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Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) Boosts Digital Skills in Côte d’Ivoire with the Launch of its National Digital Academy

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Smart Africa Digital Academy

Mr. Lacina Koné, the Director General and CEO of Smart Africa, commended the political will of governments across Africa to transform the digital landscape on the continent and emphasized Smart Africa’s support

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, September 16, 2022/APO Group/ — 

Smart Africa’s capacity building arm, the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) (https://SADA.atingi.org/) continues to expand its footprint in Africa, with Côte d’Ivoire being the latest country to benefit from the digital skills development initiative. Launched in partnership with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, the initiative will help nurture the country’s nascent digital sector through provision of digital skills.

Speaking of the launch, Mr. Lacina Koné, the Director General and CEO of Smart Africa, commended the political will of governments across Africa to transform the digital landscape on the continent and emphasized Smart Africa’s support.

“There’s increasing recognition, among nations, of the role of digital technologies in transforming the socio-economic situation and the determination to adopt them is palpable. Through initiatives like SADA, the Smart Africa Alliance is committed to supporting national efforts to close the digital skills gap. We are pleased to bring SADA to life in Côte d’Ivoire, an important country of the alliance.” he explained.

Representing the German government, a key donor of the SADA initiative, Mr. Marton Köver, Chargé d’Affaires of the German Embassy in Côte d’Ivoire, underlined that “a fair and equitable legal framework is key to ensuring that as many Africans as possible benefit from digital transformation” – a step Côte d’Ivoire has now taken with SADA.

In addition to SADA, the Agile Regulation for Digital Transformation Program (AReg4DT) was also launched in collaboration with the World Bank and GIZ. 

SADA aims to improve digital skills qualifications, employability, and meet the emerging talent needs of African citizens

The World Bank Country Director for Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Guinea, and Togo Mrs. Coralie Gevers also stated “capacity building and knowledge exchange among African countries is critical to support the implementation of the Africa Digital Transformation Strategy 2020-2030 and Côte d’Ivoire has an important role to play sharing knowledge among peers and showing the benefits of applying agile regulation principles for vibrant, inclusive, sustainable and safe digital markets as demonstrated by the recent adoption of its National Digital Development Strategy 2025.”

The launch of SADA in Côte d’Ivoire heralds implementation of various capacity building programs on Big Data & IoT, training of teachers, executive trainings, advanced ICT trainings, among other. Moreover, Côte d’Ivoire is set to host the first cybersecurity Innovation Centers for youth. Currently, Côte d’Ivoire leads Smart Africa’s cybersecurity flagship.

In this respect, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between between the Smart Africa Alliance and Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Communication, part of which is provision, by SADA, of specific capacity building interventions related to the country’s priorities in the ICT sector

Speaking on the launch of SADA, the Ivorian Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Mr. Amadou Coulibaly, emphasized that “SADA-Côte d’Ivoire will be one of the key vehicles for the operationalization of the “awareness and training” projects of the 4th pillar of the National Digital Strategy to 2025, which has the specific objective to develop and promote digital skills”.

As a pan-African dynamic learning ecosystem, SADA aims to improve digital skills qualifications, employability, and meet the emerging talent needs of African citizens. The national digital academy will support the uniquely identified digital skills priority needs at the national level. Furthermore, such national digital academies will soon be rolled out in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

SADA is also embarking on a program to provide digital skills for African youth and entrepreneurs for them to thrive in the global technology ecosystem. This will help increase the digital technology competence, reduce unemployment, and increase the digital entrepreneurship capabilities for youth in Africa. This program intends to impact 500 youth by the end of the year.

Since its start of operation in August 2020, focusing on the Capacity Building for Decision Makers (CBDM) module, SADA has trained over 2,000 policy and decision-makers across 26 countries in trending digital transformation topics including Artificial Intelligence Use Cases, 5G Connectivity, Data Protection & Privacy, Rural Broadband Policies, Security Technologies, Regulatory and Innovative Sandboxing Environments, Data Centers and Cloud, Digital Identity for Underserved, ePayment, etc. The objective is to reach over 22,000 trained beneficiaries by 2023, supported by the SADA In-country implementation wave.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Smart Africa Digital Academy.

Events

As global power structures shift, Invest Africa convenes The Africa Debate 2026 to redefine partnership in a changing world

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Debate

The Africa Debate 2026 will provide a platform for this essential, era-defining discussion, convening leaders to explore how Africa and its partners can build more balanced, resilient and sustainable models of cooperation

LONDON, United Kingdom, February 5, 2026/APO Group/ –As African economies assert greater agency in a rapidly evolving global order, Invest Africa (www.InvestAfrica.com) is delighted to announce The Africa Debate 2026, its flagship investment forum, taking place at the historic Guildhall in London on 3 June 2026.

Now in its 12th year, The Africa Debate has established itself as London’s premier platform for African investment dialogue since launching in 2014, convening over 800 global decision-makers annually to shape the future of trade, finance, investment, and development across the continent.

Under the theme “Redefining Partnership: Navigating a World in Transition”, this year’s forum will focus on Africa’s response to global economic realignment with greater agency, ambition and economic sovereignty.

The Africa Debate puts Africa’s priorities at the centre of the conversation, moving beyond traditional narratives to focus on ownership, resilience and long-term value creation.

“Volatility is not new to Africa. What is changing is the opportunity to respond with greater agency and ambition,” says Invest Africa CEO Chantelé Carrington.

