacy of hosting mega sporting events.  In particular, they addressed the ways in which strong commitments in terms of social and environmental issues, including on emissions reduction and carbon absorption, opportunities to promote inclusion and diversity, and combat hate speech, racism and other forms of prejudice and discrimination, is offered by sport. 

CULTURE, ART, HERITAGE COOPERATION

Both Ministers welcomed the deep institutional and people-to-people connections forged through shared ties on culture, art and heritage. They recalled the visit in April, at the invitation of the Qatari authorities and HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, of HE Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture of the French Republic. 

The visit came as part of framework commitments made in the MoU signed in June 2024 between HE Rachida Dati, on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, and HE Sheikha Al Mayassa, Chairperson of Qatar Museums. Both Ministers welcomed the signing of 6 partnership agreements in April 2025 between the French Ministry of Culture, Qatar Museums and the cultural institutions of both countries, and pertaining to a broad range of areas of cooperation, in particular training, exhibitions, loans, research, artist residencies, development of image education workshops for young audiences, development of co-productions, support in the creation of a cinematheque. Qatari and French cultural institutions are currently working on the implementation of these agreements.

The accords include a framework agreement between the French Ministry of Culture and Qatar Museums for professional training in the cultural sector; an agreement between Qatar Museums and the Etablissement public du musée d’Orsay et du musée de l’Orangerie – Valérie Giscard d’Estaing, including research projects, joint exhibition projects, and academic and educational projects. Qatar Museums and the Musée Guimet will proceed on collaboration that includes research, conservation and educational projects dedicated to Asian arts. Qatar Museums also proceeded with a partnership agreement with Manufactures nationales – Sèvres and Mobilier national dedicated to the design and crafts sectors, aiming to strengthen links between French and Qatari designers and craftspeople. Under the framework further Qatar-France agreements include a Memorandum of Understanding between the Doha Film Institute and the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée as well as a Memorandum of understanding between the National Library of Qatar and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. 

They also welcomed the increased cooperation between the Qatari and French Ministries of Culture, in particular through the forthcoming renewal of the cooperation agreement between the two ministries of Culture.

Both Ministers reiterated the commitment of their nations to heritage protection, especially in conflict areas, and respect for all relevant international agreements of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

A SHARED AND RESPONSIBLE FUTURE 

The State of Qatar and France emphasize the importance of their continued partnership which benefits the interests of both countries and consolidates coordination towards a shared and responsible future.

Qatar and France look forward to reviewing progress in these areas at the fourth Strategic Dialogue to be held in Doha in 2026.

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Khartoum before the war: the public spaces that held the city together

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Ibrahim Z. Bahreldin, Associate Professor of Urban & Environmental Design, University of Khartoum

What makes a public space truly public?

In Khartoum, before the current conflict engulfed Sudan, the answer was not always a park, a plaza or a promenade.

The city’s streets, tea stalls (sitat al-shai), protest sites and even burial spaces served as dynamic arenas of everyday life, political expression and informal resilience.

In a recently published article, I studied 64 public spaces across pre-war Greater Khartoum, revealing a landscape far richer – and more contested – than standard urban classifications suggest. Specifically, I uncovered four classifications: formal, informal, privately owned and hybrid spaces – each alive with negotiation and everyday use.

While some spaces were planned by colonial engineers or municipal authorities, many were carved out by communities: claimed, adapted and reimagined through use.

My research offers valuable insights into the design and planning of Africa’s cities. As they grow and face mounting political and environmental pressures, it’s time to rethink how public spaces are defined and designed – not through imported models, but by listening to the ways people already make cities public.

Read more: Sudan needs to accept its cultural diversity: urban planning can help rebuild the country and prevent future conflict

Across the African continent, cities are growing fast – but not always fairly. Urban expansion often privileges gated developments, mega-projects and high-security zones while neglecting the everyday spaces where most people live, work and gather.

In Sudan, these dynamics have been further complicated by conflict, displacement and economic instability. The ongoing war has disrupted not only governance, but also the spatial fabric of urban life.

My paper aims to invite those involved in planning policies and post-conflict reconstruction to move beyond formal, western-centric models that often overlook how publicness actually unfolds in African cities: through informality, negotiation and social improvisation.

Khartoum’s public spaces, as documented in my study, serve as diagnostic tools for understanding how cities survive crises, express identity and contest inequality.

In the wake of war and displacement, these spaces will play a role in shaping how Sudan rebuilds not just infrastructure, but social cohesion.

Pre-war Khartoum

Khartoum’s public spaces cannot be understood through conventional categories – like formal squares and urban parks – alone. These formal squares represent only one layer of a much more plural and negotiated urban reality.

Drawing on fieldwork and the documentation of 64 public spaces across Greater Khartoum, I identify four overlapping types that reflect how space is produced, accessed and contested.

