Africa

malaria deaths.<\/p>\n<p>\"The vaccination will save lives. It will provide major relief to families and the country\u2019s health system,\" said Aurelia Nguyen, chief programme officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which is helping Cameroon secure the vaccines.<\/p>\n<p>The Central African country hopes to vaccinate roughly 250,000 children this year and next year.\u00a0In Africa, there are about 250 million cases of the parasitic disease each year, including 600,000 deaths, mostly in young children.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Gavi said it is working with 20 other African countries to help them get the vaccine and that those countries will hopefully immunise more than six million children through 2025.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7768248\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//health//2023//07//21//as-temperatures-rise-mosquitoes-are-also-on-the-move-scientists-worry-that-could-mean-more/">As temperatures rise, mosquitoes are also on the move. Scientists worry that could mean more malaria<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Cameroon will use the first of two recently approved malaria vaccines, known as Mosquirix. The World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed the vaccine two years ago, acknowledging that even though it is imperfect, its use would still dramatically reduce severe infections and hospitalisations.<\/p>\n<p>The GlaxoSmithKline(GSK)-produced shot is only about 30 per cent effective, requires four doses, and protection begins to fade after several months.\u00a0GSK has said it can only produce about 15 million doses of Mosquirix a year.<\/p>\n<p>Some experts believe a second malaria vaccine developed by Oxford University and approved by the WHO in October might be a <strong><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//next//2023//10//02//second-malaria-vaccine-gets-who-green-light-paving-the-way-for-global-roll-out/">more practical solution<\/a><\/strong>. That vaccine is cheaper, requires three doses and India&#039;s Serum Institute said they could make up to 200 million doses a year.<\/p>\n<p>Gavi&#039;s Nguyen said they hoped there might be enough of the Oxford vaccines available to begin immunising people later this year.<\/p>\n<p>Neither of the malaria vaccines stop transmission, so other tools like bed nets and insecticidal spraying will still be critical.\u00a0The malaria parasite mostly spreads to people via infected mosquitoes and can cause symptoms including fever, headaches and chills.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1705917365,"updatedAt":1705920279,"publishedAt":1705920276,"firstPublishedAt":1705920279,"lastPublishedAt":1705920279,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Jerome Delay\/Copyright 2020 The AP. All rights reserved.","altText":"A baby from the Malawi village of Tomali is injected with the world's first vaccine against malaria in a pilot programme, in December 2019.","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"A baby from the Malawi village of Tomali is injected with the world's first vaccine against malaria in a pilot programme, in December 2019.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/75\/24\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_3ea9eea3-86f2-5aeb-a5d4-8e2c0ff56617-8187524.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1033},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Jerome Delay\/Copyright 2020 The AP. All rights reserved.","altText":"A baby from the Malawi village of Tomali is injected with the world's first vaccine against malaria in a pilot programme, in December 2019.","callToActionText":null,"width":5168,"caption":"A baby from the Malawi village of Tomali is injected with the world's first vaccine against malaria in a pilot programme, in December 2019.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/75\/24\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_e2a36c89-6418-5a29-aef7-56cd7618baf9-8187524.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":3448}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"malaria","titleRaw":"Malaria","id":6814,"title":"Malaria","slug":"malaria"},{"urlSafeValue":"vaccine-campaign","titleRaw":"vaccine campaign","id":26246,"title":"vaccine campaign","slug":"vaccine-campaign"},{"urlSafeValue":"vaccine","titleRaw":"Vaccine","id":12030,"title":"Vaccine","slug":"vaccine"},{"urlSafeValue":"africa","titleRaw":"Africa","id":3,"title":"Africa","slug":"africa"},{"urlSafeValue":"cameroon","titleRaw":"Cameroon","id":43,"title":"Cameroon","slug":"cameroon"},{"urlSafeValue":"children","titleRaw":"Children","id":12073,"title":"Children","slug":"children"}],"widgets":[{"count":1,"slug":"related"}],"related":[{"id":2348974},{"id":2077072}],"technicalTags":[{"path":"next"}],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Associated Press","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"health-news","urlSafeValue":"health-news","title":"Health news","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/health\/health-news\/health-news"},"vertical":"health","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"health","id":12,"title":"Health","slug":"health"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":12,"slug":"health","urlSafeValue":"health","title":"Health"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"health-news","id":"health-news","title":"Health news","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/health\/health-news"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":43,"urlSafeValue":"health-news","title":"Health news"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":43,"urlSafeValue":"cameroon","title":"Cameroon","url":"\/news\/africa\/cameroon"},"town":[],"grapeshot":null,"versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"NEXT_World's-first-malaria-vaccination-children","path":"\/health\/2024\/01\/22\/worlds-first-malaria-vaccination-programme-for-children-launched-in-cameroon","lastModified":1705920279},{"id":2458582,"cid":8180056,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240118_NWWB_54555067","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Rising Somalia-Ethiopia tensions could plunge the Horn of Africa into chaos","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Somalia-Ethiopia jitters could plunge the Horn of Africa into chaos","titleListing2":"VIEW | A breakout of a war between Ethiopia and Somalia would carry catastrophic consequences not just for the region, but for Africa as a whole, Mohamed El-Bendary writes.","leadin":"A breakout of a war between Ethiopia and Somalia would carry catastrophic consequences not just for the region, but for Africa as a whole, Mohamed El-Bendary writes.","summary":"A breakout of a war between Ethiopia and Somalia would carry catastrophic consequences not just for the region, but for Africa as a whole, Mohamed El-Bendary writes.","keySentence":"","url":"rising-somalia-ethiopia-tensions-could-plunge-the-horn-of-africa-into-chaos","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2024\/01\/18\/rising-somalia-ethiopia-tensions-could-plunge-the-horn-of-africa-into-chaos","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"As the world welcomes the arrival of a new year and eyes are focused on the war in Gaza, tension continues to escalate in the Horn of Africa\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a region of immense political instability.\u00a0 \n\nThis comes following Somalia\u2019s cancellation on 6 January of a pact which Ethiopia signed five days earlier with Somalia\u2019s breakaway territory of Somaliland.\u00a0 \n\nThe agreement would grant landlocked Ethiopia access to the Somaliland port in the Gulf of Aden to establish a marine force base that aims at strengthening political, economic and security ties between them.\u00a0 \n\nSomaliland, which seceded from Somalia in 1991, borders the Red Sea\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a security hotspot and a strategic maritime corridor not just for African and Arab Gulf states, but also for world powers such as the United States, China, and Russia.\u00a0 \n\nThe port agreement will grant Addis Ababa access to Red Sea shipping lanes through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait between Djibouti (in the Horn of Africa) and Yemen (in the Middle East), and which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. \n\nThe controversial deal has received condemnation from other Red Sea neighbours, including Egypt and Eritrea, which fear a possible naval access to the Red Sea which Ethiopia lost the right to use following Eritrea\u2019s secession in 1993.\u00a0 \n\nLittle attention paid to one of the world's most volatile regions \n\nEthiopia has instead been utilising the port in neighbouring Djibouti for channelling the vast majority of its imports and exports in return for generous financial returns.\u00a0 \n\nThere is also fear that the agreement could mount tension among Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile. \n\nRegrettably, the West\u2019s perception of Horn of Africa countries is weak with little attention currently paid to the rising concern among Africans that the port agreement could enflame conflict in one of the world\u2019s most volatile regions.\u00a0 \n\nWith a population of close to 120 million, Ethiopia is the biggest landlocked country globally and is viewed as an African giant after Nigeria.\u00a0 \n\nSomaliland, on the other hand, is far smaller in population and size and, hence, it can\u2019t counter the giant next door which has been indulged in acts of retaliations and retributions. \n\nSomaliland is not recognised by the United Nations or the African Union as an independent state, and this has hindered its economic and political development.\u00a0 \n\nYet, one must admit that the de facto independent Republic of Somaliland has achieved some progress in those areas than several recognised states in west and central Africa.\u00a0 \n\nIt is viewed today as one of the continent\u2019s most democratic countries, with Kenya, Denmark, the UK, and the EU having offices or some form of presence in its capital Hargeisa. \n\nColonialism and autocracy at the root of conflict \n\nAccess to the Red Sea is viewed as an existential issue by many Ethiopians, with Addis Ababa promising to recognise Somaliland as an independent country in the near future.\u00a0 \n\nMost Somalis still, however, consider Somaliland as part of their territory, and hence tension is likely to increase.\u00a0 \n\nAnd with the African Union planning to withdraw its peacekeeping force from a politically bankrupt Somalia by the end of 2024, we are likely to witness an increase in attacks by al-Shabaab\u00a0\u2014 a non-state militant group which controls half of Somalia\u2019s territory\u00a0\u2014 against Ethiopia. \n\nYet, the Somaliland-Ethiopian port agreement can also be viewed as an endeavour by the Ethiopian government to divert the world focus from its economic difficulties and internal conflicts, particularly in the aftermath of the 2020-2022 Tigray War \u2014 which has left hundreds of thousands of people killed and displaced\u00a0\u2014 and the eruption of a new war with the Amhara and Oromia militias.\u00a0 \n\nThe Tigray War has left Ethiopia on the brink of a humanitarian disaster and further underlined its need for a port. \n\nThe port agreement has indeed uncovered the labyrinth of interests and political realities across the beleaguered Horn of Africa\u00a0\u2014 in a region in which decades of colonialism, along with the autocratic rule implemented thereafter, have deeply planted schisms, rivalries and territorial disputes.\u00a0 \n\nRising fear of conflict to engulf the entire continent \n\nThe rupture in Ethiopian-Somali ties could have grave consequences for the region and the Red Sea countries as a whole.\u00a0 \n\nThe ongoing US-British attacks on the Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen \u2014 which is located along the Gulf of Aden at the intersection of the Red Sea and Arabian Sea\u00a0\u2014 could also threaten shipping operations through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. \n\nGuarding the strategic strait poses a major challenge to today\u2019s Arab Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia and Emirates fearing attacks on shipping lanes in it and the Red Sea.\u00a0 \n\nThe Gulf states have always viewed the Horn of Africa region as a strategic borderline, with claims made that the United Arab Emirates\u00a0\u2014 which has diligently been increasing its economic clout in the region\u00a0\u2014 played a role in striking the port agreement.\u00a0 \n\nThere is also rising fear of conflict extending to endanger ships passing from Egypt\u2019s Suez Canal which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea. \n\nThe political and economic grievances of the Horn of Africa region are so great that they can\u2019t solve them alone.\u00a0 \n\nA breakout of a war between Ethiopia and Somalia would carry catastrophic consequences not just for the region, but for Africa as a whole.\u00a0 \n\nIt is incumbent upon the UN and the African Union to push for calm and play a more active role in settling the dispute. \n\nMohamed El-Bendary is an independent researcher based in Egypt and a former journalism lecturer in the US and New Zealand. He is the author of \"The 'Ugly American' in the Arab Mind: Why Do Arabs Resent America?\". \n\nAt Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>As the world welcomes the arrival of a new year and eyes are focused on the war in Gaza, tension continues to escalate in the Horn of Africa\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a region of immense political instability.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This comes following Somalia\u2019s cancellation on 6 January of a pact which Ethiopia signed five days earlier with Somalia\u2019s breakaway territory of Somaliland.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The agreement would grant landlocked Ethiopia access to the Somaliland port in the Gulf of Aden to establish a marine force base that aims at strengthening political, economic and security ties between them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Somaliland, which seceded from Somalia in 1991, borders the Red Sea\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a security hotspot and a strategic maritime corridor not just for African and Arab Gulf states, but also for world powers such as the United States, China, and Russia.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The port agreement will grant Addis Ababa access to Red Sea shipping lanes through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait between Djibouti (in the Horn of Africa) and Yemen (in the Middle East), and which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.<\/p>\n<p>The controversial deal has received condemnation from other Red Sea neighbours, including Egypt and Eritrea, which fear a possible naval access to the Red Sea which Ethiopia lost the right to use following Eritrea\u2019s secession in 1993.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Little attention paid to one of the world's most volatile regions<\/h2><p>Ethiopia has instead been utilising the port in neighbouring Djibouti for channelling the vast majority of its imports and exports in return for generous financial returns.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There is also fear that the agreement could mount tension among Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile.<\/p>\n<p>Regrettably, the West\u2019s perception of Horn of Africa countries is weak with little attention currently paid to the rising concern among Africans that the port agreement could enflame conflict in one of the world\u2019s most volatile regions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5849609375\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//18//00//56//808x473_cmsv2_03a7f978-b7ad-5c0f-bafd-595e0e43d576-8180056.jpg/" alt=\"A Somali soldier controls the crowd as thousands of people attend a protest rally in Mogadishu, January 2024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/384x225_cmsv2_03a7f978-b7ad-5c0f-bafd-595e0e43d576-8180056.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/640x374_cmsv2_03a7f978-b7ad-5c0f-bafd-595e0e43d576-8180056.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/750x439_cmsv2_03a7f978-b7ad-5c0f-bafd-595e0e43d576-8180056.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/828x484_cmsv2_03a7f978-b7ad-5c0f-bafd-595e0e43d576-8180056.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/1080x632_cmsv2_03a7f978-b7ad-5c0f-bafd-595e0e43d576-8180056.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/1200x702_cmsv2_03a7f978-b7ad-5c0f-bafd-595e0e43d576-8180056.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/1920x1123_cmsv2_03a7f978-b7ad-5c0f-bafd-595e0e43d576-8180056.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">A Somali soldier controls the crowd as thousands of people attend a protest rally in Mogadishu, January 2024<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Farah Abdi Warsameh<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>With a population of close to 120 million, Ethiopia is the biggest landlocked country globally and is viewed as an African giant after Nigeria.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Somaliland, on the other hand, is far smaller in population and size and, hence, it can\u2019t counter the giant next door which has been indulged in acts of retaliations and retributions.<\/p>\n<p>Somaliland is not recognised by the United Nations or the African Union as an independent state, and this has hindered its economic and political development.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"4155748,6797372\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2022//06//24//blinkered-by-the-war-in-ukraine-the-world-waits-for-african-children-to-die-before-acting-/">Blinkered by the war in Ukraine, the world waits for African children to die before acting | View<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//09//19//global-gateway-somaliland-upgrades-its-window-to-the-world/">Global gateway: Somaliland upgrades its window to the world<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Yet, one must admit that the de facto independent Republic of Somaliland has achieved some progress in those areas than several recognised states in west and central Africa.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It is viewed today as one of the continent\u2019s most democratic countries, with Kenya, Denmark, the UK, and the EU having offices or some form of presence in its capital Hargeisa.<\/p>\n<h2>Colonialism and autocracy at the root of conflict<\/h2><p>Access to the Red Sea is viewed as an existential issue by many Ethiopians, with Addis Ababa promising to recognise Somaliland as an independent country in the near future.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Most Somalis still, however, consider Somaliland as part of their territory, and hence tension is likely to increase.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And with the African Union planning to withdraw its peacekeeping force from a politically bankrupt Somalia by the end of 2024, we are likely to witness an increase in attacks by al-Shabaab\u00a0\u2014 a non-state militant group which controls half of Somalia\u2019s territory\u00a0\u2014 against Ethiopia.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//18//00//56//808x539_cmsv2_8f99963a-4cda-5c00-80b3-7e705bdf71a2-8180056.jpg/" alt=\"Fighters loyal to the Tigray People&apos;s Liberation Front (TPLF) walk along a street in the town of Hawzen in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, May 2021\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/384x256_cmsv2_8f99963a-4cda-5c00-80b3-7e705bdf71a2-8180056.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/640x427_cmsv2_8f99963a-4cda-5c00-80b3-7e705bdf71a2-8180056.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/750x500_cmsv2_8f99963a-4cda-5c00-80b3-7e705bdf71a2-8180056.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/828x552_cmsv2_8f99963a-4cda-5c00-80b3-7e705bdf71a2-8180056.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/1080x720_cmsv2_8f99963a-4cda-5c00-80b3-7e705bdf71a2-8180056.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/1200x800_cmsv2_8f99963a-4cda-5c00-80b3-7e705bdf71a2-8180056.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/1920x1281_cmsv2_8f99963a-4cda-5c00-80b3-7e705bdf71a2-8180056.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Fighters loyal to the Tigray People&apos;s Liberation Front (TPLF) walk along a street in the town of Hawzen in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, May 2021<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Ben Curtis<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Yet, the Somaliland-Ethiopian port agreement can also be viewed as an endeavour by the Ethiopian government to divert the world focus from its economic difficulties and internal conflicts, particularly in the aftermath of the 2020-2022 Tigray War \u2014 which has left hundreds of thousands of people killed and displaced\u00a0\u2014 and the eruption of a new war with the Amhara and Oromia militias.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Tigray War has left Ethiopia on the brink of a humanitarian disaster and further underlined its need for a port.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7170580,7020784\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2022//09//16//repeated-examples-of-human-rights-abuse-in-tigray-region-says-expert/">Repeated examples of human rights abuse in Tigray region, says expert<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2022//11//02//ethiopia-peace-deal-signed-to-end-conflict-in-tigray-region/">Ethiopia: Peace deal signed to end conflict in Tigray region<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The port agreement has indeed uncovered the labyrinth of interests and political realities across the beleaguered Horn of Africa\u00a0\u2014 in a region in which decades of colonialism, along with the autocratic rule implemented thereafter, have deeply planted schisms, rivalries and territorial disputes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Rising fear of conflict to engulf the entire continent<\/h2><p>The rupture in Ethiopian-Somali ties could have grave consequences for the region and the Red Sea countries as a whole.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The ongoing US-British attacks on the Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen \u2014 which is located along the Gulf of Aden at the intersection of the Red Sea and Arabian Sea\u00a0\u2014 could also threaten shipping operations through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.<\/p>\n<p>Guarding the strategic strait poses a major challenge to today\u2019s Arab Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia and Emirates fearing attacks on shipping lanes in it and the Red Sea.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">A breakout of a war between Ethiopia and Somalia would carry catastrophic consequences not just for the region, but for Africa as a whole.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//18//00//56//808x539_cmsv2_89a41e19-f203-52e1-9a1c-64b702a86916-8180056.jpg/" alt=\"Security forces patrol the scene after gunmen stormed the Hayat Hotel in the capital Mogadishu, August 2022\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/384x256_cmsv2_89a41e19-f203-52e1-9a1c-64b702a86916-8180056.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/640x427_cmsv2_89a41e19-f203-52e1-9a1c-64b702a86916-8180056.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/750x500_cmsv2_89a41e19-f203-52e1-9a1c-64b702a86916-8180056.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/828x552_cmsv2_89a41e19-f203-52e1-9a1c-64b702a86916-8180056.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/1080x720_cmsv2_89a41e19-f203-52e1-9a1c-64b702a86916-8180056.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/1200x800_cmsv2_89a41e19-f203-52e1-9a1c-64b702a86916-8180056.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/1920x1281_cmsv2_89a41e19-f203-52e1-9a1c-64b702a86916-8180056.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Security forces patrol the scene after gunmen stormed the Hayat Hotel in the capital Mogadishu, August 2022<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Farah Abdi Warsameh<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Gulf states have always viewed the Horn of Africa region as a strategic borderline, with claims made that the United Arab Emirates\u00a0\u2014 which has diligently been increasing its economic clout in the region\u00a0\u2014 played a role in striking the port agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There is also rising fear of conflict extending to endanger ships passing from Egypt\u2019s Suez Canal which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8163890,8167472\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//my-europe//2024//01//12//eu-mulls-sending-warships-to-protect-red-sea-vessels-from-houthi-attacks/">EU mulls sending warships to protect Red Sea vessels from Houthi attacks<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2024//01//11//un-security-council-adopts-maritime-resolution-condemning-houthi-attacks-in-red-sea/">UN Security Council adopts maritime resolution condemning Houthi attacks in Red Sea<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The political and economic grievances of the Horn of Africa region are so great that they can\u2019t solve them alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A breakout of a war between Ethiopia and Somalia would carry catastrophic consequences not just for the region, but for Africa as a whole.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It is incumbent upon the UN and the African Union to push for calm and play a more active role in settling the dispute.<\/p>\n<p><em>Mohamed El-Bendary is an independent researcher based in Egypt and a former journalism lecturer in the US and New Zealand. He is the author of \"The &#039;Ugly American&#039; in the Arab Mind: Why Do Arabs Resent America?\".<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at <a href=https://www.euronews.com/news/\"mailto:view@euronews.com\">view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.<\/em><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1705573937,"updatedAt":1705576083,"publishedAt":1705576079,"firstPublishedAt":1705576083,"lastPublishedAt":1705576083,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Euronews","altText":"Al-Shabaab fighters display weapons as they conduct military exercises in northern Mogadishu, Somalia, October 2010","callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"caption":"Al-Shabaab fighters display weapons as they conduct military exercises in northern Mogadishu, Somalia, October 2010","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_3c78ec94-2165-55a9-aa94-4f4695a8e66e-8180056.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":900},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Ben Curtis","altText":"Fighters loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) walk along a street in the town of Hawzen in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, May 2021","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Fighters loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) walk along a street in the town of Hawzen in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, May 2021","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_8f99963a-4cda-5c00-80b3-7e705bdf71a2-8180056.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Farah Abdi Warsameh","altText":"Security forces patrol the scene after gunmen stormed the Hayat Hotel in the capital Mogadishu, August 2022","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Security forces patrol the scene after gunmen stormed the Hayat Hotel in the capital Mogadishu, August 2022","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_89a41e19-f203-52e1-9a1c-64b702a86916-8180056.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Farah Abdi Warsameh","altText":"A Somali soldier controls the crowd as thousands of people attend a protest rally in Mogadishu, January 2024","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"A Somali soldier controls the crowd as thousands of people attend a protest rally in Mogadishu, January 2024","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_03a7f978-b7ad-5c0f-bafd-595e0e43d576-8180056.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":599},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Euronews","altText":"Al-Shabaab fighters display weapons as they conduct military exercises in northern Mogadishu, Somalia, October 2010","callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"caption":"Al-Shabaab fighters display weapons as they conduct military exercises in northern Mogadishu, Somalia, October 2010","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/18\/00\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_dd282588-2cd8-5212-9133-682a2cd64a94-8180056.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"ethiopia","titleRaw":"Ethiopia","id":88,"title":"Ethiopia","slug":"ethiopia"},{"urlSafeValue":"somalia","titleRaw":"Somalia","id":256,"title":"Somalia","slug":"somalia"},{"urlSafeValue":"somaliland","titleRaw":"Somaliland","id":11824,"title":"Somaliland","slug":"somaliland"},{"urlSafeValue":"houthis","titleRaw":"Houthis","id":12572,"title":"Houthis","slug":"houthis"},{"urlSafeValue":"horn-of-africa","titleRaw":"Horn of Africa","id":10817,"title":"Horn of Africa","slug":"horn-of-africa"},{"urlSafeValue":"euroviews","titleRaw":"Euroviews","id":22480,"title":"Euroviews","slug":"euroviews"}],"widgets":[{"count":3,"slug":"image"},{"count":1,"slug":"quotation"},{"count":3,"slug":"related"}],"related":[{"id":2464622},{"id":2502870}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Mohamed El-Bendary","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world 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SOMALIA ETHIOPIA CONFLICT","path":"\/2024\/01\/18\/rising-somalia-ethiopia-tensions-could-plunge-the-horn-of-africa-into-chaos","lastModified":1705576083},{"id":2457550,"cid":8176648,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240117_BUSU_54541638","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Shell to sell big piece of Nigeria oil business, but activists want pollution cleaned up","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Shell to sell huge part of Nigeria oil business in $2.4 billion deal","titleListing2":"Shell to sell big piece of Nigeria oil business, but activists want pollution cleaned up","leadin":"The London-based energy giant has faced decades-long local criticism for the environmental impact of its oil exploration in Nigeria.","summary":"The London-based energy giant has faced decades-long local criticism for the environmental impact of its oil exploration in Nigeria.","keySentence":"","url":"shell-to-sell-big-piece-of-nigeria-oil-business-but-activists-want-pollution-cleaned-up","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/2024\/01\/17\/shell-to-sell-big-piece-of-nigeria-oil-business-but-activists-want-pollution-cleaned-up","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Shell has agreed to sell its onshore business in Nigeria\u2019s Niger Delta to a consortium of companies in a deal worth $2.4 billion (\u20ac2.2 billion), the latest move by the energy company to limit its exposure in the West African nation amid long-running complaints of environmental pollution caused by the oil industry. \n\nShell called it a way to streamline its business in a country it has operated in for decades, facing pushback about oil spills that have fouled rivers and farms and exacerbated tensions in a region that has faced years of militant violence. \n\n\"This agreement marks an important milestone for Shell in Nigeria, aligning with our previously announced intent to exit onshore oil production in the Niger Delta,\" Zo\u00eb Yujnovich, Shell's integrated gas and upstream director, said in a statement. This will help in \"simplifying our portfolio and focusing future disciplined investment in Nigeria on our deepwater and integrated gas position.\" \n\nThe buying consortium is Renaissance, which consists of ND Western, Aradel Energy, First E&P, Waltersmith and Petrolin, Shell said. After an initial payment of $1.3 billion, the London-based energy giant said it would receive an additional $1.1 billion. \n\nThe assets that Shell is selling are largely owned by the Nigerian government\u2019s national oil company NNPC, which holds a 55% stake. To finalise the agreement, the government must give its approval. Shell operates the assets and owns a 30% stake, with the remaining share held by France's TotalEnergies at 10% and Italy's Eni at 5%. \n\nThe assets include 15 onshore mining leases and three shallow-water operations, the company said. \n\nActivists in the Niger Delta, where Shell has faced decades-long local criticism of its oil exploration, plan to ask the government to withhold its approval if the company does not address its environmental damage. \n\n\"It would be a matter of very grave concern if the obvious legacy issues, especially the environmental and decommissioning issues, are not adequately and transparently addressed before and by any eventual divestment,\" said Ledum Mitee, a veteran environmental activist and former president of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People. \n\nNigeria heavily depends on the Niger Delta's petroleum resources for its earnings. However, pollution from oil and natural gas production has prevented residents from accessing clean water, hurt farming and fishing, and heightened tensions. \n\nMilitants have exploited the situation, and at one time almost halted the oil industry with attacks on facilities and kidnappings of foreign citizens for ransom before a government amnesty package. \n\nDespite joint military operations and a government benefits program for former militants that accompanied the amnesty deal, the Niger Delta remains volatile. The oil industry faces risks of violence, including pipeline vandalism by oil thieves, whom companies often blame for oil spills. \n\nFyneface Dumnamene, director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, urged the Nigerian government to require Shell and the new buyers to provide a plan for addressing environmental damage and compensating communities before granting approvals. \n\nShell told AP in a statement that the sale has been designed to preserve the company's role to \"conduct any remediation as operator of the joint venture where spills may have occurred in the past from the joint venture\u2019s operations.\" \n\nIf the transaction is approved, Shell will still have at least three subsidiary operations in Nigeria, namely, its Gulf of Guinea deep-water operations, an industrial gas business and solar power for industrial activities. \n\nAll are separately incorporated subsidiaries and outside the scope of the transaction with Renaissance, Shell said. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Shell has agreed to sell its onshore business in Nigeria\u2019s Niger Delta to a consortium of companies in a deal worth $2.4 billion (\u20ac2.2 billion), the latest move by the energy company to limit its exposure in the West African nation amid long-running complaints of environmental pollution caused by the oil industry.<\/p>\n<p>Shell called it a way to streamline its business in a country it has operated in for decades, facing pushback about oil spills that have fouled rivers and farms and exacerbated tensions in a region that has faced years of militant violence.<\/p>\n<p>\"This agreement marks an important milestone for Shell in Nigeria, aligning with our previously announced intent to exit onshore oil production in the Niger Delta,\" Zo\u00eb Yujnovich, Shell&#039;s integrated gas and upstream director, said in a statement. This will help in \"simplifying our portfolio and focusing future disciplined investment in Nigeria on our deepwater and integrated gas position.\"<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8174920,8026050\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//11//09//shell-is-suing-greenpeace-for-2-million-after-activists-boarded-oil-vessel-near-canary-isl/">Shell is suing Greenpeace for \u20ac2 million after activists boarded oil vessel near Canary Islands<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2024//01//16//shell-shareholders-back-call-for-fossil-fuel-firm-to-align-emissions-targets-with-paris-ag/">Shell shareholders back call for fossil fuel firm to align emissions targets with Paris Agreement<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The buying consortium is Renaissance, which consists of ND Western, Aradel Energy, First E&amp;P, Waltersmith and Petrolin, Shell said. After an initial payment of $1.3 billion, the London-based energy giant said it would receive an additional $1.1 billion.<\/p>\n<p>The assets that Shell is selling are largely owned by the Nigerian government\u2019s national oil company NNPC, which holds a 55% stake. To finalise the agreement, the government must give its approval. Shell operates the assets and owns a 30% stake, with the remaining share held by France&#039;s TotalEnergies at 10% and Italy&#039;s Eni at 5%.<\/p>\n<p>The assets include 15 onshore mining leases and three shallow-water operations, the company said.<\/p>\n<p>Activists in the Niger Delta, where Shell has faced decades-long local criticism of its oil exploration, plan to ask the government to withhold its approval if the company does not address its environmental damage.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1747184578396041384\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\"It would be a matter of very grave concern if the obvious legacy issues, especially the environmental and decommissioning issues, are not adequately and transparently addressed before and by any eventual divestment,\" said Ledum Mitee, a veteran environmental activist and former president of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria heavily depends on the Niger Delta&#039;s petroleum resources for its earnings. However, pollution from oil and natural gas production has prevented residents from accessing clean water, hurt farming and fishing, and heightened tensions.<\/p>\n<p>Militants have exploited the situation, and at one time almost halted the oil industry with attacks on facilities and kidnappings of foreign citizens for ransom before a government amnesty package.<\/p>\n<p>Despite joint military operations and a government benefits program for former militants that accompanied the amnesty deal, the Niger Delta remains volatile. The oil industry faces risks of violence, including pipeline vandalism by oil thieves, whom companies often blame for oil spills.<\/p>\n<p>Fyneface Dumnamene, director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, urged the Nigerian government to require Shell and the new buyers to provide a plan for addressing environmental damage and compensating communities before granting approvals.<\/p>\n<p>Shell told AP in a statement that the sale has been designed to preserve the company&#039;s role to \"conduct any remediation as operator of the joint venture where spills may have occurred in the past from the joint venture\u2019s operations.\"<\/p>\n<p>If the transaction is approved, Shell will still have at least three subsidiary operations in Nigeria, namely, its Gulf of Guinea deep-water operations, an industrial gas business and solar power for industrial activities.<\/p>\n<p>All are separately incorporated subsidiaries and outside the scope of the transaction with Renaissance, Shell said.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1705476631,"updatedAt":1705477357,"publishedAt":1705477355,"firstPublishedAt":1705477357,"lastPublishedAt":1705477357,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Sunday Alamba\/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.","altText":"A member of Shell staff on the Bonga offshore oil Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel off the coast of the Niger Delta in Nigeria, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011.","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"A member of Shell staff on the Bonga offshore oil Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel off the coast of the Niger Delta in Nigeria, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/17\/66\/48\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_9e1519d5-7f4d-585f-b610-429a9f0abdca-8176648.