African-Union

Mr Wamkele Mene has been reappointed as the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat (AfCFTA)

Mr Mene got appointed for a second four-year term during the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of States and Government of the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Mr Wamkele Mene is the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), His responsibilities include coordinating and facilitating implementation of the AfCFTA agreement among African states. His role are to promote the AfCFTA and undertake activities to enhance intra-African trade.

On 31st January, 2024 a historic milestone to boost trade in Africa has made as South Africa started exporting under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) highlited the results of South African industry and innovation.

“we are forging a path of mutual growth and shared prosperity. This is a powerful instrument to promote meaningful, impactful trade that benefits all corners of our continent.” H.E. Wamkele Mene said.

Voting in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s high-stakes presidential election has been marred by lengthy delays at polling stations.

Voters waited in long queues at many polling stations in the capital, Kinshasa, and other cities as they opened about two hours late.

Ballot papers were delivered at the last minute in an election that has proved to be a logistical nightmare.

In the eastern cities like Goma and Beni, some people struggled to find their names on voter lists, which were only made available at their polling stations on Wednesday morning, according to Reuters witnesses.

A new Commonwealth e-learning course launched on Tuesday 11th December 2023 will improve the ability of small and other vulnerable states to access billions of dollars in climate finance.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, launched the ‘commonwealth climate finance Essential E-learning Course’at an event in Dubai during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28).

The course builds on the extensive experience of the commonwealth climate Finance Access Hub. The hub has helped 17 small and vulnerable states in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific to access more than US$322 million in climate finance for projects to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

While Rwanda is one of the seven countries that have started to implement the African free trade program, there are some producers who say that they are still facing challenges in finding packaging for their products, such that they find themselves using expensive packaging or not meeting the international standards.

These are what some of the participants of the intra Africa trade fair that was held in Egypt from 9-15 November 2023 had to say:

On Monday 13th Novermber 2023 in Cairo, the African project was launched, which will enable to begin the journey of Using vast arable land and water resources to feed africans while openning multibillion US dollar business opportunities in food and agribusiness on the continent.

It was a ceremony that was attended by the heads of states including the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa and Malawi’s Lazarus Chakwera, H.E. Wamkele Mene Secretary General of AfCFTA Secretariat, Olusegun Obasanjo who once lead Nigeria and is currently an advisor on intra-Africa trade,  and other representatives of their respective countries. Rwanda was represented by the Minister of Trade and Industry Dr. Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze.

On 1st November 2023 The AfCFTA secretariat and Corporate Council for Africa has signed an MoU with the objective to promote partnerships between U.S. and African companies that build on provisions of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement to achieve the shared goal of increasing private sector support for and involvement in realizing the goals of the AfCFTA.

The MoU signed is articulated around different sectors such as transportation and logistics, vaccine manufacturing, health sector productive capacity, trade and investment, the automotive sector, agriculture and agroprocessing and women and youth in Trade.

East African Community (EAC) Heads of State on Tuesday extended the mandate of its regional force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by a further three months to December 8 this year.

The decision arose after the leaders gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, for the 22nd Extra-ordinary Summit of the Community, agreeing that three extra months will bring certainty to the security situation as further discussions go on about the actual plan for the troubled eastern DRC.

On Tuesday -5th September 2023, President of The Republic of Rwanda Paul Kagame is in Nairobi, Kenya, where he attended the maiden Africa Climate Summit, co-hosted by the African Union Commission and the Government of Kenya, alongside African leaders, heads of Regional Economic Communities, and distinguished representatives from international organizations.

The three-day Summit, which is concurrent with Africa Climate Week, one of four regional climate weeks, and is held under the theme “Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions for Africa and the World,” seeks to address the growing vulnerability to climate change and its effects in Africa and around the world.