diplomacy&development

(From left) AfDB VP Kevin Kariuki, GCA Acting Africa Regional Director Charles Nhemachena, AfDB Director Anthony Nyong and AfDB Manager Gareth Phillips during a session on the Adaptation Benefits Mechanism Under the Adaptation Benefit Mechanism, development partners, consumers, funds and philanthropists will sign purchase agreements for Certified Adaptation Benefits. Innovative approaches and solutions will be critical to scale up adaptation efforts across the African continent. This includes the African Development Bank-supported Adaptation Benefit Mechanism (www.AfDB.org) and the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program. The latter is a joint initiative between the Bank and the Global Center on Adaptation.    This assertion was made clear in a panel discussion on May 26, hosted by the African Development Bank during its 2023 Annual Meetings in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt. The panel of experts highlighted Africa’s urgent need to implement measures to drive climate adaptation, while also stres

The global artificial intelligence (AI) market is expected to top $300 billion by 2026 , with retail and banking expected to be the two major sectors driving growth. With the technology maturing so fast, small and medium retailers should be looking at how they can use AI and automation to get ahead of the game and increase their competitiveness.  That’s according to Steven Heilbron, CEO of Capital Connect , a fintech company that offers fast and flexible business funding to South African retailers. He says that AI technologies are becoming more accessible to even smaller retailers, thanks to platforms such as ChatGPT, creating opportunities for agile companies to drive productivity and efficiencies in their businesses. AI refers to computer systems that emulate the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human brain. This includes technologies that emulate the human ability to decode and categorise images, understand written and spoken words, and identify patterns to cr

The modern world is flush with technology jargon, and new ones keep entering our lexicon: Digital Transformation, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and Generative  Artificial Intelligence are just a few examples. And as often happens with overused words and phrases, we become very comfortable with these to the point that they soon become a part of the background noise. Big Data, first coined in the early nineties represents one of the earliest concepts shaping the modern data driven and connected world. "Big Data is the growing amount of information that people, organisations, and sensors generate," says Yaron Assabi, founder of Digital Solutions Group (DSG). "When data is generated, copied, and transmitted over the Internet, the volume of data expands dramatically. And when the information is stored and processed, it is likely to be massively magnified again. The result is that a vast and growing volume of data in the world is waiting to be analysed and used." How

United Cities and Local Government of Africa (UCLG Africa), in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB), is organizing the second phase of its capacity-building program for Chief Financial Officers of African cities. This training will be held in Johannesburg from May 29th to June 2nd, 2023, as part of the implementation of the Africa Territorial Trade and Investment Agency (ATIA). ATIA serves as a financial vehicle aimed at enhancing the investment capacity of African cities and subnational governments through bond issuance in the financial market. The objective of this program is to prepare African cities and territories, who are members of ATIA, for accessing finance. The first training was conducted in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, from September 19th to 24th, 2022, with financial support from GiZ and the Sahel and West Africa Club of the OECD. During the training, participants received guidance from experts representing various organizations including the Regional Counci

CGLU Afrique, en partenariat avec la Banque Africaine de Développement (BAD), organise la deuxième phase de son programme de renforcement des capacités des directeurs financiers des villes africaines. Cette phase aura lieu à Johannesburg du 29 mai au 2 juin 2023, et s'inscrit dans le cadre de la mise en œuvre de l’Agence Territoriale Afrique pour le Commerce et l’Investissement (ATIA), un véhicule financier visant à améliorer les capacités d'investissement des villes et collectivités territoriales africaines grâce à l'émission d'obligations sur le marché financier. Dans l’objectif de la préparation des villes et collectivités territoriales africaines membres d'ATIA pour l'accès à l'emprunt, la première formation s'est tenue du 19 au 24 septembre 2022 à Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire). Cette formation a bénéficié du soutien financier de la GiZ et du Club du Sahel et de l'Afrique de l'Ouest de l'OCDE. Les participants ont eu l'opportunité de se

Les Présidents de la Chine, Xi Jinping et de la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC), Félix -Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo avec leurs épouses Peng Liyuan et Dénise Nyakeru Tshisekedi à Pékin Les Présidents de la Chine, Xi Jinping et de la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC), Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo ont annoncé, vendredi 26 mai 2023 à Pékin, l'élévation de la relation bilatérale d'un partenariat stratégique de coopération gagnant-gagnant à une stratégie globale de partenariat coopératif. Les deux pays, la République Populaire de Chine (RPC) et la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) ont convenu d'étendre leur coopération à divers domaines d'intérêt mutuel tels que l'éducation, la recherche scientifique, la construction d'infrastructures, l'agriculture, l'énergie, la défense, selon un déclaration conjointe publiée par les deux pays. Drapeaux de la RDC et de la RPC Les deux parties ont convenu de renforcer leur soutien sur les questions con

The Presidents of China, Xi Jinping and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Félix -Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo with their spouses Peng Liyuan and Dénise Nyakeru Tshisekedi in Beijing The Presidents of China, Xi Jinping and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo announced on Friday 26 May 2023 in Beijing, the elevation of the bilateral relationship from a strategic partnership of win-win cooperation to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. The two countries, The People's Republic of China (PRC) and The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) agreed to expand cooperation to various areas of mutual interest such as education, scientific research, infrastructure construction, agriculture, energy, defense, according to a joint statement issued by the two countries. DRC and PRC Flags Both sides agreed to strengthen support on issues concerning each other's core interests. China reiterated its firm support for the DRC's smoo

In the framework of the celebration of Rabat, the very first African Capital of Culture, organized under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, over 250 delegates gathered on 23 and 24 May in Rabat, Morocco, in the Forum of Mayors on Culture on the theme “Making culture a pillar of sustainable development of our cities and territories”.  The official opening ceremony was marked by the presence of Mr. Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Ms. Asmaa Rhlalou, President of the Communal Council of Rabat, Ms. Fatimetou Abdel Malick, President of the Region of Nouakchott and President of UCLG Africa, Mr. Giorgio Ficcarelli of the European Commission, and Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa. In addition to these official personalities, many inspiring personalities underlined the importance of culture in the sustainable development of African cities and territories. Mr. Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture and

Dans le cadre de la célébration de Rabat, la toute première Capitale Africaine de la Culture, organisée sous le Haut Patronage de Sa Majesté Le Roi Mohammed VI, plus de 250 délégués se sont réunis les 23 et 24 mai à Rabat, au Maroc, lors du Forum des Maires sur la Culture dont le thème était "Faire de la culture un pilier du développement durable de nos villes et territoires". La cérémonie d'ouverture officielle a été marquée par la présence de M. Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, Ministre de la Jeunesse, de la Culture et de la Communication, Mme Asmaa Rhlalou, Présidente du Conseil Communal de Rabat, Mme Fatimetou Abdel Malick, Présidente de la Région de Nouakchott et Présidente de Cités et Gouvernements Locaux Unis d’Afrique (CGLU Afrique), M. Giorgio Ficcarelli de la Commission européenne et M. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secrétaire Général de CGLU Afrique. En plus de ces personnalités officielles, de nombreuses personnalités inspirantes ont souligné l'importance de la culture