(Ecofin Agency) - Kenya has reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new reform program with a financial package.

SOUTH AFRICA – Africa Oil & Power (AOP) has announced the appointment of Yolisa Nyoka as its new Director of Programming, effective February 1. Nyoka has been recently nominated for the 2021 African Women Industrialization Award in recognition of her contributions to the events industry.

Togo –   REGUS, the world’s largest provider of flexible workspaces, arrives in Togo. It will offer a wide range of ready-to-use workspaces ranging from private offices to co-working, meeting rooms and business lounges, according to Regus source.

Mrs. Esther Ore Omosewo, the first female professor of physics education in Nigeria has been inducted into the Governing Council membership of the International Association of Research Scholars and Administrators - IARSA. 

“When we took over the reign of NIDO Swiss, on 14 December 2019, our focus was to rebrand and change the organization’s image which had been bastardized.” Johnson Odibo, the president of NIDO Swiss asserted in his annual report at the organization’s Annual General Meeting held on Saturday 5 December 2020.

The United Nations is marking 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, spotlighting their vital role in human nutrition and food security, as well as urging efforts to improve sustainable production and reduce waste. 

NIGERIA - Over 1,250 professionals took part in the 6^th edition of African Insurance Awards held virtually on Friday, 18 December 2020. The African Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re) appreciating the roles paid by all the participants and the judges expressed it gratuities to all of them.

(Togo First) - The committee of ministers of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) project met in Lomé recently to discuss operational aspects of the infrastructure through which natural gas is transported from producing countries (Nigeria, mainly) to countries that import the fuel (Benin, Ghana, and Togo). 

(Togo First) - Orabank Togo and Togocom will launch Mbanking, a service that allows its users to transfer money between the bank and a mobile wallet. 

A United States human rights group, Article3.org, has honoured retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu with the Human Rights Global Treasure Award “in recognition of his lifelong commitment to advancing peace, equity, equality and human rights.”

The organisers of Mining Indaba online conference “are extremely pleased to confirm that His Excellency, Félix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has confirmed his participation at the online conference.”

For a nation that prides itself on being on the global forefront of new technologies and science, particularly health care, Switzerland has an astoundingly poor record for dealing with Covid-19. The Lake Geneva region, which borders locked-down France, ranks as one of the worst coronavirus hotspots in Europe. Many Swiss, too, act as if there is no pandemic by crowding into shopping malls or socialising without masks.

The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) has earmarked two billion dollars to empower smallholder farmers in Nigeria, according to the National Coordinator for the agency, Princess Gloria Akobundu.

The 6^th edition of the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) conference held on 02and 03 December in South Africa explored post-pandemic recovery for the African markets and addressed women’s economic empowerment.

DHL has appointed Clement Blanc as Managing Director for its business in South Africa, one of the key markets for the logistics giant in the fast-growing region according a press release for the company.

SouthBridge Group, an innovative, pan-African financial advisory and investment firm, working with corporates, sovereigns and multinationals across the Continent, concluded two significant transactions in the Republic of Togo.

The Nigerians In Diaspora Organization World Wide (NIDOWW) has condemned the brutal killings of Nigerian youths, “who were voicing out the issues confronting them in Nigeria with regards to SARS and other law enforcement abuses.” In the same vein it condemned “the wanton destruction of properties and facilities by hoodlums, who infiltrated the peaceful demonstration, resulting in the destruction of many economic values, many of which will never come back to live.”

The Federal Council defined the objectives of Switzerland's foreign policy back in February. In the MENA strategy it has now set out how it intends to implement these objectives in the important region spanning from Morocco to Iran. Switzerland's focus in the region over the next few years will be supporting sustainable economic development, better job prospects for young people, and peace and human rights

Switzerland is a candidate for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. Elections for the 2023–24 period will be held in June 2022. The candidacy entered its final phase with a virtual event in New York attended by the president of the Swiss Confederation, Simonetta Sommaruga, and Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis.

With the pandemic in the midst of its second wave in Europe, the Africa Business Day (ABD) had to innovate its way into our home offices. Ironically, Covid 19 has enabled the Africa Business Day, ran by the Swiss African Business Circle (SABC) and hosted by Roche, the chance of widening their audience. This year, their theme of Emerging Business Models, was beamed not just to people residing in Europe, but across Africa and other continents as well.

Q&A: ‘Before the pandemic, refugee mental health was severely overlooked. Now it’s a full-blown crisis’ UNHCR’s Senior Mental Health Officer Pieter Ventevogel says COVID-19 has been a tipping point for many refugees in distress. But with the crisis comes an opportunity.