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"shell","titleRaw":"Shell","id":11187,"title":"Shell","slug":"shell"},{"urlSafeValue":"environment","titleRaw":"Environment ","id":14398,"title":"Environment ","slug":"environment"},{"urlSafeValue":"big-oil","titleRaw":"Big Oil","id":28998,"title":"Big Oil","slug":"big-oil"},{"urlSafeValue":"oil","titleRaw":"Oil","id":13222,"title":"Oil","slug":"oil"},{"urlSafeValue":"business","titleRaw":"Business","id":4595,"title":"Business","slug":"business"}],"widgets":[{"count":1,"slug":"twitter"},{"count":1,"slug":"related"}],"related":[{"id":2457640}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"AP","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"business","urlSafeValue":"business","title":"Business","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/business\/business"},"vertical":"business","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"business","id":11,"title":"Business","slug":"business"},{"urlSafeValue":"green","id":8,"title":"Green","slug":"green"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":11,"slug":"business","urlSafeValue":"business","title":"Business"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"business","id":"business","title":"Business","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/business"},{"urlSafeValue":"green-news","id":"green-news","title":"Green News","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":7,"urlSafeValue":"business","title":"Business"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":214,"urlSafeValue":"nigeria","title":"Nigeria","url":"\/news\/africa\/nigeria"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_science','gs_busfin','gs_science_geography','neg_mobkoi_castrol','gs_busfin_business','neg_saudiaramco','neg_audi_list1','neg_facebook_q4','gt_negative','gs_science_environ','gs_science_environment','gs_business','gv_crime','custom_investment','gt_negative_anger','gs_busfin_business_green'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"BUSINESS SHELL SELLING NIGERIA OIL BIZ","path":"\/business\/2024\/01\/17\/shell-to-sell-big-piece-of-nigeria-oil-business-but-activists-want-pollution-cleaned-up","lastModified":1705477357},{"id":2456266,"cid":8172642,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240115_CMSU_54525322","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Tropical Cyclone Belal: Human-caused climate change is increasing storm intensity in Indian Ocean","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Tropical Cyclone Belal causes heavy flooding and 1 death in Mauritius","titleListing2":"Tropical Cyclone Belal: Human-caused climate change is increasing storm intensity in Indian Ocean","leadin":"Scientists say human-caused climate change has intensified extreme weather in the region.","summary":"Scientists say human-caused climate change has intensified extreme weather in the region.","keySentence":"","url":"tropical-cyclone-belal-human-caused-climate-change-is-increasing-storm-intensity-in-indian","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/2024\/01\/16\/tropical-cyclone-belal-human-caused-climate-change-is-increasing-storm-intensity-in-indian","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"A tropical cyclone caused heavy flooding and at least one death in Mauritius on Monday as cars were washed away by surges of water in the Indian Ocean island's capital city and elsewhere. A motorcyclist died in an accident caused by the flooding, the government said and imposed a curfew. \n\nThe government issued an order that everyone except emergency and health workers, members of the security services and those requiring medical treatment must return home and remain there. \n\nSome people were also being evacuated as the floodwaters caused by Tropical Cyclone Belal threatened houses and other buildings. Schools were closed and hospitals were told to only keep their emergency departments open. \n\nThe main airport was closed and flights into and out of the island nation of 1.2 million people were canceled until further notice, the government said. \n\nCurfew imposed as tropical cyclone hits Mauritius \n\nThe Mauritius newspaper L'Express published videos of cars floating down streets that looked more like raging rivers in the capital, Port Louis, and other parts of the island . Some people climbed onto the roof of their car and clung on, according to the images published by L'Express. Motorists who had escaped from cars were seen being pulled from the floodwaters and to safety by others. \n\nVehicles were left piled up, some of them overturned, after some of the floodwaters receded. \n\nThe water also entered buildings and flooded homes and the lobbies of offices. The Central Bank of Mauritius building was reportedly flooded. \n\nEvacuations were being carried out, the government said in a statement. \n\nMauritius' National Crisis Committee ordered everyone to return home at 8 pm local time. The curfew would remain in effect until noon on Tuesday, it said. \n\nMauritius' national meteorological department said the eye of the storm was still expected to come closer to Mauritius and pass about 90 kilometres south of the island at its closest point early on Tuesday morning, warning that the worst might still be ahead. \n\nThe island would feel the effects of the cyclone \u201cfor hours\u201d, the Mauritius Meteorological Services said. \n\nCyclone Belal first battered French island of Reunion \n\nBelal had earlier also battered the nearby French island of Reunion , where the intense rains and powerful winds left about a quarter of households without electricity after hitting on Monday morning, according to the prefecture of Reunion. \n\nMany people in Reunion had also lost internet and phone services, and water connections to tens of thousands of homes were cut. Authorities in the French outpost said a homeless person was found dead in Saint-Gilles on the island\u2019s west coast. The circumstances of that death were unclear. \n\nReunion had declared the highest storm alert level on Sunday as Belal approached. Under the purple alert, people were told to stay at home and even emergency services were under lockdown. French weather forecaster Meteo France said Belal reached Reunion on Monday morning local time, bringing \u201cheavy rains, sometimes stormy, very violent winds and powerful and raging seas.\u201d\u00a0Some eight-metre high waves were recorded. \n\nBut the alert was lifted after the worst of the storm passed Reunion on Monday afternoon and charged toward Mauritius, around 220 kilometres to the northeast. \n\nHuman-caused climate change is increasing cyclone intensity \n\nCyclones are common between January and March in southern Africa as oceans in the southern hemisphere reach their warmest temperatures. The hotter water is fuel for cyclones. \n\nBut scientists say human-caused climate change has intensified extreme weather , making cyclones more frequent and rainier when they hit.\u00a0 \n\nSome climate scientists have identified a direct link between global warming and the intensity of some cyclones in the region. In a 2022 study,\u00a0the World Weather Attribution group used\u00a0weather observations and computer simulations to model scenarios under different levels of temperature rise. \n\nIt concluded that climate change increased the likelihood and intensity of the rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Ana and Tropical Cyclone Batsirai - two extreme weather events that took place that year. \n\nIn 2019, Cyclone Idai ripped into Africa from the Indian Ocean, leaving more than 1,000 people dead in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe and causing a humanitarian crisis. The United Nations said it was one of the deadliest storms on record in the southern hemisphere. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>A tropical cyclone caused heavy flooding and at least one death in Mauritius on Monday as cars were washed away by surges of water in the Indian Ocean island&#039;s capital city and elsewhere. A motorcyclist died in an accident caused by the flooding, the government said and imposed a curfew.<\/p>\n<p>The government issued an order that everyone except emergency and health workers, members of the security services and those requiring medical treatment must return home and remain there.<\/p>\n<p>Some people were also being evacuated as the floodwaters caused by Tropical Cyclone Belal threatened houses and other buildings. Schools were closed and hospitals were told to only keep their emergency departments open.<\/p>\n<p>The main airport was closed and flights into and out of the island nation of 1.2 million people were canceled until further notice, the government said.<\/p>\n<h2>Curfew imposed as tropical cyclone hits Mauritius<\/h2><p>The Mauritius newspaper L&#039;Express published videos of cars floating down streets that looked more like raging rivers in the capital, Port Louis, and other parts of the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//08//powered-by-wind-and-water-the-canary-island-proving-it-is-possible-to-run-on-renewables/">island. Some people climbed onto the roof of their car and clung on, according to the images published by L&#039;Express. Motorists who had escaped from cars were seen being pulled from the floodwaters and to safety by others.<\/p>\n<p>Vehicles were left piled up, some of them overturned, after some of the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//11//18//floods-droughts-and-panic-attacks-climate-change-is-taking-its-toll-on-europes-farmers/">floodwaters receded.<\/p>\n<p>The water also entered buildings and flooded homes and the lobbies of offices. The Central Bank of Mauritius building was reportedly flooded.<\/p>\n<p>Evacuations were being carried out, the government said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Mauritius&#039; National Crisis Committee ordered everyone to return home at 8 pm local time. The curfew would remain in effect until noon on Tuesday, it said.<\/p>\n<p>Mauritius&#039; national meteorological department said the eye of the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//28//localised-tornado-rips-roofs-off-houses-as-storm-gerrit-sweeps-across-uk/">storm was still expected to come closer to Mauritius and pass about 90 kilometres south of the island at its closest point early on Tuesday morning, warning that the worst might still be ahead.<\/p>\n<p>The island would feel the effects of the cyclone \u201cfor hours\u201d, the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2022//12//02//how-is-rodrigues-becoming-more-sustainable/">Mauritius Meteorological Services said.<\/p>\n<h2>Cyclone Belal first battered French island of Reunion<\/h2><p>Belal had earlier also battered the nearby French island of <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//05//23//french-islanders-celebrate-sixth-egg-laying-of-emma-a-150kg-green-turtle/">Reunion, where the intense rains and powerful winds left about a quarter of households without electricity after hitting on Monday morning, according to the prefecture of Reunion.<\/p>\n<p>Many people in Reunion had also lost internet and phone services, and water connections to tens of thousands of homes were cut. Authorities in the French outpost said a homeless person was found dead in Saint-Gilles on the island\u2019s west coast. The circumstances of that death were unclear.<\/p>\n<p>Reunion had declared the highest storm alert level on Sunday as Belal approached. Under the purple alert, people were told to stay at home and even emergency services were under lockdown. French weather forecaster Meteo France said Belal reached Reunion on Monday morning local time, bringing \u201cheavy rains, sometimes stormy, very violent winds and powerful and raging seas.\u201d\u00a0Some eight-metre high waves were recorded.<\/p>\n<p>But the alert was lifted after the worst of the storm passed Reunion on Monday afternoon and charged toward Mauritius, around 220 kilometres to the northeast.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-ease-in-up widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//17//26//42//808x454_cmsv2_278fa672-a257-5973-86ec-890d7ec7d950-8172642.jpg/" alt=\"A tree fell on a wall in the town of La Plaine Saint-Paul on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, 15 January 2024.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/17\/26\/42\/384x216_cmsv2_278fa672-a257-5973-86ec-890d7ec7d950-8172642.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/17\/26\/42\/640x360_cmsv2_278fa672-a257-5973-86ec-890d7ec7d950-8172642.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/17\/26\/42\/750x422_cmsv2_278fa672-a257-5973-86ec-890d7ec7d950-8172642.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/17\/26\/42\/828x466_cmsv2_278fa672-a257-5973-86ec-890d7ec7d950-8172642.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/17\/26\/42\/1080x608_cmsv2_278fa672-a257-5973-86ec-890d7ec7d950-8172642.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/17\/26\/42\/1200x675_cmsv2_278fa672-a257-5973-86ec-890d7ec7d950-8172642.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/17\/26\/42\/1920x1080_cmsv2_278fa672-a257-5973-86ec-890d7ec7d950-8172642.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">A tree fell on a wall in the town of La Plaine Saint-Paul on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, 15 January 2024.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Lewis Joly<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8153404,8158222\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2024//01//06//el-nino-failed-crops-and-more-extreme-weather-the-uns-predictions-and-recommendations-for-/">El Ni\u00f1o, failed crops and more extreme weather: The UN's predictions- and recommendations- for 2024<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2024//01//09//2023-was-the-hottest-year-on-record-with-profound-consequences-for-15c-limit-data-shows/">2023 was the hottest year on record with 'profound consequences' for 1.5\u00b0C limit, data shows<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Human-caused climate change is increasing cyclone intensity<\/h2><p>Cyclones are common between January and March in southern Africa as oceans in the southern hemisphere reach their <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//29//no-city-is-truly-prepared-for-the-heatwaves-that-lay-ahead-heres-what-can-be-done-about-it/">warmest temperatures. The hotter water is fuel for cyclones.<\/p>\n<p>But scientists say human-caused climate change has intensified <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//04//05//tornado-alley-climate-change-could-make-deadly-us-storms-worse-study-warns/">extreme weather<\/strong><\/a>, making cyclones more frequent and rainier when they hit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some climate scientists have identified a direct link between global warming and the intensity of some <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//05//16//cyclone-mocha-how-many-were-killed-in-myanmar-and-bangladesh-and-is-climate-change-to-blam/">cyclones in the region. In a 2022 study,\u00a0the World Weather Attribution group used\u00a0weather observations and computer simulations to model scenarios under different levels of temperature rise.<\/p>\n<p>It concluded that <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//11//02//storm-ciaran-is-climate-change-giving-more-fuel-for-storms-in-europe/">climate change<\/strong><\/a> increased the likelihood and intensity of the rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Ana and Tropical Cyclone Batsirai - two extreme weather events that took place that year.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, Cyclone Idai ripped into Africa from the Indian Ocean, leaving more than 1,000 people dead in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe and causing a humanitarian crisis. The United Nations said it was one of the deadliest <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//27//italy-and-spain-experienced-some-of-the-worlds-most-costly-climate-disasters-in-2023/">storms on record in the southern hemisphere.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1705329836,"updatedAt":1705397291,"publishedAt":1705368608,"firstPublishedAt":1705331350,"lastPublishedAt":1705397291,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Lewis Joly","altText":"Strong winds blow in the town of La Plaine Saint-Paul on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, 15 January 2024.","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"Strong winds blow in the town of La Plaine Saint-Paul on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, 15 January 2024.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/17\/26\/42\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_a1463902-02a4-596b-a408-f61c059e5878-8172642.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Lewis Joly","altText":"A tree fell on a wall in the town of La Plaine Saint-Paul on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, 15 January 2024.","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"A tree fell on a wall in the town of La Plaine Saint-Paul on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, 15 January 2024.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/17\/26\/42\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_278fa672-a257-5973-86ec-890d7ec7d950-8172642.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"reunion","titleRaw":"R\u00e9union","id":237,"title":"R\u00e9union","slug":"reunion"},{"urlSafeValue":"french-overseas-department","titleRaw":"French Overseas department","id":14944,"title":"French Overseas department","slug":"french-overseas-department"},{"urlSafeValue":"islands","titleRaw":"Islands","id":16058,"title":"Islands","slug":"islands"},{"urlSafeValue":"cyclone","titleRaw":"Cyclone","id":10787,"title":"Cyclone","slug":"cyclone"},{"urlSafeValue":"extreme-weather","titleRaw":"Extreme weather","id":17856,"title":"Extreme weather","slug":"extreme-weather"},{"urlSafeValue":"climate-change","titleRaw":"climate change","id":15386,"title":"climate change","slug":"climate-change"}],"widgets":[{"count":1,"slug":"image"},{"count":1,"slug":"related"}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Gerald Imray and Lewis Joly","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"climate","urlSafeValue":"climate","title":"Climate","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/climate\/climate"},"vertical":"green","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"green","id":8,"title":"Green","slug":"green"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":8,"slug":"green","urlSafeValue":"green","title":"Green"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"climate","id":"climate","title":"Climate","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/climate"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":34,"urlSafeValue":"climate","title":"Climate"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":[],"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gb_safe_from_high','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_science','gs_science_geography','gs_science_weather','neg_saudiaramco','gt_negative','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook','gs_busfin','climatechange','gt_negative_fear','neg_facebook_q4','gv_death_injury','gs_business','neg_nespresso','gs_news_and_weather','gb_death_injury_high_med','gb_death_injury_high_med_low','gb_death_injury_news-ent','gs_busfin_indus'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"GREEN_Tropical Cyclone Belal hits the French island of Reunion. Nearby Mauritius is also on high alert","path":"\/green\/2024\/01\/16\/tropical-cyclone-belal-human-caused-climate-change-is-increasing-storm-intensity-in-indian","lastModified":1705397291},{"id":2454976,"cid":8168560,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240112_GNWB_54507629","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Africa needs a unified voice on climate change","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Africa needs a unified voice on climate change","titleListing2":"VIEW | A unified voice on the international stage can help Africa achieve a sustainable future, Hassanein Hiridjee writes.\n","leadin":"A unified voice on the international stage can help Africa achieve a sustainable future, Hassanein Hiridjee writes.","summary":"A unified voice on the international stage can help Africa achieve a sustainable future, Hassanein Hiridjee writes.","keySentence":"","url":"africa-needs-a-unified-voice-on-climate-change","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/2024\/01\/12\/africa-needs-a-unified-voice-on-climate-change","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Last month\u2019s COP 28, and the preceding inaugural Africa Climate Summit, which delivered the Nairobi Declaration, signalled Africa\u2019s growing importance and influence on the international stage.\u00a0 \n\nIn the new year, more needs to be done to promote an equitable energy transition, underpinned by green technologies and prioritising both rural and urban communities. \n\nThese are important issues for Africa and more widely for the Global South.\u00a0 \n\nAt COP 28, I was enthused by the commitment shown by heads of state and business leaders to help the Global South and its increasingly central role in discussions.\u00a0 \n\nHowever, the time has come for a more unified voice from the continent which demands developed nations to not only fulfil their current commitments, and address past deficiencies, but also significantly enhance their financial contributions to Africa\u2019s climate action efforts. \n\nI commend African leaders for their role in securing greater commitments to climate financing and delivering the loss and damage fund.\u00a0But the weight of Africa\u2019s voice is greater than the sum of its parts.\u00a0 \n\nAnd the continent\u2019s views and needs have focused on specific, albeit important, overarching issues such as phasing out vs phasing down fossil fuels. \n\nOur needs are vast, but the potential to meet them is incredible \n\nThe EU, G77 plus China, and the Alliance of Small Island States were some of the unified negotiating blocs representing the views and priorities of its countries. Beyond nation states, global industries have also come together to protect their interests. \n\nAfricans understand the continent\u2019s challenges better than anyone else. We know that a one-size-fits-all approach will leave behind our rural communities and urban poor if the right partnerships and infrastructure are not in place.\u00a0 \n\nAcross the Global South, this is a critical commonality: our infrastructure needs are vast and there is incredible potential to meet them by harnessing the domestic and international private sector. \n\nAnd when challenged, African private-public partnerships have defined ingenuity.\u00a0 \n\nDuring the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out,\u00a0Nigeria\u2019s public health agency teamed up with local dry ice producers and UPS to deliver vaccines to rural communities.\u00a0At home in Madagascar, AXIAN Energy provides rural communities with solar mini-grids, providing rural villages across the country with accessible clean energy. \n\nLegitimate steps taken elsewhere are much needed in Africa \n\nA unified voice from Africa can drive the international community to provide more concrete commitments for the continent. Companies like mine understand that Africa is brimming with untapped potential.\u00a0 \n\nWe can showcase the power of homegrown businesses and partners, who have the ambition and entrepreneurship to bring the green revolution to rural and urban communities.\u00a0 \n\nWe can help the international community rethink and reconfigure its approach to investing in African projects and businesses. \n\nBut we also need the international community to set out a clearer roadmap that addresses the structural issues which prevent renewable projects from coming to fruition.\u00a0 \n\nThis can include developing mechanisms that mitigate risks borne by businesses and unlock investment, such as payment protection, support with upfront costs, and more flexible financing terms\u00a0\u2014 all legitimate steps taken in developed countries\u00a0\u2014 but missing from the international agenda when it comes to Africa. \n\nAfrican businesses can and want to do more \n\nThe need to promote a more equitable energy transition is vital now more than ever.\u00a0 \n\nRapid population and economic growth will result in 90 million additional people across Africa requiring access to affordable electricity every year by 2030, triple the rate of today.\u00a0 \n\nAfrican private-public partnerships are best placed to implement the key projects needed to meet this demand while keeping countries on track to meet their global climate objectives. \n\nAfrica\u2019s businesses can and want to do more\u00a0\u2014 a commitment shown by my peers in the Africa Business Leaders Coalition, when we recently signed a policy blueprint at COP28 calling for interventions that enable Africa\u2019s private sector.\u00a0 \n\nA more unified voice for Africa can ensure the role of its businesses as a major catalyst for change is at the top of the international agenda. \n\nHassanein Hiridjee is the CEO of AXIAN Group, and Africa CEO Forum\u2019s 2022 CEO of the Year. \n\nAt Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Last month\u2019s COP 28, and the preceding inaugural Africa Climate Summit, which delivered the Nairobi Declaration, signalled Africa\u2019s growing importance and influence on the international stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the new year, more needs to be done to promote an equitable energy transition, underpinned by green technologies and prioritising both rural and urban communities.<\/p>\n<p>These are important issues for Africa and more widely for the Global South.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At COP 28, I was enthused by the commitment shown by heads of state and business leaders to help the Global South and its increasingly central role in discussions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, the time has come for a more unified voice from the continent which demands developed nations to not only fulfil their current commitments, and address past deficiencies, but also significantly enhance their financial contributions to Africa\u2019s climate action efforts.<\/p>\n<p>I commend African leaders for their role in securing greater commitments to climate financing and delivering the loss and damage fund.\u00a0But the weight of Africa\u2019s voice is greater than the sum of its parts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And the continent\u2019s views and needs have focused on specific, albeit important, overarching issues such as phasing out vs phasing down fossil fuels.<\/p>\n<h2>Our needs are vast, but the potential to meet them is incredible<\/h2><p>The EU, G77 plus China, and the Alliance of Small Island States were some of the unified negotiating blocs representing the views and priorities of its countries. Beyond nation states, global industries have also come together to protect their interests.<\/p>\n<p>Africans understand the continent\u2019s challenges better than anyone else. We know that a one-size-fits-all approach will leave behind our rural communities and urban poor if the right partnerships and infrastructure are not in place.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.75\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//16//85//60//808x608_cmsv2_2075f5d7-41ef-563f-9f0c-8a7c42b3f295-8168560.jpg/" alt=\"A young girl uses her mobile phone while charging it using solar power at a house in Harare, December 2019\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/384x288_cmsv2_2075f5d7-41ef-563f-9f0c-8a7c42b3f295-8168560.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/640x480_cmsv2_2075f5d7-41ef-563f-9f0c-8a7c42b3f295-8168560.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/750x563_cmsv2_2075f5d7-41ef-563f-9f0c-8a7c42b3f295-8168560.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/828x621_cmsv2_2075f5d7-41ef-563f-9f0c-8a7c42b3f295-8168560.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/1080x810_cmsv2_2075f5d7-41ef-563f-9f0c-8a7c42b3f295-8168560.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/1200x900_cmsv2_2075f5d7-41ef-563f-9f0c-8a7c42b3f295-8168560.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/1920x1440_cmsv2_2075f5d7-41ef-563f-9f0c-8a7c42b3f295-8168560.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">A young girl uses her mobile phone while charging it using solar power at a house in Harare, December 2019<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Across the Global South, this is a critical commonality: our infrastructure needs are vast and there is incredible potential to meet them by harnessing the domestic and international private sector.<\/p>\n<p>And when challenged, African private-public partnerships have defined ingenuity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8151482,7963718\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2024//01//05//will-we-keep-thinking-of-africa-even-after-cop28/">Will we keep thinking of Africa even after COP28?<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//10//12//niger-is-the-latest-victim-of-africas-development-paradox/">Niger is the latest victim of Africa\u2019s development paradox<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>During the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out,\u00a0Nigeria\u2019s public health agency teamed up with local dry ice producers and UPS to deliver vaccines to rural communities.\u00a0At home in Madagascar, AXIAN Energy provides rural communities with solar mini-grids, providing rural villages across the country with accessible clean energy.<\/p>\n<h2>Legitimate steps taken elsewhere are much needed in Africa<\/h2><p>A unified voice from Africa can drive the international community to provide more concrete commitments for the continent. Companies like mine understand that Africa is brimming with untapped potential.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We can showcase the power of homegrown businesses and partners, who have the ambition and entrepreneurship to bring the green revolution to rural and urban communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//16//85//60//808x539_cmsv2_d5853456-9a7d-5152-a4f8-177333004d88-8168560.jpg/" alt=\"A worker installs a solar panel at a photovoltaic solar park situated on the outskirts of the coastal town of Lamberts Bay, South Africa, March 2016\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/384x256_cmsv2_d5853456-9a7d-5152-a4f8-177333004d88-8168560.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/640x427_cmsv2_d5853456-9a7d-5152-a4f8-177333004d88-8168560.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/750x500_cmsv2_d5853456-9a7d-5152-a4f8-177333004d88-8168560.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/828x552_cmsv2_d5853456-9a7d-5152-a4f8-177333004d88-8168560.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/1080x720_cmsv2_d5853456-9a7d-5152-a4f8-177333004d88-8168560.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/1200x800_cmsv2_d5853456-9a7d-5152-a4f8-177333004d88-8168560.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/1920x1281_cmsv2_d5853456-9a7d-5152-a4f8-177333004d88-8168560.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">A worker installs a solar panel at a photovoltaic solar park situated on the outskirts of the coastal town of Lamberts Bay, South Africa, March 2016<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Schalk van Zuydam\/AP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>We can help the international community rethink and reconfigure its approach to investing in African projects and businesses.<\/p>\n<p>But we also need the international community to set out a clearer roadmap that addresses the structural issues which prevent renewable projects from coming to fruition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7659602,7616406\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//05//19//its-2023-and-europe-and-the-world-continue-to-overlook-africa/">It/u2019s 2023, and Europe and the world continue to overlook Africa<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//06//07//real-aid-for-africa-would-mean-helping-its-youth-the-biggest-casualty-of-climate-change/">Real aid for Africa would mean helping its youth \u2014 the biggest casualty of climate change<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This can include developing mechanisms that mitigate risks borne by businesses and unlock investment, such as payment protection, support with upfront costs, and more flexible financing terms\u00a0\u2014 all legitimate steps taken in developed countries\u00a0\u2014 but missing from the international agenda when it comes to Africa.<\/p>\n<h2>African businesses can and want to do more<\/h2><p>The need to promote a more equitable energy transition is vital now more than ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rapid population and economic growth will result in 90 million additional people across Africa requiring access to affordable electricity every year by 2030, triple the rate of today.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>African private-public partnerships are best placed to implement the key projects needed to meet this demand while keeping countries on track to meet their global climate objectives.<\/p>\n<p>Africa\u2019s businesses can and want to do more\u00a0\u2014 a commitment shown by my peers in the Africa Business Leaders Coalition, when we recently signed a policy blueprint at COP28 calling for interventions that enable Africa\u2019s private sector.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A more unified voice for Africa can ensure the role of its businesses as a major catalyst for change is at the top of the international agenda.<\/p>\n<p><em>Hassanein Hiridjee is the CEO of AXIAN Group, and Africa CEO Forum\u2019s 2022 CEO of the Year.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at <a href=https://www.euronews.com/news/\"mailto:view@euronews.com\">view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.<\/em><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1705075664,"updatedAt":1705077973,"publishedAt":1705077970,"firstPublishedAt":1705077973,"lastPublishedAt":1705077973,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Euronews","altText":"Worker levels the ground at a solar plant in Soroti about 300 kilometers east of Uganda capital Kampala, June 2016","callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"caption":"Worker levels the ground at a solar plant in Soroti about 300 kilometers east of Uganda capital Kampala, June 2016","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_e2e05eb2-5643-5d78-9821-25604e66fd31-8168560.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":900},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi","altText":"A young girl uses her mobile phone while charging it using solar power at a house in Harare, December 2019","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"A young girl uses her mobile phone while charging it using solar power at a house in Harare, December 2019","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_2075f5d7-41ef-563f-9f0c-8a7c42b3f295-8168560.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":768},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Schalk van Zuydam\/AP","altText":"A worker installs a solar panel at a photovoltaic solar park situated on the outskirts of the coastal town of Lamberts Bay, South Africa, March 2016","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"A worker installs a solar panel at a photovoltaic solar park situated on the outskirts of the coastal town of Lamberts Bay, South Africa, March 2016","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/85\/60\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_d5853456-9a7d-5152-a4f8-177333004d88-8168560.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"cop28","titleRaw":"COP28","id":28576,"title":"COP28","slug":"cop28"},{"urlSafeValue":"climate-emergency","titleRaw":"Climate emergency","id":21982,"title":"Climate emergency","slug":"climate-emergency"},{"urlSafeValue":"african-climate-summit","titleRaw":"African Climate Summit","id":29092,"title":"African Climate Summit","slug":"african-climate-summit"},{"urlSafeValue":"africa","titleRaw":"Africa","id":3,"title":"Africa","slug":"africa"},{"urlSafeValue":"transition-energetique","titleRaw":"energy transition","id":28026,"title":"energy transition","slug":"transition-energetique"},{"urlSafeValue":"euroviews","titleRaw":"Euroviews","id":22480,"title":"Euroviews","slug":"euroviews"}],"widgets":[{"count":2,"slug":"image"},{"count":2,"slug":"related"}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Hassanein Hiridjee","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"green-news","urlSafeValue":"green-news","title":"Green News","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/green-news\/green-news"},"vertical":"green","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"green","id":8,"title":"Green","slug":"green"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":8,"slug":"green","urlSafeValue":"green","title":"Green"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"green-news","id":"green-news","title":"Green News","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/green-news"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":35,"urlSafeValue":"green-news","title":"Green News"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":[],"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_science','gs_busfin','gs_business','gs_science_geography','progressivemedia','gs_busfin_indus','gs_busfin_business','african_related_content_uk','gs_science_environ','gs_science_environment','environment','neg_audi_list2','neg_intel_en','climatechange'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet-web","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":1,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"VIEW AFRICA UNITED CLIMATE CHANGE COP28","path":"\/green\/2024\/01\/12\/africa-needs-a-unified-voice-on-climate-change","lastModified":1705077973},{"id":2454070,"cid":8165456,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240111_C2SU_54494383","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Archaeologists unearth 4500-year-old Ancient Egyptian tomb with astonishing treasures","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Archaeologists unearth 4500-year-old Ancient Egyptian tomb","titleListing2":"Archaeologists unearth 4500-year-old Ancient Egyptian tomb with astonishing treasures","leadin":"Remarkable treasures have been discovered in the tomb, including a Second Dynasty child burial, a well-preserved alabaster vessel from the 18th Dynasty, and terracotta statues depicting Isis and Harpocrates.","summary":"Remarkable treasures have been discovered in the tomb, including a Second Dynasty child burial, a well-preserved alabaster vessel from the 18th Dynasty, and terracotta statues depicting Isis and Harpocrates.","keySentence":"","url":"archaeologists-unearth-4500-year-old-ancient-egyptian-tomb-with-astonishing-treasures","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/2024\/01\/12\/archaeologists-unearth-4500-year-old-ancient-egyptian-tomb-with-astonishing-treasures","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the necropolis of Saqqara , situated approximately 20 miles south of Cairo, as they unveil an ancient Egyptian tomb carved into rock over 4000 years ago.\u00a0 \n\nThe remarkable find, recently confirmed by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, has been brought to light by a collaborative effort between Egyptian and Japanese archaeologists. \n\nThe tomb, dating back between 2649 and 2150 BC and featuring multiple graves and artefacts that span different historical periods,\u00a0\"provides invaluable insights into the history of this region,\" said Nozomu Kawai, the head of the Japanese team.\u00a0 \n\nWhat was discovered in the tomb? \n\nThe international team unearthed a myriad of treasures during their mission, including burials, architectural elements, and an array of fascinating artefacts.\u00a0 \n\nNotably, they discovered the remains of a human buried alongside a vividly coloured mask, as well as a burial site for a small child dating back to the Second Dynasty (2890 \u2013 2686 BC). \n\nInside the tomb, a coffin from the 18th Dynasty (1550-1295 BC) revealed a remarkably preserved alabaster vessel.\u00a0 \n\nAdditionally, two terracotta statues portraying the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis, initially associated with funerary practices, and the child deity Harpocrates, known as the god of silence and secrets during the Ptolemaic periods, were uncovered. \n\nFurther findings included a stela, a carved stone slab, bearing an inscription identifying it as belonging to a man named \"Heroides\",\u00a0various amulets and ostraca (pieces of broken pottery). \n\nA wealth of recent discoveries \n\nSaqqara is a vast necropolis of the Egyptian capital Memphis. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site and is home to more than a dozen pyramids, including the\u00a0famous Giza Pyramids, as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur, and Abu Ruwaysh. \n\nEgyptian authorities have announced a wealth of archaeological discoveries at important sites across the country in recent years. \n\nLast January, the results of a year-long excavation at Saqqara were presented\u00a0\u2013 findings included two ancient tombs from the fifth and sixth dynasties of the Old Kingdom (around 2500-2100 BC) and a well-preserved sarcophagus. \n\nAround the same time, dozens of burial sites from the New Kingdom era, dating back to 1800-1600 BC, were found near the southern city of Luxor, along with the ruins of an ancient Roman city. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the necropolis of <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//01//30//egypt-unveils-new-incredible-discoveries-including-two-tombs-and-gold-covered-sarcophagus/">Saqqara, situated approximately 20 miles south of Cairo, as they unveil an ancient <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2022//11//07//the-tomb-that-changed-the-world-100-years-on-from-the-discovery-of-king-tutankhamun/">Egyptian tomb<\/strong><\/a> carved into rock over 4000 years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The remarkable find, recently confirmed by Egypt&#039;s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, has been brought to light by a collaborative effort between Egyptian and Japanese archaeologists.<\/p>\n<p>The tomb, dating back between 2649 and 2150 BC and featuring multiple graves and artefacts that span different historical periods,\u00a0\"provides invaluable insights into the history of this region,\" said Nozomu Kawai, the head of the Japanese team.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7987002,7922948\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//09//27//culture-re-view-how-the-rosetta-stone-unlocked-the-secrets-of-egyptian-hieroglyphics/">Culture Re-View: How the Rosetta Stone unlocked the secrets of Egyptian Hieroglyphics<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//10//23//scent-of-the-afterlife-scientists-recreate-the-fragrance-of-an-ancient-egyptian-mummy/">'Scent of the afterlife': Scientists recreate the fragrance of an ancient Egyptian mummy <\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>What was discovered in the tomb?<\/h2><div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-ease-in-up widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//16//54//56//808x454_cmsv2_ca0023dd-3e2d-5386-8953-9ba5014f101f-8165456.jpg/" alt=\"A coloured mask found at a burial site in Saqqara\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/384x216_cmsv2_ca0023dd-3e2d-5386-8953-9ba5014f101f-8165456.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/640x360_cmsv2_ca0023dd-3e2d-5386-8953-9ba5014f101f-8165456.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/750x422_cmsv2_ca0023dd-3e2d-5386-8953-9ba5014f101f-8165456.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/828x466_cmsv2_ca0023dd-3e2d-5386-8953-9ba5014f101f-8165456.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/1080x608_cmsv2_ca0023dd-3e2d-5386-8953-9ba5014f101f-8165456.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/1200x675_cmsv2_ca0023dd-3e2d-5386-8953-9ba5014f101f-8165456.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/1920x1080_cmsv2_ca0023dd-3e2d-5386-8953-9ba5014f101f-8165456.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">A coloured mask found at a burial site in Saqqara<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism &amp; Antiquities<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-ease-in-up widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//16//54//56//808x454_cmsv2_a3a7c752-37cc-5ddf-9cee-23aa75d2d3f6-8165456.jpg/" alt=\"This burial dates back to the Second Dynasty, around 4,800 years ago. It shows a crouching individual within the remains of a wooden box.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/384x216_cmsv2_a3a7c752-37cc-5ddf-9cee-23aa75d2d3f6-8165456.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/640x360_cmsv2_a3a7c752-37cc-5ddf-9cee-23aa75d2d3f6-8165456.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/750x422_cmsv2_a3a7c752-37cc-5ddf-9cee-23aa75d2d3f6-8165456.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/828x466_cmsv2_a3a7c752-37cc-5ddf-9cee-23aa75d2d3f6-8165456.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/1080x608_cmsv2_a3a7c752-37cc-5ddf-9cee-23aa75d2d3f6-8165456.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/1200x675_cmsv2_a3a7c752-37cc-5ddf-9cee-23aa75d2d3f6-8165456.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/1920x1080_cmsv2_a3a7c752-37cc-5ddf-9cee-23aa75d2d3f6-8165456.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">This burial dates back to the Second Dynasty, around 4,800 years ago. It shows a crouching individual within the remains of a wooden box.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism &amp; Antiquities<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The international team unearthed a myriad of treasures during their mission, including burials, architectural elements, and an array of fascinating artefacts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Notably, they discovered the remains of a human buried alongside a vividly coloured mask, as well as a burial site for a small child dating back to the Second Dynasty (2890 \u2013 2686 BC).