Major International Business Headlines Brief ::: 24 October 2025
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Major International Business Headlines Brief ::: 24 October 2025
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ü Nigeria: The WhatsApp Chat That Could End a Health Crisis #CPHIA2025
ü Tanzania Resumes SGR Operations After Ruvu Derailment
ü South Africa: Outrage As Cape Town Rubbish Removal Company Fails to Pay Workers
ü Kenya: Nairobi-Nakuru Highway Dualing to Cost Sh90bn, Set for 2027 Completion
ü Kenya: Extortion and Ransomware Drive Over Half of Cyberattacks
ü South Africa: SA Pushes Debt Sustainability, Green Financing and Disaster Response Before G20 Summit
ü South Africa: Janitors Employed to Clean Toilets Have to Buy Their Own Water to Do It
ü Africa: Kenya Leads East Africa's Energy Consumption, Renewables
ü Zambia: Malawi, Zambia Signs a Landmark Maize Procurement Deal
ü Africa: Cloud, AI Dominate Africa's 2025 Tech Landscape, Cio100 Report
ü Africa: Nigeria's Building Boom Lifts Lafarge Africa's Nine-Month Profit By 246 Percent
ü Namibia's Wealth Must Fuel Inclusive Growth, Says Nandi-Ndaitwah
ü South Africa: Meat Madness As Prices Hit Seven-Year HighKenya: Govt Clarifies Website Takedowns Under Cybercrime Act Subject to Judicial Review
ü Nigeria: Minister Hails First African Free Trade Agreement Exporter
ü Uganda Targets $500bn Economy Powered By Clean, Sustainable Energy
ü Liberia Faces Huge Budget Credibility, Sustainability Challenges
ü Angola: Vandalism Causes Losses of Over 50 Million Dollars to Energy and Water Sectors
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Nigeria: The WhatsApp Chat That Could End a Health Crisis #CPHIA2025
Durban, South Africa — Every day in Nigeria, hundreds of women and thousands of children lose their lives to preventable causes, yet in some of the country's most remote corners, a smartphone notification from HelpMum is now helping rewrite that story.
In a conversation, HelpMum shared how its journey began and why maternal and child health remains such a pressing challenge in Nigeria. Founded in 2017 by Dr. Abiodun Adereni, HelpMum is a Nigerian social enterprise on a mission to reduce maternal and infant mortality in rural, semi-rural, and urban communities across Africa. In areas where trained medics are hard to find, care is unaffordable, and cultural barriers persist, the organization uses mobile technology, low-cost innovations, research, policymaking, and artificial intelligence to address deep gaps in healthcare.
The country remains among the most dangerous places in the world to give birth. According to the UN and WHO data, at least 75,000 Nigerian women died during childbirth in 2023, accounting for nearly 29% of all maternal deaths globally. This means one in every 100 Nigerian women dies in labor or shortly after delivery. For children, the odds are equally devastating: one in every 13 babies dies before their first birthday, and one in eight never reaches age five, according to UNICEF .
It is clear that these statistics reflect a grim reality.
Nearly 20% of maternal deaths in Nigeria are caused by weak health systems, financial barriers, and entrenched social norms. In addition, 2.2 million Nigerian children have never received a single vaccine, the highest number in Africa. For Dr. Adereni, the rising rates of maternal and under-five deaths were impossible to ignore. That's where HelpMum decided to step in.
Today, HelpMum's digital ecosystem includes Vaccination Tracker, WhatsApp chatbots (VaxBot and MamaBot), and an AI framework called ADVISER (AI-Driven Vaccination Intervention Optimizer). These innovations provide vaccination reminders, connect mothers to nearby health centers, and support data-driven resource allocation for immunization outreach. HelpMum also provides affordable clean birth kits, trains community midwives through e-learning programmes, renovates maternity homes, and delivers health messages in local languages to improve maternal outcomes.
The organization shared how its innovative tools are transforming maternal and child health, touching the lives of thousands of women and children across Nigeria.
What inspired you to focus on maternal and child health in Nigeria, and how did that journey lead to the creation of HelpMum?
The rising rate of under-5 deaths due to vaccine-preventable diseases and the increasing maternal mortality ratio gap led us to question and understand the reasons fostering the stated challenges, such as poor access to healthcare, misinformation, cultural barriers, and financial barriers stemming from high out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure. Therefore, this led to the development of our innovations with a goal to bridge the gap between healthcare access and women in a community in Nigeria or any African country. We have developed something to ensure that no woman has to die because she had no access to relevant healthcare information (HelpMum Chatbot; Vax AI and Mamabot AI), something as basic as a vaccination reminder to ensure her child gets vaccinated (HelpMum Vaccination Tracker), or a pregnancy risk not detected early enough due to poor ANC assessment (HelpMum Stratify AI). In addition to this, we also saw the need for more organizations to provide more solutions that solve maternal and infant healthcare challenges through the development of our open-source innovations, making maternal and infant healthcare data available to them for them to build upon (Vax Llama, Mamabot Llama and AI Language translator).
Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of zero-dose children in Africa. >From your perspective, what are the biggest obstacles preventing children from getting vaccinated?
Some of the biggest obstacles that we have identified from research and from the deployment of our innovations include a leading cause, which is misinformation, limited access to health care, and poor healthcare infrastructure. Also, on a social level, we have identified cultural barriers and myths as a major barrier to children getting vaccinated. We have seen that in some communities, things as basic as visiting health facilities are seen as a weakness, especially among women. Others believe that the vaccines cause illnesses; hence, a major sector of the population starts to believe it. This limits the acceptance of vaccination and ultimately uptake in these communities. On a larger scale, we have noticed that most rural communities experience geographic and infrastructural limitations with respect to healthcare availability, which also limits people from accessing the healthcare needed.
Your abstract at CPHIA will explore the evaluation of language models in maternal health and vaccination guidance in Nigeria. Could you share the key insights or findings from this work and why they matter for improving health outcomes?
Our study compared fine-tuned language models for maternal health and vaccination guidance in Nigeria. The maternal health model, MamaBot-Llama, showed a 4.9% overall improvement in response quality, with notable gains in medical accuracy (+5%) and trustworthiness (+7%). It also cut critical errors by half and was preferred by clinicians in 78% of cases. However, the vaccination model underperformed due to weaker data quality. These findings show that when trained on high-quality, locally relevant data, AI can safely enhance health communication and decision support for mothers, but poor data can have the opposite effect
The development of open-source models like MamaBot-Llama and Vax-Llama is a step toward technological sovereignty. How do you plan to scale this approach beyond Nigeria, and what are the main hurdles in creating a continent-wide ecosystem of locally intelligent health AIs?