1. Formal public spaces: These include planned parks, ceremonial squares, civic plazas and administrative open spaces, often relics of colonial or postcolonial urban planning. They are defined by order, visibility and regulation. Mīdān Abbas, originally an active civic space in the centre of Khartoum, repeatedly reclaimed by informal traders and protesters, is one example, illustrating how even the most formal spaces can become contested. It was notably active during Sudan’s April 1985 uprising, serving as part of a wider network of civic spaces used for political mobilisation. Informal traders consistently transformed it into a bustling marketplace, embedding everyday commerce and social exchange into the formal urban fabric.

2. Informal and insurgent spaces: These emerge beyond or against official planning logics – riverbanks used for gatherings, neglected lots transformed into social nodes or bridges appropriated by traders. They include spiritual sites like Sufi tombs, and protest spaces such as the sit-in zone outside the city’s army headquarters. These spaces reveal the city’s capacity for bottom-up urbanism and collective adaptation.

3. Privately owned civic spaces: Shopping malls, privately managed parks and cultural cafés fall into this category. While they appear public, they are often classed, surveilled (monitored through cameras or security presence) or exclusionary. The rise of these spaces coincides with the decline of state-managed urban infrastructure, reflecting the turn in Sudanese urban governance.

Read more: Sudan: the symbolic significance of the space protesters made their own

4. Public “private” spaces: These spaces blur lines between ownership and use. They include mosque courtyards, school grounds, building frontages or underutilised university lawns that serve as informal gathering points. Access here is governed less by law and more by social codes, trust or class.

Together, these typologies highlight that “publicness” in Khartoum is relational. It depends not only on who planned a space, but who uses it, how and under what conditions.

Planning in African cities must therefore move beyond fixed zoning maps to embrace the layered, fluid and lived nature of urban space.

Rebuilding, rethinking, resisting

Post-conflict reconstruction in Sudan – and elsewhere in Africa – must resist the allure of “blank slate” master plans. Those involve rebuilding cities from scratch with sweeping, top-down designs that ignore existing social and spatial dynamics.

Imported models, often guided by bureaucratic thinking or commercial incentives, risk erasing the very spaces where public life already thrives, albeit informally or invisibly.

Rather than imposing formality, planners should recognise and strengthen the informal and hybrid systems that sustain civic life, especially in times of instability.

Urban theorists working in and on the global south, such as AbdouMaliq Simone and the late Vanessa Watson, have long argued for planning frameworks that centre on everyday practices, adaptive use and spatial justice.

Khartoum offers a compelling case.

From the sit-ins of 2019 to tea stalls run by displaced women, public spaces in Sudan are not inert backdrops. They are active platforms of everyday life, resistance, care and community-making.

Reconstruction must begin by asking: what spaces mattered to people before the war? Which ones fostered inclusion, dignity and visibility? Only then can new urban futures emerge, ones that are rooted in the practices of those who have always made the city public, even when the state did not.

What makes spaces truly public?

The public realm in Sudan has always been shaped through negotiation, sometimes with the state, often despite it.

Rebuilding after war is not only about reconstructing buildings but also about reimagining the terms of belonging.

This requires a shift from viewing public space as a fixed asset to understanding it as a dynamic process. Who gets to gather, to speak, to rest, to protest – these are the true measures of publicness.

Understanding Khartoum’s pre-war public spaces isn’t a nostalgic exercise. It’s a necessary step towards building more inclusive, resilient and locally grounded cities in the wake of crisis.

– Khartoum before the war: the public spaces that held the city together
– https://theconversation.com/khartoum-before-the-war-the-public-spaces-that-held-the-city-together-258632

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5 great reads by South African writers from 30 years of real-life stories

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Hedley Twidle, Associate Professor and head of English Literary Studies, University of Cape Town

Across three decades of democracy, South Africa has – like many places undergoing complex and uneven social change – seen an outpouring of remarkable nonfiction. The Interpreters is a new book that collects the work of 37 authors, all of it writing (plus some drawing) concerned with actual people, places and events.

Soutie Press

The anthology is the product of many years of reading and discussion between my co-editor Sean Christie (an experienced journalist and nonfiction author) and me (a writer and professor who teaches literature, including creative nonfiction).

The book is a work of homage to the many strains of ambitious and artful writing that shelter within the unhelpful term “nonfiction”. These include: narrative and longform journalism; essays and memoir; reportage, features and profiles; life writing, from private diaries to public biography; oral histories, interviews and testimony.

To give an idea of the range, energy and risk of the pieces collected in the anthology, here I discuss five of them.

1. Fighting Shadows by Lidudumalingani

We debated for a long time which piece to start the anthology with, and ultimately went for this one, which begins:

One afternoon my father and the other boys from the Zikhovane village decided to walk across a vast landscape, two valleys and a river, to a village called Qombolo to disrupt a wedding.

