diplomacy&development

Glencore could leave Zambia, handing over its copper assets to the state.  At least this is what Reuters reports, which justifies this by the country's desire to acquire a majority stake in the local subsidiary of the Swiss giant. An amicable solution could nevertheless be successful. The mining company Glencore prefers to sell all of its stake in Mopani Copper Mines, its subsidiary in the Zambian copper sector, rather than become a minority shareholder.  According to various sources relayed by Reuters, this decision follows the will of the government expressed last Tuesday, through the voice of Richard Musukwa, Minister of Mines, to increase to at least 51% its stake in the local subsidiary of the Swiss giant, against 10% currently. It must be said that tensions between Glencore and the Zambian state have revived in recent months, due in particular to the company's desire to suspend its copper mining and processing operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The gov...

Kenya's agricultural trading company ETG has recently received significant support from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).  On August 26, the institution granted him a revolving credit of $ 400 million to support him in his activities on the continent.  The Kenyan agricultural company Export Trading Group (ETG) benefited on August 26, from a revolving credit of $ 400 million from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). This revolving financial facility as repayments are made aims to support the company in its activities along the agricultural value chain on the continent. In particular, it should help finance its operations in the supply of agricultural inputs, the reduction of post-harvest losses, storage, transport as well as the processing of agricultural products.  The envelope will also allow ETG to help small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in commercial agriculture to build their capacity to access regional and international markets. As...

On August 9, the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, JIPA in acronym, was celebrated at the Kinshasa botanical garden, under the theme "COVID-19 and the resilience of indigenous populations.  "For this 26th international day, as an education partner in the DRC, RAWBANK is committed to offering indigenous children a large batch of educational tablets named" SchoolAp Molakisi Tab "with content certified by the Ministry of Primary, Secondary and Professional Education.  In view of the topic addressed, these peoples who occupy 21 of the 26 provinces in the country are essential partners in the fight against the pandemic through their in-depth knowledge of the ecosystem and good practices for relieving flu symptoms thanks to their traditional knowledge.  Many personalities were present including the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior, Security and Customary Affairs and personal representative of the Head of State who highlighted the problem constantl...

De Beers and the Botswana state have yet to renew their successful diamond partnership.  The Covid-19 pandemic and the government's desire to increase its earnings would delay negotiations. A new agreement must be quickly found, however, as the previous one expires in December.  Initially scheduled for April, the renewal of the partnership agreement between diamond giant De Beers and the Botswana state is far from being finalized.  According to information relayed by Reuters, the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting travel restrictions have delayed negotiations. "The ideal situation would be to conclude the negotiations by December, but there is no guarantee that this will happen," said Mmetla Masire, a senior official at the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Security. energetic.  Indeed, in addition to the accumulated delay, points of dissension still keep the partners away. The government, which currently receives 15% of revenue from diamo...

The highlights of the 2020 sessions are the election of the Bank Group’s president and the statutory meetings of its Governors The 55th Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB.org) and the 46th meetings of the Board of Governors of the African Development Fund (ADF) began in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Wednesday, 26 August 2020. In his opening speech, the President of Côte d’Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, highlighted the unusual context of this year’s Annual Meetings, taking place against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also underscored the Bank’s critical support for his country and other regional members. “This is an opportunity for me to acknowledge the African Development Bank, its President and Board of Directors, for the unwavering support expressed in these difficult times to African states. Indeed, the Bank's COVID-19 Rapid Response Facility has made it possible to finance and support African countries in the fast implementation of plans to fight t...

Dr. Denis Mukwege, t he Congolese human rights defender and Nobel Prize laureate  UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Friday expressed deep concern over the recent death threats directed at the Congolese human rights defender and Nobel Prize laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege, and called for swift action to investigate who is behind the threats and bring them to justice. Dr. Mukwege, who founded and runs the Panzi hospital in Bukavu, has won international recognition, including the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, for his decades of work helping thousands of women victims of sexual and gender-based violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He has also been a determined advocate against the use of rape as a weapon of war, and for increased protection of women. Dr. Denis Mukwege, t he Congolese human rights defender and Nobel Prize laureate  He has also been a strong and consistent voice calling for those responsible for sexual violence to ...

Countries must continue to search for victims of enforced disappearances even during COVID-19 pandemic, UN human rights experts said today. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Declaration for on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances, and the 10th anniversary of the Convention for the Protection of All Persons against Enforced Disappearances. To mark International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on 30 August, the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances issued the following statement: “States around the world must still act urgently to prevent and investigate enforced disappearances during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the search for the victims must continue without delay. We are particularly alarmed about allegations of enforced disappearances received in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation is all the more worrying as the search and investigation into enforc...

Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President, Merck More Than a Mother Merck Foundation CEO, Rasha Kelej, has been featured on the list of 100 Most Influential African Women 2020, by Avance Media as part of “Be a Girl” Initiative for her efforts to build health care capacity in Africa and to empower girls in education to help them reach their potential and pursue their dreams. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President, Merck More Than a Mother has been listed among 100 Most Influential African Women 2020, released by ‘Be a Girl’ Initiative, for the second time as she was selected to be One of Most Influential African Women by New African Magazine, UK, 2019. bit.ly/3gjAy3G Rasha Kelej has been recognized for her efforts through Merck Foundation programs to train thousands of African doctors, to support African communities during Coronavirus lockdown and to empower girls in education so that they can reach their potential and pursue their dreams through “Educat...

  A Chinese military spokesperson on Tuesday voiced firm opposition to the trespassing of U.S. reconnaissance aircraft into a no-fly zone, urging the U.S. side to immediately stop such provocations and take concrete steps to safeguard regional peace and stability. Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the comment in response to the flight of the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft into an airspace used for live-fire exercises by the Northern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army. The trespass severely affected China's normal exercises and training activities, and violated the rules of behavior for air and maritime safety between China and the United States, as well as relevant international practices, said Wu. The U.S. action could easily have resulted in misjudgments and even accidents, said Wu, adding that the move was an obvious provocation. China firmly opposes such provocative actions and has lodged solemn rep...

Hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, the De Beers group wants to make a 10% reduction on the price of large diamonds at its next sales session.  This transaction should stimulate the interest of its customers with the gradual recovery of the sector. On the occasion of its new sales session, the De Beers group will make a 10% reduction on the price of large stones offered to its customers.  According to information relayed by Bloomberg which quotes sources close to the company, the move is intended to stimulate the interest of buyers. The Covid-19 pandemic has indeed hit the gemstone industry hard due to restrictions imposed to combat the spread of the virus. Regular customers of mining companies were unable to come to the sales sessions and consumers deserted the jewelry stores.  For example, De Beers and his big rival, Russia's Alrosa, sold diamonds worth $ 130 million in the second quarter of 2020, up from $ 2.1 billion at the same time last year. However, the grad...

The Governors' Dialogue and the election of a president will be top of the agenda of the upcoming Meetings scheduled for 26-27 August 2020 For the first time in the history of the African Development Bank (AfDB.org), its Annual Meetings will be held virtually to comply with the COVID-19 pandemic-related social-distancing guidelines.  The Governors' Dialogue and the election of a president will be top of the agenda of the upcoming Meetings scheduled for 26-27 August 2020.  This year, which marks the 55th meeting of the Bank's Board of Governors and the 46th Annual Meeting of the African Development Fund, the Bank's concessional arm, has the added significance of being an election year for the Bank's president. The incumbent, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, is running as the sole candidate for a new five-year term. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the continent's shores in early March, over 1,000,000 confirmed cases of the virus have been recorded in Africa. The ...

Nine CEPI-supported candidate vaccines are part of the COVAX initiative, with a further nine candidates under evaluation, and procurement conversations on-going with additional producers not currently receiving research and development (R&D) funding through COVAX – giving COVAX the largest and most diverse COVID-19 vaccine portfolio in the world 80 potentially self-financing countries have submitted non-binding expressions of interest to the Gavi-coordinated COVAX Facility, joining 92 low- and middle-income economies that are eligible to be supported by the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) Goal of bringing the pandemic under control via equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines needs urgent, broadscale commitment and investment from countries 172 economies are now engaged in discussions to potentially participate in COVAX, a global initiative aimed at working with vaccine manufacturers to provide countries worldwide equitable access to safe and effective vaccines, once they...

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has welcomed this 24 August 2020, the recent agreement in Bolivia paving the way for general elections to proceed on 18 October, and the resulting lifting of blockades by those who were protesting against the latest postponement of the election because of the COVID-19  pandemic.    “I urge Bolivians to build on this peaceful resolution of the latest tensions, given how essential it is that the elections pass off in full respect of human rights.  Bolivia needs to move forward from the polarization that has marked the country for so long and towards a society rooted in dialogue, where everyone is integrated and recognised,” Bachelet said. As the country enters a new electoral cycle, the UN Human Right Office has today published a report detailing the serious human rights violations committed between 20 October and 25 November amid a major political crisis in the wake of the October 2019 election. The report m...

Air China,  Airbus A330-343 The number of flights between China and the United States will double this month, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC). An order from the DOT announced on Tuesday said that it will allow "the four Chinese airlines currently performing scheduled passenger services to the United States to increase their services to eight weekly round-trip flights." On Monday, CAAC said that the U.S. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are able to double their weekly China services to two round-trip flights. The Trump administration had threatened to ban Chinese passenger airlines flying to and from the United States in early June, allowing only limited services between the two countries. The announcement by the US Transportation Department of this agreement with China’s aviation authority to double the number of flights between the countries will allow US airlines to double the number ...