Our goal when developing our open source model was to support local and international collaboration on the premise of a drive for innovation within the healthcare space. The goal is to keep developing, refining, and improving our models to inform collaboration from a wider audience across different countries. The hurdles we have faced, especially with respect to vaccination-related content, stem from the different vaccine-related information that applies to different countries, their health systems. Hence, for scale partnering with researchers, organizations across different countries, starting with African countries, means a lot for our scale plan and we look forward to this.
How did HelpMum leverage AI, WhatsApp, and behavioral science to design solutions that address vaccine hesitancy, missed appointments, and poor recordkeeping?
HelpMum leverages AI, WhatsApp, and behavioral science to design solutions that address issues with vaccine hesitancy, missed appointments, and poor record-keeping. First, we have leveraged AI by fine-tuning and improving on AI models to provide health-centered information covering maternal and infant healthcare, specifically beyond general knowledge, which most AI tools provide. Also, we have implemented this on WhatsApp through our chatbot service, a widely used and accepted digital tool that most mothers have access to. Hence, we took this and embedded basic maternal and infant healthcare information into it to reduce misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, and, more importantly, improve vaccination uptake while changing health-seeking behavior.
With the immunization tracker and plans to reach 100,000 women, what does success look like for HelpMum in the next five years, and how do you plan to ensure long-term sustainability?
Currently, we have exceeded our reach by having over 180,000 unique users. In the next few years, we intend to reach over 1,000,000 women through government adoption/ partnerships that provide us with access to more health facilities and reach more states. We believe this is an effective plan to ensure the sustainability of our innovations. Also, it provides us with grounds for validation of the effectiveness of our innovations on a larger scale.
What are the biggest challenges and opportunities in integrating HelpMum's digital solutions into Nigeria's national immunization program?
The opportunity we see is that our innovations are already in line with national immunization programs. Hence, this makes adoption and improvement easy. Also, for most of our innovations, we ensure to carry relevant stakeholders along in good time through capacity building sessions and dissemination meetings. This opportunity also gives us access to penetrate the system effectively for state-level adoption.
Your organization supplies clean birth kits to mothers. How has the integration of mobile technology and low-cost innovations, like your clean birth kits, changed outcomes for mothers and newborns in the communities you serve?
The way the integration of mobile technology and low-cost innovations, like our clean birth kits has changed outcomes for mothers and newborns in the communities we serve is that it serves as a pregnancy to child birth journey companion where the mothers can use the MamabotAI to get relevant pregnancy related information and they can assess a health worker using the HelpMum Stratify AI to triage and assess a woman's pregnancy risk factor and categorize her for further healthcare recommendation and follow up. During her delivery, this woman is also provided with a clean birth kit containing safe, sanitary items. After the delivery, the woman is not left alone in her journey to caring for her infant because she has access to the HelpMum Vax AI to ensure her child is not lost due to a vaccine-preventable disease stemming from a missed vaccination appointment. In most communities where we have had the opportunity to serve, most of the feedbacks we have received speak to our digital innovations supporting eventual vaccination uptake, intent to vaccinate, myth busting, reduction of neonatal and postnatal infection, while also reducing out-of-pocket expenditure for sanitary items purchase in preparation for delivery through the clean birth kit.
Why is training AI on locally curated clinical data so important for maternal health and vaccination programs in Nigeria?
Locally curated data ensures AI systems reflect real Nigerian health contexts, our languages, cultural nuances, and clinical realities. Without it, models risk giving unsafe or irrelevant advice. Our results show that high-quality, Nigerian clinician-reviewed data made MamaBotLlama safer and more accurate, while poor data quality led to failures in the vaccination model. This highlights that for AI to truly improve maternal and vaccination outcomes, it must be built and validated on local knowledge, not imported assumptions.
What are you hoping to be addressed at CPHIA 2025?
At CPHIA 2025, one of the things we expect to be addressed is core public health issues and potential solutions on a larger scale that can be adopted across all countries. We also intend to see how relevant Artificial Intelligence solutions can make a significant shift in the healthcare space, promoting acceptance and positive use.
Looking ahead, what is your vision for scaling HelpMum's AI and digital innovations across Nigeria - and potentially other African countries - to ensure every child has access to life-saving vaccines? And personally, what motivates you to keep pushing this work forward?
For scale, we are looking at government partnerships to scale across Nigeria, and through our open-source API integration, we intend to partner with organizations across other African countries that are also focused on improving maternal and infant healthcare in their respective countries. We believe this helps us push an acceptance of the power of AI in solving core maternal and infant healthcare challenges.
allAfrica is a media partner of the CPHIA 2025.-
Tanzania Resumes SGR Operations After Ruvu Derailment
Nairobi — The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) has resumed operations on its Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma, a day after services were suspended following a derailment near Ruvu Station.
Three cars derailed at around 8am on Thursday as the train approached Ruvu from Dar es Salaam. No fatalities were reported, and there were no indications of passenger injuries.
"Three cars of the train derailed near Ruvu Station. We confirm there were no fatalities. Operations were temporarily halted as investigations began," the corporation said.
A multi-agency team comprising technical experts, the Secretary for Transport, and TRC Managing Director was immediately dispatched to the site to assess the damage and determine the cause of the mishap.
TRC expressed regret over the disruption and assured passengers that safety remains its highest priority.
"The corporation will continue to cooperate with relevant authorities to ensure the integrity of the railway network and prevent similar incidents," it added.
2017 project
The SGR, launched for partial operations earlier this year, is a flagship project in Tanzania's effort to modernize its transport infrastructure and strengthen regional trade links.
The line serves both passenger and freight transport, connecting Dar es Salaam with Dodoma and extending cargo services between Pugu and Ihumwa.
Constructed by Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi, the multi-billion-dollar project has been financed through government funding and international loans since work began in 2017.
The electric-powered trains are designed to operate at higher speeds and greater efficiency than the country's older metre-gauge system.
Investigators are reviewing track conditions, maintenance records, and signalling systems, as well as external factors such as weather and human error, to establish the cause of the derailment.
This is not the first operational setback for the SGR. In 2024, services were briefly disrupted by electrical faults reportedly caused by animals interfering with power lines, according to The Citizen newspaper.
Read the original article on Capital FM.