It’s a quietly compelling opening. First of all, there is intrigue: why the disruption? It could also easily be the first sentence of a novel (maybe even one by famous Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe). And so we begin with a reminder of how storytelling is such a deep, ancient and fundamental part of societies – an impulse that long predates writing and moves across and beyond the fiction/nonfiction divide. (Lidudumalingani won the 2016 Caine Prize for a short story, so he works across both.)

Lidudumalingani has the stick fighting tradition at the centre of his piece. Soutie Press

Fighting Shadows is about the tradition of stick fighting, and how it’s transported from rural areas to urban ones. But it’s also about so much more, about “the dance between then and now”, as the writer puts it later on. The prose is so deft and graceful, as if the author is trying to match the “dance” of expert stick fighters with his own verbal arts. For me it’s a story that could only have emerged from this part of the world: it has a distinct voice, precision and poetry to it.

2. The End of a Conversation by Julie Nxadi

This is the shortest piece in the anthology, but for me one of the most affecting. It traces how a young girl comes to realise that the (white) family she is being brought up with are not really her family. She is the daughter of the housekeeper, the domestic worker:

I was not ‘the kids’. I was not their kin.

It’s probably best described as autofiction, a kind of writing that lies somewhere in the borderlands between autobiography and fiction. Nxadi has spoken of how she decided to write in a way that contained her own life story – the “heartbreak” of that moment – but was also able to carry and represent the experience of others who had gone through something similar.

Julie Nxadi. Soutie Press

The piece is also a product of the #FeesMustFall student protests (2015 onwards), when many young South Africans felt able to share unresolved, awkward or shameful stories for the first time.

The End of a Conversation is such a deft, wise and subtle handling of a difficult subject, with no easy targets or easy resolutions. Somehow the writer has found just the right distance – emotionally and aesthetically – from this moment of childhood realisation.

3. South African Pastoral by William Dicey

I co-own a pear farm with my brother. I attend to finances and labour relations, he oversees the growing of the fruit.

This essay by William Dicey thinks hard, very hard, about what it means to manage a fruit farm in the Boland (an agricultural region still shaped by South Africa’s divided past). It is one of the most frank and unflinching accounts of land and labour I’ve ever come across. The writer makes the point that he could easily have stayed in the city, lived in “liberal” circles and not thought about these issues much.

William Dicey. Soutie Press

But becoming a farmer confronts him with all kinds of difficult questions (How much should he intervene in the lives of his employees? In family and financial planning, in matters of alcohol abuse?) as he is drawn into an awkward but meaningful intimacy with others on the farm.

The US essayist Philip Lopate suggests that scepticism is often the tool for moving towards truth in personal nonfiction writing:

So often the “plot” of a personal essay, its drama, its suspense, consists in watching how the essayist can drop past his or her psychic defences toward deeper levels of honesty.

This is very much what happens in South African Pastoral, and why it is such a mesmerising piece (even while written in such a plain and restrained style).

4. Hard Rock by Mogorosi Motshumi

My co-editor said from the start we should include graphic nonfiction (drawn stories and comics) and I’m so grateful he did. Mogorosi Motshumi’s warm, zany but also harrowing account is about coming of age under apartheid and then the heady days of the 1990s transition.

Mogorosi Motshumi. Soutie Press

In his early career, Motshumi was widely known for his comic strips and political cartooning, but this graphic autobiography is far more ambitious. The style of drawing changes and evolves as the protagonist gets older; also, there is something intriguing about seeing weighty subjects like detention, disability, substance abuse and HIV/AIDS stigma approached through the eyes of a wry cartoonist with a keen sense of the absurd.

Hard Rock is a prologue to the graphic nonfiction memoir that he has been working on for many years, the 360 Degrees Trilogy. The first two instalments have appeared – The Initiation (2016) and Jozi Jungle (2022) – and I would urge anyone to seek them out. Mogorosi’s work is a major achievement in South African autobiography and life writing (or life “drawing”).

5. The Interpreters by Antjie Krog, Nosisi Mpolweni and Kopano Ratele

This co-authored piece is what gave the anthology its name. The Interpreters is a reflection on being a language interpreter during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings (1996-1998) into gross human rights violations during white minority rule.

Kopano Ratele. Soutie Press

A series of individuals recall the challenges of that process. Sitting in glass booths in the middle of proceedings, they had to move across South Africa’s many official languages in real time, translating the words of victims, perpetrators, grieving families, lawyers and commissioners.

Antjie Krog and co-authors write about interpreting language. Brenda Veldtman

The chapter is also a reminder of how our English-language anthology faces the challenge of doing justice to a multilingual, multivocal society where all kinds of cultural translations happen all the time.

The piece is a blend of many people’s voices, testimonies and reminiscences. As such, it also seemed to symbolise the larger project of The Interpreters: trying to record, render and honour the many voices that make up our complex social world.

– 5 great reads by South African writers from 30 years of real-life stories
– https://theconversation.com/5-great-reads-by-south-african-writers-from-30-years-of-real-life-stories-258340