Category: COVER

Launch of Qatar Islamic Finance Report 2025: Expanding Horizons

London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) Data & Analytics is pleased to announce the launch of its latest report titled “Qatar Islamic Finance Report 2025: Expanding Horizons”. The report represents a strategic partnership between the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), delivering valuable insights on Qatar’s Islamic finance sector with the aim of fostering growth and innovation within the industry. Offering a comprehensive overview of the current Islamic finance landscape in Qatar, the report highlights key developments and regulatory initiatives over the past five years, while also…

Hilton to Triple its Presence in Africa to More Than 160 Hotels

 Coinciding with Future Hospitality Summit Africa 2025, Hilton (NYSE: HLT) has announced plans to almost triple its presence in Africa to more than 160 hotels trading in the coming years,says an official statement issued in Cape Town,Teusday. Across its portfolio of market-leading brands, Hilton expects to open more than 100 hotels on the continent, supporting Africa’s burgeoning hospitality sector and creating approximately 18,000 jobs for local people.   Carlos Khneisser, chief development officer, Middle East & Africa, Hilton, said, “We are thrilled to announce several new hotel agreements which significantly expand…

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and partners enter new alliance leveraging Islamic and Arab finance for economic transformation

VIENNA, Austria, June 17, 2025/ — Today, Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) (www.AfricaFC.org), UNIDO, the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and the Union of Arab Banks (UAB), formalized new strategic partnerships under the Islamic and Arab Finance for Economic Transformation in Africa, the Arab Region and Beyond (IFETAA) Programme. Access to finance remains one of the most significant barriers to SME growth and economic transformation, particularly in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Only one in five African firms has access to credit, and those that…

African Development Bank project restores electricity in Zimbabwean communities following devastating Cyclone Idai

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, June 17, 2025/ — In March 2019, Cyclone Idai tore through Zimbabwe’s eastern districts with unprecedented fury, leaving behind a trail of devastation. Among the hardest hit regions were Chimanimani and Chipinge, where the lifelines of modern life—electricity, roads, and water systems—were severed in a matter of hours. The 155-kilometer powerline stretching from Middle Sabi to Charter, once the backbone of energy supply for Manicaland Province, lay in ruins, plunging over 300,000 people into darkness. For more than two agonizing months, industries ground to a halt, hospitals…

“Trump’s unfounded attack on Cyril Ramaphosa was an insult to all African”-President John Dramani Mahama

If we want to solve injustices in Africa today, we cannot forget the injustices that shaped our shared history   The meeting at the White House between Donald Trump and the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, was, at its heart, about the preservation of essential historical truths.   The US president’s claims of white genocide conflict with the actual racial persecution and massacres that took place during the two centuries of colonisation and nearly 50 years of apartheid in South Africa. It is not enough to be affronted by these…

ACCRA, Ghana, May 28, 2025/ — The Mining in Motion Summit (MininginMotionSummit.com) is pleased to announce the participation of Hon. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Ghana’s Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, as a speaker. Hon. Muhammed’s involvement underscores the government’s commitment to environmentally responsible mining, technological innovation and scientific advancement in the extractive sector. As the head of the ministry leading innovation and sustainability, Hon. Muhammed is spearheading initiatives to align mining operations with national development goals and environmental stewardship. His efforts include forging partnerships with global public and private stakeholders to implement science-based solutions and…

Development of Islamic banking in Russia possible through a dual banking system — ministry

“It comes to the parallel functioning of the traditional and Islamic banking sectors, as has already been implemented in Malaysia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan,” Deputy Economic Development Minister Dmitry Volvach said MINERALNYE VODY /Stavropol Region/, May 27. /TASS/. Further development of the experiment on the introduction of partnership financing, aka Islamic banking, is possible through the creation of a dual banking system in Russia, Deputy Economic Development Minister Dmitry Volvach said at the Caucasus Investment Forum (CIF). “One of the possible ways for further development [of partnership financing] is seen in…

Afreximbank and Zep-Re launch the Trans-Africa Bond Alliance (TABA)

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) and Zep-Re (PTA Reinsurance Company) have  launched the Trans-Africa Bond Alliance (TABA), a transformative initiative, designed to bridge the insurance capacity gap and empower African contractors to secure more construction and procurement projects while boosting cross-border trade and enhancing the movement of goods and investment across Africa,said an official statement issued in Nairobi,Friday. By providing robust transit guarantee mechanisms, the joint venture between Afreximbank and Zep-Re is expected to reduce trade barriers, lower costs, and improve efficiency in the movement of goods across Africa.…

Africa Energy Bank Gears Up for H1 2025 Launch

BRAZZAVILLE, Congo (Republic of the), March 27, 2025/ — Ahead of its H1 2025 launch, the Africa Energy Bank – developed jointly by Afreximbank and the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO) – is positioning itself to tackle major challenges in financing, technology and market reliability to accelerate Africa’s oil and gas sector development. Speaking at the Congo Energy & Investment Forum in Brazzaville, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, Secretary General of APPO, reaffirmed the launch timeframe and underscored the urgency of establishing the bank to address the continent’s energy needs. “We…

Dubai WoodShow 2025 to Host Global Traders & Experts in Timber and Logistics Markets

The highly anticipated Dubai WoodShow 2025 the premier platform for the wood and woodworking machinery industry in the Middle East and North Africa, scheduled to take place from April 14 to 16, 2025, will convene leading industry professionals, traders, experts, and key stakeholders from across the global timber and logistics markets,the event organizers said in an official statement issued in Dubai,Thursday Alongside the exhibition, the event will serve as a premier platform for discussions on market trends, innovations, and emerging opportunities within the sector. Attendees will gain valuable insights through…