ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, July 31, 2025/ — The African Development Bank’s 2025 Country Focus Report for Burkina Faso (www.AfDB.org), the national version of the African Economic Outlook, was officially launched on 18 July 2025 in Ouagadougou. The ceremony was chaired by Souleymane Nabolé, Technical Advisor, representing the Minister of Economy and Finance, in the presence of Daniel Ndoye, the Bank Group’s Country Manager for Burkina Faso. Run virtually, the session brought together more than 80 participants from the public administration, technical and financial partners, the research community and the private…
Category: COVER
Libya Islamic Bank-Backbase Join Hands to Bring Digital-first Banking to Libyan Customers
Backbase, the global leader in AI-powered banking technology, has announced in Tripoli,Thursday,the recent successful platform launch of Libyan Islamic Bank (LIB), one of the country’s fastest-growing financial institutions. This achievement,the announcement noted, represents Backbase’s first platform launch in Libya, underscoring its commitment to expanding state-of-the-art, customer-centric banking across North Africa. From ambition to impact As a digitally focused bank, LIB set out to differentiate itself through an experience-led approach to banking. In collaboration with Backbase, the bank laid the groundwork for a customer-first operating model that is built for speed,…
Global Investment in African Gold Surges Ahead of African Mining Week (AMW) 2025
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, July 30, 2025/ — Africa – the world’s second-largest gold-producing region after China – is seeing a marked increase in gold mining investment in 2025. Driven by strong global demand, favorable prices and vast untapped reserves, international financiers are stepping up support for gold projects across the continent. In June, Canadian firm Asante Gold secured a $470 million financing package from Appian Capital and South Africa’s FirstRand Bank to expand the Chirano Mine and advance the Bibiani Project in Ghana – Africa’s leading gold producer and…
Chad and AfDB Join Hands for Affirmative Action on Circular Economy Transition for Resource Use Efficiency and Sustainability
Report: Mohammed Abu China and Europe has since been in the forefront of the global transition from the take-make-use-discard, wasteful linear economy which is unsustainable experts contend,to the emerging circular economy paradigm. Circularity principles is premised on the fact that, resources endowment is not infinite and thus,the need for resource use efficiency whereby nothing is wasted. From a circularity pespective,waste in whatever form be in biodegradable or none-biodegradable, shouldn’t be left to post an environmental hazard or burden whatsoever to humanity,but rather should be harnessed as raw materials to create…
1st Northern Ghana Dev’t Conference in Pictures
CIBAFI and The BIBF Sign MoU to Advance Innovation and Sustainability in Islamic Finance
In a significant move to foster innovation and sustainability in the Islamic financial services industry, the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions (CIBAFI) and the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation and advance joint strategic initiatives an official statement disclosed in Manama,Bahrain,Sunday. The agreement underscores both institutions’ commitment to embracing modern tools and frameworks such as artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and sustainability as key drivers of growth, resilience, and transformation within the sector. Dr. Abdelilah Belatik…
Attaining Food Security and Combatting Global Warming: Scientists Eye Africa’s Baobab and Marula
Report: Mohammed A. Abu Amidst food security concerns and the disastrous global warming that constitutes an existential threat to humanity today, scientific researchers posit that two iconic trees, the African baobab (Adansonia digitata) and Marula (Sclerocarya birrea) might be more important for food security and preventing disastrous global warming than any other species growing on our home planet. Baobab and marula, they say could be grown sparsely on vast areas without changing the existing land-use patterns. Their Unique Selling Points They can become large trees in arid conditions, where nothing…
Sierra Leone and African Development Bank Target $90 Billion in Annual Illicit Financial Flows
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, July 25, 2025/ — A four-day high-level seminar concluded last week with concrete recommendations to combat the estimated $90 billion that Africa loses annually to illicit financial flows, as the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) and Sierra Leone Government intensify efforts to strengthen natural resource governance. More than 70 stakeholders from government, civil society, private sector, and international organizations gathered at The Place Resort in Tokeh under the theme “Harnessing Africa’s Wealth: Curbing Illicit Financial Flows for Resilient Growth and Development.” Illicit financial flows are among Africa’s…
Africa’s Business Heroes 2025 Edition: Event Unveils Top 50 Finalists from All 54 African Nations
Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) (www.AfricaBusinessHeroes.org), the flagship philanthropic initiative of the Alibaba Philanthropy, is proud to announce the Top 50 finalists of its 2025 Prize Competition—marking a record-breaking year for participation and regional representation,says an official statement issued in Kigali,Thursday. This year,the statement said, ABH received 32,000 applications, the highest in the competition’s history, with submissions from all 54 African countries – reinforcing ABH’s status as one of the continent’s largest and most inclusive entrepreneurial competitions. The 2025 Top 50 provides an overview of Africa’s entrepreneurial landscape. African businesses are increasingly leveraging…
Imposition of Israeli Sovereignty Over West Bank: Joint Arab-Ministerial Committee Condemns the Act
The Kingdom of Bahrain, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of Indonesia, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the State of Palestine, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the League of Arab States (LAS), and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) vehemently condemn the recent ratification by the Israeli Knesset regarding the imposition of “Israeli sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank,an official statement said in Jeddah,Thursday. This action,the statement noted, is viewed as a…