<\/p>\n<p>Inside the tomb, a coffin from the 18th Dynasty (1550-1295 BC) revealed a remarkably preserved alabaster vessel.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-ease-in-up widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//16//54//56//808x454_cmsv2_1ee96525-aa66-52f2-98bd-4275760a696c-8165456.jpg/" alt=\"A relic saying that it was created for a man named Heroide (left), a sarcophagus with a mummy inside (right).\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/384x216_cmsv2_1ee96525-aa66-52f2-98bd-4275760a696c-8165456.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/640x360_cmsv2_1ee96525-aa66-52f2-98bd-4275760a696c-8165456.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/750x422_cmsv2_1ee96525-aa66-52f2-98bd-4275760a696c-8165456.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/828x466_cmsv2_1ee96525-aa66-52f2-98bd-4275760a696c-8165456.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/1080x608_cmsv2_1ee96525-aa66-52f2-98bd-4275760a696c-8165456.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/1200x675_cmsv2_1ee96525-aa66-52f2-98bd-4275760a696c-8165456.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/1920x1080_cmsv2_1ee96525-aa66-52f2-98bd-4275760a696c-8165456.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">A relic saying that it was created for a man named Heroide (left), a sarcophagus with a mummy inside (right).<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism &amp; Antiquitie<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Additionally, two terracotta statues portraying the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis, initially associated with funerary practices, and the child deity Harpocrates, known as the god of silence and secrets during the Ptolemaic periods, were uncovered.<\/p>\n<p>Further findings included a stela, a carved stone slab, bearing an inscription identifying it as belonging to a man named \"Heroides\",\u00a0various amulets and ostraca (pieces of broken pottery).<\/p>\n<h2>A wealth of recent discoveries<\/h2><p>Saqqara is a vast necropolis of the Egyptian capital Memphis. It&#039;s a <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//12//07//italian-opera-and-55-other-practices-added-to-unesco-intangible-heritage-list/">UNESCO World Heritage site and is home to more than a dozen pyramids, including the\u00a0famous Giza Pyramids, as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur, and Abu Ruwaysh.<\/p>\n<p>Egyptian authorities have announced a wealth of archaeological discoveries at important sites across the country in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>Last January, the results of a year-long excavation at Saqqara were presented\u00a0\u2013 findings included two ancient tombs from the fifth and sixth dynasties of the Old Kingdom (around 2500-2100 BC) and a well-preserved sarcophagus.<\/p>\n<p>Around the same time, dozens of burial sites from the New Kingdom era, dating back to 1800-1600 BC, were found near the southern city of Luxor, along with the ruins of an ancient Roman city.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1704982576,"updatedAt":1705046772,"publishedAt":1705040116,"firstPublishedAt":1704990099,"lastPublishedAt":1705046772,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities","altText":"A sarcophagus with a mummy inside, discovered at the Saqqara Necropolis in Memphis, Egypt.","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"A sarcophagus with a mummy inside, discovered at the Saqqara Necropolis in Memphis, Egypt.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_88d6161c-b25f-5235-8ca8-e29674fc8715-8165456.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquitie","altText":"A relic saying that it was created for a man named Heroide (left), a sarcophagus with a mummy inside (right). ","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"A relic saying that it was created for a man named Heroide (left), a sarcophagus with a mummy inside (right). ","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_1ee96525-aa66-52f2-98bd-4275760a696c-8165456.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities","altText":"This burial dates back to the Second Dynasty, around 4,800 years ago. It shows a crouching individual within the remains of a wooden box. ","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"This burial dates back to the Second Dynasty, around 4,800 years ago. It shows a crouching individual within the remains of a wooden box. ","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_a3a7c752-37cc-5ddf-9cee-23aa75d2d3f6-8165456.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities","altText":"A coloured mask found at a burial site in Saqqara","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"A coloured mask found at a burial site in Saqqara","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/54\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_ca0023dd-3e2d-5386-8953-9ba5014f101f-8165456.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"farrant","twitter":"@theo_farrant","title":"Theo Farrant"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"egyptologie","titleRaw":"egyptology","id":27410,"title":"egyptology","slug":"egyptologie"},{"urlSafeValue":"ancient-egypt","titleRaw":"Ancient Egypt","id":18088,"title":"Ancient Egypt","slug":"ancient-egypt"},{"urlSafeValue":"archaeology","titleRaw":"Archaeology","id":4162,"title":"Archaeology","slug":"archaeology"},{"urlSafeValue":"holy-tomb","titleRaw":"Holy Tomb","id":12772,"title":"Holy Tomb","slug":"holy-tomb"},{"urlSafeValue":"mummy","titleRaw":"mummy","id":13682,"title":"mummy","slug":"mummy"}],"widgets":[{"count":3,"slug":"image"},{"count":1,"slug":"related"}],"related":[{"id":2480062},{"id":2519228}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":null,"freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"culture-news","urlSafeValue":"culture-news","title":"Culture news","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/culture-news\/culture-news"},"vertical":"culture","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"culture","id":10,"title":"Culture","slug":"culture"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":10,"slug":"culture","urlSafeValue":"culture","title":"Culture"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"culture-news","id":"culture-news","title":"Culture news","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/culture-news"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":53,"urlSafeValue":"culture-news","title":"Culture news"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":81,"urlSafeValue":"egypt","title":"Egypt","url":"\/news\/africa\/egypt"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_hobby','gt_positive','eap-gs-homerfaber-fs-30july19','gs_hobby_antiques','gt_positive_curiosity','gs_science_misc','neg_bucherer','gs_science','gs_science_geography','eap_cx_innovation','gs_fashion','gs_travel_holidays','neg_saudiaramco'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"CULTURE - 4,500-year-old Ancient Egyptian tomb discovered","path":"\/culture\/2024\/01\/12\/archaeologists-unearth-4500-year-old-ancient-egyptian-tomb-with-astonishing-treasures","lastModified":1705046772},{"id":2453850,"cid":8164786,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240111_NWWB_54490698","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Libya\u2019s new National Dialogue is a chance for European leaders to make things right","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"The EU must actively back Libya's new National Dialogue","titleListing2":"VIEW | Competing outside interests have fanned the flames of Libya's internal discord. European policymakers must show an active interest in this new initiative, rather than falling back repeatedly on the failed formulas of the past, Ashraf Boudouara writes.","leadin":"Competing outside interests have fanned the flames of internal discord in Libya. European policymakers must show an active interest in this new initiative, rather than falling back repeatedly on the failed formulas of the past, Ashraf Boudouara writes.","summary":"Competing outside interests have fanned the flames of internal discord in Libya. European policymakers must show an active interest in this new initiative, rather than falling back repeatedly on the failed formulas of the past, Ashraf Boudouara writes.","keySentence":"","url":"libyas-new-national-dialogue-is-a-chance-for-european-leaders-to-make-things-right","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2024\/01\/11\/libyas-new-national-dialogue-is-a-chance-for-european-leaders-to-make-things-right","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Libya is again at a crossroads. One path is marked \u201cDead End\u201d\u00a0\u2014\u00a0that's the path we are on.\u00a0 \n\nIt's a path to nowhere because expecting those who will lose power in elections\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and with it their financial interests\u00a0\u2014\u00a0to agree to organise elections is like asking turkeys to vote for Christmas.\u00a0 \n\nTurkeys never do, but this is the process the UN is leading.\u00a0 \n\nThe other, more rational path is to support the new Libyan-led National Dialogue recently launched by Prince Mohammed El Senussi,\u00a0the legitimate heir to the Senussi Crown of Libya,\u00a0to break the deadlock.\u00a0 \n\nRising above narrow interests to reunite our divided country, this new National Dialogue is gathering pace and capturing hearts and minds across all factions of our country.\u00a0 \n\nIt\u2019s the only realistic path at this crucial intersection.\u00a0It embodies a patriotic vision centred on inclusivity, legitimacy, democratic governance and Libyan national identity, and Libyans expect Europe\u2019s active support in this re-found hope for our country. \n\nA Libya in disarray impacts Europe's future, too \n\nThe political failures since 2011 have been unequivocal, leaving Libya in disarray. We have suffered multiple civil wars. Elections have been promised, cancelled, or indefinitely delayed multiple times.\u00a0 \n\nMultiple governments\u00a0\u2014 appointed by non-Libyans if we agree to call things as they are\u00a0\u2014 have delivered dividends only for narrow interests, thus deepening divides rather than bridging them.\u00a0 \n\nThousands have lost their lives due to a lack of governance, an inability to provide citizens with security, and sorely lacking economic development and infrastructure due to endemic corruption. \n\nThe implications for Europe are far-reaching. From a lack of security on its southern flank that has seen destabilising elements take root, increased illegal migration to the continent (2023 saw a whopping 2,200 migrants die on their way to reach Europe's shores), to energy insecurity as a result of global instability which could have been easily offset with access to Libya's vast reserves (our country is home to 48 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, representing North Africa\u2019s largest supply), the situation could not be any more serious for European strategic interests.\u00a0 \n\nAnd although some countries have been more engaged than others, it is apparent that Europe simply has no coherent vision for the future of Libya. At times, different European countries, for example France and Italy, have even been on opposing sides. \n\nA true, Libyan-led grassroots dialogue \n\nBut now, in the face of a seemingly intractable impasse, a new and realistic hope for a better future is rapidly taking hold across the country.\u00a0 \n\nJust weeks ago, on the occasion of Libyan Independence Day, Crown Prince El Senussi delivered his annual address. This has become a highlight in the country's calendar for many.\u00a0 \n\nAnd while in previous years his words were primarily focused on providing strength and hope to his countrymen, this year he did so in a far more concrete way, announcing the launch of an ongoing new Libyan-led National Dialogue. \n\nUnlike any of the previous initiatives seen, this dialogue is truly Libyan-led and grassroots under the leadership of Prince Mohammed.\u00a0 \n\nAnnouncing an impressive roster of Libyans who have travelled to meet with him in capitals around the world, the extent to which this project is truly inclusive is distinctive.\u00a0 \n\nFrom currently serving political officials to community leaders and elders from across the land, to military leaders, academics, the youth and many others, they have all come to see the Crown Prince with the same message in mind: the time has come to work together to create a truly united Libya. \n\nWhat can we learn from Libya's history? \n\nAs Prince Mohammed reminded those present, an important fact that has been under-appreciated is that Libya faced similar, though of course not identical, challenges immediately after World War II.\u00a0 \n\nThe ravages of the multi-decade Italian colonisation, World War II itself where Libya was a field of battle, set in the context of the same tribal, regional and ethnic affiliations and fissures you see today, combined to create a political landscape possibly even worse than Libya faces today.\u00a0 \n\nBut immediately after, Libya found a way out to herald in what is commonly referred to now as its Golden Era. \n\nIt did so by relying on its own cultural and historic norms, falling back on its own national identity, to implement political processes and constructs that had intrinsic legitimacy, the necessary national significance to be unifying, as well as the necessary symbols and institutions that fostered loyalty and patriotism to make reconciliation and nation building possible.\u00a0 \n\nStarting in 1949, in under two years, the last National Dialogue reached a consensus to adopt the 1951 Independence Constitution. \n\nIt set up a democratic constitutional monarchy, with an elected parliament and representative governance. It established a bicameral legislature comprising a Senate and a House of Representatives, allowing elected officials to voice the concerns of the populace.\u00a0 \n\nThere was also of course an independent and much-respected judiciary. This framework aimed to ensure a balance of power between the monarchy and the legislative branch, providing avenues for citizen participation and fostering a democratic foundation. \n\nElections were held, and women were allowed to vote, offering citizens the opportunity to engage in the political process and express their preferences. In fact, women had the right to vote in Libya before they did in Switzerland and Portugal. \n\nEurope can still have a positive impact on Libya \n\nThere are many models of democratic constitutional monarchy in the world today including Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Malaysia and Japan.\u00a0 \n\nEach evolved from and is consistent with the country\u2019s own history, culture and national identity. It was the same in Libya. \n\nLibya\u2019s new National Dialogue should be seen as an opportunity for European leaders to finally have a positive impact on our country.\u00a0 \n\nTo date, by any measure, foreign interventions have contributed significantly to instability in our country. Competing outside interests, including amongst European countries, have fanned the flames of internal discord. \n\nThere is a need for a paradigm shift, especially amongst European countries, to support the new National Dialogue launched by the crown prince, a homegrown approach to stability and progress in Libya, that is taking hold and has the necessary ingredients for success.\u00a0 \n\nEuropean policymakers must show an active interest in this new initiative, rather than falling back repeatedly on the failed formulas of the past. The time for action is now. \n\nAshraf Boudouara is a Libyan political analyst and the Chairman of the National Conference for the Return of the Constitutional Monarchy. \n\nAt Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Libya is again at a crossroads. One path is marked \u201cDead End\u201d\u00a0\u2014\u00a0that&#039;s the path we are on.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It&#039;s a path to nowhere because expecting those who will lose power in elections\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and with it their financial interests\u00a0\u2014\u00a0to agree to organise elections is like asking turkeys to vote for Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Turkeys never do, but this is the process the UN is leading.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The other, more rational path is to support the new Libyan-led National Dialogue recently launched by Prince Mohammed El Senussi,\u00a0the legitimate heir to the Senussi Crown of Libya,\u00a0to break the deadlock.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rising above narrow interests to reunite our divided country, this new National Dialogue is gathering pace and capturing hearts and minds across all factions of our country.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the only realistic path at this crucial intersection.\u00a0It embodies a patriotic vision centred on inclusivity, legitimacy, democratic governance and Libyan national identity, and Libyans expect Europe\u2019s active support in this re-found hope for our country.<\/p>\n<h2>A Libya in disarray impacts Europe's future, too<\/h2><p>The political failures since 2011 have been unequivocal, leaving Libya in disarray. We have suffered multiple civil wars. Elections have been promised, cancelled, or indefinitely delayed multiple times.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Multiple governments\u00a0\u2014 appointed by non-Libyans if we agree to call things as they are\u00a0\u2014 have delivered dividends only for narrow interests, thus deepening divides rather than bridging them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Thousands have lost their lives due to a lack of governance, an inability to provide citizens with security, and sorely lacking economic development and infrastructure due to endemic corruption.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">Although some countries have been more engaged than others, it is apparent that Europe simply has no coherent vision for the future of Libya.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//16//47//86//808x539_cmsv2_de3bc7c8-eb32-5110-94ff-92c3fc3f762d-8164786.jpg/" alt=\"Libyan security forces stand guard in Tripoli, August 2023\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/384x256_cmsv2_de3bc7c8-eb32-5110-94ff-92c3fc3f762d-8164786.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/640x427_cmsv2_de3bc7c8-eb32-5110-94ff-92c3fc3f762d-8164786.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/750x500_cmsv2_de3bc7c8-eb32-5110-94ff-92c3fc3f762d-8164786.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/828x552_cmsv2_de3bc7c8-eb32-5110-94ff-92c3fc3f762d-8164786.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/1080x720_cmsv2_de3bc7c8-eb32-5110-94ff-92c3fc3f762d-8164786.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/1200x800_cmsv2_de3bc7c8-eb32-5110-94ff-92c3fc3f762d-8164786.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/1920x1281_cmsv2_de3bc7c8-eb32-5110-94ff-92c3fc3f762d-8164786.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Libyan security forces stand guard in Tripoli, August 2023<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Yousef Murad<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The implications for Europe are far-reaching. From a lack of security on its southern flank that has seen destabilising elements take root, increased illegal migration to the continent (2023 saw a whopping 2,200 migrants die on their way to reach Europe&#039;s shores), to energy insecurity as a result of global instability which could have been easily offset with access to Libya&#039;s vast reserves (our country is home to 48 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, representing North Africa\u2019s largest supply), the situation could not be any more serious for European strategic interests.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8150228,7904204\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//business//2024//01//04//oil-prices-stabilise-as-libyan-supply-concerns-allayed-by-slow-demand/"> Oil prices stabilise as Libyan supply concerns allayed by slow demand<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//09//18//protesters-in-derna-accuse-libyan-authorities-of-inaction-after-deadly-floods/">Protesters in Derna accuse Libyan authorities of inaction after deadly floods <\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>And although some countries have been more engaged than others, it is apparent that Europe simply has no coherent vision for the future of Libya. At times, different European countries, for example France and Italy, have even been on opposing sides.<\/p>\n<h2>A true, Libyan-led grassroots dialogue<\/h2><p>But now, in the face of a seemingly intractable impasse, a new and realistic hope for a better future is rapidly taking hold across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Just weeks ago, on the occasion of Libyan Independence Day, Crown Prince El Senussi delivered his annual address. This has become a highlight in the country&#039;s calendar for many.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And while in previous years his words were primarily focused on providing strength and hope to his countrymen, this year he did so in a far more concrete way, announcing the launch of an ongoing new Libyan-led National Dialogue.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.7177734375\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//16//47//86//808x581_cmsv2_ecd118b1-d3ab-5256-b4bb-c7f4498c5d6e-8164786.jpg/" alt=\"Prince Mohammed el Hasan el Rida el Senussi in Rome, September 2011\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/384x276_cmsv2_ecd118b1-d3ab-5256-b4bb-c7f4498c5d6e-8164786.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/640x459_cmsv2_ecd118b1-d3ab-5256-b4bb-c7f4498c5d6e-8164786.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/750x538_cmsv2_ecd118b1-d3ab-5256-b4bb-c7f4498c5d6e-8164786.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/828x594_cmsv2_ecd118b1-d3ab-5256-b4bb-c7f4498c5d6e-8164786.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/1080x775_cmsv2_ecd118b1-d3ab-5256-b4bb-c7f4498c5d6e-8164786.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/1200x861_cmsv2_ecd118b1-d3ab-5256-b4bb-c7f4498c5d6e-8164786.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/1920x1378_cmsv2_ecd118b1-d3ab-5256-b4bb-c7f4498c5d6e-8164786.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Prince Mohammed el Hasan el Rida el Senussi in Rome, September 2011<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Gregorio Borgia<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Unlike any of the previous initiatives seen, this dialogue is truly Libyan-led and grassroots under the leadership of Prince Mohammed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Announcing an impressive roster of Libyans who have travelled to meet with him in capitals around the world, the extent to which this project is truly inclusive is distinctive.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>From currently serving political officials to community leaders and elders from across the land, to military leaders, academics, the youth and many others, they have all come to see the Crown Prince with the same message in mind: the time has come to work together to create a truly united Libya.<\/p>\n<h2>What can we learn from Libya's history?<\/h2><p>As Prince Mohammed reminded those present, an important fact that has been under-appreciated is that Libya faced similar, though of course not identical, challenges immediately after World War II.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The ravages of the multi-decade Italian colonisation, World War II itself where Libya was a field of battle, set in the context of the same tribal, regional and ethnic affiliations and fissures you see today, combined to create a political landscape possibly even worse than Libya faces today.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But immediately after, Libya found a way out to herald in what is commonly referred to now as its Golden Era.<\/p>\n<p>It did so by relying on its own cultural and historic norms, falling back on its own national identity, to implement political processes and constructs that had intrinsic legitimacy, the necessary national significance to be unifying, as well as the necessary symbols and institutions that fostered loyalty and patriotism to make reconciliation and nation building possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">There are many models of democratic constitutional monarchy in the world today ... Each evolved from and is consistent with the country\u2019s own history, culture and national identity. It was the same in Libya.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//16//47//86//808x539_cmsv2_8b48c58a-3bd4-57ed-abf9-5a1ed11ffc07-8164786.jpg/" alt=\"Libya&apos;s King Idris El Senussi, left, and Egypt&apos;s Prince Abdel Moneim attend a state dinner at the Royal Abdin Palace, in Cairo, December 1952\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/384x256_cmsv2_8b48c58a-3bd4-57ed-abf9-5a1ed11ffc07-8164786.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/640x427_cmsv2_8b48c58a-3bd4-57ed-abf9-5a1ed11ffc07-8164786.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/750x500_cmsv2_8b48c58a-3bd4-57ed-abf9-5a1ed11ffc07-8164786.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/828x552_cmsv2_8b48c58a-3bd4-57ed-abf9-5a1ed11ffc07-8164786.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/1080x720_cmsv2_8b48c58a-3bd4-57ed-abf9-5a1ed11ffc07-8164786.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/1200x800_cmsv2_8b48c58a-3bd4-57ed-abf9-5a1ed11ffc07-8164786.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/1920x1281_cmsv2_8b48c58a-3bd4-57ed-abf9-5a1ed11ffc07-8164786.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Libya&apos;s King Idris El Senussi, left, and Egypt&apos;s Prince Abdel Moneim attend a state dinner at the Royal Abdin Palace, in Cairo, December 1952<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Starting in 1949, in under two years, the last National Dialogue reached a consensus to adopt the 1951 Independence Constitution.<\/p>\n<p>It set up a democratic constitutional monarchy, with an elected parliament and representative governance. It established a bicameral legislature comprising a Senate and a House of Representatives, allowing elected officials to voice the concerns of the populace.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7544242,3924500\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//05//29//europe-cannot-ignore-the-libya-crisis-for-long-view/">Europe's inaction on the civil war in Libya will bring crisis to our shores \u01c0 View<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//04//19//as-its-crown-prince-i-want-to-see-a-new-democratic-libya-and-a-stronger-europe/">As its Crown Prince, I want to see a new, democratic Libya and a stronger Europe<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>There was also of course an independent and much-respected judiciary. This framework aimed to ensure a balance of power between the monarchy and the legislative branch, providing avenues for citizen participation and fostering a democratic foundation.<\/p>\n<p>Elections were held, and women were allowed to vote, offering citizens the opportunity to engage in the political process and express their preferences. In fact, women had the right to vote in Libya before they did in Switzerland and Portugal.<\/p>\n<h2>Europe can still have a positive impact on Libya<\/h2><p>There are many models of democratic constitutional monarchy in the world today including Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Malaysia and Japan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Each evolved from and is consistent with the country\u2019s own history, culture and national identity. It was the same in Libya.<\/p>\n<p>Libya\u2019s new National Dialogue should be seen as an opportunity for European leaders to finally have a positive impact on our country.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To date, by any measure, foreign interventions have contributed significantly to instability in our country. Competing outside interests, including amongst European countries, have fanned the flames of internal discord.<\/p>\n<p>There is a need for a paradigm shift, especially amongst European countries, to support the new National Dialogue launched by the crown prince, a homegrown approach to stability and progress in Libya, that is taking hold and has the necessary ingredients for success.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>European policymakers must show an active interest in this new initiative, rather than falling back repeatedly on the failed formulas of the past. The time for action is now.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ashraf Boudouara is a Libyan political analyst and the Chairman of the National Conference for the Return of the Constitutional Monarchy.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at <a href=https://www.euronews.com/news/\"mailto:view@euronews.com\">view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.<\/em><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1704970943,"updatedAt":1704977300,"publishedAt":1704975408,"firstPublishedAt":1704975410,"lastPublishedAt":1704977300,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Euronews","altText":"A young Libyan girls walks by pet birds in cages hanging from a wall painted with the rebel flag in the rebel-held Benghazi, July 2011","callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"caption":"A young Libyan girls walks by pet birds in cages hanging from a wall painted with the rebel flag in the rebel-held Benghazi, July 2011","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_cdbe6016-915d-56f6-9f09-01c3c80e8cf8-8164786.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":900},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Gregorio Borgia","altText":"Prince Mohammed el Hasan el Rida el Senussi in Rome, September 2011","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Prince Mohammed el Hasan el Rida el Senussi in Rome, September 2011","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_ecd118b1-d3ab-5256-b4bb-c7f4498c5d6e-8164786.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":735},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo","altText":"Libya's King Idris El Senussi, left, and Egypt's Prince Abdel Moneim attend a state dinner at the Royal Abdin Palace, in Cairo, December 1952","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Libya's King Idris El Senussi, left, and Egypt's Prince Abdel Moneim attend a state dinner at the Royal Abdin Palace, in Cairo, December 1952","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_8b48c58a-3bd4-57ed-abf9-5a1ed11ffc07-8164786.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Yousef Murad","altText":"Libyan security forces stand guard in Tripoli, August 2023","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Libyan security forces stand guard in Tripoli, August 2023","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/16\/47\/86\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_de3bc7c8-eb32-5110-94ff-92c3fc3f762d-8164786.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"libya","titleRaw":"Libya","id":172,"title":"Libya","slug":"libya"},{"urlSafeValue":"libyan-war","titleRaw":"Libyan war","id":10515,"title":"Libyan war","slug":"libyan-war"},{"urlSafeValue":"european-union","titleRaw":"European Union","id":105,"title":"European Union","slug":"european-union"},{"urlSafeValue":"peace-process","titleRaw":"Peace process","id":12061,"title":"Peace process","slug":"peace-process"},{"urlSafeValue":"euroviews","titleRaw":"Euroviews","id":22480,"title":"Euroviews","slug":"euroviews"}],"widgets":[{"count":3,"slug":"image"},{"count":2,"slug":"quotation"},{"count":2,"slug":"related"}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Ashraf Boudouara","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world news","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"vertical":"news","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"news","id":1,"title":"News","slug":"news"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"news","id":"news","title":"World","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gb_safe_from_high','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_politics','gs_politics_issues_policy','gs_politics_misc','gs_science','gs_science_geography','gs_busfin','neg_facebook_q4','gb_death_injury_high_med','gb_death_injury_high_med_low','gb_death_injury_news-ent','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook','custom_politics_brussels','neg_nespresso','gs_busfin_business','gv_military','gt_positive'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet-web","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":1,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"VIEW LIBYA PEACE EUROPE","path":"\/2024\/01\/11\/libyas-new-national-dialogue-is-a-chance-for-european-leaders-to-make-things-right","lastModified":1704977300},{"id":2452094,"cid":8159192,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240109_BUSU_54467134","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Why Rio Tinto's Guinea iron ore project is starting after 27 years","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Why Rio Tinto's Guinea iron ore project is starting after 27 years","titleListing2":"27 years in the making, why is Rio Tinto's Guinea iron ore project starting now?","leadin":"Rio Tinto's Simandou project in Guinea could finally be making progress after 27 years of consecutive delays.","summary":"Rio Tinto's Simandou project in Guinea could finally be making progress after 27 years of consecutive delays.","keySentence":"","url":"why-rio-tintos-guinea-iron-ore-project-is-starting-after-27-years","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/2024\/01\/09\/why-rio-tintos-guinea-iron-ore-project-is-starting-after-27-years","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Rio Tinto's Simandou iron ore project in Guinea is finally taking off after almost three decades of holding the licence, government turmoil and coups. The project is expected to include two iron ore mines, a trans-Guinean rail line and a deep water port. \n\nThe mining giant, registered in the UK, had first obtained a Guinean exploration licence for the Simandou mountains back in 1997 but had to quickly pump the brakes once the country experienced severe political turmoil. This included four presidents, two coups d\u2019\u00e9tat and three elections. \n\nThis turmoil extended to Rio Tinto itself over the years, further delaying the project, as the company churned through six CEOs, engaged in several corporate court battles and faced corruption charges in the US. \n\nIn the process, they also had to let go of half of the original exploration licence and even considered abandoning the project altogether, but failed to secure the sale. \n\nWhy is the Simandou project significant? \n\nValued at about $20 billion (\u20ac18.27 billion), the Simandou project is believed to be the largest iron ore project in the world, with about 2.8 billion tonnes of reserves. Rio Tinto will be looking at extracting about 1.5 million tonnes over approximately 26 years, with an average grade of about 65.3% iron with minimum impurities. \n\nAccording to the chief executive of Rio Tinto Copper, Bold Baatar, \"There is nothing else out there of this scale and size.\" \n\nDue to its massive size and the capabilities needed to make the most of it, the project is being carried out as a joint venture between the Guinean government, Rio Tinto and about seven other companies, five of which are from China. \n\nThe Simandou complex is expected to have two iron ore mines. One of these, known as Simfer, will be developed by Rio Tinto and Chinalco, the world's largest aluminium company, along with several other Chinese companies. \n\nRio Tinto will retain 53% of Simfer's ownership, whereas Chinalco and its consortium will have the remaining 47%. \n\nThe second iron ore mine in the complex, dubbed the WCS project, is expected to be operated by Chinese steel production company Baowu and the Winning International Group, based in Singapore, along with its consortium. In this case, the latter will have 51% ownership, with Baowu owning 49%. \n\nThe 552km main rail line connecting the country's inland mountains to its Atlantic coast will be paid for by all the parties together. However, Rio Tinto and the Chinalco consortium will have to foot the bill separately for a 70km offshoot of rail line connecting their Simfer mine to the main line. \n\nExpected to be functional by 2025, the Simandou complex is likely to reach a full capacity of about 60 million tonnes every year by 2028. If so, this would account for about 5% of worldwide seaborne iron ore. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Rio Tinto&#039;s Simandou iron ore project in Guinea is finally taking off after almost three decades of holding the licence, government turmoil and coups. The project is expected to include two iron ore mines, a trans-Guinean rail line and a deep water port.<\/p>\n<p>The mining giant, registered in the UK, had first obtained a Guinean exploration licence for the Simandou mountains back in 1997 but had to quickly pump the brakes once the country experienced severe political turmoil. This included four presidents, two coups d\u2019\u00e9tat and three elections.<\/p>\n<p>This turmoil extended to <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//business//2023//12//22//will-these-mining-stocks-dig-their-way-to-greatness-in-2024/">Rio Tinto<\/strong><\/a> itself over the years, further delaying the project, as the company churned through six CEOs, engaged in several corporate court battles and faced corruption charges in the US.<\/p>\n<p>In the process, they also had to let go of half of the original exploration licence and even considered abandoning the project altogether, but failed to secure the sale.<\/p>\n<h2>Why is the Simandou project significant?<\/h2><p>Valued at about $20 billion (\u20ac18.27 billion), the Simandou project is believed to be the largest iron ore project in the world, with about 2.8 billion tonnes of reserves. Rio Tinto will be looking at extracting about 1.5 million tonnes over approximately 26 years, with an average grade of about 65.3% iron with minimum impurities.<\/p>\n<p>According to the chief executive of Rio Tinto Copper, Bold Baatar, \"There is nothing else out there of this scale and size.\"<\/p>\n<p>Due to its massive size and the capabilities needed to make the most of it, the project is being carried out as a joint venture between the Guinean government, Rio Tinto and about seven other companies, five of which are from China.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8122990,8157074\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//business//2024//01//05//which-uk-savings-accounts-pay-the-highest-interest-rates/">Which UK savings accounts pay the highest interest rates? <\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//business//2024//01//08//evergrandes-ev-company-says-police-have-detained-one-of-its-top-executives/">Evergrande's EV company says police have detained one of its top executives<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Simandou complex is expected to have two iron ore mines. One of these, known as Simfer, will be developed by Rio Tinto and Chinalco, the world&#039;s largest aluminium company, along with several other Chinese companies.<\/p>\n<p>Rio Tinto will retain 53% of Simfer&#039;s ownership, whereas Chinalco and its consortium will have the remaining 47%.<\/p>\n<p>The second iron ore mine in the complex, dubbed the WCS project, is expected to be operated by Chinese steel production company Baowu and the Winning International Group, based in Singapore, along with its consortium. In this case, the latter will have 51% ownership, with Baowu owning 49%.<\/p>\n<p>The 552km main rail line connecting the country&#039;s inland mountains to its Atlantic coast will be paid for by all the parties together. However, Rio Tinto and the Chinalco consortium will have to foot the bill separately for a 70km offshoot of rail line connecting their Simfer mine to the main line.<\/p>\n<p>Expected to be functional by 2025, the Simandou complex is likely to reach a full capacity of about 60 million tonnes every year by 2028. If so, this would account for about 5% of worldwide seaborne iron ore.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1704783175,"updatedAt":1704801011,"publishedAt":1704789978,"firstPublishedAt":1704789981,"lastPublishedAt":1704801011,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Khalil Hamra\/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved.","altText":"Ore is hauled from the Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Herriman, Utah. Rio Tinto will begin manufacturing tellurium, a rare mineral used in ","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Ore is hauled from the Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Herriman, Utah. Rio Tinto will begin manufacturing tellurium, a rare mineral used in ","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/91\/92\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_d244176b-d433-5026-9ae8-8d4b73bad3b9-8159192.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":576}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"lahiri","twitter":null,"title":"Indrabati Lahiri"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"guinea","titleRaw":"Guinea","id":135,"title":"Guinea","slug":"guinea"},{"urlSafeValue":"mining","titleRaw":"Mining","id":193,"title":"Mining","slug":"mining"},{"urlSafeValue":"metals","titleRaw":"Metals","id":28062,"title":"Metals","slug":"metals"},{"urlSafeValue":"metals-market","titleRaw":"Metals market","id":11081,"title":"Metals market","slug":"metals-market"}],"widgets":[{"count":1,"slug":"related"}],"related":[{"id":2451458},{"id":2452238}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":null,"freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"business","urlSafeValue":"business","title":"Business","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/business\/business"},"vertical":"business","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"business","id":11,"title":"Business","slug":"business"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":11,"slug":"business","urlSafeValue":"business","title":"Business"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"business","id":"business","title":"Business","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/business"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":7,"urlSafeValue":"business","title":"Business"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":135,"urlSafeValue":"guinea","title":"Guinea","url":"\/news\/africa\/guinea"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_busfin','gs_science_geography','gs_science','gs_politics','gs_busfin_business','gs_politics_issues_policy','gs_politics_misc','gt_negative','neg_mobkoi_castrol','gs_busfin_indus','gb_crime_edu','gb_crime_high_med_low','neg_nespresso','neg_facebook_q4'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"Why Rio Tinto's Guinea iron ore project is starting after 27 years","path":"\/business\/2024\/01\/09\/why-rio-tintos-guinea-iron-ore-project-is-starting-after-27-years","lastModified":1704801011},{"id":2451726,"cid":8158114,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240108_NWWB_54461068","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"In Egypt, al-Sisi\u2019s reelection is a replay of his first bid for power","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"In Egypt, al-Sisi\u2019s reelection is a replay of his first bid for power","titleListing2":"VIEW | The embrace of Russian state interests in spreading anti-Western and anti-Ukrainian narratives by Egyptian punditry is just one of the peculiarities surrounding al-Sisi\u2019s new term, Nathaniel Greenberg writes.","leadin":"The embrace of Russian state interests in spreading anti-Western and anti-Ukrainian narratives by Egyptian punditry is just one of the peculiarities surrounding al-Sisi\u2019s new term, Nathaniel Greenberg writes.","summary":"The embrace of Russian state interests in spreading anti-Western and anti-Ukrainian narratives by Egyptian punditry is just one of the peculiarities surrounding al-Sisi\u2019s new term, Nathaniel Greenberg writes.","keySentence":"","url":"in-egypt-al-sisis-reelection-is-a-replay-of-his-first-bid-for-power","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2024\/01\/08\/in-egypt-al-sisis-reelection-is-a-replay-of-his-first-bid-for-power","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Little surprise surrounded the recent elections in Egypt, where the incumbent President and former Defence Minister Abd al-Fatah al-Sisi swept to power with a reported 89.6% of the vote.