“This year’s edition of The Africa Debate asks how we strengthen economic sovereignty — from access to capital and investment to financial and industrial policy — so African economies can take greater ownership of their growth. Success will be defined by how effectively we turn disruption into leverage and partnership into shared value.”

The Africa Debate 2026 will provide a platform for this essential, era-defining discussion, convening leaders to explore how Africa and its partners can build more balanced, resilient and sustainable models of cooperation.

Key challenges driving the debate

Core focus areas for this year’s edition of The Africa Debate include:

This year’s edition of The Africa Debate asks how we strengthen economic sovereignty — from access to capital and investment to financial and industrial policy

Global Realignment & New Partnerships

How shifting geopolitical and economic power structures are reshaping Africa’s global partnerships, trade dynamics and investment landscape.

Financing Africa’s Future

The growing need to reform the global financial architecture, new approaches to development finance, as well as the strengthening of market access and financial resilience of African economies in a changing global system.

Strategic Value Chains

Moving beyond primary exports to build local value chains in critical minerals for the green economy. Also addressing Africa’s energy access gap and mobilising investment in renewable and transitional energy systems.

Digital Transformation & Technology

Unlocking growth in fintech, AI and digital infrastructure to drive productivity, inclusion, and the next phase of Africa’s economic transformation.

The Africa Debate 2026 offers a unique platform for high-level dialogue, deal-making, and strategic engagement. Attendees will gain actionable insights from leading policymakers, investors and business leaders shaping Africa’s economic future, while building strategic partnerships that define the continent’s next growth phase.

Registration is now open (http://apo-opa.co/46b19gj).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Invest Africa.

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Business

Zion Adeoye terminated as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CLG due to serious personal and professional conduct violations

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CLG

After a thorough internal and external investigation, along with a disciplinary hearing chaired by Sbongiseni Dube, CLG (https://CLGglobal.com) has made the decision to terminate Zion Adeoye due to serious personal and professional conduct violations. This process adhered to the Code of Good Practice of the Labour Relations Act, ensuring fairness, transparency, and compliance with South African law.

Mr. Adeoye has been held accountable for several serious offenses, including:

  • Making malicious and defamatory statements against colleagues
  • Extortion
  • Intimidation
  • Fraud
  • Misuse of company funds
  • Theft and misappropriation of funds
  • Breach of fiduciary duty
  • Mismanagement

His actions are in direct contradiction to our firm’s core values. We do not approve of attorneys spending time in a Gentleman’s Club. CLG deeply regrets the impact this situation has had on our colleagues and continues to provide full support to those affected.

We want to express our gratitude to those who spoke up and to reassure everyone at the firm of our unwavering commitment to maintaining a respectful workplace. Misconduct of any kind is unacceptable and will be addressed decisively.

We recognize the seriousness of this matter and have referred it to the appropriate law enforcement, regulatory, and legal authorities in Nigeria, Mauritius, and South Africa. We kindly ask that the privacy of the third party involved be respected.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of CLG.

 

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The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) Strengthens Partnership with the Republic of Djibouti through US$35 Million Financing Facility

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ITFC

This facility forms part of the US$600 million, three-year Framework Agreement signed in May 2023 between ITFC and the Republic of Djibouti, reflecting the strong and growing partnership between both parties

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, February 5, 2026/APO Group/ –The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) (https://www.ITFC-IDB.org), a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, has signed a US$35 million sovereign financing facility with the Republic of Djibouti to support the development of the country’s bunkering services sector and strengthen its position as a strategic regional maritime and trade hub.

The facility was signed at the ITFC Headquarters in Jeddah by Eng. Adeeb Yousuf Al-Aama, Chief Executive Officer of ITFC, and H.E. Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of Industry of the Republic of Djibouti.

The financing facility is expected to contribute to Djibouti’s economic growth and revenue diversification by reinforcing the competitiveness and attractiveness of the Djibouti Port as a “one-stop port” offering comprehensive vessel-related services. With Red Sea Bunkering (RSB) as the Executing Agency, the facility will support the procurement of refined petroleum products, thus boosting RSB’s bunkering operations, enhancing revenue diversification, and consolidating Djibouti’s role as a key logistics and trading hub in the Horn of Africa and the wider region.

We look forward to deepening this partnership, creating new opportunities, and leveraging collaborative programs to advance key sectors and drive sustainable economic growth

Commenting on the signing, Eng. Adeeb Yousuf Al-Aama, CEO of ITFC, stated:

“This financing reflects ITFC’s continued commitment to supporting Djibouti’s strategic development priorities, particularly in strengthening energy security, port competitiveness, and trade facilitation. We are proud to deepen our partnership with the Republic of Djibouti and contribute to sustainable economic growth and regional integration.”

H.E. Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of Industry of the Republic of Djibouti, commented: “Today’s signing marks an important milestone in the development of Djibouti’s bunkering services and reflects our strong and valued partnership with ITFC, particularly in the oil and gas sector. This collaboration supports our ambition to position Djibouti as a regional hub for integrated maritime and logistics services. We look forward to deepening this partnership, creating new opportunities, and leveraging collaborative programs to advance key sectors and drive sustainable economic growth.”

This facility forms part of the US$600 million, three-year Framework Agreement signed in May 2023 between ITFC and the Republic of Djibouti, reflecting the strong and growing partnership between both parties.

Since its inception in 2008, ITFC and the Republic of Djibouti have maintained a strong partnership, with a total of US$1.8 billion approved primarily supporting the country’s energy sector and trade development objectives.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC).

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