Business

What's behind the new push to introduce a West African single currency, the Eco? A statement by Ghana's finance minister indicates Accra may be making one last attempt to realise this elusive goal.

Ghana’s President Nana AddoDankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, launched a 10-year Cashew Development Plan, aimed at diversifying Ghana's agricultural sector.Recounting a commitment he made on 19th March 2016, at Suma Ahenkro, in the Jaman North constituency, President Akufo-Addo bemoaned the over-reliance of Ghanaian agriculture on the production and export of cocoa, in contrast with the situation in neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire.He noted that Cote d’Ivoire has succeeded in diversifying its agriculture, which included the production and export of other cash crops, and, as a result, earned that country some $12 billion from the export of agricultural produce in 2015.

Heads of State from the Economic Community of West Africa States ECOWAS are meeting in Accra on Wednesday in a bid to fast track processes towards meeting the 2020 target for the introduction of a single currency ECO.

Farming employs the majority of people in most African countries and the agricultural sector provides the backbone to the economy in many of these countries.

A donor pre-engagement on Gambia’s new National Development Plan (NDP), is scheduled to take place in Dakar, Senegal from 20 to 22 February 2018.Following the election of President Adama Barrow in December 2016, the country has a new window of opportunity to lay the foundations for a modern democratic state and key reforms for sustainable growth.

An Israeli energy company has announced a $15bn deal to export natural gas to Egypt, highlighting the deepening strategic ties between the two countries as well as Cairo’s ambitions to become a regional energy hub.

The European Investment Bank is expected to confirm EUR 69 million of new infrastructure and private sector investment in Rwanda this week . This will include announcement of the EIB’s first public sector investment in the country to support construction of the first public sewage system in Rwanda.

Google has launched an ad-blocker for its Chrome web browser that is designed to prevent "annoying" and "intrusive" ads being shown to users.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency has signed a loan agreement with the African Development Fund (ADF) designed to provide an Official Development Assistance loan to the tune US $700.9 million.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has charged Barclays Bank PLC with "unlawful financial assistance" related to billions of pounds raised from Qatar in 2008.