\u00a0 \n\nWhile al-Sisi ran on a host of promises, including plans to lift Egypt out of its ongoing economic crisis, the geopolitics of the wars in Ukraine and Palestine coloured the election in ways that were also unsurprising. \n\n\u201cDown with Israel. No displacement or rehoming,\" was the chant attributed to \u201cangry protests in all Egyptian governorates,\u201d according to Egypt Today, one of the country\u2019s semi-official English-language news outlets. \n\nIn advance of an 18 October meeting with US President Joe Biden, al-Sisi declared: \"What is happening now in Gaza is an attempt to force civilian residents to take refugee and migrate to Egypt, which should not be accepted.\u201d \n\nWhere did the claim come from? \n\nMystery surrounded the origins of the claim, which, in the brutal displacement south of Egypt\u2019s besieged neighbours, appeared virtually self-evident. \n\nBut on 23 October, the Russian-state news behemoth, RT Arabic, provided a credible source for the rumour. A right-wing think tank with ties to the Israeli Ministry of Intelligence had published a white paper alluding to the plot that was now materialising on the ground.\u00a0 \n\nIn typical propagandist fashion, the RT story replicated across dozens of affiliated websites within the Russo-Arabic media sphere as well as other major Arabic satellite networks.\u00a0 \n\nThe convenient factor that none of the syndicating sources attributed their findings to the original RT item lent credence to the appearance of consensus.\u00a0 \n\nOstensible vindication of the information, also promulgated one week later by the Israeli outlet Local Call which disclosed a separate, leaked document, apparently from Israel\u2019s Ministry of Intelligence, further compounded the veritas of al-Sisi\u2019s powerful campaign pitch.\u00a0 \n\nThe Local Call piece and the leaked white paper also gained traction in Western media. \n\nAre conspiratorial machinations driving the narrative? \n\nBut, in fact, it was just days following the attacks in Israel that Russian-aligned propaganda in Egypt began amplifying the narrative that a secret accord between the Muslim Brotherhood, Israel and the US promised the relocation of the people of Gaza to the Sinai peninsula.\u00a0 \n\nNo surprise as the triad had long occupied a central role in contemporary Egyptian folklore.\u00a0 \n\nThe counterrevolutionary movement known as Tamarod that first carried al-Sisi to power in 2014 was motivated in part by the same narrative and through much the same chain of influence.\u00a0 \n\nVia new media platforms like X, Telegraph and YouTube, obscure but viral hubs like \"Egypt\u2019s Channel\", run by a former Egyptian state-media head, spun elaborate scenarios about the \"Sinai plot\", which now also involved the government of Ukraine.\u00a0 \n\nWhile leaving the actions or funding for Hamas unexamined, the conspiratorial machinations drove pro-Sisi demonstrators to the streets and further inflamed seemingly tangential conflicts like the ongoing struggle for power in Libya, where the Kremlin is actively pursuing to overthrow the Tripoli government and empower their preferred candidate, Seif al-Qadafi. \n\nEgyptian state interests should come first\u00a0\u2014 but will they? \n\nIn the end, the embrace of Russian state interests by Egyptian punditry is just one of the peculiarities surrounding al-Sisi\u2019s new term.\u00a0 \n\nAs the regime ages, one would hope that Egyptian state interests will someday trump those of Russia or any other foreign power.\u00a0 \n\nThe prospect for now, however, seems unlikely, as more often than not in Egypt history tends to repeat itself, if often in the form of farce. \n\nNathaniel Greenberg is Associate Professor of Arabic at George Mason University and the author of \"How Information Warfare Shaped the Arab Spring\". \n\nAt Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Little surprise surrounded the recent elections in Egypt, where the incumbent President and former Defence Minister Abd al-Fatah al-Sisi swept to power with a reported 89.6% of the vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While al-Sisi ran on a host of promises, including plans to lift Egypt out of its ongoing economic crisis, the geopolitics of the wars in Ukraine and Palestine coloured the election in ways that were also unsurprising.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDown with Israel. No displacement or rehoming,\" was the chant attributed to \u201cangry protests in all Egyptian governorates,\u201d according to Egypt Today, one of the country\u2019s semi-official English-language news outlets.<\/p>\n<p>In advance of an 18 October meeting with US President Joe Biden, al-Sisi declared: \"What is happening now in Gaza is an attempt to force civilian residents to take refugee and migrate to Egypt, which should not be accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Where did the claim come from?<\/h2><p>Mystery surrounded the origins of the claim, which, in the brutal displacement south of Egypt\u2019s besieged neighbours, appeared virtually self-evident.<\/p>\n<p>But on 23 October, the Russian-state news behemoth, RT Arabic, provided a credible source for the rumour. A right-wing think tank with ties to the Israeli Ministry of Intelligence had published a white paper alluding to the plot that was now materialising on the ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In typical propagandist fashion, the RT story replicated across dozens of affiliated websites within the Russo-Arabic media sphere as well as other major Arabic satellite networks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//15//81//14//808x539_cmsv2_398f99ad-bce0-5e64-9552-2c07f6b05f6d-8158114.jpg/" alt=\"A truck crosses the Rafah border crossing, from Gaza Strip to Egypt, after delivering humanitarian aid, November 2023\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/384x256_cmsv2_398f99ad-bce0-5e64-9552-2c07f6b05f6d-8158114.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/640x427_cmsv2_398f99ad-bce0-5e64-9552-2c07f6b05f6d-8158114.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/750x500_cmsv2_398f99ad-bce0-5e64-9552-2c07f6b05f6d-8158114.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/828x552_cmsv2_398f99ad-bce0-5e64-9552-2c07f6b05f6d-8158114.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/1080x720_cmsv2_398f99ad-bce0-5e64-9552-2c07f6b05f6d-8158114.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/1200x800_cmsv2_398f99ad-bce0-5e64-9552-2c07f6b05f6d-8158114.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/1920x1281_cmsv2_398f99ad-bce0-5e64-9552-2c07f6b05f6d-8158114.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">A truck crosses the Rafah border crossing, from Gaza Strip to Egypt, after delivering humanitarian aid, November 2023<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Amr Nabil<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The convenient factor that none of the syndicating sources attributed their findings to the original RT item lent credence to the appearance of consensus.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ostensible vindication of the information, also promulgated one week later by the Israeli outlet Local Call which disclosed a separate, leaked document, apparently from Israel\u2019s Ministry of Intelligence, further compounded the veritas of al-Sisi\u2019s powerful campaign pitch.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8134530,8117766\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//12//26//egypt-presents-gaza-ceasefire-plan-who-worried-about-hospitals/">Egypt presents Gaza ceasefire plan, WHO worried about hospitals<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//12//18//egypts-president-abdel-fattah-el-sissi-wins-third-term-in-office/">Egypt's president Abdel Fattah El-Sissi wins third term in office<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Local Call piece and the leaked white paper also gained traction in Western media.<\/p>\n<h2>Are conspiratorial machinations driving the narrative?<\/h2><p>But, in fact, it was just days following the attacks in Israel that Russian-aligned propaganda in Egypt began amplifying the narrative that a secret accord between the Muslim Brotherhood, Israel and the US promised the relocation of the people of Gaza to the Sinai peninsula.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>No surprise as the triad had long occupied a central role in contemporary Egyptian folklore.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">Via new media platforms like X, Telegraph and YouTube, obscure but viral hubs like &quot;Egypt\u2019s Channel&quot;, run by a former Egyptian state-media head, spun elaborate scenarios about the &quot;Sinai plot&quot;, which now also involved the government of Ukraine.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//15//81//14//808x539_cmsv2_81c0cbc7-c8c4-578c-8032-82651224ef12-8158114.jpg/" alt=\"Vehicles pass near banners supporting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi for the presidential elections, in Cairo, December 2023\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/384x256_cmsv2_81c0cbc7-c8c4-578c-8032-82651224ef12-8158114.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/640x427_cmsv2_81c0cbc7-c8c4-578c-8032-82651224ef12-8158114.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/750x500_cmsv2_81c0cbc7-c8c4-578c-8032-82651224ef12-8158114.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/828x552_cmsv2_81c0cbc7-c8c4-578c-8032-82651224ef12-8158114.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/1080x720_cmsv2_81c0cbc7-c8c4-578c-8032-82651224ef12-8158114.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/1200x800_cmsv2_81c0cbc7-c8c4-578c-8032-82651224ef12-8158114.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/1920x1281_cmsv2_81c0cbc7-c8c4-578c-8032-82651224ef12-8158114.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Vehicles pass near banners supporting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi for the presidential elections, in Cairo, December 2023<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Amr Nabil<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The counterrevolutionary movement known as Tamarod that first carried al-Sisi to power in 2014 was motivated in part by the same narrative and through much the same chain of influence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Via new media platforms like X, Telegraph and YouTube, obscure but viral hubs like \"Egypt\u2019s Channel\", run by a former Egyptian state-media head, spun elaborate scenarios about the \"Sinai plot\", which now also involved the government of Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7496226,8050050\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//11//18//eu-chief-meets-egypts-president-to-discuss-israel-hamas-war/">EU chief meets Egypt's president to discuss Israel-Hamas war<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//03//29//russia-uses-propaganda-to-make-egypt-the-linchpin-of-its-new-cold-war-with-the-west/">Russia is using propaganda to make Egypt the linchpin of its new Cold War with the West<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>While leaving the actions or funding for Hamas unexamined, the conspiratorial machinations drove pro-Sisi demonstrators to the streets and further inflamed seemingly tangential conflicts like the ongoing struggle for power in Libya, where the Kremlin is actively pursuing to overthrow the Tripoli government and empower their preferred candidate, Seif al-Qadafi.<\/p>\n<h2>Egyptian state interests should come first\u00a0\u2014 but will they?<\/h2><p>In the end, the embrace of Russian state interests by Egyptian punditry is just one of the peculiarities surrounding al-Sisi\u2019s new term.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As the regime ages, one would hope that Egyptian state interests will someday trump those of Russia or any other foreign power.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The prospect for now, however, seems unlikely, as more often than not in Egypt history tends to repeat itself, if often in the form of farce.<\/p>\n<p><em>Nathaniel Greenberg is Associate Professor of Arabic at George Mason University and the author of \"How Information Warfare Shaped the Arab Spring\".<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at <a href=https://www.euronews.com/news/\"mailto:view@euronews.com\">view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.<\/em><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1704721138,"updatedAt":1704723082,"publishedAt":1704723079,"firstPublishedAt":1704723082,"lastPublishedAt":1704723082,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Euronews","altText":"Egyptian President Abd al-Fatah al-Sisi attends a military ceremony in the courtyard at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris, October 2017","callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"caption":"Egyptian President Abd al-Fatah al-Sisi attends a military ceremony in the courtyard at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris, October 2017","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_565ae601-d656-5665-8a7a-6df97e5767d7-8158114.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":900},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Amr Nabil","altText":"A truck crosses the Rafah border crossing, from Gaza Strip to Egypt, after delivering humanitarian aid, November 2023","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"A truck crosses the Rafah border crossing, from Gaza Strip to Egypt, after delivering humanitarian aid, November 2023","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_398f99ad-bce0-5e64-9552-2c07f6b05f6d-8158114.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Amr Nabil","altText":"Vehicles pass near banners supporting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi for the presidential elections, in Cairo, December 2023","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Vehicles pass near banners supporting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi for the presidential elections, in Cairo, December 2023","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/81\/14\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_81c0cbc7-c8c4-578c-8032-82651224ef12-8158114.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"egyptian-politics","titleRaw":"Egyptian politics","id":9343,"title":"Egyptian politics","slug":"egyptian-politics"},{"urlSafeValue":"abdel-fattah-al-sisi","titleRaw":"Abdel Fattah al-Sisi","id":11764,"title":"Abdel Fattah al-Sisi","slug":"abdel-fattah-al-sisi"},{"urlSafeValue":"russia","titleRaw":"Russia","id":239,"title":"Russia","slug":"russia"},{"urlSafeValue":"kremlin","titleRaw":"Kremlin","id":4470,"title":"Kremlin","slug":"kremlin"},{"urlSafeValue":"egypt","titleRaw":"Egypt","id":81,"title":"Egypt","slug":"egypt"},{"urlSafeValue":"euroviews","titleRaw":"Euroviews","id":22480,"title":"Euroviews","slug":"euroviews"}],"widgets":[{"count":2,"slug":"image"},{"count":1,"slug":"quotation"},{"count":2,"slug":"related"}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Nathaniel Greenberg","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world news","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"vertical":"news","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"news","id":1,"title":"News","slug":"news"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"news","id":"news","title":"World","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":81,"urlSafeValue":"egypt","title":"Egypt","url":"\/news\/africa\/egypt"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gb_safe_from_high','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','gs_politics','gs_politics_issues_policy','gs_politics_misc','neg_nespresso','neg_mobkoi_castrol','gs_science','neg_meta_oct23_eng','neg_facebook_q4','shadow9hu7_pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_science_geography','gs_busfin','gt_negative','neg_intel_mobkoi','gb_death_injury_high_med','gb_death_injury_high_med_low','gb_death_injury_news-ent','neg_ukraine_russia_war','gs_tech_compute','gv_military','gs_politics_elections'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet-web","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":1,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"VIEW EGYPT ELECTION EU","path":"\/2024\/01\/08\/in-egypt-al-sisis-reelection-is-a-replay-of-his-first-bid-for-power","lastModified":1704723082},{"id":2449442,"cid":8151482,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240104_GNWB_54434131","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Will we keep thinking of Africa even after COP28?","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Will we keep thinking of Africa even after COP28?","titleListing2":"VIEW | Africa can play a key role in a future global green economy and might be our biggest source of hope with the right investments, Joseph Hammond writes.","leadin":"Africa can play a key role in a future global green economy and might be our biggest source of hope with the right investments, Joseph Hammond writes.","summary":"Africa can play a key role in a future global green economy and might be our biggest source of hope with the right investments, Joseph Hammond writes.","keySentence":"","url":"will-we-keep-thinking-of-africa-even-after-cop28","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/2024\/01\/05\/will-we-keep-thinking-of-africa-even-after-cop28","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"COP28\u2019s historic agreement to phase down fossil fuels embodies, in a way, a paraphrasing of Winston Churchill\u2019s famous quip: not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning in a long and important struggle waged over the future of the environment writ large. \n\nNowhere is this more true than in Africa.\u00a0While Western media tend to dub the continent as \u201cthe world economy\u2019s biggest problem\u201d, there are a lot of problems with that sentiment, not least that the inverse is true. \n\nWhile Africa produces less than 4% of cumulative carbon emissions, the world's second most populous continent will be home to one out of four people on the planet by 2050.\u00a0 \n\nIt quickly becomes apparent that Africa can play a key role in a future global green economy and might be\u00a0our biggest source of hope with the right investments, and\u00a0it will be critical for African nations to further their development in line with broader environmental goals. \n\nNairobi before Dubai \n\nIn this regard, it is worth noting that COP28 marked an important step forward for the goals laid out in the Nairobi declaration in September at Africa\u2019s first-ever Climate Week.\u00a0 \n\nThe historic event saw 19 African leaders travel to Kenya \u2014 the biggest international summit in the country's history just by the number of participating states. \n\nThe choice of Kenya was fitting. The country is at the vanguard of so many issues on climate change.\u00a0 \n\nPresident of Kenya\u00a0William Ruto\u00a0has described carbon credits as an \u201cunparalleled economic gold mine\u201d and has promoted tree-planting and other environmental initiatives. \n\nCongested yet lovable, Nairobi is also an important proving ground for the future of e-mobility partly because delivery services of foods, medicines and more remain vital.\u00a0 \n\nThe government has invested in charging stations and other incentives to make that future a reality. Thanks to the country\u2019s vast geothermal resources, much of its future growth can and will be powered by clean energy. \n\nThe agreement at COP28 in Dubai was fully in line with the vision of the Nairobi Declaration which called for the world to act with urgency in reducing emissions, fulfilling its obligations, honouring past promises, and supporting the continent in addressing climate change,\u201d as well as climate-positive growth paradigm. \n\nBillions pledged, trillions needed \n\nCOP28 President Sultan Al Jaber has had his eye on Africa in more ways than one. \n\nMasdar, the UAE energy company that Al Jaber leads as one of his many hats, has committed to fund 10GW of green energy in Africa.\u00a0 \n\nFurthermore,\u00a0at Africa Climate Week in September, Emirati investors pledged some $4.5 billion (\u20ac4.1bn) in investments in clean energy projects. These are opportunities African leaders should remember and not let by. \n\nWhile Al Jaber was blasted in the Western press for a number of issues ahead of COP28, his ability to think laterally was key to his presidency and deliver the most successful COP summit in history \u2014 one that included several deals that could have a transformative impact for Africa. \n\nCOP28 saw the launch of a Loss and Damage fund which was agreed to last year at COP27 in Egypt, which is now poised to finally get some funding.\u00a0 \n\nAlbeit under $1bn when trillions are needed, it is something that has been in the making for thirty years, and COP28 has finally created the precedent and operational structure to get the fund off the ground. \n\nThis is the type of funding African economies clearly need. The African Development Bank Group's chief economist Kevin Urama warned last year that climate change is clipping the annual growth of African economies by 5-15%. If true, this is intolerable. \n\nGlobal capital should also seek ways to support green industries in Africa for other reasons as well.\u00a0 \n\nIn December of last year, President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu called for Africa to become the world\u2019s \u201cgreen manufacturing powerhouse\u201d. Until now much of that production has been based in Asia but, there are many reasons to make the switch. \n\nThis is why the $30bn (\u20ac27.3bn) that the UAE committed to clean energy investments at COP28 could have an outsized impact on Africa, a continent primed for steep solar expansion. The fund, intended to grow to $250bn (\u20ac228.2bn) by 2030, would be the biggest in the world. \n\nA measured, carefully thought-out transition is needed \n\nThere are other reasons why Africa is well-placed to benefit from the impending surge in clean energy investments.\u00a0 \n\nWhile a number of issues, including grave ethical and moral conundrums, have popped up with investments elsewhere, Africa presents an alternative and should be rewarded.\u00a0 \n\nThis topic needs to be a bigger part of the discussion at the next Africa Climate Week.\u00a0 \n\nAgain, Africa accounts for 3.8% of emissions coming from all of its countries compared to 23% for China. Green hydrogen presents the best hope for cleaner industrial processes and Africa is set to play a key role in its future. \n\nThe watershed agreement at COP28 to reduce fossil fuels has been criticised by some. Yet, the decision to \u201cphase down\u201d rather than \u201cphase out\u201d was a tactical one.\u00a0 \n\nA just transition is just that: a transition which must be measured and carefully thought out; a process that will continue next year in Baku at COP29. \n\nJoseph Hammond is a journalist who has reported extensively from Africa, Eurasia and the Middle East, as well as a former Fulbright Public Policy Fellow. \n\nAt Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>COP28\u2019s historic agreement to phase down fossil fuels embodies, in a way, a paraphrasing of Winston Churchill\u2019s famous quip: not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning in a long and important struggle waged over the future of the environment writ large.<\/p>\n<p>Nowhere is this more true than in Africa.\u00a0While Western media tend to dub the continent as \u201cthe world economy\u2019s biggest problem\u201d, there are a lot of problems with that sentiment, not least that the inverse is true.<\/p>\n<p>While Africa produces less than 4% of cumulative carbon emissions, the world&#039;s second most populous continent will be home to one out of four people on the planet by 2050.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It quickly becomes apparent that Africa can play a key role in a future global green economy and might be\u00a0our biggest source of hope with the right investments, and\u00a0it will be critical for African nations to further their development in line with broader environmental goals.<\/p>\n<h2>Nairobi before Dubai<\/h2><p>In this regard, it is worth noting that COP28 marked an important step forward for the goals laid out in the Nairobi declaration in September at Africa\u2019s first-ever Climate Week.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The historic event saw 19 African leaders travel to Kenya \u2014 the biggest international summit in the country&#039;s history just by the number of participating states.<\/p>\n<p>The choice of Kenya was fitting. The country is at the vanguard of so many issues on climate change.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>President of Kenya\u00a0William Ruto\u00a0has described carbon credits as an \u201cunparalleled economic gold mine\u201d and has promoted tree-planting and other environmental initiatives.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//87//47//18//808x539_cmsv2_d0a258b4-22dc-5f1b-bb07-43aa6ef557ed-7874718.jpg/" alt=\"Kenyan President William Ruto addresses delegates during the closing session of the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, September 2023\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/87\/47\/18\/384x256_cmsv2_d0a258b4-22dc-5f1b-bb07-43aa6ef557ed-7874718.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/87\/47\/18\/640x427_cmsv2_d0a258b4-22dc-5f1b-bb07-43aa6ef557ed-7874718.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/87\/47\/18\/750x500_cmsv2_d0a258b4-22dc-5f1b-bb07-43aa6ef557ed-7874718.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/87\/47\/18\/828x552_cmsv2_d0a258b4-22dc-5f1b-bb07-43aa6ef557ed-7874718.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/87\/47\/18\/1080x720_cmsv2_d0a258b4-22dc-5f1b-bb07-43aa6ef557ed-7874718.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/87\/47\/18\/1200x800_cmsv2_d0a258b4-22dc-5f1b-bb07-43aa6ef557ed-7874718.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/87\/47\/18\/1920x1281_cmsv2_d0a258b4-22dc-5f1b-bb07-43aa6ef557ed-7874718.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Kenyan President William Ruto addresses delegates during the closing session of the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, September 2023<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Olamikan Gbemiga<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Congested yet lovable, Nairobi is also an important proving ground for the future of e-mobility partly because delivery services of foods, medicines and more remain vital.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The government has invested in charging stations and other incentives to make that future a reality. Thanks to the country\u2019s vast geothermal resources, much of its future growth can and will be powered by clean energy.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8107530,8100668\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//11//america-is-failing-africa-by-not-taking-cop28-seriously/">America is failing Africa by not taking COP28 seriously<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//business//2023//12//20//africa-a-continent-with-huge-economic-potential/">Africa: A Continent with huge economic potential<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The agreement at COP28 in Dubai was fully in line with the vision of the Nairobi Declaration which called for the world to act with urgency in reducing emissions, fulfilling its obligations, honouring past promises, and supporting the continent in addressing climate change,\u201d as well as climate-positive growth paradigm.<\/p>\n<h2>Billions pledged, trillions needed<\/h2><p>COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber has had his eye on Africa in more ways than one.<\/p>\n<p>Masdar, the UAE energy company that Al Jaber leads as one of his many hats, has committed to fund 10GW of green energy in Africa.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore,\u00a0at Africa Climate Week in September, Emirati investors pledged some $4.5 billion (\u20ac4.1bn) in investments in clean energy projects. These are opportunities African leaders should remember and not let by.<\/p>\n<p>While Al Jaber was blasted in the Western press for a number of issues ahead of COP28, his ability to think laterally was key to his presidency and deliver the most successful COP summit in history \u2014 one that included several deals that could have a transformative impact for Africa.<\/p>\n<p>COP28 saw the launch of a Loss and Damage fund which was agreed to last year at COP27 in Egypt, which is now poised to finally get some funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Albeit under $1bn when trillions are needed, it is something that has been in the making for thirty years, and COP28 has finally created the precedent and operational structure to get the fund off the ground.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//68//98//44//808x539_cmsv2_390282b5-5748-5251-97bc-a7fd044eac72-7689844.jpg/" alt=\"Men display a solar panel for sale at a shop in Abuja, June 2023\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/98\/44\/384x256_cmsv2_390282b5-5748-5251-97bc-a7fd044eac72-7689844.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/98\/44\/640x427_cmsv2_390282b5-5748-5251-97bc-a7fd044eac72-7689844.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/98\/44\/750x500_cmsv2_390282b5-5748-5251-97bc-a7fd044eac72-7689844.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/98\/44\/828x552_cmsv2_390282b5-5748-5251-97bc-a7fd044eac72-7689844.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/98\/44\/1080x720_cmsv2_390282b5-5748-5251-97bc-a7fd044eac72-7689844.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/98\/44\/1200x800_cmsv2_390282b5-5748-5251-97bc-a7fd044eac72-7689844.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/98\/44\/1920x1281_cmsv2_390282b5-5748-5251-97bc-a7fd044eac72-7689844.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Men display a solar panel for sale at a shop in Abuja, June 2023<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Olamikan Gbemiga<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This is the type of funding African economies clearly need. The African Development Bank Group&#039;s chief economist Kevin Urama warned last year that climate change is clipping the annual growth of African economies by 5-15%. If true, this is intolerable.<\/p>\n<p>Global capital should also seek ways to support green industries in Africa for other reasons as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In December of last year, President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu called for Africa to become the world\u2019s \u201cgreen manufacturing powerhouse\u201d. Until now much of that production has been based in Asia but, there are many reasons to make the switch.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7875518,7963718\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//09//06//the-wests-view-of-africa-as-a-climate-victim-is-crippling-real-solutions/">The West\u2019s view of Africa as a \u2018climate victim\u2019 is crippling real solutions <\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//10//12//niger-is-the-latest-victim-of-africas-development-paradox/">Niger is the latest victim of Africa\u2019s development paradox<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This is why the $30bn (\u20ac27.3bn) that the UAE committed to clean energy investments at COP28 could have an outsized impact on Africa, a continent primed for steep solar expansion. The fund, intended to grow to $250bn (\u20ac228.2bn) by 2030, would be the biggest in the world.<\/p>\n<h2>A measured, carefully thought-out transition is needed<\/h2><p>There are other reasons why Africa is well-placed to benefit from the impending surge in clean energy investments.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While a number of issues, including grave ethical and moral conundrums, have popped up with investments elsewhere, Africa presents an alternative and should be rewarded.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This topic needs to be a bigger part of the discussion at the next Africa Climate Week.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Again, Africa accounts for 3.8% of emissions coming from all of its countries compared to 23% for China. Green hydrogen presents the best hope for cleaner industrial processes and Africa is set to play a key role in its future.<\/p>\n<p>The watershed agreement at COP28 to reduce fossil fuels has been criticised by some. Yet, the decision to \u201cphase down\u201d rather than \u201cphase out\u201d was a tactical one.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A just transition is just that: a transition which must be measured and carefully thought out; a process that will continue next year in Baku at COP29.<\/p>\n<p><em>Joseph Hammond is a journalist who has reported extensively from Africa, Eurasia and the Middle East, as well as a former Fulbright Public Policy Fellow.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at <a href=https://www.euronews.com/news/\"mailto:view@euronews.com\">view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.<\/em><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1704382682,"updatedAt":1704456795,"publishedAt":1704456791,"firstPublishedAt":1704456795,"lastPublishedAt":1704456795,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Euronews","altText":"A technician examines solar panels on the roof of a company in Nairobi, September 2023","callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"caption":"A technician examines solar panels on the roof of a company in Nairobi, September 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News","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/green-news"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":35,"urlSafeValue":"green-news","title":"Green News"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":[],"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_busfin','gs_science','gs_science_geography','gs_busfin_business','gs_busfin_indus','gs_business','progressivemedia','gt_mixed','gs_busfin_business_green','gs_science_environ','african_related_content_uk','neg_audi_list1','environment','neg_saudiaramco'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet-web","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":1,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"VIEW AFRICA WHAT IT GAINED FROM COP28","path":"\/green\/2024\/01\/05\/will-we-keep-thinking-of-africa-even-after-cop28","lastModified":1704456795},{"id":2449642,"cid":8152034,"versionId":9,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240105_NWSU_54436646","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Athlete Oscar Pistorius released from prison, say authorities","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":null,"titleListing2":"Athlete Oscar Pistorius released from prison, say authorities","leadin":"Pistorius has served nearly nine years of his 13 years and five months murder sentence for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine\u2019s Day 2013.","summary":"Pistorius has served nearly nine years of his 13 years and five months murder sentence for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine\u2019s Day 2013.","keySentence":"","url":"athlete-oscar-pistorius-has-been-released-from-prison-say-authorities","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2024\/01\/05\/athlete-oscar-pistorius-has-been-released-from-prison-say-authorities","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"South African athlete\u00a0Oscar Pistorius\u00a0has been released from prison on parole, South Africa\u2019s Department of Corrections said Friday. \n\nHe is now at home.\u00a0 \n\nThe department gave no more details of Pistorius\u2019 release, which was announced around 8:30 a.m. local time.\u00a0 \n\nThe world-famous double-amputee Olympic runner was released from\u00a0the Atteridgeville Correctional Center in the South African capital, Pretoria. \n\nPistorius has served nearly nine years of his 13 years and five months murder sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine\u2019s Day 2013.\u00a0 \n\nHe was approved for parole in November. \n\nSerious offenders in South Africa are eligible for parole after serving at least half their sentence.\u00a0 \n\nThe 37-year-old is expected to initially live at his uncle's mansion in the upscale Pretoria suburb of Waterkloof, where he lived during his murder trial and was also held on house arrest between 2015 and 2016. \n\nTelevision crews, photographers and news reporters gathered outside the correctional centre where\u00a0Pistorius was being held before 6 a.m. local time, hoping to catch a glimpse of the disgraced sports star.\u00a0 \n\nOfficials at South Africa's Department of Corrections previously said they would not announce the time of his release, indicating they wanted to keep him away from the media storm.\u00a0 \n\nPistorius has attracted much media attention since he shot girlfriend Steenkamp\u00a0multiple times through a toilet door at his home in the predawn hours of 14 February 2013. \n\n\u201cHas there been justice for Reeva? Has Oscar served enough time? There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back,\" said Steenkamp's mother June in a statement after the announcement Pistorius would be put on parole. \n\n\"We who remain behind are the ones serving a life sentence.\u201d \n\n","htmlText":"<p>South African athlete\u00a0Oscar Pistorius\u00a0has been released from prison on parole, South Africa\u2019s Department of Corrections said Friday.<\/p>\n<p>He is now at home.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The department gave no more details of Pistorius\u2019 release, which was announced around 8:30 a.m. local time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The world-famous double-amputee Olympic runner was released from\u00a0the Atteridgeville Correctional Center in the South African capital, Pretoria.<\/p>\n<p>Pistorius has served nearly nine years of his 13 years and five months murder sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine\u2019s Day 2013.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He was approved for parole in November.<\/p>\n<p>Serious offenders in South Africa are eligible for parole after serving at least half their sentence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 37-year-old is expected to initially live at his uncle&#039;s mansion in the upscale Pretoria suburb of Waterkloof, where he lived during his murder trial and was also held on house arrest between 2015 and 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Television crews, photographers and news reporters gathered outside the correctional centre where\u00a0Pistorius was being held before 6 a.m. local time, hoping to catch a glimpse of the disgraced sports star.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Officials at South Africa&#039;s Department of Corrections previously said they would not announce the time of his release, indicating they wanted to keep him away from the media storm.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Pistorius has attracted much media attention since he shot girlfriend Steenkamp\u00a0multiple times through a toilet door at his home in the predawn hours of 14 February 2013.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHas there been justice for Reeva? Has Oscar served enough time? There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back,\" said Steenkamp&#039;s mother June in a statement after the announcement Pistorius would be put on parole.<\/p>\n<p>\"We who remain behind are the ones serving a life sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1704419145,"updatedAt":1704452954,"publishedAt":1704438372,"firstPublishedAt":1704438396,"lastPublishedAt":1704442143,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Themba Hadebe\/Copyright 2016 The AP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribu","altText":"Oscar Pistorius.","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Oscar Pistorius.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/15\/20\/30\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_69cce8c8-4039-5dee-ad79-d4fd8e3516e5-8152030.