East African countries began attempting to integrate with surrounding countries in the late 1900’s. In 1885, the Berlin Conference confirmed the division of East Africa placing Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia under the rule of Britain. The construction of the railway in Uganda began in 1896 and was predominantly built with a labour force from India. Read more….Read More

The African Development Bank Group is a “regional multilateral development finance institution established to contribute to the economic development and social progress of African countries”. Founded in 1963, in Sudan, it is made up of 3 parts; the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). The AfDB is one of only 5 multilateral development banks in the worldRead More

Official Name: The Republic of Iraq Capital City: Baghdad Location: 33 00 N, 44 00 E Population: 38,872,655 (July 2020) Land: 437,072 sq. km Water: 950 sq. km Currency: Iraqi dinars (IQD) GDP (per capita): $16,700 Dominant religion: Muslim (95%), Christian (1%), Other (4%) Languages: Arabic, Kurdish (official), Turkmen, Syriac, Armenian (only official in some areas). Iraq is located in the Middle East, bordering the Read More

Official Name: State of Libya Capital City: Tripoli Location: North Africa 25 00 N 17 00 E Population: 6,888,013 (September 2020) Land: 1,759,540 sq. km Water: 0 sq. km Currency: Libyan dinar (LD) GDP (per capita) $7,683 (2019) Dominant religion: Islam (vast majority) Languages: Standard Arabic, English, Italian (unofficial), French (unofficial), Berber dialects Libya is a North African country, bordered by the MeditRead More

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of people facing acute hunger could double. Supported by the United Nations, the Norwegian government and African institutions, Yara has launched the Action Africa: Thriving Farms, Thriving Future initiative with the goal to mobilize support for 250,000 smallholder farmers in seven African countries to secure food production and improved food security. The initiative iRead More

Sudan’s location in Africa’s Northeast has resulted in a strong connection with the Middle East and this is evident today in a society dominated by Islamic religion and Arabic culture. Sudan was the largest country in Africa until the south seceded in 2011 and became the independent nation of South Sudan ending decades of civil war between the north and the south. Sudan’s main resource and export continues to be oil,Read More

The tea industry was founded in Africa by British settlers in the early 20th century in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and Tanzania, followed by Zimbabwe in the 1920’s and the West Cameroons in the 1950’s. Portuguese settlers planted tea in Mozambique in the 1930’s. Belgian settlers began planting it in the DRC in the 1940’s, in Burundi in the 1930’s and Rwanda in the 1950’s. After the end of the colonial era circa 1960-61, Read More

The Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK “uses aid to tackle the global challenges of our time” including poverty and disease, mass migration, insecurity and conflict. DFID has 3,600 employees based in East Kilbride, London.They focus on:• Strengthening global peace, security and governance• Increasing resilience and response to crisis• Tackling poverty• Helping the most vulnerable• Promoting gloRead More

The tobacco industry is a vast industry with a global turnover of US$814 billion. Health campaigns and a reputational requirement to include in companies’ portfolios a range of products have led to a shrinking in the area of land used for tobacco farming in most countries, even while the consumption has increased. However, the opposite is true in Africa, where the tobacco industry is growing rapidly. From 1995-2012 tRead More