South Africa: Outrage As Cape Town Rubbish Removal Company Fails to Pay Workers
City of Cape Town says it will strengthen checks and balances when appointing contractors in the future
Dozens of Khayelitsha waste workers protested on Thursday because they have not been paid by one of the City of Cape Town's contractors, Manandi Services.
They barricaded Baden Powell Drive, Macassar Road and Japtha Masemola Road with stones and burning tyres in the early hours of the morning, then marched to the Khayelitsha Training Centre to meet their employer and City officials.
The workers were employed to collect rubbish in various wards of Khayelitsha since the beginning of September, but say they have either been paid short or not at all.
Contractors in other parts of the Cape Flats have also failed to comply with their contracts, causing rubbish to pile up in parts of Mitchells Plain, Strandfontein, Capricorn, Khayelitsha, Helderberg and Philippi.
"It's painful to work without pay," said waste worker Silulami Vungayi. He says he will not have enough money to send his son to initiation school in December. He called on the City of Cape Town to ensure workers are paid.
"I have no food to eat at lunch time at work. I just fold my arms at lunch time," said Nosisi Ngxabano.
Another employee, Phumeza Qoqwane, told GroundUp that no one in her family works except for her sister, who is a farm worker in Stellenbosch. "We just add fish oil and beef stock to our rice and eat it," said Qoqwane. She said the City should give the contract to a different company.
Some workers have had to take out short-term loans because of the non-payment, which they are unable to pay back.
The protesters arrived at the Training Centre and demanded to be let into the premises, but they were not allowed through the gates. City officials wanted to address them from the other side of the gate, but the protesters refused. They then returned to Baden Powell Drive to continue their blockade and "cause more damage," one protester said.
Last week, during a tense meeting between Manandi Services management and employees, company owner Nandipha Sidelo said that she did not have enough money to pay salaries and was trying to borrow money from the bank. In terms of the contract with the City, the company must cover costs for the first three months until the City pays the company.
In a statement, the City said it is "taking urgent steps to stabilise refuse removal services ... following contractual non-compliance." The City is in the process of terminating contracts and appointing new contractors.
All the current employees of the non-compliant contractors will be absorbed by the new contractors, and the City is "working to ensure" that they are all paid for work done.
"Going forward, the City will look into strengthening checks and balances as part of the procurement process that can better ensure that appointed service providers are capacitated to honour the terms of the contract," the statement reads.
Manandi Services did not respond to questions.
Read the original article on GroundUp.
Kenya: Nairobi-Nakuru Highway Dualing to Cost Sh90bn, Set for 2027 Completion
Nairobi — The dualing of the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway will cost about Sh90 billion and is expected to be completed by June 2027, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has announced.
The project cost is significantly lower than the Sh190 billion earlier quoted by a French consortium whose deal was cancelled by President William Ruto for being too expensive.
KeNHA has selected China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to handle the tolling and development of the highway. The consortium was awarded the contract after proposing lower toll rates, easing the financial burden on motorists using the key transport corridor.
Earlier this year, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi called for the expansion of the busy Nairobi-Nakuru road into a dual carriageway to improve traffic flow to western Kenya.
Mbadi said the expansion would help reduce the frequent traffic jams that inconvenience motorists, forcing some to use longer alternative routes such as the Bungoma-Kakamega-Kisumu-Narok route to avoid congestion.
"We borrowed money to build roads up to rural areas, yet an important route like the Nairobi-Nakuru highway remained single-lane. Making it dual will help travelers reach their homes faster," Mbadi said.
Read the original article on Capital FM.
Kenya: Extortion and Ransomware Drive Over Half of Cyberattacks
Nairobi — In 80% of the cyber incidents Microsoft's security teams investigated last year, attackers sought to steal data -- a trend driven more by financial gain than intelligence gathering. According to the latest Microsoft Digital Defense Report, written with our Chief Information Security Officer Igor Tsyganskiy, over half of cyberattacks with known motives were driven by extortion or ransomware. That's at least 52% of incidents fueled by financial gain, while attacks focused solely on espionage made up just 4%. Nation-state threats remain a serious and persistent threat, but most of the immediate attacks organizations face today come from opportunistic criminals looking to make a profit.
Every day, Microsoft processes more than 100 trillion signals, blocks approximately 4.5 million new malware attempts, analyzes 38 million identity risk detections, and screens 5 billion emails for malware and phishing. Advances in automation and readily available off-the-shelf tools have enabled cybercriminals - even those with limited technical expertise - to expand their operations significantly. The use of AI has further added to this trend with cybercriminals accelerating malware development and creating more realistic synthetic content, enhancing the
efficiency of activities such as phishing and ransomware attacks. As a result, opportunistic malicious actors now target everyone -- big or small -- making cybercrime a universal, ever-present threat that spills into our daily lives.
In this environment, organizational leaders must treat cybersecurity as a core strategic priority - not just an IT issue - and build resilience into their technology and operations from the ground up. In our sixth annual Microsoft Digital Defense Report, which covers trends from July 2024 through June 2025 we highlight that legacy security measures are no longer enough; we need modern defenses and strong collaboration across industries and governments to keep pace with the threat. For individuals, simple steps like using strong security tools -- especially phishing-resistant multifactor authentication (MFA) -- makes a big difference as MFA can block over 99% of identity-based attacks. Below are some of the key findings.
Critical services are prime targets with a real-world impact
Malicious actors remain focused on attacking critical public services - targets that, when compromised, can have a direct and immediate impact on people's lives. Hospitals and local governments, for example, are all targets because they store sensitive data, or have tight cybersecurity budgets with limited incident response capabilities, often resulting in outdated software. In the past year, cyberattacks on these sectors had real world consequences,
including delayed emergency medical care, disrupted emergency services, canceled school classes, and halted transportation systems.
Ransomware actors in particular focus on these critical sectors because of the targets' limited options. For example, a hospital must quickly resolve its encrypted systems or patients could die, potentially leaving no other recourse but to pay. Additionally, governments, hospitals, and research institutions store sensitive data that criminals can steal and monetize through illicit marketplaces to the dark web, fueling downstream criminal activity. Government and industry can collaborate to strengthening cybersecurity in these sectors - particularly for the most vulnerable. These efforts are critical to protecting communities and ensuring continuity of care, education, and emergency response.
Nation-state actors are expanding operations
While cybercriminals are the biggest cyber threat by volume, nation-state actors still target key industries and regions, expanding their focus on espionage, and in some cases on financial gain. Geopolitical objectives continue to drive a surge in state-sponsored cyber activity, with a notable expansion in targeting communications, research and academia.