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"oscar-pistorius","titleRaw":"Oscar Pistorius","id":11796,"title":"Oscar Pistorius","slug":"oscar-pistorius"},{"urlSafeValue":"assassination","titleRaw":"Assassination","id":7932,"title":"Assassination","slug":"assassination"},{"urlSafeValue":"violence-against-women","titleRaw":"Violence against women","id":9547,"title":"Violence against women","slug":"violence-against-women"},{"urlSafeValue":"south-africa","titleRaw":"South Africa","id":7889,"title":"South Africa","slug":"south-africa"}],"widgets":[],"related":[],"technicalTags":[{"path":"euronews.byenglishwebteam"},{"path":"euronews"}],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"6f_QEd3zyZc","dailymotionId":"x8r6qes"},"video":1,"videos":[{"duration":35000,"editor":"","filesizeBytes":4700922,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/24\/01\/05\/en\/240105_NWSU_54436646_54436682_35000_120322_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"md"},{"duration":35000,"editor":"","filesizeBytes":6750458,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/NW\/SU\/24\/01\/05\/en\/240105_NWSU_54436646_54436682_35000_120322_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"hd"}],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world news","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"vertical":"news","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"news","id":1,"title":"News","slug":"news"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"news","id":"news","title":"World","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":257,"urlSafeValue":"south-africa","title":"South Africa","url":"\/news\/africa\/south-africa"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_crime','gb_crime_high','gb_crime_high_med','gb_crime_high_med_low','gb_crime_serious','gb_crime_news-ent','gs_law','gs_law_misc','gb_crime_edu','gs_realestate','gs_popculture','gs_popculture_celebhome','gs_sport_paralympics'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"PESTORIUS RELEASE","path":"\/2024\/01\/05\/athlete-oscar-pistorius-has-been-released-from-prison-say-authorities","lastModified":1704442143},{"id":2440780,"cid":8124484,"versionId":5,"archive":0,"housenumber":"231220_ECSU_54299505","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"The DRC enlists Turkish collaboration for ambitious development plans","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":null,"titleListing2":"The DRC enlists Turkish collaboration for ambitious development plans","leadin":"The DRC enlists Turkish collaboration for ambitious development plans","summary":"The DRC enlists Turkish collaboration for ambitious development plans","keySentence":"","url":"the-drc-enlists-turkish-collaboration-for-ambitious-development-plans","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/2023\/12\/29\/the-drc-enlists-turkish-collaboration-for-ambitious-development-plans","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"It is hoped that the unveiling of a major new financial centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo will usher in a new era for the country, one which places transparency and accountability at the heart of future development. \n\nThe Centre Financier de Kinshasa opened on December 19th with DRC President F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi;DRC Prime Minister, Sama Lukonde; Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome, Patrice Emery Trovoada; Aim\u00e9 Boji Sangara, Minister of State, Minister Budget Nicolas Kazadi, the Minister of Finance;; and Turhan Mildon, CEO of Turkish construction company Milvest, in attendance. The result of a close collaboration with the Turkish government, it holds the Congolese Ministries of Finance and the Budget; a conference centre that can accommodate 3,000 people; five 20-storey administration towers; and what will open as a five-star, 240-room hotel. \n\n\u201cThe centre will be the venue for diplomatic and cultural meetings, international conferences and intellectual exchanges,\u201d said Kazadi. \u201cIt will reinforce our position as a prime destination for world-class events\u2026 a place where ideas and visions meet to forge a better future for our country and for Africa as a whole.\u201d \n\nTwo underground car parks have been added, with space for more than 1,000 vehicles, and a formerly rundown roundabout in front of the site now showcases what is said to be the largest fountain in Africa, surrounded by gardens. \n\nAgreements were signed with Milvest, a subsidiary of Turkish holding company Miller, in 2021, after meetings between the DRC government and President Erdogan, from Turkey, to agree on a funding plan. \n\nThe buildings have been completed in record time, just as the country goes to the polls for a general election to decide if current president F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi will run for another term. \n\nInternational cooperation for future growth \n\nThe scale and speed of the construction of the financial centre is mostly down to the size of the Turkish investment in the project, \u20ac265 million of which was provided as pre-financing by Milvest. Among the conditions of the contract, Milvest will assume joint management of the hotel in partnership with the Congolese government for 49 years. \n\nRecent talks between the Congolese and Turkish governments have focused on building a bilateral framework of investment, bringing benefits to both sides. \n\n\u201cThe congress and finance centre will be the shining star of Kinshasa, whose value increases every year with its hotel, offices and social spaces,\u201d said Mildon. \u201cIt will provide income to the country's economy every year and pioneer the presence of many investors in this country.\u201d \n\nAddressing Tshisekedi directly, Mildon described how the President\u2019s \u201cpioneering vision\u201d was responsible for \u201cnot only the development of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but also the development of relations between the Congo and Turkey and the strong cooperation between the two countries. Some 3,500 citizens of the DRC and 2,500 Turkish citizens took part in the construction; his centre is clear evidence of what our two nations can achieve together.\u201d \n\nAs well as the financial centre, Milvest is responsible for much of the funding for the extensive rehabilitation of the N\u2019djili International Airport at Kinshasa and the construction of a 20,000-seater sports hall next to the Martyrs\u2019 Stadium in Kinshasa \u2013 two projects that will also be undertaken by Milvest. \n\nFrench company Gemo Management will monitor the contractual issues and oversee pricing, deadlines and quality control. Gemo Management was behind the construction of what is now the headquarters of the Ministry of the Economy in France, and the European Union buildings in Luxembourg. \n\nCountering criticism that some of the work has been outsourced to foreign companies, Nicolas Kazadi expressed the government\u2019s view that these should be international projects and that invaluable expertise and experience would be used to train young Congolese workers in new skills. The financial centre alone is expected to create thousands of jobs. \n\nThe new buildings are only the most visible face of the Congolese government\u2019s ambitious reform plan, which aims to tackle a number of issues that are holding the DRC back from realising its complete potential. \n\nThough the country\u2019s 80 million hectares of fertile land, over 80 per cent of the food consumed within the DRC is imported. The DRC currently has one of the lowest rates of internet access in the world and only around half the population is able to access broadband. This has a knock-on effect across every sector, including the agro-industry. \n\nFurther international cooperation, along with public and private investment within the country, will be fundamental to moving digital transformation forward. This in turn will boost employment figures by increasing connectivity with remote areas. \n\nUnlocking this kind of investment and growth will depend upon creating a business climate that is both stable and transparent, something the Congolese government is committed to establishing. \n\n\u201cToday the Democratic Republic of the Congo takes a new step towards a bright future,\u201d said Kazadi, at the 19 December inauguration. \u201cThe finance and convention centres are symbols of our collective ambition and determination to build a bright future for all Congolese.\u201d \n\n","htmlText":"<p>It is hoped that the unveiling of a major new financial centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo will usher in a new era for the country, one which places transparency and accountability at the heart of future development.<\/p>\n<p>The Centre Financier de Kinshasa opened on December 19th with DRC President F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi;DRC Prime Minister, Sama Lukonde; Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome, Patrice Emery Trovoada; Aim\u00e9 Boji Sangara, Minister of State, Minister Budget Nicolas Kazadi, the Minister of Finance;; and Turhan Mildon, CEO of Turkish construction company Milvest, in attendance. The result of a close collaboration with the Turkish government, it holds the Congolese Ministries of Finance and the Budget; a conference centre that can accommodate 3,000 people; five 20-storey administration towers; and what will open as a five-star, 240-room hotel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe centre will be the venue for diplomatic and cultural meetings, international conferences and intellectual exchanges,\u201d said Kazadi. \u201cIt will reinforce our position as a prime destination for world-class events\u2026 a place where ideas and visions meet to forge a better future for our country and for Africa as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Two underground car parks have been added, with space for more than 1,000 vehicles, and a formerly rundown roundabout in front of the site now showcases what is said to be the largest fountain in Africa, surrounded by gardens.<\/p>\n<p>Agreements were signed with Milvest, a subsidiary of Turkish holding company Miller, in 2021, after meetings between the DRC government and President Erdogan, from Turkey, to agree on a funding plan.<\/p>\n<p>The buildings have been completed in record time, just as the country goes to the polls for a general election to decide if current president F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi will run for another term.<\/p>\n<h2>International cooperation for future growth<\/h2><div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6653333333333333\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//12//44//84//808x539_cmsv2_17323916-4caa-502e-b068-4c0004b24dc4-8124484.jpg/" alt=\"Cutting of the inauguration ribbon by the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, F\u00e9lix Antoine Tshisekedi\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/44\/84\/384x255_cmsv2_17323916-4caa-502e-b068-4c0004b24dc4-8124484.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/44\/84\/640x426_cmsv2_17323916-4caa-502e-b068-4c0004b24dc4-8124484.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/44\/84\/750x499_cmsv2_17323916-4caa-502e-b068-4c0004b24dc4-8124484.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/44\/84\/828x551_cmsv2_17323916-4caa-502e-b068-4c0004b24dc4-8124484.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/44\/84\/1080x719_cmsv2_17323916-4caa-502e-b068-4c0004b24dc4-8124484.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/44\/84\/1200x798_cmsv2_17323916-4caa-502e-b068-4c0004b24dc4-8124484.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/44\/84\/1920x1277_cmsv2_17323916-4caa-502e-b068-4c0004b24dc4-8124484.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Cutting of the inauguration ribbon by the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, F\u00e9lix Antoine Tshisekedi<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Ars\u00e8ne Mpiana<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The scale and speed of the construction of the financial centre is mostly down to the size of the Turkish investment in the project, \u20ac265 million of which was provided as pre-financing by Milvest. Among the conditions of the contract, Milvest will assume joint management of the hotel in partnership with the Congolese government for 49 years.<\/p>\n<p>Recent talks between the Congolese and Turkish governments have focused on building a bilateral framework of investment, bringing benefits to both sides.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe congress and finance centre will be the shining star of Kinshasa, whose value increases every year with its hotel, offices and social spaces,\u201d said Mildon. \u201cIt will provide income to the country&#039;s economy every year and pioneer the presence of many investors in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Addressing Tshisekedi directly, Mildon described how the President\u2019s \u201cpioneering vision\u201d was responsible for \u201cnot only the development of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but also the development of relations between the Congo and Turkey and the strong cooperation between the two countries. Some 3,500 citizens of the DRC and 2,500 Turkish citizens took part in the construction; his centre is clear evidence of what our two nations can achieve together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As well as the financial centre, Milvest is responsible for much of the funding for the extensive rehabilitation of the N\u2019djili International Airport at Kinshasa and the construction of a 20,000-seater sports hall next to the Martyrs\u2019 Stadium in Kinshasa \u2013 two projects that will also be undertaken by Milvest.<\/p>\n<p>French company Gemo Management will monitor the contractual issues and oversee pricing, deadlines and quality control. Gemo Management was behind the construction of what is now the headquarters of the Ministry of the Economy in France, and the European Union buildings in Luxembourg.<\/p>\n<p>Countering criticism that some of the work has been outsourced to foreign companies, Nicolas Kazadi expressed the government\u2019s view that these should be international projects and that invaluable expertise and experience would be used to train young Congolese workers in new skills. The financial centre alone is expected to create thousands of jobs.<\/p>\n<p>The new buildings are only the most visible face of the Congolese government\u2019s ambitious reform plan, which aims to tackle a number of issues that are holding the DRC back from realising its complete potential.<\/p>\n<p>Though the country\u2019s 80 million hectares of fertile land, over 80 per cent of the food consumed within the DRC is imported. The DRC currently has one of the lowest rates of internet access in the world and only around half the population is able to access broadband. This has a knock-on effect across every sector, including the agro-industry.<\/p>\n<p>Further international cooperation, along with public and private investment within the country, will be fundamental to moving digital transformation forward. This in turn will boost employment figures by increasing connectivity with remote areas.<\/p>\n<p>Unlocking this kind of investment and growth will depend upon creating a business climate that is both stable and transparent, something the Congolese government is committed to establishing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday the Democratic Republic of the Congo takes a new step towards a bright future,\u201d said Kazadi, at the 19 December inauguration. \u201cThe finance and convention centres are symbols of our collective ambition and determination to build a bright future for all Congolese.\u201d<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1703084825,"updatedAt":1704279312,"publishedAt":1703809517,"firstPublishedAt":1703809522,"lastPublishedAt":1704279312,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Dareck Tuba","altText":"Aerial view of the new financial centre in Kinshasa","callToActionText":null,"width":3000,"caption":"Aerial view of the new financial centre in Kinshasa","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/44\/84\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_09608261-9ca3-5fc3-8b88-a3fb85fcd259-8124484.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1686},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Ars\u00e8ne Mpiana","altText":"Cutting of the inauguration ribbon by the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, F\u00e9lix Antoine Tshisekedi","callToActionText":null,"width":3000,"caption":"Cutting of the inauguration ribbon by the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, F\u00e9lix Antoine Tshisekedi","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/44\/84\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_17323916-4caa-502e-b068-4c0004b24dc4-8124484.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1996}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"frezza-j","twitter":null,"title":"Jerome Frezza"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"finance","titleRaw":"Finance","id":8267,"title":"Finance","slug":"finance"},{"urlSafeValue":"business","titleRaw":"Business","id":4595,"title":"Business","slug":"business"},{"urlSafeValue":"dr-congo","titleRaw":"DR Congo","id":354,"title":"DR Congo","slug":"dr-congo"},{"urlSafeValue":"kinshasa","titleRaw":"Kinshasa","id":18171,"title":"Kinshasa","slug":"kinshasa"},{"urlSafeValue":"africa","titleRaw":"Africa","id":3,"title":"Africa","slug":"africa"}],"widgets":[{"count":1,"slug":"image"}],"related":[{"id":2070222},{"id":1876042},{"id":2499662}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":null,"freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"economy","urlSafeValue":"economy","title":"Economy","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/economy\/economy"},"vertical":"business","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"business","id":11,"title":"Business","slug":"business"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":11,"slug":"business","urlSafeValue":"business","title":"Business"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"economy","id":"economy","title":"Economy","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/economy"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":72,"urlSafeValue":"economy","title":"Economy"},"advertising":1,"advertisingData":{"startDate":1703233887,"endDate":1956472296,"type":"branded_content","slug":"drc-2023","title":"DRC 2023","disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":"Minist\u00e8re des finances de la RDC","sponsorName":"drc-2023","sponsorUrl":"https:\/\/finances.gouv.cd\/","sponsorLogo":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/campaigns\/764\/300x100_cmsv2_d184bf50-1a69-59ff-9b14-8404ed9eeef6-764.jpg","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":69,"urlSafeValue":"democratic-republic-of-congo","title":"Democratic Republic Of Congo","url":"\/news\/africa\/democratic-republic-of-congo"},"town":{"id":6001,"urlSafeValue":"kinshasa","title":"Kinshasa"},"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','gs_busfin','gs_politics','gs_politics_issues_policy','gs_politics_misc','gs_business','african_related_content_uk','gs_busfin_indus','gs_busfin_business','gs_science_geography','shadow9hu7_pos_ukrainecrisis','neg_facebook','gt_positive'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"DRC - Native article","path":"\/business\/2023\/12\/29\/the-drc-enlists-turkish-collaboration-for-ambitious-development-plans","lastModified":1704279312},{"id":2445694,"cid":8138460,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"231228_HLSU_54372008","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Stigma against gay men could worsen Congo's biggest mpox outbreak, scientists warn","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Scientists warn against stigma amid Congo's biggest mpox outbreak","titleListing2":"Stigma against gay men could worsen Congo's biggest mpox outbreak, scientists warn","leadin":"As Congo copes with its biggest outbreak of mpox, scientists warn discrimination against gay and bisexual men on the continent could make it worse.","summary":"As Congo copes with its biggest outbreak of mpox, scientists warn discrimination against gay and bisexual men on the continent could make it worse.","keySentence":"","url":"stigma-against-gay-men-could-worsen-congos-biggest-mpox-outbreak-scientists-warn","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/health\/2023\/12\/28\/stigma-against-gay-men-could-worsen-congos-biggest-mpox-outbreak-scientists-warn","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Mpox, also known as monkeypox, was first reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) as spreading via sex in Congo in November. \n\nThat is a significant departure from previous flare-ups, where the virus mainly sickened people in contact with diseased animals. \n\nMpox has been in parts of central and west Africa for decades, but it was not until 2022 that it was documented to spread via sex; most of the roughly 91,000 people infected in approximately 100 countries that year were gay or bisexual men. \n\nIn Africa, unwillingness to report symptoms could drive the outbreak underground, said Dimie Ogoina, an infectious diseases specialist at the Niger Delta University in Nigeria. \n\n\u201cIt could be that because homosexuality is prohibited by law in most parts of Africa, many people do not come forward if they think they have been infected with mpox,\u201d Ogoina said. \n\nWHO officials said they identified the first sexually transmitted cases of the more severe type of mpox in Congo last spring, shortly after a resident of Belgium who \u201cidentified himself as a man who has sexual relations with other men\u201d arrived in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital. The UN health agency said five other people who had sexual contact with the man later became infected with mpox. \n\n\u201cWe have been underestimating the potential of sexual transmission of mpox in Africa for years,\u201d said Ogoina, who with his colleagues, first reported in 2019 that mpox might be spreading via sex. \n\nGaps in monitoring make it a challenge to estimate how many mpox cases are linked to sex, he said. Still, most cases of mpox in Nigeria involve people with no known contact with animals, he noted. \n\nIn Congo, there have been about 13,350 suspected cases of mpox, including 607 deaths through the end of November with only about 10% of cases confirmed by laboratories. But how many infections were spread through sex isn't clear. WHO said about 70% of cases are in children under 15. \n\nDuring a recent trip to Congo to assess the outbreak, WHO officials found there was \u201cno awareness\u201d among health workers that mpox could be spread sexually, resulting in missed cases. \n\nWHO said health authorities had confirmed sexual transmission of mpox \u201cbetween male partners and simultaneously through heterosexual transmission\u201d in different parts of the country. \n\nMpox typically causes symptoms including a fever, skin rash, lesions and muscle soreness for up to one month. It is spread via close contact and most people recover without needing medical treatment. \n\nDuring the 2022 major international outbreak, mass vaccination programs were undertaken in some countries, including Canada, Britain and the U.S., and targeted those at highest risk \u2014 gay and bisexual men. But experts say that's not likely to work in Africa for several reasons, including the stigma against gay communities. \n\n\u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019ll see the same clamouring for vaccines in Africa that we saw in the West last year,\u201d said Dr Boghuma Titanji, an assistant professor of medicine in infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. \n\nShe said that the gay and bisexual men most at risk of mpox might be fearful of coming forward in a broad immunization program. Countries should work on ways to give the shots \u2014if available \u2014 in a way that wouldn't stigmatize them, she said. \n\nDr Jean-Jacques Muyemba, general director of Congo\u2019s National Institute of Biomedical Research, said two provinces in Congo had reported clusters of mpox spread through sex, a concerning development. \n\nThere's no licensed vaccine in Congo, and it would be hard to get enough shots for any large-scale program, Muyemba said. The country is trying to get a Japanese mpox vaccine, but regulatory issues are complicating the situation, he said. \n\nGlobally, only one vaccine has been authorized against mpox, made by Denmark\u2019s Bavarian Nordic. Supplies are very limited and even if they were available, they would have to be approved by the African countries using them or by WHO. To date, the vaccine has only been available in Congo through research. \n\nOyewale Tomori, a Nigerian virus expert who sits on several WHO advisory boards, said African governments probably have too many competing priorities to ask the U.N. health agency or donors for help securing vaccines. \n\n\u201cIn Africa, mpox is most likely considered a low-priority nuisance,\u201d Tomori said. \n\nHe said stronger monitoring, laboratory networks and better availability of diagnostic supplies would be more helpful to the continent than vaccines. \n\nWithout greater efforts to stop the outbreaks in Africa, Ogoina predicted that mpox would continue to infect new populations, warning that the disease could also spark outbreaks in other countries, similar to the global emergency WHO declared last year. \n\n\u201cWhen the HIV pandemic started, it was among gay and bisexual men in the global north, and Africa thought it was not our problem,\u201d he said. \u201cBefore we knew it, it came to Africa, but we still thought heterosexual populations would be protected.\u201d \n\nWomen of reproductive age now account for more than 60% of new HIV infections in Africa. \n\n\u201cI worry the same thing will now happen with mpox,\u201d he said. \u201cUnless we address these outbreaks in Africa, this virus will keep coming back.\u201d \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Mpox, also known as monkeypox, was first reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) as spreading via sex in Congo in November.<\/p>\n<p>That is a significant departure from previous flare-ups, where the virus mainly sickened people in contact with diseased animals.<\/p>\n<p>Mpox has been in parts of central and west Africa for decades, but it was not until 2022 that it was documented to spread via sex; most of the roughly 91,000 people infected in approximately 100 countries that year were gay or bisexual men.<\/p>\n<p>In Africa, unwillingness to report symptoms could drive the outbreak underground, said Dimie Ogoina, an infectious diseases specialist at the Niger Delta University in Nigeria.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt could be that because homosexuality is prohibited by law in most parts of Africa, many people do not come forward if they think they have been infected with mpox,\u201d Ogoina said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">It could be that because homosexuality is prohibited by law in most parts of Africa, many people do not come forward if they think they have been infected with mpox.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <div class=\"widget__authorText\">\n Dimie Ogoina\n <\/div>\n <div class=\"widget__author_descriptionText\">\n Infectious diseases specialist at the Niger Delta University\n <\/div>\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>WHO officials said they identified the first sexually transmitted cases of the more severe type of mpox in Congo last spring, shortly after a resident of Belgium who \u201cidentified himself as a man who has sexual relations with other men\u201d arrived in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital. The UN health agency said five other people who had sexual contact with the man later became infected with mpox.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have been underestimating the potential of sexual transmission of mpox in Africa for years,\u201d said Ogoina, who with his colleagues, first reported in 2019 that mpox might be spreading via sex.<\/p>\n<p>Gaps in monitoring make it a challenge to estimate how many mpox cases are linked to sex, he said. Still, most cases of mpox in Nigeria involve people with no known contact with animals, he noted.<\/p>\n<p>In Congo, there have been about 13,350 suspected cases of mpox, including 607 deaths through the end of November with only about 10% of cases confirmed by laboratories. But how many infections were spread through sex isn&#039;t clear. WHO said about 70% of cases are in children under 15.<\/p>\n<p>During a recent trip to Congo to assess the outbreak, WHO officials found there was \u201cno awareness\u201d among health workers that mpox could be spread sexually, resulting in missed cases.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7598278\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//05//11//monkeypox-no-longer-a-global-emergency-who-says/">Monkeypox no longer a global emergency, WHO says<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>WHO said health authorities had confirmed sexual transmission of mpox \u201cbetween male partners and simultaneously through heterosexual transmission\u201d in different parts of the country.<\/p>\n<p>Mpox typically causes symptoms including a fever, skin rash, lesions and muscle soreness for up to one month. It is spread via close contact and most people recover without needing medical treatment.<\/p>\n<p>During the 2022 major international outbreak, mass vaccination programs were undertaken in some countries, including Canada, Britain and the U.S., and targeted those at highest risk \u2014 gay and bisexual men. But experts say that&#039;s not likely to work in Africa for several reasons, including the stigma against gay communities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019ll see the same clamouring for vaccines in Africa that we saw in the West last year,\u201d said Dr Boghuma Titanji, an assistant professor of medicine in infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.<\/p>\n<p>She said that the gay and bisexual men most at risk of mpox might be fearful of coming forward in a broad immunization program. Countries should work on ways to give the shots \u2014if available \u2014 in a way that wouldn&#039;t stigmatize them, she said.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Jean-Jacques Muyemba, general director of Congo\u2019s National Institute of Biomedical Research, said two provinces in Congo had reported clusters of mpox spread through sex, a concerning development.<\/p>\n<p>There&#039;s no licensed vaccine in Congo, and it would be hard to get enough shots for any large-scale program, Muyemba said. The country is trying to get a Japanese mpox vaccine, but regulatory issues are complicating the situation, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Globally, only one vaccine has been authorized against mpox, made by Denmark\u2019s Bavarian Nordic. Supplies are very limited and even if they were available, they would have to be approved by the African countries using them or by WHO. To date, the vaccine has only been available in Congo through research.<\/p>\n<p>Oyewale Tomori, a Nigerian virus expert who sits on several WHO advisory boards, said African governments probably have too many competing priorities to ask the U.N. health agency or donors for help securing vaccines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Africa, mpox is most likely considered a low-priority nuisance,\u201d Tomori said.<\/p>\n<p>He said stronger monitoring, laboratory networks and better availability of diagnostic supplies would be more helpful to the continent than vaccines.<\/p>\n<p>Without greater efforts to stop the outbreaks in Africa, Ogoina predicted that mpox would continue to infect new populations, warning that the disease could also spark outbreaks in other countries, similar to the global emergency WHO declared last year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen the HIV pandemic started, it was among gay and bisexual men in the global north, and Africa thought it was not our problem,\u201d he said. \u201cBefore we knew it, it came to Africa, but we still thought heterosexual populations would be protected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Women of reproductive age now account for more than 60% of new HIV infections in Africa.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI worry the same thing will now happen with mpox,\u201d he said. \u201cUnless we address these outbreaks in Africa, this virus will keep coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1703753074,"updatedAt":1703763544,"publishedAt":1703753860,"firstPublishedAt":1703753862,"lastPublishedAt":1703763544,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Jeenah Moon, File","altText":"FILE - Vials of single doses of the Jynneos vaccine for monkeypox are seen from a cooler at a vaccinations site on Aug. 29, 2022.","callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"caption":"FILE - Vials of single doses of the Jynneos vaccine for monkeypox are seen from a cooler at a vaccinations site on Aug. 29, 2022.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/13\/84\/60\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_ad91abb3-baba-5b7f-ae25-0f5c33449e71-8138460.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1067}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"vaiolo-delle-scimmie","titleRaw":"monkeypox","id":26982,"title":"monkeypox","slug":"vaiolo-delle-scimmie"},{"urlSafeValue":"sex","titleRaw":"sex","id":13754,"title":"sex","slug":"sex"},{"urlSafeValue":"stigmatized","titleRaw":"Stigmatized","id":23377,"title":"Stigmatized","slug":"stigmatized"}],"widgets":[{"count":1,"slug":"quotation"},{"count":1,"slug":"related"}],"related":[{"id":2431334}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Associated Press","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"health-news","urlSafeValue":"health-news","title":"Health news","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/health\/health-news\/health-news"},"vertical":"health","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"health","id":12,"title":"Health","slug":"health"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":12,"slug":"health","urlSafeValue":"health","title":"Health"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"health-news","id":"health-news","title":"Health news","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/health\/health-news"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":43,"urlSafeValue":"health-news","title":"Health news"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":[],"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','gs_health','gt_negative','gs_science','gs_health_sexuality','gs_society_lgbt','gt_negative_fear'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"Health mpox wire","path":"\/health\/2023\/12\/28\/stigma-against-gay-men-could-worsen-congos-biggest-mpox-outbreak-scientists-warn","lastModified":1703763544},{"id":2432962,"cid":8101356,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"231224_S4WB_54182815","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":1,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Meet the team crafting pencils out of recycled newspapers in Kenya","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":null,"titleListing2":"Meet the team crafting pencils out of recycled newspapers","leadin":"\u201cA pencil that changes the world, through that pencil we plant trees.\u201d","summary":"\u201cA pencil that changes the world, through that pencil we plant trees.\u201d","keySentence":"","url":"meet-the-team-crafting-pencils-out-of-recycled-newspapers-in-kenya","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/2023\/12\/25\/meet-the-team-crafting-pencils-out-of-recycled-newspapers-in-kenya","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"SCENES shines a spotlight on youth worldwide, breaking down barriers and creating change. The character-driven short films will inspire and amaze as these young change-makers tell their remarkable stories. \n\nWood has been utilised for centuries for its affordability and practicality in producing pencils and other stationery supplies. However, despite its seemingly modest financial cost, the negative environmental impact of overusing this versatile material cannot be ignored. The international journal Nature estimates that 15 billion trees are lost yearly due to human-induced activities. \n\nIn Kenya, a group of social entrepreneurs came up with a unique solution to transform the pencil manufacturing industry while also contributing to environmental preservation in one of Africa's least forested nations. \n\nTheir solution was turning discarded newspapers into pencils. A concept that, although appearing straightforward, could significantly impact the environment. \n\nWhy Pencils? \n\nMahamud Omari, the CEO of MOMO Pencils, the company leading this environmental revolution, tells SCENES that he and his partners wanted to develop a product that would \u201cempower society.\u201d \n\nWhen asked about the choice of making pencils, Mahamud explains that they are a crucial tool for achieving success and are used by many individuals, particularly schoolchildren. Furthermore, he adds that the use of discarded newspapers helps to reduce the number of trees being cut down to produce stationery. \n\nMahamud says that the company\u2019s vision is for their pencils to be a game-changer that can help shape the future of Kenya by inspiring the next generation. \n\nThe Proper Pencil \n\n\u201cIt took us about two years to actually come up with a proper pencil,\u201d says Rashid Omar, the COO of MOMO Pencils, \u201cto get a pencil, we have to go through about nine different processes,\u201d he adds. \n\nThe first step of the production process is collecting and weighing the newspapers. The newspapers are then cut to a specific size and then graphite is added. \n\nThe paper is then rolled into a cylindrical shape. The cylindrical paper is subsequently left to dry in the sun for three days, allowing it to achieve the desired texture. \n\nOnce the paper has dried, it is polished and cut into the desired size. The final steps of the pencil-making process involves sharpening and packaging the final product. \n\n\u201cThrough trial and error,\u201d Rashid says, the company went from producing 100 to 40,000 pencils per day. \n\nAwareness \n\nMahamud claims that MOMO Pencils are eco-friendly and locally made in Kenya. Yet, many local traders have declined stocking their products. \n\n\u201cThey are looking at the profit margin.\u201d Explains Mahamud, \u201cSo, when we approach them to sell our product, they say, \u2018Your product and this other one have the same function. My customers are looking at the price.\u2019\u201d \n\nMahamud acknowledges that their product is more expensive than Indian and Chinese wooden pencils, and in order to suceed, they need to create better brand awareness. \n\nTo accomplish that, he strives to align the company\u2019s identity with the principles of the three 'R's: Recycling, Reducing, and Reusing. \n\n\u201cIn recycling, we recycle the newspapers that are brought in.\u201d Says Rashid, \u201cReducing is reducing waste in the environment. The third \u2018R\u2019 is Reusing, by turning that newspaper into a pencil usable to the public.\u201d He adds. \n\nGiving back to Kenya \n\nMahamud says that the company is on a mission to provide underprivileged children in Kenya with pencils. He wants to improve education standards of these children and ensure equal access to academic necessities. \n\n\u201cA pencil may look like something very cheap, but to a family that is struggling to put food on the table, the parents have to decide: Do we eat, or do we buy a pencil?\u201d says Mahamud. \n\n\u201cWe have given a lot of donations to neighbouring communities. They embraced this because they know it's for a good cause,\u201d adds Rashid. \n\nIn addition to donations, Mahamud and his partners have been able to provide employment opportunities for the people in their city. \u201cWe have 25 employees working full time,\u201d Mahamud says, \u201cso that they can sustain their families and their children.\u201d \n\n'Hope for Literacy' \n\nAside from selling pencils, the organisation has launched a social campaign called 'Hope for Literacy', where a portion of the company's profits are donated to their community. \n\n\u201cWe also do a lot of tree planting in the schools,\u201d says Mahamud, \u201cso the campaign itself really aligns with the vision of the brand. A pencil that changes the world, through that pencil we plant trees.\u201d \n\nDespite the rise of online newspapers, MOMO Pencils is committed to a sustainable future, maintaining its eco-friendly methods by looking for alternatives to make its pencils while extending its product line in Kenya. \n\n","htmlText":"<p><strong>SCENES shines a spotlight on youth worldwide, breaking down barriers and creating change. The character-driven short films will inspire and amaze as these young change-makers tell their remarkable stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Wood has been utilised for centuries for its affordability and practicality in producing pencils and other stationery supplies. However, despite its seemingly modest financial cost, the negative environmental impact of overusing this versatile material cannot be ignored. The international journal <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.nature.com//articles//nature14967/">Nature estimates that 15 billion trees are lost yearly due to human-induced activities.<\/p>\n<p>In Kenya, a group of social entrepreneurs came up with a unique solution to transform the pencil manufacturing industry while also contributing to environmental preservation in one of Africa&#039;s least forested nations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//13//56//808x454_cmsv2_bb926623-56cf-56c7-94ae-49e98b34bc1c-8101356.jpg/" alt=\"MOMO Pencils turns waste newspapers into pencils, a simple idea with big environmental effect\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/384x216_cmsv2_bb926623-56cf-56c7-94ae-49e98b34bc1c-8101356.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/640x360_cmsv2_bb926623-56cf-56c7-94ae-49e98b34bc1c-8101356.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/750x422_cmsv2_bb926623-56cf-56c7-94ae-49e98b34bc1c-8101356.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/828x466_cmsv2_bb926623-56cf-56c7-94ae-49e98b34bc1c-8101356.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1080x608_cmsv2_bb926623-56cf-56c7-94ae-49e98b34bc1c-8101356.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1200x675_cmsv2_bb926623-56cf-56c7-94ae-49e98b34bc1c-8101356.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1920x1080_cmsv2_bb926623-56cf-56c7-94ae-49e98b34bc1c-8101356.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">MOMO Pencils turns waste newspapers into pencils, a simple idea with big environmental effect<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Emmanuel Mponji<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Their solution was turning discarded newspapers into pencils. A concept that, although appearing straightforward, could significantly impact the environment.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Pencils?<\/h2><p>Mahamud Omari, the CEO of MOMO Pencils, the company leading this environmental revolution, tells SCENES that he and his partners wanted to develop a product that would \u201cempower society.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//13//56//808x454_cmsv2_01733504-f535-585c-bd75-861377053465-8101356.jpg/" alt=\"CEO Mahamud Omari seeks to empower society with MOMO Pencils\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/384x216_cmsv2_01733504-f535-585c-bd75-861377053465-8101356.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/640x360_cmsv2_01733504-f535-585c-bd75-861377053465-8101356.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/750x422_cmsv2_01733504-f535-585c-bd75-861377053465-8101356.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/828x466_cmsv2_01733504-f535-585c-bd75-861377053465-8101356.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1080x608_cmsv2_01733504-f535-585c-bd75-861377053465-8101356.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1200x675_cmsv2_01733504-f535-585c-bd75-861377053465-8101356.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1920x1080_cmsv2_01733504-f535-585c-bd75-861377053465-8101356.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">CEO Mahamud Omari seeks to empower society with MOMO Pencils<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Emmanuel Mponji<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>When asked about the choice of making pencils, Mahamud explains that they are a crucial tool for achieving success and are used by many individuals, particularly schoolchildren. Furthermore, he adds that the use of discarded newspapers helps to reduce the number of trees being cut down to produce stationery.