ADDIS ABABA – The joint technical committee of Ethiopia and Sudan Tuesday has approved an agreement to establish free trade zone between the two countries in a bid to strengthen economic ties. The approval is a follow-up to a previous joint technical committee meeting in Khartoum where the two neighbours reach an initial agreement to...
November 9, 2026
Category: Market Bazaar
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Is Africa getting a Dubai?
By Mar Pages An oasis of peace Bordered by Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Djibouti is an oasis of peace in a part of Africa marred by piracy and instability. It is this privileged position that has made the country into an exclusive military playground, home to Africa’s largest US army base and France’s biggest Foreign...
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Sub-Saharan Africa presents varied view of consumer confidence levels
By Nielsen The latest Nielsen Consumer Confidence Index (Q3) shows a varied view for sub-Saharan Africa as despite it having increased by five points in Ghana (99) in the third quarter, it decreased five points in Nigeria (127), the first decline since inception of the CCI in quarter 3 of 2014. Confidence also declined five...
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Where is the fastest growing city in the world?
By Helen Massy-Beresford Is the planet’s fastest growing metropolis in China, Indonesia or Niger? With many different methods of measurement, there’s no simple, single answer The fastest growing city in the world is Batam in Indonesia … or Niamey in Niger … or maybe Xiamen in China. It all depends on who you ask. Batam...
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Can Ethiopia’s railway bring peace to Somalia?
By Mary Harper Africa editor, BBC World Service News, Addis Ababa “We decided to open the railway early because of the drought, the worst in decades,” says Getachew Betru, chief executive of the Ethiopian Railways Corporation (ERC). It is a Saturday, but this thoughtful, intelligent man is busy working. Except for the guards at the...
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DJIBOUTI TO HOST A SUMMIT ON ISLAMIC BANKING
The Central Bank of Djibouti is leading the way in terms of driving the practical legal and regulatory framework and Djibouti’s strong commitment to Islamic finance is further cemented by its drive to connect with the broader world of Islamic finance through recent membership of important international industry organizations, the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB)...
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Standard Bank opens office in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a lucrative market with a population of about 90 million people and which Standard Bank – Africa’s largest by assets with a presence in 20 countries – said has averaged economic growth of more than 10 percent for the past five years. The bank launched its office in Africa’s second most populous nation...
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How India is challenging China’s dominance in Africa
By Preetam Kaushik When Mahatma Gandhi started his career at the age of 24 as a barrister for supporting Indian traders in Pretoria in South Africa in 1893-which was the launching pad for his transformation as a civil rights activists upholding the cause of Indians in South Africa and later as a political leader in...
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Kenya welcomes latest lifting of travel advice
The Kenya Tourism Board has welcomed a decision by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to remove the travel advisory for further areas of the Kenya coast, including Malindi, northeast of Mombasa. It means the area from Malindi to the Tanzanian border is now an advisory-free zone and visitors can now access the coast...
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Does foreign aid boost growth?
By Axel Drehe Rich countries gave more than $130 billion to official development assistance in 2014. Over the last five decades, western donors spent $4.14 trillion – the equivalent of more than seven times the 2014 GDP of Nigeria. These flows are topped up by support from non-governmental organisations and other private charities, and so-called...