Key insights:
China is continuing its broad push across industries to conduct espionage and steal sensitive data. State-affiliated actors are increasingly attacking non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to expand their insights and are using covert networks and vulnerable internet-facing devices to gain entry and avoid detection. They have also become faster at operationalizing newly disclosed vulnerabilities.
Iran is going after a wider range of targets than ever before, from the Middle East to North America, as part of broadening espionage operations. Recently, three Iranian state-affiliated actors attacked shipping and logistics firms in Europe and the Persian Gulf to gain ongoing access to sensitive commercial data, raising the possibility that Iranmay be pre-positioning to have the ability to interfere with commercial shipping operations.
Russia, while still focused on the war in Ukraine, has expanded its targets. For example, Microsoft has observed Russian state-affiliated actors targeting small businesses in countries supporting Ukraine. In fact, outside of Ukraine, the top ten countries most affected by Russian cyber activity all belong to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) --a 25% increase compared to last year. Russian actors may view these smaller companies as possibly less resource-intensive pivot points they can use to access larger organizations. These actors are also increasingly leveraging the cybercriminal ecosystem for their attacks.
North Korea remains focused on revenue generation and espionage. In a trend that has gained significant attention, thousands of state-affiliated North Korean remote IT workers have applied for jobs with companies around the world, sending their salaries back to the government as remittances. When discovered, some of these workers have turned to extortion as another approach to bringing in money for the regime.
The cyber threats posed by nation-states are becoming more expansive and unpredictable. In addition, the shift by at least some nation-state actors to further leveraging the cybercriminal ecosystem will make attribution even more complicated. This underscores the need for organizations to stay abreast of the threats to their industries and work with both industry peers and governments to confront the threats posed by nation-state actors.
2025 saw an escalation in the use of AI by both attackers and defenders
Over the past year, both attackers and defenders harnessed the power of generative AI. Threat actors are using AI to boost their attacks by automating phishing, scaling social engineering, creating synthetic media, finding vulnerabilities faster, and creating malware that can adapt itself. Nation-state actors, too, have continued to incorporate AI in their cyber influence operations. This activity has picked up in the past six months as actors use the technology to make their efforts more advanced, scalable, and targeted.
For defenders, AI is also proving to be a valuable tool. Microsoft, for example, uses AI to spot threats, close detection gaps, catch phishing attempts, and protect vulnerable users. As both the risks and opportunities of AI rapidly evolve, organizations must prioritize securing their AI tools and training their teams. Everyone - from industry to government - must be proactive to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated attackers and to ensure that defenders keep ahead of adversaries.
Adversaries aren't breaking in, they're signing in
Amid the growing sophistication of cyber threats, one statistic stands out: more than 97% of identity attacks are password attacks. In the first half of 2025 alone, identity-based attacks surged by 32%. That means the vast majority of malicious sign-in attempts an organization might receive are via large-scale password guessing attempts. Attackers get usernames and passwords ("credentials") for these bulk attacks by in large from credential leaks.
However, credential leaks aren't the only place where attackers can obtain credentials. This year, we saw a surge in the use of infostealer malware by cybercriminals. Infostealers can secretly gather credentials and information about your online accounts like browser session tokens, at scale. Cybercriminals can then buy this stolen information on cybercrime forums, making it easy for anyone to access accounts for purposes such as the delivery of ransomware.
Luckily, the solution to identity compromise is simple. The implementation of phishing-resistant multifactor authentication (MFA) can stop over 99% of this type of attack even if the attacker has the correct username and password combination. To target the malicious supply chain, Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) is fighting back against the cybercriminal use of infostealers. In May, the DCU disrupted the most popular infostealer - Lumma Stealer - alongside the US Department of Justice and Europol.
Moving forward: Cybersecurity is a shared defensive priority
As threat actors grow more sophisticated, persistent, and opportunistic, organizations must stay vigilant, continually updating their defenses, and sharing intelligence. Microsoft remains committed to doing its part to strengthen our products and services via our Secure Future Initiative. We also continue to collaborate with others to track threats, alert targeted customers, and share insights with the broader public when appropriate.
However, security is not only a technical challenge, but a governance imperative. Defensive measures alone are not enough to deter nation-state adversaries. Governments must build frameworks that signal credible and proportionate consequences for malicious activity that violate international rules. Encouragingly, governments are increasingly attributing cyberattacks to foreign actors and imposing consequences such as indictments and sanctions. This growing transparency and accountability are important steps toward building collective deterrence. As digital transformation accelerates--amplified by the rise of AI--cyber threats pose risks to economic stability, governance, and personal safety. Addressing these challenges requires not only technical innovation but coordinated societal action.
The writer is Corporate Vice President, Customer Security & Trust at Microsoft
Read the original article on Capital FM.
South Africa: SA Pushes Debt Sustainability, Green Financing and Disaster Response Before G20 Summit
A month before South Africa hosts the first G20 Leaders' Summit on African soil, the country is pushing key issues of debt sustainability and the cost of capital, mobilising financing for Just Energy Transitions, harnessing critical minerals and disaster-risk response.
"Thus far, we have convened 120 out of a possible 132 planned meetings [that have] taken place inside and outside of South Africa, across all Sherpa Track and Finance Track Working Groups, including the three task forces established by our Presidency," G20 sous-sherpa Ambassador Xolisa Mabhongo told Daily Maverick on Tuesday, 21 October 2025.
"These meetings discussed some of the most important and urgent challenges facing the global community, reflecting our strong determination to seek sustainable and innovative solutions through dialogue, collaboration and cooperation."
SA assumed the G20 Presidency in December 2024, the first African nation to do so. The overarching theme SA set for the G20 is "Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability".
The year-long programme comes to an end at the Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg on 22 November.
"We have brought several priority issues to the G20 agenda, including issues of debt sustainability and reducing capital costs, mobilising financing for Just Energy Transitions, harnessing critical minerals for inclusive growth...
Read the full story on Daily Maverick.
South Africa: Janitors Employed to Clean Toilets Have to Buy Their Own Water to Do It
Company contracted to City of Cape Town does not provide water to cleaners, in a settlement which has none
Janitors in Covid informal settlement in Cape Town are employed to clean toilets.
Their employer has a contract with the City of Cape Town.
But there is no running water in the settlement, which is in a low-lying area, and the contractor does not supply the janitors with water.
They say they have to fetch - and pay for - water themselves to do their job.