<\/p>\n<p>Mahamud says that the company\u2019s vision is for their pencils to be a game-changer that can help shape the future of Kenya by inspiring the next generation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//13//56//808x454_cmsv2_1cbc32da-78e8-56a5-8566-401ff286965b-8101356.jpg/" alt=\"Inspiring the next generation is MOMO Pencils&apos; goal.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/384x216_cmsv2_1cbc32da-78e8-56a5-8566-401ff286965b-8101356.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/640x360_cmsv2_1cbc32da-78e8-56a5-8566-401ff286965b-8101356.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/750x422_cmsv2_1cbc32da-78e8-56a5-8566-401ff286965b-8101356.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/828x466_cmsv2_1cbc32da-78e8-56a5-8566-401ff286965b-8101356.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1080x608_cmsv2_1cbc32da-78e8-56a5-8566-401ff286965b-8101356.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1200x675_cmsv2_1cbc32da-78e8-56a5-8566-401ff286965b-8101356.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1920x1080_cmsv2_1cbc32da-78e8-56a5-8566-401ff286965b-8101356.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Inspiring the next generation is MOMO Pencils&apos; goal.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Emmanuel Mponji<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>The Proper Pencil<\/h2><p>\u201cIt took us about two years to actually come up with a proper pencil,\u201d says Rashid Omar, the COO of MOMO Pencils, \u201cto get a pencil, we have to go through about nine different processes,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>The first step of the production process is collecting and weighing the newspapers. The newspapers are then cut to a specific size and then graphite is added.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//13//56//808x454_cmsv2_fb27abc0-7e2d-5cc7-8eb6-f3d3f78e9146-8101356.jpg/" alt=\"The graphite is added after the newspapers are weighed and sliced\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/384x216_cmsv2_fb27abc0-7e2d-5cc7-8eb6-f3d3f78e9146-8101356.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/640x360_cmsv2_fb27abc0-7e2d-5cc7-8eb6-f3d3f78e9146-8101356.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/750x422_cmsv2_fb27abc0-7e2d-5cc7-8eb6-f3d3f78e9146-8101356.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/828x466_cmsv2_fb27abc0-7e2d-5cc7-8eb6-f3d3f78e9146-8101356.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1080x608_cmsv2_fb27abc0-7e2d-5cc7-8eb6-f3d3f78e9146-8101356.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1200x675_cmsv2_fb27abc0-7e2d-5cc7-8eb6-f3d3f78e9146-8101356.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1920x1080_cmsv2_fb27abc0-7e2d-5cc7-8eb6-f3d3f78e9146-8101356.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">The graphite is added after the newspapers are weighed and sliced<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Emmanuel Mponji<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The paper is then rolled into a cylindrical shape. The cylindrical paper is subsequently left to dry in the sun for three days, allowing it to achieve the desired texture.<\/p>\n<p>Once the paper has dried, it is polished and cut into the desired size. The final steps of the pencil-making process involves sharpening and packaging the final product.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough trial and error,\u201d Rashid says, the company went from producing 100 to 40,000 pencils per day.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//13//56//808x454_cmsv2_414b9d5f-df10-5a94-b835-9f75b2eca95e-8101356.jpg/" alt=\"Through experimentation, production increased from 100 to 40,000 pencils per day\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/384x216_cmsv2_414b9d5f-df10-5a94-b835-9f75b2eca95e-8101356.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/640x360_cmsv2_414b9d5f-df10-5a94-b835-9f75b2eca95e-8101356.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/750x422_cmsv2_414b9d5f-df10-5a94-b835-9f75b2eca95e-8101356.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/828x466_cmsv2_414b9d5f-df10-5a94-b835-9f75b2eca95e-8101356.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1080x608_cmsv2_414b9d5f-df10-5a94-b835-9f75b2eca95e-8101356.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1200x675_cmsv2_414b9d5f-df10-5a94-b835-9f75b2eca95e-8101356.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1920x1080_cmsv2_414b9d5f-df10-5a94-b835-9f75b2eca95e-8101356.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Through experimentation, production increased from 100 to 40,000 pencils per day<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Emmanuel Mponji<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7916786,7672222,7824140\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//09//25//meet-the-kenyan-woman-turning-plastics-into-bricks/">Meet the Kenyan woman turning plastics into bricks<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//news//2023//06//19//meet-the-refugees-improving-the-lives-of-fellow-refugees-in-kenya/">Meet the refugees improving the lives of fellow refugees in Kenya<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//08//21//meet-the-young-environmentalist-sending-children-to-school/">Meet the young environmentalist sending children to school in Indonesia<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Awareness<\/h2><p>Mahamud claims that MOMO Pencils are eco-friendly and locally made in Kenya. Yet, many local traders have declined stocking their products.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are looking at the profit margin.\u201d Explains Mahamud, \u201cSo, when we approach them to sell our product, they say, \u2018Your product and this other one have the same function. My customers are looking at the price.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//13//56//808x454_cmsv2_a2d80222-2b24-5afa-b1ba-bc0e1a809a99-8101356.jpg/" alt=\"Their pencils cost more so they require stronger brand awareness in order to thrive\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/384x216_cmsv2_a2d80222-2b24-5afa-b1ba-bc0e1a809a99-8101356.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/640x360_cmsv2_a2d80222-2b24-5afa-b1ba-bc0e1a809a99-8101356.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/750x422_cmsv2_a2d80222-2b24-5afa-b1ba-bc0e1a809a99-8101356.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/828x466_cmsv2_a2d80222-2b24-5afa-b1ba-bc0e1a809a99-8101356.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1080x608_cmsv2_a2d80222-2b24-5afa-b1ba-bc0e1a809a99-8101356.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1200x675_cmsv2_a2d80222-2b24-5afa-b1ba-bc0e1a809a99-8101356.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1920x1080_cmsv2_a2d80222-2b24-5afa-b1ba-bc0e1a809a99-8101356.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Their pencils cost more so they require stronger brand awareness in order to thrive<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Emmanuel Mponji<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Mahamud acknowledges that their product is more expensive than Indian and Chinese wooden pencils, and in order to suceed, they need to create better brand awareness.<\/p>\n<p>To accomplish that, he strives to align the company\u2019s identity with the principles of the three &#039;R&#039;s: Recycling, Reducing, and Reusing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn recycling, we recycle the newspapers that are brought in.\u201d Says Rashid, \u201cReducing is reducing waste in the environment. The third \u2018R\u2019 is Reusing, by turning that newspaper into a pencil usable to the public.\u201d He adds.<\/p>\n<h2>Giving back to Kenya<\/h2><p>Mahamud says that the company is on a mission to provide underprivileged children in Kenya with pencils. He wants to improve education standards of these children and ensure equal access to academic necessities.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//13//56//808x454_cmsv2_12413431-468d-53de-a02a-eb97bac14590-8101356.jpg/" alt=\"The company offers pencils to underprivileged Kenyan children in a bid to boost education and access to stationary\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/384x216_cmsv2_12413431-468d-53de-a02a-eb97bac14590-8101356.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/640x360_cmsv2_12413431-468d-53de-a02a-eb97bac14590-8101356.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/750x422_cmsv2_12413431-468d-53de-a02a-eb97bac14590-8101356.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/828x466_cmsv2_12413431-468d-53de-a02a-eb97bac14590-8101356.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1080x608_cmsv2_12413431-468d-53de-a02a-eb97bac14590-8101356.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1200x675_cmsv2_12413431-468d-53de-a02a-eb97bac14590-8101356.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1920x1080_cmsv2_12413431-468d-53de-a02a-eb97bac14590-8101356.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">The company offers pencils to underprivileged Kenyan children in a bid to boost education and access to stationary<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">MOMO Pencils<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cA pencil may look like something very cheap, but to a family that is struggling to put food on the table, the parents have to decide: Do we eat, or do we buy a pencil?\u201d says Mahamud.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have given a lot of donations to neighbouring communities. They embraced this because they know it&#039;s for a good cause,\u201d adds Rashid.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to donations, Mahamud and his partners have been able to provide employment opportunities for the people in their city. \u201cWe have 25 employees working full time,\u201d Mahamud says, \u201cso that they can sustain their families and their children.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>'Hope for Literacy'<\/h2><p>Aside from selling pencils, the organisation has launched a social campaign called &#039;Hope for Literacy&#039;, where a portion of the company&#039;s profits are donated to their community.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//13//56//808x454_cmsv2_c42362ae-0e4a-5428-957f-783545bbcb93-8101356.jpg/" alt=\"MOMO Pencils&apos; &apos;Hope for Literacy&apos; social programme donates some of its profits to the community\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/384x216_cmsv2_c42362ae-0e4a-5428-957f-783545bbcb93-8101356.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/640x360_cmsv2_c42362ae-0e4a-5428-957f-783545bbcb93-8101356.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/750x422_cmsv2_c42362ae-0e4a-5428-957f-783545bbcb93-8101356.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/828x466_cmsv2_c42362ae-0e4a-5428-957f-783545bbcb93-8101356.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1080x608_cmsv2_c42362ae-0e4a-5428-957f-783545bbcb93-8101356.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1200x675_cmsv2_c42362ae-0e4a-5428-957f-783545bbcb93-8101356.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/1920x1080_cmsv2_c42362ae-0e4a-5428-957f-783545bbcb93-8101356.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">MOMO Pencils&apos; &apos;Hope for Literacy&apos; social programme donates some of its profits to the community<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">MOMO Pencils<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe also do a lot of tree planting in the schools,\u201d says Mahamud, \u201cso the campaign itself really aligns with the vision of the brand. A pencil that changes the world, through that pencil we plant trees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the rise of online newspapers, MOMO Pencils is committed to a sustainable future, maintaining its eco-friendly methods by looking for alternatives to make its pencils while extending its product line in Kenya.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1702300708,"updatedAt":1703522349,"publishedAt":1703521805,"firstPublishedAt":1702470819,"lastPublishedAt":1703521850,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"altText":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":5578,"caption":null,"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_9655d18b-cd92-5648-856d-5f01d47a65a3-8101356.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":3138},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"altText":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":6058,"caption":null,"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/13\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_bfbf5f00-1b64-5a66-a1bd-e7d61564063c-8101356.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":3408},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"MOMO Pencils cost more and require stronger brand recognition to thrive","altText":"MOMO 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Elashi"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"newspaper","titleRaw":"Newspaper","id":12296,"title":"Newspaper","slug":"newspaper"},{"urlSafeValue":"recycling","titleRaw":"Recycling","id":8913,"title":"Recycling","slug":"recycling"},{"urlSafeValue":"writer","titleRaw":"Writer","id":12695,"title":"Writer","slug":"writer"},{"urlSafeValue":"wood-traffic","titleRaw":"wood traffic","id":17839,"title":"wood 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Aanu Olobo","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"scenes","urlSafeValue":"scenes","title":"Scenes","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/culture-series\/scenes"},"vertical":"culture","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"culture","id":10,"title":"Culture","slug":"culture"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":10,"slug":"culture","urlSafeValue":"culture","title":"Culture"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"culture-series","id":"culture-series","title":"Culture Series","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/culture-series"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":55,"urlSafeValue":"culture-series","title":"Culture series"},"advertising":1,"advertisingData":{"startDate":1630511520,"endDate":2114355123,"type":"sponsored","slug":"Scenes","title":"Media City - Qatar","disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":"Media 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to Pencils - Kenya SCENES S03 EP52 - MASTER WEB","path":"\/culture\/2023\/12\/25\/meet-the-team-crafting-pencils-out-of-recycled-newspapers-in-kenya","lastModified":1703521850},{"id":2440846,"cid":8124798,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"231220_NWWB_54301122","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Tunisia must break free from reliance on short-term economic fixes","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Tunisia must break free from reliance on short-term economic fixes","titleListing2":"VIEW | Tunis' political decision to mobilise resources for escalating expenditures without addressing the need to curb spending, downsize the government, and reduce the state's economic footprint is a looming disaster, Sadok Rouai writes.","leadin":"Tunis' political decision to mobilise resources for escalating expenditures without addressing the need to curb spending, downsize the government, and reduce the state's economic footprint is a looming disaster, Sadok Rouai writes.","summary":"Tunis' political decision to mobilise resources for escalating expenditures without addressing the need to curb spending, downsize the government, and reduce the state's economic footprint is a looming disaster, Sadok Rouai writes.","keySentence":"","url":"tunisia-must-break-free-from-reliance-on-short-term-economic-fixes","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/12\/20\/tunisia-must-break-free-from-reliance-on-short-term-economic-fixes","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Tunisian President Ka\u00efs Sa\u00efed recently declared that central bank autonomy should not equate to independence from the state.\u00a0 \n\nSa\u00efed insisted that autonomy applies to monetary policy but not the financing of the state budget. This comes in the wake of the recent postponement of the IMF mission to discuss the monetary fund's deal for Tunisia. \n\nPresident\u2019s declaration against the Central Bank\u2019s autonomy has marked the apex of a series of assaults on its sovereignty, aimed at overturning Article 25 of its current statute which prohibits direct financing of the state budget.\u00a0 \n\nThe bank's governor, Marouane El Abassi, had previously warned that central bank financing of the budget would spike inflation uncontrollably and replicate the Venezuelan scenario in the country. \n\nBut what motives underlie Sa\u00efed\u2019s unsettling efforts to overturn Article 25? \n\nPopulist rejection to consolidate one-man rule \n\nMore than a year has passed since Tunisia inked a $1.9 billion (\u20ac1.73bn) preliminary agreement with the IMF, led by then-Head of Government Najla Bouden's economic team on 15 October 2022.\u00a0 \n\nThe agreement targeted financial imbalances through measures like cutting untargeted subsidies, trimming the public sector wage bill, and reforming loss-making public enterprises. \n\nSa\u00efed's populist rejection of the IMF deal, citing it as a tool of Western imperialism, follows his moves to consolidate one-man rule since September 2021.\u00a0 \n\nGoverning Tunisia unilaterally through decrees, bypassing the constitution, and suppressing critics, Sa\u00efed has overseen a worsening economic crisis marked by growing poverty, essential item shortages, and soaring prices.\u00a0 \n\nHe considers that implementing IMF reforms could trigger protests, posing a challenge to his political control. \n\nThe commitment to implement crucial reforms for the finalisation of the IMF deal has therefore been long delayed.\u00a0 \n\nThis resistance escalated further with Sa\u00efed\u2019s recent sacking of the minister of economy and planning, who had spearheaded the IMF negotiations and remained committed to the implementation of the agreed reforms. \n\nA quick fix won't do \n\nIn the interim, faced with limited access to foreign financing, the authorities have heavily leaned on local funding, particularly from the banking system.\u00a0 \n\nThey accumulated arrears with both foreign and local suppliers. Tunisia thus experienced a significant decline in imports and distribution of subsidized commodities, leading to frequent shortages. \n\nLocal banks face a capacity limit to finance the state budget, prompting calls to push the Central Bank to do so. This is a red alert \u2014 Tunisia must break free from reliance on short-term fixes at this perilous juncture. \n\nBilateral donors must vigorously support systemic economic reforms and Central Bank sovereignty within an IMF deal. There's no alternative path for Tunisia's economic future. \n\nAdvocates proposing amendments to the Central Bank's statute argue that reintroducing direct budget financing if within legal limits, would be sustainable and minimally impact inflation.\u00a0 \n\nThey contend that such financing would eliminate intermediation costs imposed by the banking system.\u00a0 \n\nHowever, this perspective overlooks the risk of potential abuses and misuse of the law, offering a convenient yet temporary solution for the government.\u00a0 \n\nThe political decision to mobilise resources for escalating expenditures without addressing the need to curb spending, downsize the government, and reduce the state's economic footprint is a looming disaster. \n\nHistory does repeat itself \n\nTunisia\u2019s own economic history should serve as a cautionary tale against compromising the Central Bank\u2019s independence.\u00a0 \n\nIn the early 1980s, populist economic mismanagement led to a surge in the budget deficit from 2.8% of GDP in 1980 to 8.1% in 1983.\u00a0 \n\nMuch as what we are witnessing today again in the country, the state favoured convenient shortcuts over the necessary but challenging structural reforms. \n\nStarting in 1982, Tunisia\u2019s then-minister of finance and planning asked the Central Bank Governor to execute a series of accounting transactions that would provide direct financing to the Treasury beyond the confines of the budget. These transactions amounted to 5.8% of the GDP at the end of 1983. \n\nBy the late 1980s, this approach proved short-sighted and a failure, and Tunisia in the end had to resort to the IMF for assistance in addressing its financial imbalances. \n\nDespite initial efforts to safeguard the Central Bank's independence, there has been ongoing interference, marked by a high turnover of governors prematurely relieved of their duties. Initially stable with three governors serving for 22 years from its establishment in 1958 until the 1980s, subsequent appointments \u2014 excluding the current one\u00a0\u2014 have seen seven out of ten governors removed prematurely due to political considerations. \n\nTunisia's government has to see the light \n\nBilateral donors must underscore the imperative of preserving the independence of the Tunisian Central Bank and advancing its modernisation, alongside crucial negotiations for an IMF deal.\u00a0 \n\nThe prohibition on direct Central Bank financing to the budget has been in place since 2006. For Tunisia to move backwards and invoke policies that proved to be clear failures in the 80s, is to send the country\u2019s fragile economy reeling into freefall. \n\nTunisia\u2019s Central Bank has made notable progress in transparency, but further improvements are needed.\u00a0 \n\nThese include preventing government representatives from joining its Board and establishing clear criteria for the appointment and dismissal of its governor and directors, adhering to legal deadlines for annual report publication, engaging external experts for policy evaluations (as seen in successful initiatives in England, Australia, Ireland, Chile, Spain, and elsewhere), making archives accessible to researchers, and announcing significant decisions through press conferences. \n\nThe inevitability of structural economic reforms in Tunisia today is crystal clear.\u00a0 \n\nAs the country's parliament just recently adopted the 2024 budget, the timing of this discourse is opportune. Bilateral donors and multilateral institutions must persist in encouraging Tunisia to engage in meaningful negotiations with the IMF and to safeguard the independence of its institutions.\u00a0 \n\nTunisia\u2019s economic future hangs on it.\u00a0 \n\nSadok Rouai is a former Senior Advisor to the Executive Director of the IMF and former\u00a0Head of the Banking Supervision Department at Tunisia\u2019s Central Bank. \n\nAt Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Tunisian President Ka\u00efs Sa\u00efed recently declared that central bank autonomy should not equate to independence from the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sa\u00efed insisted that autonomy applies to monetary policy but not the financing of the state budget. This comes in the wake of the recent postponement of the IMF mission to discuss the monetary fund&#039;s deal for Tunisia.<\/p>\n<p>President\u2019s declaration against the Central Bank\u2019s autonomy has marked the apex of a series of assaults on its sovereignty, aimed at overturning Article 25 of its current statute which prohibits direct financing of the state budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The bank&#039;s governor, Marouane El Abassi, had previously warned that central bank financing of the budget would spike inflation uncontrollably and replicate the Venezuelan scenario in the country.<\/p>\n<p>But what motives underlie Sa\u00efed\u2019s unsettling efforts to overturn Article 25?<\/p>\n<h2>Populist rejection to consolidate one-man rule<\/h2><p>More than a year has passed since Tunisia inked a $1.9 billion (\u20ac1.73bn) preliminary agreement with the IMF, led by then-Head of Government Najla Bouden&#039;s economic team on 15 October 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The agreement targeted financial imbalances through measures like cutting untargeted subsidies, trimming the public sector wage bill, and reforming loss-making public enterprises.<\/p>\n<p>Sa\u00efed&#039;s populist rejection of the IMF deal, citing it as a tool of Western imperialism, follows his moves to consolidate one-man rule since September 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">Governing Tunisia unilaterally through decrees, bypassing the constitution, and suppressing critics, Sa\u00efed has overseen a worsening economic crisis marked by growing poverty, essential item shortages, and soaring prices.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6982421875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//90//59//92//808x565_cmsv2_0b128509-3e74-5918-8167-705ed0699c00-7905992.jpg/" alt=\"Tunisian President Kais Saied gives a speech at the new government&apos;s swearing-in ceremony at the Carthage Palace outside the capital Tunis, February 2020\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/90\/59\/92\/384x268_cmsv2_0b128509-3e74-5918-8167-705ed0699c00-7905992.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/90\/59\/92\/640x447_cmsv2_0b128509-3e74-5918-8167-705ed0699c00-7905992.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/90\/59\/92\/750x524_cmsv2_0b128509-3e74-5918-8167-705ed0699c00-7905992.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/90\/59\/92\/828x578_cmsv2_0b128509-3e74-5918-8167-705ed0699c00-7905992.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/90\/59\/92\/1080x754_cmsv2_0b128509-3e74-5918-8167-705ed0699c00-7905992.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/90\/59\/92\/1200x838_cmsv2_0b128509-3e74-5918-8167-705ed0699c00-7905992.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/90\/59\/92\/1920x1341_cmsv2_0b128509-3e74-5918-8167-705ed0699c00-7905992.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Tunisian President Kais Saied gives a speech at the new government&apos;s swearing-in ceremony at the Carthage Palace outside the capital Tunis, February 2020<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Fethi Belaid\/AP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Governing Tunisia unilaterally through decrees, bypassing the constitution, and suppressing critics, Sa\u00efed has overseen a worsening economic crisis marked by growing poverty, essential item shortages, and soaring prices.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He considers that implementing IMF reforms could trigger protests, posing a challenge to his political control.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8011150,7697458\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//11//02//brussels-can-help-ease-migration-from-tunisia-without-knocking-on-saieds-door/">Brussels can help ease migration from Tunisia without knocking on Saied's door<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//06//21//by-striking-a-deal-with-tunisias-saied-is-europe-signalling-its-open-to-extortion/">By striking a deal with Tunisia's Saied, is Europe signalling it's open to extortion?<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The commitment to implement crucial reforms for the finalisation of the IMF deal has therefore been long delayed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This resistance escalated further with Sa\u00efed\u2019s recent sacking of the minister of economy and planning, who had spearheaded the IMF negotiations and remained committed to the implementation of the agreed reforms.<\/p>\n<h2>A quick fix won't do<\/h2><p>In the interim, faced with limited access to foreign financing, the authorities have heavily leaned on local funding, particularly from the banking system.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They accumulated arrears with both foreign and local suppliers. Tunisia thus experienced a significant decline in imports and distribution of subsidized commodities, leading to frequent shortages.<\/p>\n<p>Local banks face a capacity limit to finance the state budget, prompting calls to push the Central Bank to do so. This is a red alert \u2014 Tunisia must break free from reliance on short-term fixes at this perilous juncture.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//12//47//98//808x539_cmsv2_d7807a99-f179-5118-b0bc-8f9191d0fd1c-8124798.jpg/" alt=\"People walk in the old Medina of Tunis, January 2021\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/384x256_cmsv2_d7807a99-f179-5118-b0bc-8f9191d0fd1c-8124798.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/640x427_cmsv2_d7807a99-f179-5118-b0bc-8f9191d0fd1c-8124798.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/750x500_cmsv2_d7807a99-f179-5118-b0bc-8f9191d0fd1c-8124798.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/828x552_cmsv2_d7807a99-f179-5118-b0bc-8f9191d0fd1c-8124798.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/1080x720_cmsv2_d7807a99-f179-5118-b0bc-8f9191d0fd1c-8124798.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/1200x800_cmsv2_d7807a99-f179-5118-b0bc-8f9191d0fd1c-8124798.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/1920x1281_cmsv2_d7807a99-f179-5118-b0bc-8f9191d0fd1c-8124798.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">People walk in the old Medina of Tunis, January 2021<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Mosa&apos;ab Elshamy<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Bilateral donors must vigorously support systemic economic reforms and Central Bank sovereignty within an IMF deal. There&#039;s no alternative path for Tunisia&#039;s economic future.<\/p>\n<p>Advocates proposing amendments to the Central Bank&#039;s statute argue that reintroducing direct budget financing if within legal limits, would be sustainable and minimally impact inflation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They contend that such financing would eliminate intermediation costs imposed by the banking system.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, this perspective overlooks the risk of potential abuses and misuse of the law, offering a convenient yet temporary solution for the government.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The political decision to mobilise resources for escalating expenditures without addressing the need to curb spending, downsize the government, and reduce the state&#039;s economic footprint is a looming disaster.<\/p>\n<h2>History does repeat itself<\/h2><p>Tunisia\u2019s own economic history should serve as a cautionary tale against compromising the Central Bank\u2019s independence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the early 1980s, populist economic mismanagement led to a surge in the budget deficit from 2.8% of GDP in 1980 to 8.1% in 1983.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Much as what we are witnessing today again in the country, the state favoured convenient shortcuts over the necessary but challenging structural reforms.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">For Tunisia to move backwards and invoke policies that proved to be clear failures in the 80s, is to send the country\u2019s fragile economy reeling into freefall.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6650390625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//12//47//98//808x539_cmsv2_8ca7394d-2633-5bc0-a8a9-548e3c552d1a-8124798.jpg/" alt=\"A Tunisian shop-keeper replaces the portrait of former president Habib Bourguiba with one of the new president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis, November 1987\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/384x255_cmsv2_8ca7394d-2633-5bc0-a8a9-548e3c552d1a-8124798.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/640x426_cmsv2_8ca7394d-2633-5bc0-a8a9-548e3c552d1a-8124798.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/750x499_cmsv2_8ca7394d-2633-5bc0-a8a9-548e3c552d1a-8124798.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/828x551_cmsv2_8ca7394d-2633-5bc0-a8a9-548e3c552d1a-8124798.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/1080x718_cmsv2_8ca7394d-2633-5bc0-a8a9-548e3c552d1a-8124798.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/1200x798_cmsv2_8ca7394d-2633-5bc0-a8a9-548e3c552d1a-8124798.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/1920x1277_cmsv2_8ca7394d-2633-5bc0-a8a9-548e3c552d1a-8124798.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">A Tunisian shop-keeper replaces the portrait of former president Habib Bourguiba with one of the new president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis, November 1987<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">JOEL ROBINE\/AFP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Starting in 1982, Tunisia\u2019s then-minister of finance and planning asked the Central Bank Governor to execute a series of accounting transactions that would provide direct financing to the Treasury beyond the confines of the budget. These transactions amounted to 5.8% of the GDP at the end of 1983.<\/p>\n<p>By the late 1980s, this approach proved short-sighted and a failure, and Tunisia in the end had to resort to the IMF for assistance in addressing its financial imbalances.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7962224,7858530\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//08//30//how-to-fix-tunisias-economic-misery-with-a-fair-and-bold-imf-program/">How to fix Tunisia\u2019s economic misery with a fair and bold IMF program<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//my-europe//2023//10//12//in-stunning-move-tunisia-snubs-brussels-and-refunds-60-million-in-eu-aid/">In stunning move, Tunisia snubs Brussels and refunds \u20ac60 million in EU aid<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Despite initial efforts to safeguard the Central Bank&#039;s independence, there has been ongoing interference, marked by a high turnover of governors prematurely relieved of their duties. Initially stable with three governors serving for 22 years from its establishment in 1958 until the 1980s, subsequent appointments \u2014 excluding the current one\u00a0\u2014 have seen seven out of ten governors removed prematurely due to political considerations.<\/p>\n<h2>Tunisia's government has to see the light<\/h2><p>Bilateral donors must underscore the imperative of preserving the independence of the Tunisian Central Bank and advancing its modernisation, alongside crucial negotiations for an IMF deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The prohibition on direct Central Bank financing to the budget has been in place since 2006. For Tunisia to move backwards and invoke policies that proved to be clear failures in the 80s, is to send the country\u2019s fragile economy reeling into freefall.<\/p>\n<p>Tunisia\u2019s Central Bank has made notable progress in transparency, but further improvements are needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>These include preventing government representatives from joining its Board and establishing clear criteria for the appointment and dismissal of its governor and directors, adhering to legal deadlines for annual report publication, engaging external experts for policy evaluations (as seen in successful initiatives in England, Australia, Ireland, Chile, Spain, and elsewhere), making archives accessible to researchers, and announcing significant decisions through press conferences.<\/p>\n<p>The inevitability of structural economic reforms in Tunisia today is crystal clear.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As the country&#039;s parliament just recently adopted the 2024 budget, the timing of this discourse is opportune. Bilateral donors and multilateral institutions must persist in encouraging Tunisia to engage in meaningful negotiations with the IMF and to safeguard the independence of its institutions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tunisia\u2019s economic future hangs on it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Sadok Rouai is a former Senior Advisor to the Executive Director of the IMF and former\u00a0Head of the Banking Supervision Department at Tunisia\u2019s Central Bank.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at <a href=https://www.euronews.com/news/\"mailto:view@euronews.com\">view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.<\/em><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1703089935,"updatedAt":1703092708,"publishedAt":1703092705,"firstPublishedAt":1703092708,"lastPublishedAt":1703092708,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Euronews","altText":"A Tunisian holds a bird cage countaining his national flag during a demonstration to mark the eighth anniversary of the democratic uprising in Tunis, January 2019","callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"caption":"A Tunisian holds a bird cage countaining his national flag during a demonstration to mark the eighth anniversary of the democratic uprising in Tunis, January 2019","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_324d2e1b-cce4-5fab-b622-c038deadfa0b-8124798.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":900},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"JOEL ROBINE\/AFP","altText":"A Tunisian shop-keeper replaces the portrait of former president Habib Bourguiba with one of the new president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis, November 1987","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"A Tunisian shop-keeper replaces the portrait of former president Habib Bourguiba with one of the new president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis, November 1987","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_8ca7394d-2633-5bc0-a8a9-548e3c552d1a-8124798.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":681},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Mosa'ab Elshamy","altText":"People walk in the old Medina of Tunis, January 2021","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"People walk in the old Medina of Tunis, January 2021","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/47\/98\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_d7807a99-f179-5118-b0bc-8f9191d0fd1c-8124798.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"tunisia","titleRaw":"Tunisia","id":8191,"title":"Tunisia","slug":"tunisia"},{"urlSafeValue":"economy","titleRaw":"Economy","id":572,"title":"Economy","slug":"economy"},{"urlSafeValue":"economic-crisis","titleRaw":"Economic crisis","id":9415,"title":"Economic crisis","slug":"economic-crisis"},{"urlSafeValue":"kais-saied","titleRaw":"Ka\u00efs Sa\u00efed","id":21270,"title":"Ka\u00efs Sa\u00efed","slug":"kais-saied"},{"urlSafeValue":"imf","titleRaw":"IMF","id":146,"title":"IMF","slug":"imf"},{"urlSafeValue":"euroviews","titleRaw":"Euroviews","id":22480,"title":"Euroviews","slug":"euroviews"}],"widgets":[{"count":3,"slug":"image"},{"count":2,"slug":"quotation"},{"count":2,"slug":"related"}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Sadok Rouai","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world news","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"vertical":"news","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"news","id":1,"title":"News","slug":"news"},{"urlSafeValue":"business","id":11,"title":"Business","slug":"business"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"news","id":"news","title":"World","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"},{"urlSafeValue":"economy","id":"economy","title":"Economy","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":283,"urlSafeValue":"tunisia","title":"Tunisia","url":"\/news\/africa\/tunisia"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','gs_busfin','gs_economy','gs_economy_misc','gs_busfin_economy','gs_politics','gt_negative','gs_politics_issues_policy','gs_politics_misc','gs_busfin_economy_fincrisis','neg_mobkoi_castrol','shadow9hu7_pos_ukrainecrisis','neg_audi_list1','gt_negative_fear','custom_politics_brussels','neg_saudiaramco'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet-web","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":1,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"VIEW TUNISIA IMF CRISIS DONORS","path":"\/2023\/12\/20\/tunisia-must-break-free-from-reliance-on-short-term-economic-fixes","lastModified":1703092708},{"id":2434690,"cid":8107530,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"231220_TXSU_54211556","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":1,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Africa: A Continent with huge economic potential","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Africa: A Continent with huge economic potential","titleListing2":"Join us as we discover the start-ups and innovation fuelling Africa's push towards economic prosperity","leadin":"Start-up businesses and innovation are soaring across Africa. With the world's second-largest continent looking towards the future, countries across the region are setting their sights on economic prosperity.","summary":"Start-up businesses and innovation are soaring across Africa. With the world's second-largest continent looking towards the future, countries across the region are setting their sights on economic prosperity.","keySentence":"","url":"africa-a-continent-with-huge-economic-potential","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/2023\/12\/20\/africa-a-continent-with-huge-economic-potential","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"In this episode of The Exchange, we focus on innovation in Africa. Over the last decade, Ethiopia has been one of Africa's and the world's fastest-growing economies. Ethiopia's Minister of Labour and Skills, Muferihat Kamil Ahmed, explained how the government is stimulating innovation in a way that also helps other African economies.\u00a0 \n\nThe Global Startup Awards Africa \n\nThe Global Startup Africa Awards and Fund connect companies and investors across the continent. Founders of GIIG, the organisation behind this year's event, explained.\u00a0 \n\n\"It's very clear, and it has been very clear, that emerging markets continue to dominate global economic growth. The markets show the forecast until 2075 that population demographics are one of the fundamental key drivers of global growth. There is only one young continent, and that is Africa.\" \n\nTrade Depot: $100 million mission to empower the small retail sector \n\nNigerian-based digital start-up Trade Depot raised over $100 million in 2021 and has been one of the success stories on the continent. Founder and CEO Onyekachi Izukanne explained why inventory and logistics technology is so important to African retailers. \n\n\" In Africa, the bulk of this retail doesn't happen in the big supermarkets. It happens in small neighbourhood stores. And our thing is to create an e-commerce experience for these retailers,\"\u00a0Onyekachi Izukanne explained. \n\n\n","htmlText":"<p>In this episode of The Exchange, we focus on innovation in Africa. Over the last decade, Ethiopia has been one of Africa&#039;s and the world&#039;s fastest-growing economies. Ethiopia&#039;s Minister of Labour and Skills, Muferihat Kamil Ahmed, explained how the government is stimulating innovation in a way that also helps other African economies.