The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents a major opportunity for countries to boost growth, reduce poverty, and broaden economic inclusion, a new World Bank report has found. If implemented fully, the trade pact could boost regional income by 7% or $450 billion, speed up wage growth for women, and lift 30 million people ...

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has raised an alarm that Africa may lose half of its GDP with growth falling from 3.2 per cent to about 2 per cent due to a number of reasons resulting from the effect of coronavirus. The UN body also warned in a statement that the coronavirus pandemic could seriously dent ...

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) says Africa would need up to US$ 10.6 billion in unanticipated increases in health spending to curtail the spread of coronavirus while on the other hand, revenue losses could lead to unsustainable debt. This was disclosed by ECA’s Executive Secretary, Vera Songwe. According to her, COVID-19 was inevitably impacting ...

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) says it has concluded plans to establish laboratories in the six geo political zones for testing products and ensuring standardisation in the country. Mr Bola Fashina, Special Assistant to the Director-General of SON, disclosed this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja. According ...

The Senate on Tuesday summoned the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola to explain details of the visa on arrival policy introduced by the Federal government. President Buhari had announced that the new policy will come into effect from January 2020, but lawmakers argue that the policy is in furtherance of the continental free trade agreement ...

Nigeria’s recent border closure drill has been linked to the recent rise in headline inflation which is currently at 11.61 per cent as of October 2019. The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, briefed State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, that recent figures from the ...

  Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has urged Nigeria’s west coast neighbour, Benin Republic, to change its ways for a harmonious bilateral relationship between the two countries. Obasanjo made the remark during a news briefing on Tuesday in Addis Ababa on the margins of Policy Dialogue of African Business Associations on Implementing the African Continental ...

President of the Africa Export-Import Bank, Prof Benedict Oramah, has urged Nigeria and other African countries to deploy technology in monitoring their borders. Oramah spoke at the second edition of the African Investment Forum, which opened in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday. Responding to question on the relevance of African Continental Free Trade Area with ...

    Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) Conference, Expo and Awards celebrates five-year anniversary in 2019 with the theme ‘Enhancing Impact: Digitalisation, Investment and Intra-African Trade’ The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF), opened in Cape Town, South Africa, 29 October 2019, with stirring calls from speakers for women to move from ...

Mr Abebe Selassie, Director of the African Department at the IMF (right) with Ms Meera Louis, a Communications Officer at the Fund, during the media briefing. Photo Credit: NAN   The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has backed Nigeria’s closure of its borders with some neighbouring countries over issues bothering on illegal trade. Mr Abebe Selassie, ...