Janitors in Covid informal settlement in Cape Town say they have to fetch their own water - and to pay for it - to clean the toilets they are employed to keep clean.
Janitor Mantsho Dieke said she and colleague Anele Mabasa have to beg for water in nearby Wallacedene and in Raceway informal settlement. She uses her own wheelbarrow to take the water to Covid and clean the toilets, she said.
Their employer, Moreki Distributors, does not provide water and there is none in the informal settlement, she said.
Moreki Distributors did not respond to GroundUp's requests for comment.
Shack dwellers who have water taps inside their yards and shacks charge her and Mabasa R5 or R10 for water, Diekle said. "We pay for the water out of our own pockets because we want to keep our jobs."
Dieke said she spends around R200 on water monthly. "If the water was freely available, I would use the money to buy food for my kids."
"I don't want to lose my job simply because I have no water. Besides, the cleaning company checks if we work," she said.
Mbasa said some shack dwellers remove their taps to prevent the janitors from fetching water. "The residents say they put together money to install their tap, so we must not use it because we never contributed money for it," he said.
"You need a lot of water after a drunk resident shits on a toilet seat and after weekends when the toilets are dirty," said Mbasa.
Community leader Lindelwa Mavata confirmed that families with water taps sold water to the janitors. "The residents say they spent money to install their own taps," she said.
Acting mayco member for Water and Sanitation Siseko Mbandezi told GroundUp on 21 October that though the contract for toilet cleaning did not require the contractor to supply water, the City had engaged with the contractor and the contractor had confirmed that it was now providing water to the janitors.
"Water tanker deliveries to the settlement have been reinstated twice a week. Additionally, the contractor has been instructed to provide janitors with water for cleaning on days when the water tanker is not scheduled," said Mbandezi.
But when GroundUp checked with Mbasa on 22 October, he said the janitors were still not being provided with any water by Moreki Distributors.
He said the City water tanker did come to Covid on 22 October, but only after midday, too late for the janitors who needed the water at 7am. "We want the truck of the company to give us water," he said.
Mbandezi said the Covid informal settlement did not have running water connections because it is located within a detention pond, which is lower than the surrounding roadways and infrastructure. "This makes it impossible to properly drain greywater from taps, which would in turn lead to greywater pollution."
"Large parts of the settlement are also located on private land on which the City cannot provide services."
Read the original article on GroundUp.
Africa: Kenya Leads East Africa's Energy Consumption, Renewables
Nairobi — Kenya has topped the East African Community (EAC) in energy consumption and renewable energy generation, according to the latest Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority's (EPRA) Energy and Petroleum Statistics Report.
The report shows Kenya recorded the region's highest electricity peak demand of 2,316 megawatts (MW), up from 2,177 MW in 2024, surpassing Tanzania's 1,944 MW, Uganda's 1,176 MW, and Rwanda's 262 MW.
The Democratic Republic of Congo followed closely with 2,174 MW, while Zanzibar registered 131 MW.
Kenya's installed capacity stood at 3,192 MW, ranking third regionally after DRC's 3,238.9 MW and Tanzania's 3,091.7 MW.
However, Kenya dominated in renewable energy, with geothermal power accounting for 940 MW, representing 100 percent of the region's geothermal capacity.
"Kenya has continued to strengthen its position as a continental leader in green energy, with renewable sources accounting for 80.17 percent of the electricity mix in the year under review," the report states.
"This remarkable energy mix underscores our commitment to sustainability and resilience in the sector."
Regionally, renewable energy accounted for 81 percent of total installed capacity across the East African Community, with hydropower leading at 65.15 percent.
Kenya, however, maintained the most diversified energy mix, combining geothermal, wind, solar, and hydro resources.
Read the original article on Capital FM.
Zambia: Malawi, Zambia Signs a Landmark Maize Procurement Deal
Malawi and Zambia have signed a landmark maize procurement agreement of 200,000 metric tonnes worth K387.7billion ($76 million).
Minister of Agriculture of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Roza Fatch Mbilizi presided over the signing ceremony on Wednesday to finalise the procurement deal of the commodity held in Lilongwe.
She said the procurement of maize from neighbouring Zambian represents a critical short term measure to ensure that no Malawian goes hungry.
"As government we remain steadfast in ensuring that every household in Malawi has access to adequate food," she said.
Mbilizi added that the agreement marks yet another milestone in their collective efforts to restore stability and sustainability in the agricultural sector and build resilient food-secure Malawi.
In his remarks, Zambia Minister of Agriculture, Reuben Mtolo said they agreed to supply maize to Malawi as soon as possible through Government to Government (G2G).
"The maize will come from a 100kilometre radius of Chipata to reduce transport costs on maize," he said.
Mtolo said Zambia has sufficient maize with a surplus of one million tonnes of maize.
"Government of Zambia looked at the issue of price critically such that the payments will be staggered so that they do not put a strain on Malawi," he emphasized.
Mtolo assured Malawi of high quality maize and of accepted standard.
Read the original article on Nyasa Times.
Africa: Cloud, AI Dominate Africa's 2025 Tech Landscape, Cio100 Report
Nairobi — Cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and cybersecurity have emerged as Africa's top technology priorities, signaling a shift from digital experimentation to full-scale strategic execution, according to the CIO100 Megatrends 2025 Report by CIO Africa (by dx⁵).
The report, based on insights from organisations across Sub-Saharan Africa, shows cloud computing leads adoption at 61 percent, followed by AI at 55 percent, and both analytics and cybersecurity at 44 percent.
Machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and edge computing are also gaining traction, especially in finance, government, education, and manufacturing - sectors driving Africa's digital transformation.
"African business leaders are no longer asking what's new -- they're asking what works," said Harry Hare, Chairman of CIO Africa by dx⁵.
"The data confirms that Africa's digital leaders have moved beyond adoption debates into disciplined execution. It's now about technology that delivers measurable business value."
Once viewed as a milestone on the road to digital transformation, cloud computing has now become a core operational backbone for many African firms - enabling faster deployment, cost efficiency, and reliability.
Increasingly, companies are adopting multi-cloud environments to balance costs while enhancing continuity and scalability.
AI and machine learning, meanwhile, have evolved from pilot projects into mainstream business tools - driving automation, customer experience, and data-driven decision-making.
Cybersecurity has also transformed from a compliance obligation into a strategic differentiator. Nearly half of all surveyed organisations are implementing advanced security frameworks to protect data and ensure business continuity -- a clear sign that digital trust now anchors enterprise resilience.