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5585130793942176\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//75//32//808x451_cmsv2_f2c12063-17c3-58c1-a03d-3297df9c290f-8107532.jpg/" alt=\"Her Excellency, Muferihat Kamil Ahmed, Minister of Skills and Labour, Government of Ethiopia\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/384x214_cmsv2_f2c12063-17c3-58c1-a03d-3297df9c290f-8107532.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/640x357_cmsv2_f2c12063-17c3-58c1-a03d-3297df9c290f-8107532.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/750x419_cmsv2_f2c12063-17c3-58c1-a03d-3297df9c290f-8107532.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/828x462_cmsv2_f2c12063-17c3-58c1-a03d-3297df9c290f-8107532.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/1080x603_cmsv2_f2c12063-17c3-58c1-a03d-3297df9c290f-8107532.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/1200x670_cmsv2_f2c12063-17c3-58c1-a03d-3297df9c290f-8107532.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/1920x1072_cmsv2_f2c12063-17c3-58c1-a03d-3297df9c290f-8107532.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Her Excellency, Muferihat Kamil Ahmed, Minister of Skills and Labour, Government of Ethiopia<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">euronews<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">\u201cEthiopia is embarking upon a very comprehensive reform agenda since 2018. As part of the reform agenda, investing on human capital has become the number one priority for the government of Ethiopia.\u201d<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <div class=\"widget__authorText\">\n Muferihat Kamil Ahmed\n <\/div>\n <div class=\"widget__author_descriptionText\">\n Minister of Skills and Labour, Government of Ethiopia\n <\/div>\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>The Global Startup Awards Africa<\/h2><div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5606481481481481\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//75//32//808x454_cmsv2_2c87c1ed-1667-592f-b83c-86a9b17dbb3b-8107532.jpg/" alt=\"2023 Global Start-Up Africa and Fund \u2013 GIG\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/384x215_cmsv2_2c87c1ed-1667-592f-b83c-86a9b17dbb3b-8107532.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/640x359_cmsv2_2c87c1ed-1667-592f-b83c-86a9b17dbb3b-8107532.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/750x420_cmsv2_2c87c1ed-1667-592f-b83c-86a9b17dbb3b-8107532.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/828x464_cmsv2_2c87c1ed-1667-592f-b83c-86a9b17dbb3b-8107532.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/1080x606_cmsv2_2c87c1ed-1667-592f-b83c-86a9b17dbb3b-8107532.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/1200x673_cmsv2_2c87c1ed-1667-592f-b83c-86a9b17dbb3b-8107532.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/1920x1076_cmsv2_2c87c1ed-1667-592f-b83c-86a9b17dbb3b-8107532.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">2023 Global Start-Up Africa and Fund \u2013 GIG<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">euronews<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Global Startup Africa Awards and Fund connect companies and investors across the continent. Founders of GIIG, the organisation behind this year&#039;s event, explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"It&#039;s very clear, and it has been very clear, that emerging markets continue to dominate global economic growth. The markets show the forecast until 2075 that population demographics are one of the fundamental key drivers of global growth. There is only one young continent, and that is Africa.\"<\/p>\n<h2>Trade Depot: $100 million mission to empower the small retail sector<\/h2><p>Nigerian-based digital start-up Trade Depot raised over $100 million in 2021 and has been one of the success stories on the continent. Founder and CEO Onyekachi Izukanne explained why inventory and logistics technology is so important to African retailers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5624129930394431\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//75//32//808x454_cmsv2_b95a5467-e531-52dc-beba-c7d930436d7d-8107532.jpg/" alt=\"Trade Depot CEO, Onyekachi Izukanne, speaks to The Exchange\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/384x216_cmsv2_b95a5467-e531-52dc-beba-c7d930436d7d-8107532.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/640x360_cmsv2_b95a5467-e531-52dc-beba-c7d930436d7d-8107532.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/750x422_cmsv2_b95a5467-e531-52dc-beba-c7d930436d7d-8107532.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/828x466_cmsv2_b95a5467-e531-52dc-beba-c7d930436d7d-8107532.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/1080x607_cmsv2_b95a5467-e531-52dc-beba-c7d930436d7d-8107532.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/1200x675_cmsv2_b95a5467-e531-52dc-beba-c7d930436d7d-8107532.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/1920x1080_cmsv2_b95a5467-e531-52dc-beba-c7d930436d7d-8107532.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Trade Depot CEO, Onyekachi Izukanne, speaks to The Exchange<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">euronews<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\" In Africa, the bulk of this retail doesn&#039;t happen in the big supermarkets. It happens in small neighbourhood stores. And our thing is to create an e-commerce experience for these retailers,\"\u00a0Onyekachi Izukanne explained.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1702467002,"updatedAt":1703083359,"publishedAt":1703082623,"firstPublishedAt":1702626251,"lastPublishedAt":1703082628,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"euronews","altText":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":null,"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/75\/32\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_184eeada-3466-5443-8e33-9f327def88da-8107532.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"economy","titleRaw":"Economy","id":572,"title":"Economy","slug":"economy"},{"urlSafeValue":"business","titleRaw":"Business","id":4595,"title":"Business","slug":"business"},{"urlSafeValue":"africa","titleRaw":"Africa","id":3,"title":"Africa","slug":"africa"}],"widgets":[{"count":3,"slug":"image"},{"count":1,"slug":"quotation"}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[{"path":"editorial.media-city"},{"path":"editorial"},{"path":"sponsor.qfc2021"},{"path":"sponsor"}],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"6aQW0u9OzZ4","dailymotionId":"x8qqq06"},"video":1,"videos":[{"duration":480000,"editor":"","filesizeBytes":61423616,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/TX\/SU\/23\/12\/20\/en\/231220_TXSU_54211556_54211557_480000_110358_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"md"},{"duration":480000,"editor":"","filesizeBytes":92800000,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/TX\/SU\/23\/12\/20\/en\/231220_TXSU_54211556_54211557_480000_110358_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"hd"}],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":null,"freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"the-exchange","urlSafeValue":"the-exchange","title":"The exchange","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/business-series\/the-exchange"},"vertical":"business","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"business","id":11,"title":"Business","slug":"business"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":11,"slug":"business","urlSafeValue":"business","title":"Business"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"business-series","id":"business-series","title":"Business Series","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/business-series"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":76,"urlSafeValue":"business-series","title":"Business Series"},"advertising":1,"advertisingData":{"startDate":1630511520,"endDate":2114355123,"type":"sponsored","slug":"Scenes","title":"Media City - Qatar","disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":"Media City","sponsorName":"Scenes","sponsorUrl":"https:\/\/mediacity.qa\/","sponsorLogo":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/campaigns\/410\/300x114_cmsv2_34d67838-9191-52a0-9a53-1c81081387b0-410.jpg","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":[],"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','gs_busfin','gs_busfin_business','gs_science','gs_science_geography','gs_busfin_business_startups'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"TX-12-THE EXCHANGE AFRICA EP12 S03 - MASTER","path":"\/business\/2023\/12\/20\/africa-a-continent-with-huge-economic-potential","lastModified":1703082628},{"id":2440454,"cid":8123370,"versionId":5,"archive":0,"housenumber":"231220_BZSU_54293811","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"MTN & Huawei power the 5G revolution in South African coal mines","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":null,"titleListing2":"MTN & Huawei power 5G revolution in South African coal mines","leadin":"MTN\u2019s 5G mining deployment is making waves in South Africa as the coal industry moves towards ground-breaking digitisation.","summary":"MTN\u2019s 5G mining deployment is making waves in South Africa as the coal industry moves towards ground-breaking digitisation.","keySentence":"","url":"mtn-huawei-power-5g-revolution-in-south-african-coal-mines","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/next\/2023\/12\/20\/mtn-huawei-power-5g-revolution-in-south-african-coal-mines","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"MTN\u2019s 5G mining deployment is making waves in South Africa as the coal industry moves towards ground-breaking digitisation. \n\nThe telco giant has rolled out 5G operations across more than seven mines in the country, including Phalanndwa colliery, which became the country\u2019s first 5G-powered mine this year. \n\nThe ongoing project, in partnership with the 5G leader Huawei, aims to improve the safety and efficiency of coal mines in the region, which currently face huge challenges. \n\nThe mining sector is a vital part of South Africa\u2019s economy, contributing 8 per cent of the country\u2019s total GDP, totalling \u20ac29.3 billion ($32 billion) and employing half a million people. \n\nAccording to provisional statistics, 49 workers died in last year, compared to 74 in 2021. The industry also reported 1,946 serious injuries in 2022 and 2,123 in 2021. \n\nAs Huawei\u2019s revolutionary 5G technology gathers momentum, unnecessary deaths in the mining industry could soon become a thing of the past, with cutting-edge safety measures becoming part of everyday operations. \n\nImproving safety underground: Phalanndwa leads the way \n\nPhalanndwa colliery, which is operated by Canyon Coal, now has two major solutions to safeguard mine employees: 5G video system and a 5G + IoT proximity detection system. \n\nVideo system can be recorded and viewed in high definition using the high bandwidth of 5G. Captured footage can then be compared with images stored in the database using reverse image search capabilities to track movements and reduce security risks. \n\nNumber plates can also be identified and automatically compared to the registered whitelist to ensure vehicles are authorised to enter secured areas. \n\nThe solution also includes image management, image analysis and data analytics to constantly improve accuracy and efficiency. \n\nThe 5G + IoT proximity detection system prevents collisions and sounds an alarm for avoiding a potential hazard. \n\nAdditionally, a 5G smart conference network was deployed in the colliery to provide an effective working environment. Plans for a 5G and artificial intelligence system to improve the efficiency of ore sorting are also underway. \n\nImproving operational efficiency \n\nBased on research, 5G can enable up to 25 per cent more ore production, over 40 per cent more drill rig operations and 20 per cent more energy savings by supporting automation and remote operations with its features. \n\nAs well as increasing safety, number plate recognition can control movement without human intervention, while the smart conference system optimises the working environment with remote meeting facilities, whiteboarding and conferencing tools. \n\nThe 5G + IoT Proximity Detection System can prevent collisions of vehicles, which can result in economic savings. \n\nFinally, the deployment of 5G + AI algorithms can achieve online intelligent detection of conveyor belts and intelligent sorting of underground ore. \n\nIn the event that a conveyor belt breaks, the system will alert relevant parties to shorten the repair time. The intelligent sorting system will also use X-ray capabilities to screen ore, efficiently identifying ore grades and reducing waste. \n\nWorld-class security \n\nAs with any digital system, security is key and Huawei has taken stringent measures to protect its 5G system from cyber-attacks. \n\nThe deployed solution and services are fully independent and self-contained on the private network with zero interfacing with the consumer core network. Any operations or faults on the consumer core network will not affect the private 5G network and its local services. \n\nAdditionally, the private 5G core is a Huawei Kite L-type solution, which protects critical assets with network isolation, data protection and user authentication. \n\nNetwork security is also steadfast with a private mining network to reduce intermediate network links and improve end-to-end latency and bandwidth stability. The private network supports independent operation and provides efficient disaster recovery. \n\nTrustworthy connectivity is guaranteed by built-in data protection security, which prevents cyber-attacks using anti-virus intrusion detection and heightened authentication measures. \n\nThe future of 5G mining \n\nIn order to expand their operations, Huawei and MTN have paired up with other development partners including video surveillance vendors and drone, AR and AI safety surveillance companies. \n\nTo facilitate the wide commercial use for MTN, Huawei has also developed a 5GtoB online store, where application developers and system integrators can access operators' 5G network capabilities. \n\nNow, the focus is fixed on duplication in other mines in South Africa, multiplying operational productivity and saving lives on a national scale. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>MTN\u2019s 5G mining deployment is making waves in South Africa as the coal industry moves towards ground-breaking digitisation.<\/p>\n<p>The telco giant has rolled out 5G operations across more than seven mines in the country, including Phalanndwa colliery, which became the country\u2019s first 5G-powered mine this year.<\/p>\n<p>The ongoing project, in partnership with the 5G leader Huawei, aims to improve the safety and efficiency of coal mines in the region, which currently face huge challenges.<\/p>\n<p>The mining sector is a vital part of South Africa\u2019s economy, contributing 8 per cent of the country\u2019s total GDP, totalling \u20ac29.3 billion ($32 billion) and employing half a million people.<\/p>\n<p>According to provisional statistics, 49 workers died in last year, compared to 74 in 2021. The industry also reported 1,946 serious injuries in 2022 and 2,123 in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>As Huawei\u2019s revolutionary 5G technology gathers momentum, unnecessary deaths in the mining industry could soon become a thing of the past, with cutting-edge safety measures becoming part of everyday operations.<\/p>\n<h2>Improving safety underground: Phalanndwa leads the way<\/h2><p>Phalanndwa colliery, which is operated by Canyon Coal, now has two major solutions to safeguard mine employees: 5G video system and a 5G + IoT proximity detection system.<\/p>\n<p>Video system can be recorded and viewed in high definition using the high bandwidth of 5G. Captured footage can then be compared with images stored in the database using reverse image search capabilities to track movements and reduce security risks.<\/p>\n<p>Number plates can also be identified and automatically compared to the registered whitelist to ensure vehicles are authorised to enter secured areas.<\/p>\n<p>The solution also includes image management, image analysis and data analytics to constantly improve accuracy and efficiency.<\/p>\n<p>The 5G + IoT proximity detection system prevents collisions and sounds an alarm for avoiding a potential hazard.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, a 5G smart conference network was deployed in the colliery to provide an effective working environment. Plans for a 5G and artificial intelligence system to improve the efficiency of ore sorting are also underway.<\/p>\n<h2>Improving operational efficiency<\/h2><p>Based on research, 5G can enable up to 25 per cent more ore production, over 40 per cent more drill rig operations and 20 per cent more energy savings by supporting automation and remote operations with its features.<\/p>\n<p>As well as increasing safety, number plate recognition can control movement without human intervention, while the smart conference system optimises the working environment with remote meeting facilities, whiteboarding and conferencing tools.<\/p>\n<p>The 5G + IoT Proximity Detection System can prevent collisions of vehicles, which can result in economic savings.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the deployment of 5G + AI algorithms can achieve online intelligent detection of conveyor belts and intelligent sorting of underground ore.<\/p>\n<p>In the event that a conveyor belt breaks, the system will alert relevant parties to shorten the repair time. The intelligent sorting system will also use X-ray capabilities to screen ore, efficiently identifying ore grades and reducing waste.<\/p>\n<h2>World-class security<\/h2><p>As with any digital system, security is key and Huawei has taken stringent measures to protect its 5G system from cyber-attacks.<\/p>\n<p>The deployed solution and services are fully independent and self-contained on the private network with zero interfacing with the consumer core network. Any operations or faults on the consumer core network will not affect the private 5G network and its local services.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the private 5G core is a Huawei Kite L-type solution, which protects critical assets with network isolation, data protection and user authentication.<\/p>\n<p>Network security is also steadfast with a private mining network to reduce intermediate network links and improve end-to-end latency and bandwidth stability. The private network supports independent operation and provides efficient disaster recovery.<\/p>\n<p>Trustworthy connectivity is guaranteed by built-in data protection security, which prevents cyber-attacks using anti-virus intrusion detection and heightened authentication measures.<\/p>\n<h2>The future of 5G mining<\/h2><p>In order to expand their operations, Huawei and MTN have paired up with other development partners including video surveillance vendors and drone, AR and AI safety surveillance companies.<\/p>\n<p>To facilitate the wide commercial use for MTN, Huawei has also developed a 5GtoB online store, where application developers and system integrators can access operators&#039; 5G network capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the focus is fixed on duplication in other mines in South Africa, multiplying operational productivity and saving lives on a national scale.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1703067458,"updatedAt":1704387826,"publishedAt":1703064041,"firstPublishedAt":1703068065,"lastPublishedAt":1704387826,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Getty Images","altText":"\u00a9","callToActionText":null,"width":1280,"caption":"\u00a9","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/33\/70\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_8c89f928-fb42-5002-a075-b725c85ec643-8123370.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":720},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Huawei","altText":"\u00a9","callToActionText":null,"width":1280,"caption":"\u00a9","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/12\/33\/70\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_be182730-e9ca-5786-ae66-3ead19604a5b-8123370.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":720}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"mining","titleRaw":"Mining","id":193,"title":"Mining","slug":"mining"},{"urlSafeValue":"5g","titleRaw":"5G","id":19060,"title":"5G","slug":"5g"},{"urlSafeValue":"digitalisation","titleRaw":"Digitalisation","id":11001,"title":"Digitalisation","slug":"digitalisation"},{"urlSafeValue":"new-technologies","titleRaw":"New 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Africa","url":"\/news\/africa\/south-africa"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gb_safe_from_high','gs_tech','gs_tech_compute','gv_death_injury','gb_death_injury_high_med','gb_death_injury_high_med_low','gb_death_injury_news-ent','gs_busfin','mobkoi_sophie_campaign_de','gs_tech_computing','gs_tech_phones','gs_tech_compute_netsecurity','gs_business','gs_tech_compute_apps'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"Huawei 5G Mining Native Article","path":"\/next\/2023\/12\/20\/mtn-huawei-power-5g-revolution-in-south-african-coal-mines","lastModified":1704387826},{"id":2437232,"cid":8115394,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"231217_NWSU_54258841","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"UN: More than 60 migrants drown off Libya","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"UN: More than 60 migrants drown off Libya","titleListing2":"UN: More than 60 migrants drown off Libya","leadin":"The deaths are the latest casualties in the central Mediterranean route often used by migrants and where, this year alone, more than 2,250 people have died.","summary":"The deaths are the latest casualties in the central Mediterranean route often used by migrants and where, this year alone, more than 2,250 people have died.","keySentence":"","url":"un-more-than-60-migrants-drown-off-libya","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/12\/17\/un-more-than-60-migrants-drown-off-libya","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"A boat carrying dozens of migrants trying to reach Europe capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving more than 60 people dead, including women and children, the UN migration agency said. \n\n\nThe shipwreck was the latest tragedy in this part of the Mediterranean Sea, a key but dangerous route for migrants seeking a better life in Europe. Thousands have died, according to officials. \n\nThe UN\u2019s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said in a statement the boat was carrying 86 migrants when strong waves hit it off the town of Zuwara on Libya\u2019s western coast. \n\n61 migrants drowned, according to survivors. \n\n\u201cThe central Mediterranean continues to be one of the world\u2019s most dangerous migration routes,\u201d the agency wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. \n\nLibya has, in recent years, emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East, even though the North African nation has plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. \n\nMore than 2,250 people died on the central European route this year, according to Flavio Di Giacomo, an IOM spokesperson. \n\nIt\u2019s \u201ca dramatic figure which demonstrates that unfortunately not enough is being done to save lives at sea,\u201d Di Giacomo wrote on X. \n\nAccording to the IOM\u2019s missing migrants project, at least 940 migrants were reported dead and 1,248 missing off Libya between 1 January and 18 November. \n\nThe project, which tracks migration movements, said about 14,900 migrants, including over 1,000 women and more than 530 children, were intercepted and returned to Libya this year. \n\nIn 2022, the project reported 529 dead and 848 missing off Libya. Over 24,600 were intercepted and returned to Libya. \n\nHuman traffickers in recent years have benefited from the chaos in Libya, smuggling in migrants across the country\u2019s lengthy borders, which it shares with six nations. The migrants are crowded onto ill-equipped vessels, including rubber boats, and set off on risky sea voyages. \n\nThose who are intercepted and returned to Libya are held in government-run detention centers rife with abuses, including forced labor, beatings, rapes and torture - practices that amount to crimes against humanity, according to UN-commissioned investigators. \n\nThe abuse often accompanies attempts to extort money from the families of those held, before the imprisoned migrants are allowed to leave Libya on traffickers\u2019 boats to Europe. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>A boat carrying dozens of migrants trying to reach Europe capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving more than 60 people dead, including women and children, the UN migration agency said. <\/p>\n<p>The shipwreck was the latest tragedy in this part of the Mediterranean Sea, a key but dangerous route for migrants seeking a better life in Europe. Thousands have died, according to officials.<\/p>\n<p>The UN\u2019s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said in a statement the boat was carrying 86 migrants when strong waves hit it off the town of Zuwara on Libya\u2019s western coast.<\/p>\n<p>61 migrants drowned, according to survivors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe central Mediterranean continues to be one of the world\u2019s most dangerous migration routes,\u201d the agency wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1736132883524338041\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Libya has, in recent years, emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East, even though the North African nation has plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.<\/p>\n<p>More than 2,250 people died on the central European route this year, according to Flavio Di Giacomo, an IOM spokesperson.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s \u201ca dramatic figure which demonstrates that unfortunately not enough is being done to save lives at sea,\u201d Di Giacomo wrote on X.<\/p>\n<p>According to the IOM\u2019s missing migrants project, at least 940 migrants were reported dead and 1,248 missing off Libya between 1 January and 18 November.<\/p>\n<p>The project, which tracks migration movements, said about 14,900 migrants, including over 1,000 women and more than 530 children, were intercepted and returned to Libya this year.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, the project reported 529 dead and 848 missing off Libya. Over 24,600 were intercepted and returned to Libya.<\/p>\n<p>Human traffickers in recent years have benefited from the chaos in Libya, smuggling in migrants across the country\u2019s lengthy borders, which it shares with six nations. The migrants are crowded onto ill-equipped vessels, including rubber boats, and set off on risky sea voyages.<\/p>\n<p>Those who are intercepted and returned to Libya are held in government-run detention centers rife with abuses, including forced labor, beatings, rapes and torture - practices that amount to crimes against humanity, according to UN-commissioned investigators.<\/p>\n<p>The abuse often accompanies attempts to extort money from the families of those held, before the imprisoned migrants are allowed to leave Libya on traffickers\u2019 boats to Europe.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1702803516,"updatedAt":1702805076,"publishedAt":1702805072,"firstPublishedAt":1702805076,"lastPublishedAt":1702805076,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"TAHA JAWASHI\/AFP","altText":"Long term issue: A Libyan coast guardsman stands on a boat during the rescue of 147 illegal immigrants attempting to reach Europe in 2017","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Long term issue: A Libyan coast guardsman stands on a boat during the rescue of 147 illegal immigrants attempting to reach Europe in 2017","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/11\/53\/94\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_784de287-7bb2-54a0-ba42-e9f9e9f88831-8115394.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"libya","titleRaw":"Libya","id":172,"title":"Libya","slug":"libya"},{"urlSafeValue":"migrant-crisis","titleRaw":"Migrant Crisis","id":12102,"title":"Migrant Crisis","slug":"migrant-crisis"},{"urlSafeValue":"migrants","titleRaw":"Migrants","id":13190,"title":"Migrants","slug":"migrants"},{"urlSafeValue":"drowning","titleRaw":"drowning","id":20962,"title":"drowning","slug":"drowning"},{"urlSafeValue":"refugees","titleRaw":"Refugees","id":8151,"title":"Refugees","slug":"refugees"},{"urlSafeValue":"mediterranean-sea","titleRaw":"Mediterranean Sea","id":13414,"title":"Mediterranean Sea","slug":"mediterranean-sea"}],"widgets":[{"count":1,"slug":"twitter"}],"related":[{"id":2436026},{"id":2433740}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world 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LIBYA MIGRANT DROWNING","path":"\/2023\/12\/17\/un-more-than-60-migrants-drown-off-libya","lastModified":1702805076},{"id":2436206,"cid":8112312,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"231215_NWSU_54240678","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"\u2018Floods have washed away entire villages\u2019: Kenya\u2019s rains made twice as intense by climate change","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Kenya: Millions displaced by the worst flooding in 100 years","titleListing2":"With death toll rising, Kenyan military evacuates people from flood-hit areas","leadin":"There is no end in sight for the extreme weather.","summary":"There is no end in sight for the extreme weather.","keySentence":"","url":"floods-have-washed-away-entire-villages-kenyas-rains-made-twice-as-intense-by-climate-chan","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/2023\/12\/15\/floods-have-washed-away-entire-villages-kenyas-rains-made-twice-as-intense-by-climate-chan","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Kenya\u2019s military has stepped up efforts to evacuate hundreds of people trapped by raging floods. Hundreds of people have died and millions more have been affected since the rains began in October. \n\nJust last week scientists confirmed that human-caused climate change has made the rain up to two times more intense. \n\nJoyce Kimutai, principal meteorologist at the Kenya Meteorological Department and lead author of the World Weather Attribution study, said the findings stress the dangers of continually warming the planet and the need for humanity to cut down emissions as \u201cwhatever we\u2019re doing is definitely not on track.\u201d \n\n\u201cWhat the planet is telling us is that \u2018You\u2019re continually warming me, and there\u2019s no way I can dispel that heat other than to increase in the way the atmosphere behaves,'\u201d said Kimutai, who is also a researcher at Imperial College London. \n\nDisease and lost livelihoods \n\nTens of thousands of people in Northern Kenya have lost livestock, farmland and homes due to the floods described by aid groups as the worst in 100 years. \n\nThe rains have also caused an increase in cholera and other waterborne diseases in some parts. \n\n\u201cWhat we are witnessing in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia is yet another devastating blow to an already fragile humanitarian situation,\u201d said Melaku Yirga, regional director for Africa at the humanitarian organization Mercy Corps.\u00a0 \n\n\u201cFloods have washed away entire villages , wiping out homes, farmlands, and the critical infrastructure necessary to support a swift recovery and movement of people, goods, and much-needed humanitarian aid.\u201d \n\nKenya\u2019s meteorological department has warned that heavy rains will continue into the new year. It is urging people living in lowlands and flood-prone areas to evacuate. \n\n\u201cWhile I was running away from the rains and the flood waters, I fell down and broke my hand. After the incident my family and I came here to the displacement camp,\" says Gabey Aliow Issak, 65, in the town of Mandera. \n\nKenya is not the only country to be affected. In neighbouring Somalia, the death toll stood at 110 on Monday, with more than 1 million displaced. And in Ethiopia, the rains had caused the deaths of 57 people and displacement of more than 600,000 as of 27 November. And in Tanzania, heavy flooding and landslides in the northern part of the country killed at least 68 people and injured 100 last weekend. \n\nOn Wednesday, British High Commissioner Neil Wigan visited remote Mandera County, where a severe drought a year ago wiped out the livelihoods of residents in many communities. \n\n\u201dClimate change is one of the greatest challenges facing everyone in the world, but you see very acutely in places like northern Kenya, where the impact of the drought and livestock dying and now the flood on people\u2019s livelihood has been absolutely enormous,\u201c Wigan said. \"We are committed to dealing with both the short-term consequences, what we can do for cash grants, foods, medicine and other vital supplies but how can we build systems nationally and internationally to deal with the effects of climate change.\u201d \n\nClimate change has made rain more frequent and intense \n\nOctober to December is a \u201cshort rains\u201d season in Eastern Africa, with the frequency and intensity of the rains influenced by two naturally occurring climate phenomena: El Ni\u00f1o Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which this year have both shaped up to increase the likelihood of heavy rainfall. \n\nTo assess how climate change may have affected this year's season, 10 researchers used weather data from the three countries, as well as climate model simulations, to compare how the season has changed in today\u2019s climate, which has warmed about 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit), with cooler pre-industrial climate. \n\nThey found that the magnitude of the rainfall had nearly doubled due to the global warming . The scientists also said IOD had contributed almost equally to the intensity. \n\nThey found the rainfall experienced between October and December to be \u201cone of the most intense ever recorded\u201d in \u201cshort rains\u201d seasons over the past 40 years. \n\nThe findings show the impact that the burning of fossil fuels , mostly done by rich countries, has on vulnerable populations. The world is experiencing more and more climatic extremes. Greenhouse gas emissions, which trap heat and warm the planet, are increasing to record levels. The World Meteorological Organization said recently that 2023 is almost certain to be the hottest year on record and warned of more worrying climatic events. \n\nThe study also looked at the impact of the heavy rains on communities in the region. The researchers found that people are struggling to deal with the effects of the rains as they are yet to recover from the devastating shocks of a three-year drought that was also exacerbated by climate change . They said increasing risks from extreme weather may strain responses by governments and humanitarian organizations. \n\nTorrential rains and flash floods have caused rampant deaths, displacement, and destruction of infrastructure in parts of Eastern Africa, affecting millions since they began in October. \n\nThe situation in Eastern Africa emphasizes an urgent need for climate change adaptation, and a regional approach to address the crisis, said Musavengana Chibwana, regional humanitarian advocacy and policy manager for east and southern Africa at the humanitarian organization Save the Children. \n\n\u201cJust months ago, back-to-back drought in the Horn of Africa and lack of water claimed lives; now, flood waters are doing the same,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a clear indication of a climate crisis which is getting worse.\u201d \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Kenya\u2019s military has stepped up efforts to evacuate hundreds of people trapped by raging floods. Hundreds of people have died and millions more have been affected since the rains began in October.<\/p>\n<p>Just last week scientists confirmed that human-caused climate change has made the rain up to two times more intense.<\/p>\n<p>Joyce Kimutai, principal meteorologist at the Kenya Meteorological Department and lead author of the World Weather Attribution study, said the findings stress the dangers of continually warming the planet and the need for humanity to cut down emissions as \u201cwhatever we\u2019re doing is definitely not on track.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat the planet is telling us is that \u2018You\u2019re continually warming me, and there\u2019s no way I can dispel that heat other than to increase in the way the atmosphere behaves,&#039;\u201d said Kimutai, who is also a researcher at Imperial College London.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//11//23//12//808x454_cmsv2_d1b257d7-dd22-5ac5-be0b-e27b825aa50a-8112312.jpg/" alt=\"An aerial view shows a flooded area in Mandera County,Kenya, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/11\/23\/12\/384x216_cmsv2_d1b257d7-dd22-5ac5-be0b-e27b825aa50a-8112312.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/11\/23\/12\/640x360_cmsv2_d1b257d7-dd22-5ac5-be0b-e27b825aa50a-8112312.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/11\/23\/12\/750x422_cmsv2_d1b257d7-dd22-5ac5-be0b-e27b825aa50a-8112312.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/11\/23\/12\/828x466_cmsv2_d1b257d7-dd22-5ac5-be0b-e27b825aa50a-8112312.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/11\/23\/12\/1080x608_cmsv2_d1b257d7-dd22-5ac5-be0b-e27b825aa50a-8112312.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/11\/23\/12\/1200x675_cmsv2_d1b257d7-dd22-5ac5-be0b-e27b825aa50a-8112312.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/11\/23\/12\/1920x1080_cmsv2_d1b257d7-dd22-5ac5-be0b-e27b825aa50a-8112312.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">An aerial view shows a flooded area in Mandera County,Kenya, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Brian Inganga<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Disease and lost livelihoods<\/h2><p>Tens of thousands of people in Northern <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//11//03//these-maasai-women-have-developed-an-eco-friendly-way-to-turn-invasive-cacti-into-bio-fuel/">Kenya have lost livestock, farmland and homes due to the floods described by aid groups as the worst in 100 years.<\/p>\n<p>The rains have also caused an increase in cholera and other waterborne diseases in some parts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we are witnessing in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia is yet another devastating blow to an already fragile humanitarian situation,\u201d said Melaku Yirga, regional director for Africa at the humanitarian organization Mercy Corps.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFloods have washed away entire <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//10//05//flood-zones-cities-towns-and-villages-are-rapidly-expanding-into-high-risk-areas-study-sho/">villages, wiping out homes, farmlands, and the critical infrastructure necessary to support a swift recovery and movement of people, goods, and much-needed humanitarian aid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kenya\u2019s meteorological department has warned that heavy rains will continue into the new year. It is urging people living in lowlands and flood-prone areas to evacuate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile I was running away from the rains and the flood waters, I fell down and broke my hand. After the incident my family and I came here to the displacement camp,\" says Gabey Aliow Issak, 65, in the town of Mandera.<\/p>\n<p>Kenya is not the only country to be affected. In neighbouring Somalia, the death toll stood at 110 on Monday, with more than 1 million displaced. And in Ethiopia, the rains had caused the deaths of 57 people and displacement of more than 600,000 as of 27 November. And in Tanzania, heavy <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//11//02//storm-ciaran-is-climate-change-giving-more-fuel-for-storms-in-europe/">flooding and landslides in the northern part of the country killed at least 68 people and injured 100 last weekend.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8100880,7768874\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//07//21//summer-of-extremes-is-climate-change-to-blame-for-heatwaves-and-flooding/">/u2018Summer of extremes\u2019: Is climate change to blame for heatwaves and flooding?<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.africanews.com//2023//12//11//much-of-kenya-falls-into-darkness-in-the-third-nationwide-power-blackout-in-3-months///">Much of Kenya falls into darkness in the third nationwide power blackout in 3 months<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>On Wednesday, British High Commissioner Neil Wigan visited remote Mandera County, where a severe drought a year ago wiped out the livelihoods of residents in many communities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201dClimate change is one of the greatest challenges facing everyone in the world, but you see very acutely in places like northern Kenya, where the impact of the drought and livestock dying and now the flood on people\u2019s livelihood has been absolutely enormous,\u201c Wigan said. \"We are committed to dealing with both the short-term consequences, what we can do for cash grants, foods, medicine and other vital supplies but how can we build systems nationally and internationally to deal with the effects of climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7857876\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//08//30//why-do-floods-follow-drought-scientists-show-climate-change-is-fuelling-more-sudden-shifts/">Why do floods follow drought? Scientists show climate change is fuelling more \u2018sudden shifts\u2019<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Climate change has made rain more frequent and intense<\/h2><p>October to December is a \u201cshort rains\u201d season in Eastern Africa, with the frequency and intensity of the rains influenced by two naturally occurring climate phenomena: <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//05//12//theres-a-90-chance-el-nino-will-hit-this-summer-what-does-it-mean-for-extreme-weather/">El Ni\u00f1o<\/strong><\/a> Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which this year have both shaped up to increase the likelihood of heavy rainfall.<\/p>\n<p>To assess how climate change may have affected this year&#039;s season, 10 researchers used weather data from the three countries, as well as climate model simulations, to compare how the season has changed in today\u2019s climate, which has warmed about 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit), with cooler pre-industrial climate.<\/p>\n<p>They found that the magnitude of the rainfall had nearly doubled due to the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//09//08//virtually-no-one-on-earth-escaped-98-of-worlds-population-exposed-to-global-warming-this-s/">global warming<\/strong><\/a>. The scientists also said IOD had contributed almost equally to the intensity.<\/p>\n<p>They found the rainfall experienced between October and December to be \u201cone of the most intense ever recorded\u201d in \u201cshort rains\u201d seasons over the past 40 years.