While IoT and edge computing adoption remains modest, their impact is being felt across agriculture, logistics, and healthcare - helping address Africa's connectivity gaps and enabling faster, smarter decision-making even in remote areas.
The report further identifies efficiency (85%), customer experience, cost control, and employee productivity as the top strategic priorities for organisations in 2025 - underscoring a shift toward performance-driven innovation.
However, challenges persist, including talent shortages, rising cyber threats, and regulatory hurdles. The report calls for stronger collaboration among policymakers, investors, and educators to sustain digital progress and build an inclusive innovation ecosystem.
"Technology is only as strong as the people who use it," Hare added. "Africa's digital leaders are creating solutions that reflect our realities -- from data sovereignty to connectivity -- and that's what makes our innovation authentically African."
The CIO100 Megatrends 2025 Report offers a snapshot of Africa's fast-evolving digital economy - one that blends global ambition with local ingenuity. These insights will take center stage at the CIO100 Symposium & Awards 2025, set for November 19-21 at Enashipai Resort & Spa, Naivasha, where 100 of Africa's top technology leaders and organisations will be honoured for excellence in innovation and digital leadership.
Read the original article on Capital FM.
Africa: Nigeria's Building Boom Lifts Lafarge Africa's Nine-Month Profit By 246 Percent
A wave of real estate development in the cities and urban centres of Africa's most populous nation, where the government requires $6.25 billion in yearly investment to narrow a housing shortfall, is fuelling demand for building materials, particularly cement.
Nigeria's building boom, propelled by rapid urbanisation and infrastructure development, laid the groundwork for the 245.9 per cent boost in net profit for Lafarge Africa in the nine months to September.
An earnings release on Wednesday cited higher output and improved plant reliability among the key factors for the strong result.
"We closed 9M 2025 with net sales and operating profit up 63% and 129% respectively," CEO Lolu Alade-Akinyemi said in the document.
"Our 9M 2025 performance reaffirms our resilience, underpinned by sustained volume growth, operational excellence, innovative product offerings, and agile response to market opportunities," he stated further.
The cement maker, for which Chinese-based Huaxin Cement is battling a stalled takeover bid, reported a 62.8 per cent growth in turnover at N780.5 billion, compared to a year ago.
Cement still crowds out aggregates and concrete and other sources as the biggest contributor to revenue, alone accounting for 96.9 per cent of net sales during the period.
A wave of real estate development in the cities and urban centres of Africa's most populous nation, where the government requires $6.25 billion in yearly investment to narrow a housing shortfall, is fuelling demand for building materials, particularly cement.
That, in turn, is leading Lafarge Africa and other market leaders like Dangote Cement (majority owned by Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote) and BUA Cement (controlled by billionaire entrepreneur Abdulsamad Rabiu) swiftly up the profitability path.
The three posted an average growth of 318.1 per cent in after-tax profit for the first half of 2025, compared to the same period of last year. An elevated pricing environment in the sector is also accelerating revenue.
Direct costs as a proportion of turnover fell to 41.6 per cent in the period under review from 50.4 per cent a year earlier, softening the blow of cost pressures on gross profit.
Finance income surged to N20.3 billion from N810.5 million on the back of a dramatic rise in interest income from short-term fixed deposits and current accounts.
Pre-tax profit went up 232.1 per cent to N313.3 billion, while post-tax profit climbed to N207.8 billion from N60.1 billion.
Lafarge Africa announced last December Holcim Group, its majority shareholder, had inked a deal to sell its stake to Huaxin Cement, hoping to close the transaction this year.
Strategic Consultancy, a Nigerian minority shareholder in the company, initiated a legal action afterwards, claiming that indigenous shareholders and investors were denied the right of first refusal.
The lawsuit, filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos, is yet to be decided.
Read the original article on Premium Times.
Namibia's Wealth Must Fuel Inclusive Growth, Says Nandi-Ndaitwah
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has acknowledged that Namibia is among the world's most unequal societies.
This, she says, not only undermines human dignity but also threatens social cohesion and national security.
Nandi-Ndaitwah was speaking at the inaugural session of the Namibia Public-Private Forum, led by the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board in Windhoek on Thursday.
"Our task today is to turn wealth into well-being, to ensure that our natural endowments translate into true economic freedom for every Namibian. If harnessed with foresight and integrity, these blessings can be powerful drivers of inclusive growth and resilience," she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the government needs both the public and private sector to realise its goals.
"My message to you is clear: the government needs you. I need you. Namibia needs you. Let us work together to confront the challenges that stand between us and prosperity. Over the next two days, I urge you to bring forward your best ideas and boldest proposals to drive sustainable economic growth for our people," she said.
She said the business community may face difficulties, including regulatory bottlenecks, high operational costs, limited access to markets and infrastructure gaps.
For this, Nandi-Ndaitwah said the government's role is to create an enabling environment with responsive policies, modern infrastructure and predictable institutions, allowing the private sector to thrive.
"The private sector must also rise to the occasion by investing in local value chains, empowering micro, small and medium enterprises and placing community upliftment at the heart of corporate purpose," she said.
The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.
Read the original article on Namibian.
South Africa: Meat Madness As Prices Hit Seven-Year High
Meat prices have increased again, with stewing beef up 32% and overall meat inflation at 11.7% - the highest in seven years.
Eggs, milk and rice have become cheaper, offering some relief as transport and fuel costs continue to drop.
South Africans are feeling the squeeze at the supermarket as meat prices reach their highest levels in seven years.
Stats SA data shows annual inflation rose slightly from 3.3% in August to 3.4% in September, driven by steep increases in meat costs.
Meat inflation hit 11.7%, its highest since January 2018. Stewing beef saw one of the biggest jumps, up 32.2% compared to last year, as farmers battled the effects of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
Pork and lamb prices also climbed sharply, while chicken inflation rose from 4.4% to 5%.
Not everything went up, though. Egg prices dropped by 8.2%, with an 18-pack now costing an average of R62.58 compared to R69.36 a year ago. Fresh full-cream milk was 2.1% cheaper, while cheese prices rose only slightly.
White rice fell 7.8% in price, while maize meal inflation increased to 9.5%. Non-alcoholic drinks became a little cheaper overall, but coffee prices jumped 12.2%.
Housing rentals went up 3.2%, with townhouse rentals rising the most at 5.4%.
There was some good news at the pumps - transport costs fell for the thirteenth straight month, with fuel down 0.3% between August and September.
Read the original article on Scrolla.
Kenya: Govt Clarifies Website Takedowns Under Cybercrime Act Subject to Judicial Review
Nairobi — The government has said website takedowns under the revised Cybercrime Act will be undertake subject to judicial review amid a court battle over the amended law.
Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said on Thursday said the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee (NC4) will only shut down websites based on credible evidence and with the court's approval.
He maintained that new provisions seek to restrain unlawful activities, with NC4 required to seek judicial review in accordance with Articles 47 and 50 of the Constitution.
"The new amendments do not curtail freedom of expression or give government agencies unchecked power to silence dissent, as alleged," Mwaura said at the Harambee Annex Media Centre.
"Rather, they strengthen Kenya's capacity to combat real and growing threats such as child pornography, online extremism, terrorism propaganda, cyber-harassment, identity theft and financial fraud."
He emphasized that the NC4 task team--comprising experts from security, ICT, and intelligence agencies--will function as a technical coordination mechanism, not as a censorship body.
Court suspends Sh20mn cyber harassment penalty in Cybercrime Act » Capital News
The government said the strengthened legal framework mirrors international best practices aimed at protecting citizens, especially minors, from harmful and extremist content, adding that freedoms of expression and media under Articles 33 and 34 remain intact.
The amendment was one of eight Bills assented to by President William Ruto on October 15, 2025, alongside the Wildlife Conservation and Management (Amendment) Act, National Police Service Commission (Amendment) Act, Land (Amendment) Act, National Land Commission (Amendment) Act, Air Passenger Service Charge (Amendment) Act, Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, and Privatisation Act.
Mwaura said the assent followed strict constitutional and procedural timelines, and reaffirmed that no law will be used to suppress legitimate freedoms or alienate national assets unlawfully.
"All actions remain subject to judicial oversight, constitutional safeguards, and the sovereign will of the Kenyan people," he stated.
The government also outlined key provisions in the new laws--ranging from mental health reforms for police officers to expanded wildlife compensation for coastal communities and a modern regulatory regime for virtual assets and cryptocurrencies.
Mwaura further announced that President Ruto will on October 27 launch the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme (MFC-ICLIP) in Kuresoi North, Nakuru County.
The 10-year, Sh21.5 billion initiative aims to restore Kenya's largest water tower, create 10,000 green jobs, and promote community-driven environmental conservation.
The spokesperson also urged youth participating in the NYOTA Program to complete the Entrepreneurship Aptitude Test ahead of the October 24 validation exercise, terming it a key step in accessing financial and business support opportunities.
Read the original article on Capital FM.
Nigeria: Minister Hails First African Free Trade Agreement Exporter
The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has commended the former managing director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Chinwe Ezenwa, describing her as Nigeria's first entrepreneur to export under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
Speaking at the 40th anniversary of LeLook Bags and the unveiling of Just Bags, a new digital marketplace dubbed "the Amazon of African bags," the minister said Ezenwa's achievement had placed Nigerian women on the continental trade map.
According to Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Ezenwa's success showcases African prints as a global fashion statement and demonstrates that Nigerian women can compete and excel on the world stage.
"Mummy LeLook as we fondly call her, tonight we honour your courage and legacy. As the first Nigerian entrepreneur to export under the AfCFTA, you placed our women on the continental stage.
That act was not just trade; it was trailblazing. You showed that Nigerian women can compete globally and win."
"Looking at the story of Le Look at 40, speaks not only to a business celebration, but a story rooted in hope, love, compassion, resilience, a second chance at life and vision. It is the success story of a single woman who, after serving in the Federal Civil Service, chose to build an enterprise that has grown into a national treasure."
Also speaking, former Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, noted that she has been extremely overwhelmed by Ezenwa's success and inspired by her.
"Beyond business, she has impacted lives. I was at the recent graduation ceremony where hundreds of people graduated from her Academy. It was a memorable accomplishment because we could see that it meant a lot to the graduands.
"I appeal to the government and influential Nigerians to support the work Lelook is doing for young entrepreneurs. When I was in office, I took Lelook bags to all my international engagements, and people always rushed to ask where I got the bags," Pauline said.
Speaking earlier, Ezenwa stated that Lelook Bags has exported more than one million bags worldwide in her four decades of operations.
According to Ezenwa, Just Bags initiatives will allow for mentorship and also allow African manufacturers to collectively take on bulk orders that individual producers cannot handle alone.
"There's no way I alone can produce a million bags at once. But if I train others and we come together, then with Just Bags, we can meet those demands," the septuagenarian said.
She highlighted the strong international appeal of African prints, especially adire fabrics, which she says German buyers particularly love.
"African prints are the only way to promote our heritage and culture. If you can't wear it, at least you can carry it," Ezenwa remarked.
As part of the anniversary, Ezenwa also inaugurated the Lelook Fellows mentorship initiative, through which she plans to introduce young entrepreneurs to continental trade opportunities.
Linking her vision to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), she described the agreement as a "prosperity highway" and a "game changer" for African businesses. "In the next year, I'll be in at least three more African countries thanks to AfCFTA," she declared.
Read the original article on Leadership.
Uganda Targets $500bn Economy Powered By Clean, Sustainable Energy
The government has set its sights on becoming a $500 billion economy, driven by clean, affordable, and sustainable energy.
Through the Ten-Fold Growth Strategy, energy is positioned not just as a utility, but as a critical engine for industrialization, job creation, and long-term socioeconomic transformation.
"Through the Ten-Fold Growth Strategy, Uganda aims to fuel a USD 500 billion economy powered by clean, affordable, and sustainable energy that drives industrialization, supports livelihoods, and secures a brighter future for every citizen," said Ruth Nankabirwa, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development.
She made the remarks during the official opening of the Sustainable Energy Development Programme Performance Review, held alongside the Renewable Energy Conference and Expo 2025 (REC25) in Kampala.
The three-day event drew over 500 participants from government, the private sector, civil society, and development partners, focusing on energy sector progress, innovation sharing, and unlocking new investment opportunities.
Uganda's energy access now stands at 60%, a result of sustained investment in generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure across the country.
Major transmission projects such as Karuma-Kawanda (248 km), Gulu-Kole-Nebbi-Arua (298 km), and Opuyo-Moroto (160 km) have strengthened grid reliability and expanded supply to homes, industries, and social institutions.
"From Access to Impact: Powering Uganda's Transformation through Sustainable Energy, the next phase under NDP IV focuses on scaling generation to 15,420 MW by 2030 and 52,481 MW by 2040, while modernizing networks and promoting off-grid solutions," said Nankabirwa.
Recent generation projects include the 6 MW Nyagak III Hydropower Plant and the 20MW Nkonge Solar PV Plant.
More than 200,000 new grid connections have been added, and the West Nile region has been fully integrated into the national grid.
Off-grid and mini-grid solutions continue to play a vital role in electrifying remote communities, bridging the energy divide.
As part of the clean energy transition, the government has rolled out the Biofuels Blending Programme and is implementing the National Clean Cooking Strategy to reduce reliance on biomass and protect the environment.
At REC25, Uganda launched its Clean Cooking Unit (CCU), a national initiative aiming to shift 50% of households to clean cooking technologies by 2030.
The program is supported by UK bilateral funding and the Modern Energy Cooking Services initiative.
The British High Commissioner to Uganda, Lisa Chesney, welcomed the move, noting that access to clean cooking is crucial for public health, women's empowerment, and climate action.
Minister Nankabirwa praised the collaboration between government, private sector, and development partners, emphasizing that this momentum must be sustained to meet national targets.
She reaffirmed the government's commitment to achieving universal access to electricity and clean energy by 2040.
"We must continue working together to build an energy sector that powers industries, lights every home, and positions Uganda as a regional leader in energy-led transformation," she said.
Uganda's energy journey reflects a shift that places sustainability, equity, and economic growth at the center of national planning.
As the country accelerates its transition, energy will not only power homes and businesses but also drive Uganda's rise as a competitive, inclusive, and climate-resilient economy.
Read the original article on Nile Post.
Liberia Faces Huge Budget Credibility, Sustainability Challenges
The Senate Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee has described the budget credibility in Liberia as a significant challenge due to factors such as off-budget spending, weak oversight, and issues with timely implementation.
The Gbarpolu County Senator and former Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Amara Mohammed Konneh, said besides the issues of weak oversight and timely implementation, "there is also the matter of debt sustainability."
The former Finance Minister has disclosed that Liberia's total debt stock now stands at approximately US$2.7 billion - about 57 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - as of mid-2025. Domestic debt, which has reached US$1.1 billion, makes up 41.9% of the total stock. "This is alarming because the Government's domestic borrowing crowds out private sector investment, as the government competes with businesses for limited resources."
Furthermore, the Gbarpolu County lawmaker noted that debt servicing strains fiscal space, eating into funds that could be used for infrastructure, education, and healthcare. "This situation also erodes public trust, as irregularities in debt management raise questions about accountability."
He recalled the recent report from the General Auditing Commission (GAC) which revealed significant irregularities related to domestic debt. "The Commission rejected 88 percent of domestic debt claims due to missing documentation and unsupported payment requests."
While there have been efforts to improve domestic revenue collection, increase debt sustainability, and strengthen overall public financial management, "problems persist in ensuring the budget is executed as planned. The result has been compromised by public service delivery and reduced public trust."
Konneh, who is also a member of the Senate Committee on Ways, Means, Finance and Budget, promised to work with his colleagues in the Legislature and the Executive to address this long-standing issue, which he said dates back before his time as Finance Minister.
Strengthening the country's institutions he maintained, requires a holistic approach that ensures that the public and private sectors operate in predictable integrity; and welcomes President Joseph Boakai's submission of a legislation on SOES reforms. "I will work with my colleagues to strengthen and enact legislation that sets standards for corporate governance. These standards will help ensure the diversity, competency, and integrity of those in corporate leadership."
On regional cooperation, Senator Konneh looks forward to working with Western Region Legislative Caucus colleagues to advance resource mobilization efforts for the Western Liberia Development Agenda, a regional development effort by the Western Region Legislative Caucus that aligns with the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development.
"We presented the plan to President Boakai during our last sitting, and he tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate resource mobilization with relevant Executive Branch agencies."
In the near future, Konneh promised to initiate a conversation with Gbarpolu county legislative colleagues, local government officials, traditional leaders, and citizens on the relocation of the burial site of the late King Sao Boso Kamara and reconcile the county's leaders and citizens.
"We will also formally engage with the Ministry of Mines to address the proliferation of Chinese and other foreign miners in Gbarpolu, which is degrading our environment and polluting primary water sources for our people."
These priorities, Amara Konneh asserted, reflect his conviction that Liberia must build institutions that protect lives, responsibly steward resources, and deliver justice. "I call on my colleagues in government, the private sector, civil society, and the public to join me in shaping laws that reflect our values and meet the urgent needs of our nation. I look forward to continuing to transform Liberia with you."
Read the original article on Liberian Observer.
Angola: Vandalism Causes Losses of Over 50 Million Dollars to Energy and Water Sectors
Luanda — Acts of vandalism and theft of equipment and components of the electrical and water system in Angola have caused, annually, losses valued at more than 50 million US dollars, a fact that makes the implementation of new projects to expand the electrical network in the country unfeasible.
The fact was revealed Thursday, in Luanda, by the Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, who said that this amount would be used to build other electricity and water distribution networks and serve a greater number of inhabitants.
In an interview with ANGOP, the government official said that, in recent times, acts of vandalism and theft have taken on alarming dimensions, and in addition to the direct financial losses to the State, families temporarily stop benefiting from energy and water, while companies experience drops in their billing.
According to the Minister, equipment in the energy and water sector has a high cost and is mostly imported.
As an example, he highlighted that the theft of suction cups, a piece used to guarantee pressure in water pipes, costs around 500 thousand dollars, but once stolen they are sold in weighing houses for five thousand kwanzas.
He also recalled the recent vandalism and theft that occurred in the 28 energy transmission towers, in the province of Malanje, causing a loss of more than seven million dollars.
For these and other criminal acts, João Baptista Borges understands that there is an urgent need to increase the penalties for the vandalization of public property, to speed up these cases in court and for citizens to adopt the stance of reporting, because in the end it is the populations that suffer from the lack of these services.
The Minister highlighted that acts of a criminal nature are replicated daily across the country, causing millions of dollars in losses to the State.
He said that this concern cannot only be addressed by the sector, by police and judicial bodies, but that there must be everyone's engagement.
"This is one of the sector's biggest challenges that should concern everyone, because the risk we run is taking two steps forward and one step back, delaying the country's growth and development", he appealed.
During the interview, minister João Baptista Borges reported the main gains that the sector has obtained over the 50 years and projected the future of the sector he heads. OPF/QCB/DOJ
Read the original article on ANGOP.
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