<\/p>\n<p>The findings show the impact that the burning of <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//13//cop28-strikes-historic-deal-to-transition-away-from-fossil-fuels-what-are-the-key-takeaway/">fossil fuels<\/strong><\/a>, mostly done by rich countries, has on vulnerable populations. The world is experiencing more and more climatic extremes. Greenhouse gas emissions, which trap heat and warm the planet, are increasing to record levels. The World Meteorological Organization said recently that 2023 is almost certain to be the hottest year on record and warned of more worrying climatic events.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7880940,7831748\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//09//09//2023-is-set-to-be-the-hottest-year-on-record-how-fast-are-european-countries-heating-up/">2023 is set to be the hottest year on record: How fast are European countries heating up?<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//08//18//italy-reports-11-extreme-weather-events-per-day-in-the-third-hottest-year-since-1800/">Italy reports 11 extreme weather events per day in the third-hottest year since 1800<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The study also looked at the impact of the heavy rains on communities in the region. The researchers found that people are struggling to deal with the effects of the rains as they are yet to recover from the devastating shocks of a three-year drought that was also exacerbated by <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//10//27//can-concrete-dust-help-to-fight-climate-change-irish-startup-is-trying-it-out-in-us/">climate change<\/strong><\/a>. They said increasing risks from extreme weather may strain responses by governments and humanitarian organizations.<\/p>\n<p>Torrential rains and flash floods have caused rampant deaths, displacement, and destruction of infrastructure in parts of Eastern Africa, affecting millions since they began in October.<\/p>\n<p>The situation in Eastern Africa emphasizes an urgent need for climate change adaptation, and a regional approach to address the crisis, said Musavengana Chibwana, regional humanitarian advocacy and policy manager for east and southern Africa at the humanitarian organization Save the Children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust months ago, back-to-back drought in the Horn of Africa and lack of water claimed lives; now, flood waters are doing the same,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a clear indication of a climate crisis which is getting worse.\u201d<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1702632982,"updatedAt":1702884871,"publishedAt":1702641512,"firstPublishedAt":1702641515,"lastPublishedAt":1702884871,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Brian Inganga","altText":"People wade through a section of a road destroyed by floods in Mandera County, Kenya, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"People wade through a section of a road destroyed by floods in Mandera County, Kenya, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/11\/23\/12\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_93090e4d-2d35-5008-83b2-9006319cc4eb-8112312.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Brian Inganga","altText":"An aerial view shows a flooded area in Mandera County,Kenya, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. ","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"An aerial view shows a flooded area in Mandera County,Kenya, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. ","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/11\/23\/12\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_d1b257d7-dd22-5ac5-be0b-e27b825aa50a-8112312.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"wright-ru","twitter":null,"title":"Ruth Wright"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"climate-crisis","titleRaw":"Climate crisis","id":20218,"title":"Climate crisis","slug":"climate-crisis"},{"urlSafeValue":"sel-bask-n-","titleRaw":"Floods","id":14972,"title":"Floods","slug":"sel-bask-n-"},{"urlSafeValue":"internally-displaced","titleRaw":"Internally displaced","id":23224,"title":"Internally displaced","slug":"internally-displaced"},{"urlSafeValue":"extreme-weather","titleRaw":"Extreme weather","id":17856,"title":"Extreme weather","slug":"extreme-weather"},{"urlSafeValue":"climate-change","titleRaw":"climate change","id":15386,"title":"climate change","slug":"climate-change"},{"urlSafeValue":"kenya","titleRaw":"Kenya","id":163,"title":"Kenya","slug":"kenya"}],"widgets":[{"count":1,"slug":"image"},{"count":3,"slug":"related"}],"related":[{"id":2445424},{"id":2446246},{"id":2469278}],"technicalTags":[{"path":"editorial.newsletter"},{"path":"editorial"}],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":2,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"green-news","urlSafeValue":"green-news","title":"Green News","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/green-news\/green-news"},"vertical":"green","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"green","id":8,"title":"Green","slug":"green"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":8,"slug":"green","urlSafeValue":"green","title":"Green"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"green-news","id":"green-news","title":"Green News","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/green-news"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":35,"urlSafeValue":"green-news","title":"Green News"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":163,"urlSafeValue":"kenya","title":"Kenya","url":"\/news\/africa\/kenya"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gb_safe_from_high','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_science','gs_science_weather','gs_science_environ','gs_science_environment','gs_science_geography','neg_facebook','neg_mobkoi_castrol','gt_negative','gv_death_injury','neg_saudiaramco','climatechange','gs_busfin','gs_business','neg_intel_en','neg_audi_list1','gt_negative_fear','gb_death_injury_high_med','gb_death_injury_high_med_low','gb_death_injury_news-ent','gs_busfin_indus'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"GREEN- KENYA FLOODING","path":"\/green\/2023\/12\/15\/floods-have-washed-away-entire-villages-kenyas-rains-made-twice-as-intense-by-climate-chan","lastModified":1702884871},{"id":2433792,"cid":8104422,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"231212_GNWB_54200496","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"In the global fight against climate change, the leadership is not there yet \u2014 but a way forward is","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"In the global fight against climate change, a way forward exists","titleListing2":"VIEW | As COP28 concludes, the question remains \u2014 who is going to provide the leadership we so desperately need, Prof Lee White CBE writes.","leadin":"As COP28 concludes, the question remains \u2014 who is going to provide the leadership we so desperately need, Prof Lee White CBE writes.","summary":"As COP28 concludes, the question remains \u2014 who is going to provide the leadership we so desperately need, Prof Lee White CBE writes.","keySentence":"","url":"in-the-global-fight-against-climate-change-the-leadership-is-not-there-yet-but-a-way-forwa","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/2023\/12\/13\/in-the-global-fight-against-climate-change-the-leadership-is-not-there-yet-but-a-way-forwa","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"As we depart COP28 in the desert,\u00a0where technology creates the water that maintains world-class golf courses and lush gardens, I feel some family pride. \n\nMy father-in-law, Charles Abernethy, was the engineer who put the first water pipe into Dubai in the early 1960s.\u00a0 \n\nAt that time, all drinking water arrived on the donkey's backs, from salty wells along the coastal flats. A thin layer of fresh water, which floats over salt water, was skilfully harvested. \n\nThese wells are surely pure salt water today because of sea level rise, which is impacting more and more farmland and drinking water in low-lying coastal areas around the globe.\u00a0 \n\nFortunately for the people of Dubai, desalination technology has solved this problem. \n\nIn Dubai, we see what visionary leadership, innovation, technology, and resources, can achieve.\u00a0Humans can change a desert into fertile land and create a vast oasis where there was just sand. \n\nIn the same way, human beings can surely fight climate change. We just need visionary leadership, innovation, technology, and resources. \n\nMatters of life and death \n\nI sat in a small room in Copenhagen for 27 hours as Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba\u2019s \u201cplus 1\u201d whilst 20 heads of state, including Barack Obama, Lula da Silva, Gordon Brown, Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and Meles Zenawi tried to craft the Copenhagen Agreement.\u00a0 \n\nI was in Paris with the Gabonese foreign minister, the late Emmanuel Issoze Ngondet, who co-chaired the finance negotiations in the long sleepless hours before Laurent Fabius\u2019 Paris Agreement was born.\u00a0 \n\nAnd in Glasgow, in my capacity of environment minister of Gabon, as chair of the African Group of Negotiators, I spoke on behalf of Africa, defending the red lines regarding action to address \u201cadaptation\u201d and \u201cLoss and Damage\u201d, that quite simply are matters of life and death for many on the continent. \n\nSadly, all those hours of negotiating and landmark agreements didn\u2019t seem to have taken us very far. \n\nThe UN Environment Programme now tells us that if we continue as we are going, we are on track to reduce emissions by 2% by 2030\u00a0\u2014 not the 43% threshold we need to achieve to have any hope of meeting Alok Sharma\u2019s rallying call to \"keep 1.5 alive\". \n\nWe are, in fact, hurtling towards 3\u00b0C,\u00a0which means Dubai will be 8 degrees warmer and sea level a metre higher by the end of the century\u00a0\u2014\u00a0forcing UAE to move all their desalinisation and nuclear power plants.\u00a0 \n\nThe global leadership to fight climate change just is not there\u00a0\u2014 yet. \n\nWe know exactly what we need to do \n\nWhat is frustrating is that we know what to do and we have most of the technology to do it.\u00a0 \n\nThe first key action is to stop destroying the natural systems that buffer the impacts of climate change by absorbing CO2. If we reduce deforestation, particularly in the tropics and then stabilise and restore forests, we will have solved 20% of the problem. \n\nThen we need to shift the world onto renewable energy and electric vehicles, and design low-carbon buildings and cities. \n\nDeveloping nations showed leadership almost 20 years ago when Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea proposed a mechanism to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation. Gabon was the third country to sign up.\u00a0 \n\nAt Copenhagen, in 2009, a formal COP decision validated REDD+ as an agreed UNFCCC mechanism. At the Paris COP in 2015, REDD+ was the subject of a dedicated article, known as \u201cArticle 5\u201d, which formalised the principle that developing forest nations who reduced emissions from their forests would be paid for validated results. \n\nREDD+ is an acronym for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation of Forests and\u00a0\u2014 all encompassed in the \u201c+\u201d\u00a0\u2014 preserving and enhancing forest carbon stocks through conservation, restoration, reforestation and afforestation.\u00a0 \n\nIn other words, stop cutting down and degrading forests, restore and plant more forests, and you will be paid for each ton of carbon, subject to a plethora of rules and a strict review of your data by independent UNFCCC experts. \n\nThe case of Gabon as a blueprint \n\nBack in 2005, there was almost no deforestation in the Congo Basin. We were net absorbing about a billion tonnes of CO2 annually, over 2% of global emissions. \n\nIn Gabon, we put in place a strategy to preserve and sustainably harvest forests. The country was 88% covered in biodiverse tropical rainforests at the time.\u00a0 \n\nTraditionally, the forests provided for the Gabonese peoples\u2019 home, larder, pharmacy and temple. As a developing nation, Gabon had to find a model to grow the economy with the forest. \n\nMost countries on Earth have cut down their forests as they developed, slipping inevitably down a \u201cdeforestation curve\u201d as development accelerates. \n\nThat model is basically to exploit the forests sustainably by selectively cutting 1-2 trees per hectare every 25 years and investing in timber processing infrastructure to ensure that a maximum of the value added resulting from processing stays in the country. \n\nGabon exported its first wood to Hamburg in Germany in 1889 in the form of logs of Okoum\u00e9, known as \u201cGaboon\u201d by the Germans.\u00a0 \n\nToday we know that when you export a log you are retaining just 8% of the value and creating just 8% of the jobs in-country.\u00a0 \n\nI ran a model estimating the economic loss to the economy of exporting logs from Gabon to Europe and elsewhere, post-independence in 1960. I used a 10% compound interest rate. \n\nThe number my model spat out was $440 billion (\u20ac407.7bn) of lost revenues. \n\nGabon would be a very different place if it had had an additional $440 billion injected into its economy since independence.\u00a0 \n\nHowever, by banning log export in 2009 and finding investors willing to take a chance on local transformation, Gabon has been able to increase forest sector revenues and jobs by 400% in 10 years. \n\nEverything can be done with the environment in mind \n\nForestry is selective, cutting 1-2 trees per hectare every 25 years. At the end of a 25-year rotation, there is more carbon stored in the forest than there would have been if the forest had been left unlogged because opening the canopy allows light to penetrate and results in a growth spurt.\u00a0 \n\nForestry concessions are managed to produce a sustainable offtake of timber and at the same time to increase the average carbon content of the forests.\u00a0 \n\nLogged forests in Gabon have an average above-ground carbon content of 213 tonnes of carbon (779 tonnes of CO2) compared to 187 in undisturbed forests, such as those in Gabon\u2019s 13 national parks.\u00a0 \n\nProcessing the timber in-country has seen Gabon\u2019s timber economy pass from $250m (\u20ac231.7m) per annum 10 years ago to $1bn (\u20ac926.6m) in 2022. \n\nThrough a combination of protected areas, which today cover 25% of Gabon\u2019s land, sustainably managed forests, which cover a further 60% and careful land-use planning, Gabon was able to reduce its CO2\u00a0emissions between 2010-2018 by 90 million tonnes compared to a 10-year baseline between 2000-2009.\u00a0 \n\nUnder my leadership as minister, Gabon formally registered these reduced emissions with the UNFCCC as REDD+ results.\u00a0 \n\nFinal approval was given in November of last year during COP27, and to this day, Gabon is the only African country with validated REDD+ results.\u00a0 \n\nIts high forest cover and sound forest management mean that Gabon\u2019s CO2\u00a0absorption exceeds its total emissions across all sectors of the economy by just over 100 million tonnes per annum\u00a0\u2014 meaning that by reducing its emissions, Gabon increased the absolute amount of CO2\u00a0it absorbs from the atmosphere. \n\nThe formula is simple \n\nGabon is a litmus test for the UNFCCC forest preservation policies\u00a0\u2014 a model that other nations might aspire to replicate. \n\nOne country where immediate action is needed is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Its forests are six times the surface area of Gabon\u2019s\u00a0\u2014 60% of the Congo Basin. They represent a vast stock of carbon and biodiversity.\u00a0 \n\nTheir forests have a cooling effect that effectively doubles the climate value of the carbon they lock up, and they generate the local rainfall that fuels DRC\u2019s agriculture.\u00a0 \n\nThey are also the source of water vapour that \"flows\" into atmospheric rivers, carrying humid air as far as the Ethiopian Highlands, and generating the rain that is the source of the Blue Nile and in turn, irrigates Egypt.\u00a0 \n\nWithout these ecological services, the African continent will fail quickly and there will be hundreds of millions of climate refugees with dramatic global implications in terms of economies, human suffering and peace and security \u2014 the DRC is quietly yet quite literally the heart of Africa, pumping water, the life-blood of the continent, as far as the Mediterranean. \n\nThe DRC could become a major contributor in our fight against climate change, given their vast forests with huge capacity to absorb CO2; but to do so will need help from international partners. \n\nThe formula is simple: we need investment in modern tropical agriculture, to stop the carbon emissions and restore the ecosystem services the forests should be providing by removing CO2\u00a0from the atmosphere.\u00a0 \n\nWe need to make DRC\u2019s forests more valuable alive than dead, through a combination of a Gabon-type transition to sustainable forestry and local timber processing, along with real, dependable payments for quality carbon and biodiversity services.\u00a0 \n\n500m tonnes of reduced CO2\u00a0emissions at $100\/tonne is $50bn. \n\nDoes the world have the visionary leadership, innovation, technology and, of course, the resources to invest in climate-resilient economies? This would not only provide environmental dividends, but it would naturally stabilise a volatile DRC, allowing it to become the success story we need it to be.\u00a0 \n\nAs COP28 concludes, the question remains\u00a0\u2014\u00a0who is going to provide the leadership we so desperately need? \n\nProf Lee White CBE is the former Minister of Forestry and Climate of the Gabonese Republic. \n\nAt Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>As we depart COP28 in the desert,\u00a0where technology creates the water that maintains world-class golf courses and lush gardens, I feel some family pride.<\/p>\n<p>My father-in-law, Charles Abernethy, was the engineer who put the first water pipe into Dubai in the early 1960s.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At that time, all drinking water arrived on the donkey&#039;s backs, from salty wells along the coastal flats. A thin layer of fresh water, which floats over salt water, was skilfully harvested.<\/p>\n<p>These wells are surely pure salt water today because of sea level rise, which is impacting more and more farmland and drinking water in low-lying coastal areas around the globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately for the people of Dubai, desalination technology has solved this problem.<\/p>\n<p>In Dubai, we see what visionary leadership, innovation, technology, and resources, can achieve.\u00a0Humans can change a desert into fertile land and create a vast oasis where there was just sand.<\/p>\n<p>In the same way, human beings can surely fight climate change. We just need visionary leadership, innovation, technology, and resources.<\/p>\n<h2>Matters of life and death<\/h2><p>I sat in a small room in Copenhagen for 27 hours as Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba\u2019s \u201cplus 1\u201d whilst 20 heads of state, including Barack Obama, Lula da Silva, Gordon Brown, Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and Meles Zenawi tried to craft the Copenhagen Agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I was in Paris with the Gabonese foreign minister, the late Emmanuel Issoze Ngondet, who co-chaired the finance negotiations in the long sleepless hours before Laurent Fabius\u2019 Paris Agreement was born.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And in Glasgow, in my capacity of environment minister of Gabon, as chair of the African Group of Negotiators, I spoke on behalf of Africa, defending the red lines regarding action to address \u201cadaptation\u201d and \u201cLoss and Damage\u201d, that quite simply are matters of life and death for many on the continent.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.623046875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//44//22//808x502_cmsv2_a6f16518-11f4-5f18-a9cd-e8b7d2e89a91-8104422.jpg/" alt=\"US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry arrive for the COP21 in Paris, November 2015\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/384x239_cmsv2_a6f16518-11f4-5f18-a9cd-e8b7d2e89a91-8104422.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/640x399_cmsv2_a6f16518-11f4-5f18-a9cd-e8b7d2e89a91-8104422.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/750x467_cmsv2_a6f16518-11f4-5f18-a9cd-e8b7d2e89a91-8104422.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/828x516_cmsv2_a6f16518-11f4-5f18-a9cd-e8b7d2e89a91-8104422.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/1080x673_cmsv2_a6f16518-11f4-5f18-a9cd-e8b7d2e89a91-8104422.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/1200x748_cmsv2_a6f16518-11f4-5f18-a9cd-e8b7d2e89a91-8104422.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/1920x1196_cmsv2_a6f16518-11f4-5f18-a9cd-e8b7d2e89a91-8104422.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry arrive for the COP21 in Paris, November 2015<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Christophe Ena\/AP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Sadly, all those hours of negotiating and landmark agreements didn\u2019t seem to have taken us very far.<\/p>\n<p>The UN Environment Programme now tells us that if we continue as we are going, we are on track to reduce emissions by 2% by 2030\u00a0\u2014 not the 43% threshold we need to achieve to have any hope of meeting Alok Sharma\u2019s rallying call to \"keep 1.5 alive\".<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8107666,8104154\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//13//cop28-strikes-historic-deal-to-transition-away-from-fossil-fuels-what-are-the-key-takeaway/">COP28 strikes \u2018historic\u2019 deal to transition away from fossil fuels: What are the key takeaways?<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//12//cop28-could-phase-out-fossil-fuels-without-us-realising/">COP28 could phase out fossil fuels without us realising<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>We are, in fact, hurtling towards 3\u00b0C,\u00a0which means Dubai will be 8 degrees warmer and sea level a metre higher by the end of the century\u00a0\u2014\u00a0forcing UAE to move all their desalinisation and nuclear power plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The global leadership to fight climate change just is not there\u00a0\u2014 yet.<\/p>\n<h2>We know exactly what we need to do<\/h2><p>What is frustrating is that we know what to do and we have most of the technology to do it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The first key action is to stop destroying the natural systems that buffer the impacts of climate change by absorbing CO2. If we reduce deforestation, particularly in the tropics and then stabilise and restore forests, we will have solved 20% of the problem.<\/p>\n<p>Then we need to shift the world onto renewable energy and electric vehicles, and design low-carbon buildings and cities.<\/p>\n<p>Developing nations showed leadership almost 20 years ago when Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea proposed a mechanism to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation. Gabon was the third country to sign up.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//44//22//808x539_cmsv2_91bd22f5-87f7-589b-a338-1433e00c770b-8104422.jpg/" alt=\"A frog named &quot;rana azul&quot; or &quot;rana de cafetal&quot; (Agalychnis annae) climbs a branch in a protected forest on the outskirts of San Jose, Costa Rica, August 2022\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/384x256_cmsv2_91bd22f5-87f7-589b-a338-1433e00c770b-8104422.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/640x427_cmsv2_91bd22f5-87f7-589b-a338-1433e00c770b-8104422.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/750x500_cmsv2_91bd22f5-87f7-589b-a338-1433e00c770b-8104422.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/828x552_cmsv2_91bd22f5-87f7-589b-a338-1433e00c770b-8104422.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/1080x720_cmsv2_91bd22f5-87f7-589b-a338-1433e00c770b-8104422.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/1200x800_cmsv2_91bd22f5-87f7-589b-a338-1433e00c770b-8104422.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/1920x1281_cmsv2_91bd22f5-87f7-589b-a338-1433e00c770b-8104422.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">A frog named &quot;rana azul&quot; or &quot;rana de cafetal&quot; (Agalychnis annae) climbs a branch in a protected forest on the outskirts of San Jose, Costa Rica, August 2022<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Moises Castillo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>At Copenhagen, in 2009, a formal COP decision validated REDD+ as an agreed UNFCCC mechanism. At the Paris COP in 2015, REDD+ was the subject of a dedicated article, known as \u201cArticle 5\u201d, which formalised the principle that developing forest nations who reduced emissions from their forests would be paid for validated results.<\/p>\n<p>REDD+ is an acronym for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation of Forests and\u00a0\u2014 all encompassed in the \u201c+\u201d\u00a0\u2014 preserving and enhancing forest carbon stocks through conservation, restoration, reforestation and afforestation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7939268,7907598\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//10//03//eu-deforestation-regulation-must-address-africas-needs-too/">EU Deforestation Regulation must address Africa\u2019s needs, too<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//my-europe//2023//09//20//why-the-global-south-is-against-the-eus-anti-deforestation-law/">Why the Global South is against the EU's anti-deforestation law<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>In other words, stop cutting down and degrading forests, restore and plant more forests, and you will be paid for each ton of carbon, subject to a plethora of rules and a strict review of your data by independent UNFCCC experts.<\/p>\n<h2>The case of Gabon as a blueprint<\/h2><p>Back in 2005, there was almost no deforestation in the Congo Basin. We were net absorbing about a billion tonnes of CO2 annually, over 2% of global emissions.<\/p>\n<p>In Gabon, we put in place a strategy to preserve and sustainably harvest forests. The country was 88% covered in biodiverse tropical rainforests at the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Traditionally, the forests provided for the Gabonese peoples\u2019 home, larder, pharmacy and temple. As a developing nation, Gabon had to find a model to grow the economy with the forest.<\/p>\n<p>Most countries on Earth have cut down their forests as they developed, slipping inevitably down a \u201cdeforestation curve\u201d as development accelerates.<\/p>\n<p>That model is basically to exploit the forests sustainably by selectively cutting 1-2 trees per hectare every 25 years and investing in timber processing infrastructure to ensure that a maximum of the value added resulting from processing stays in the country.<\/p>\n<p>Gabon exported its first wood to Hamburg in Germany in 1889 in the form of logs of Okoum\u00e9, known as \u201cGaboon\u201d by the Germans.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">By banning log export in 2009 and finding investors willing to take a chance on local transformation, Gabon has been able to increase forest sector revenues and jobs by 400% in 10 years.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.666015625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//44//22//808x539_cmsv2_8a8d61bb-b587-58b5-adbf-3a00eb257e0a-8104422.jpg/" alt=\"Two forest rangers walk on a road in the Akanda forest, a national park a few kilometres from the city centre of the capital, Libreville, September 2019\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/384x256_cmsv2_8a8d61bb-b587-58b5-adbf-3a00eb257e0a-8104422.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/640x426_cmsv2_8a8d61bb-b587-58b5-adbf-3a00eb257e0a-8104422.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/750x500_cmsv2_8a8d61bb-b587-58b5-adbf-3a00eb257e0a-8104422.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/828x551_cmsv2_8a8d61bb-b587-58b5-adbf-3a00eb257e0a-8104422.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/1080x719_cmsv2_8a8d61bb-b587-58b5-adbf-3a00eb257e0a-8104422.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/1200x799_cmsv2_8a8d61bb-b587-58b5-adbf-3a00eb257e0a-8104422.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/1920x1279_cmsv2_8a8d61bb-b587-58b5-adbf-3a00eb257e0a-8104422.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Two forest rangers walk on a road in the Akanda forest, a national park a few kilometres from the city centre of the capital, Libreville, September 2019<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">STEEVE JORDAN\/AFP or licensors<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Today we know that when you export a log you are retaining just 8% of the value and creating just 8% of the jobs in-country.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I ran a model estimating the economic loss to the economy of exporting logs from Gabon to Europe and elsewhere, post-independence in 1960. I used a 10% compound interest rate.<\/p>\n<p>The number my model spat out was $440 billion (\u20ac407.7bn) of lost revenues.<\/p>\n<p>Gabon would be a very different place if it had had an additional $440 billion injected into its economy since independence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"5799192,7449320\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//03//08//preservation-of-tropical-forests-at-heart-of-gabons-one-forest-festival/">Preservation of tropical forests at heart of Gabon's One Forest Summit<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2021//06//23//gabon-is-the-first-african-country-to-get-paid-for-reducing-carbon-emissions/">Gabon is the first African country to get paid for reducing carbon emissions<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>However, by banning log export in 2009 and finding investors willing to take a chance on local transformation, Gabon has been able to increase forest sector revenues and jobs by 400% in 10 years.<\/p>\n<h2>Everything can be done with the environment in mind<\/h2><p>Forestry is selective, cutting 1-2 trees per hectare every 25 years. At the end of a 25-year rotation, there is more carbon stored in the forest than there would have been if the forest had been left unlogged because opening the canopy allows light to penetrate and results in a growth spurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Forestry concessions are managed to produce a sustainable offtake of timber and at the same time to increase the average carbon content of the forests.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Logged forests in Gabon have an average above-ground carbon content of 213 tonnes of carbon (779 tonnes of CO2) compared to 187 in undisturbed forests, such as those in Gabon\u2019s 13 national parks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Processing the timber in-country has seen Gabon\u2019s timber economy pass from $250m (\u20ac231.7m) per annum 10 years ago to $1bn (\u20ac926.6m) in 2022.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">The formula is simple: we need investment in modern tropical agriculture, to stop the carbon emissions and restore the ecosystem services the forests should be providing by removing CO2 from the atmosphere.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//44//22//808x539_cmsv2_958d82c4-f726-56c3-a432-2fb026d49409-8104422.jpg/" alt=\"French President Emmanuel Macron with the Gabon Minister of Water and Forests, the Sea and the Environment Lee White in Libreville, March 2023\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/384x256_cmsv2_958d82c4-f726-56c3-a432-2fb026d49409-8104422.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/640x427_cmsv2_958d82c4-f726-56c3-a432-2fb026d49409-8104422.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/750x500_cmsv2_958d82c4-f726-56c3-a432-2fb026d49409-8104422.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/828x552_cmsv2_958d82c4-f726-56c3-a432-2fb026d49409-8104422.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/1080x720_cmsv2_958d82c4-f726-56c3-a432-2fb026d49409-8104422.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/1200x800_cmsv2_958d82c4-f726-56c3-a432-2fb026d49409-8104422.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/1920x1281_cmsv2_958d82c4-f726-56c3-a432-2fb026d49409-8104422.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">French President Emmanuel Macron with the Gabon Minister of Water and Forests, the Sea and the Environment Lee White in Libreville, March 2023<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AngoumaAfrikimages via AP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Through a combination of protected areas, which today cover 25% of Gabon\u2019s land, sustainably managed forests, which cover a further 60% and careful land-use planning, Gabon was able to reduce its CO2\u00a0emissions between 2010-2018 by 90 million tonnes compared to a 10-year baseline between 2000-2009.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Under my leadership as minister, Gabon formally registered these reduced emissions with the UNFCCC as REDD+ results.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Final approval was given in November of last year during COP27, and to this day, Gabon is the only African country with validated REDD+ results.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"6069252,5979752\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2021//09//14//we-need-to-remove-emissions-at-a-major-scale-is-carbon-capture-the-answer/">We need to remove emissions at a major scale: Is carbon capture the answer?<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2021//08//10//capture-and-store-co2-to-reach-net-zero-says-the-ipcc-climate-report-it-s-easier-said-than/">Capture and store CO2 to reach net-zero, says the IPCC climate report. It's easier said than done<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Its high forest cover and sound forest management mean that Gabon\u2019s CO2\u00a0absorption exceeds its total emissions across all sectors of the economy by just over 100 million tonnes per annum\u00a0\u2014 meaning that by reducing its emissions, Gabon increased the absolute amount of CO2\u00a0it absorbs from the atmosphere.<\/p>\n<h2>The formula is simple<\/h2><p>Gabon is a litmus test for the UNFCCC forest preservation policies\u00a0\u2014 a model that other nations might aspire to replicate.<\/p>\n<p>One country where immediate action is needed is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Its forests are six times the surface area of Gabon\u2019s\u00a0\u2014 60% of the Congo Basin. They represent a vast stock of carbon and biodiversity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Their forests have a cooling effect that effectively doubles the climate value of the carbon they lock up, and they generate the local rainfall that fuels DRC\u2019s agriculture.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They are also the source of water vapour that \"flows\" into atmospheric rivers, carrying humid air as far as the Ethiopian Highlands, and generating the rain that is the source of the Blue Nile and in turn, irrigates Egypt.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//05//85//61//30//808x539_cmsv2_7e6174fc-ab90-53c8-9d73-9c270f33d5ce-5856130.jpg/" alt=\"A general view of the Nile River in Beni Suef, August 2020\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/85\/61\/30\/384x256_cmsv2_7e6174fc-ab90-53c8-9d73-9c270f33d5ce-5856130.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/85\/61\/30\/640x427_cmsv2_7e6174fc-ab90-53c8-9d73-9c270f33d5ce-5856130.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/85\/61\/30\/750x500_cmsv2_7e6174fc-ab90-53c8-9d73-9c270f33d5ce-5856130.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/85\/61\/30\/828x552_cmsv2_7e6174fc-ab90-53c8-9d73-9c270f33d5ce-5856130.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/85\/61\/30\/1080x720_cmsv2_7e6174fc-ab90-53c8-9d73-9c270f33d5ce-5856130.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/85\/61\/30\/1200x800_cmsv2_7e6174fc-ab90-53c8-9d73-9c270f33d5ce-5856130.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/85\/61\/30\/1920x1281_cmsv2_7e6174fc-ab90-53c8-9d73-9c270f33d5ce-5856130.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">A general view of the Nile River in Beni Suef, August 2020<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Nariman El-Mofty<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Without these ecological services, the African continent will fail quickly and there will be hundreds of millions of climate refugees with dramatic global implications in terms of economies, human suffering and peace and security \u2014 the DRC is quietly yet quite literally the heart of Africa, pumping water, the life-blood of the continent, as far as the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n<p>The DRC could become a major contributor in our fight against climate change, given their vast forests with huge capacity to absorb CO2; but to do so will need help from international partners.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"6190522,6232660\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2021//11//19//the-european-union-at-the-forefront-of-biodiversity-in-the-drc/">The European Union at the forefront of biodiversity in the DRC<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//11//08//rainforests-in-the-drc-a-solution-for-climate-change/">Rainforests in the DRC: \"a solution\" for climate change<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The formula is simple: we need investment in modern tropical agriculture, to stop the carbon emissions and restore the ecosystem services the forests should be providing by removing CO2\u00a0from the atmosphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We need to make DRC\u2019s forests more valuable alive than dead, through a combination of a Gabon-type transition to sustainable forestry and local timber processing, along with real, dependable payments for quality carbon and biodiversity services.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>500m tonnes of reduced CO2\u00a0emissions at $100\/tonne is $50bn.<\/p>\n<p>Does the world have the visionary leadership, innovation, technology and, of course, the resources to invest in climate-resilient economies? This would not only provide environmental dividends, but it would naturally stabilise a volatile DRC, allowing it to become the success story we need it to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As COP28 concludes, the question remains\u00a0\u2014\u00a0who is going to provide the leadership we so desperately need?<\/p>\n<p><em>Prof Lee White CBE is the former Minister of Forestry and Climate of the Gabonese Republic.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at <a href=https://www.euronews.com/news/\"mailto:view@euronews.com\">view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.<\/em><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1702396656,"updatedAt":1702895901,"publishedAt":1702488042,"firstPublishedAt":1702488044,"lastPublishedAt":1702895901,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Euronews","altText":"A forest elephant steps out of the forest in Gabon's Pongara National Park forest, March 2020","callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"caption":"A forest elephant steps out of the forest in Gabon's Pongara National Park forest, March 2020","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_1429ff36-f7b0-5600-b781-3cce0fce3e21-8104422.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":900},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"STEEVE JORDAN\/AFP or licensors","altText":"Two forest rangers walk on a road in the Akanda forest, a national park a few kilometres from the city centre of the capital, Libreville, September 2019","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Two forest rangers walk on a road in the Akanda forest, a national park a few kilometres from the city centre of the capital, Libreville, September 2019","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_8a8d61bb-b587-58b5-adbf-3a00eb257e0a-8104422.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":682},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AngoumaAfrikimages via AP","altText":"French President Emmanuel Macron with the Gabon Minister of Water and Forests, the Sea and the Environment Lee White in Libreville, March 2023","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"French President Emmanuel Macron with the Gabon Minister of Water and Forests, the Sea and the Environment Lee White in Libreville, March 2023","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_958d82c4-f726-56c3-a432-2fb026d49409-8104422.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Moises Castillo","altText":"A frog named \"rana azul\" or \"rana de cafetal\" (Agalychnis annae) climbs a branch in a protected forest on the outskirts of San Jose, Costa Rica, August 2022","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"A frog named \"rana azul\" or \"rana de cafetal\" (Agalychnis annae) climbs a branch in a protected forest on the outskirts of San Jose, Costa Rica, August 2022","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_91bd22f5-87f7-589b-a338-1433e00c770b-8104422.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Christophe Ena\/AP","altText":"US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry arrive for the COP21 in Paris, November 2015","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry arrive for the COP21 in Paris, November 2015","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/44\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_a6f16518-11f4-5f18-a9cd-e8b7d2e89a91-8104422.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":638}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"climate-emergency","titleRaw":"Climate emergency","id":21982,"title":"Climate emergency","slug":"climate-emergency"},{"urlSafeValue":"cop28","titleRaw":"COP28","id":28576,"title":"COP28","slug":"cop28"},{"urlSafeValue":"deforestation","titleRaw":"deforestation","id":20070,"title":"deforestation","slug":"deforestation"},{"urlSafeValue":"carbon-offset","titleRaw":"carbon offset","id":28286,"title":"carbon 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News"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":122,"urlSafeValue":"gabon","title":"Gabon","url":"\/news\/africa\/gabon"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_facebook','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_science','progressivemedia','gs_science_environ','gs_science_environment','gs_busfin','gs_science_geography','gs_business','gs_busfin_indus','neg_audi_list1','neg_saudiaramco','african_related_content_uk','gs_politics_issues_policy','climatechange','environment','neg_bucherer','gt_negative'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet-web","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":1,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"VIEW COP28 GABON FORESTS","path":"\/green\/2023\/12\/13\/in-the-global-fight-against-climate-change-the-leadership-is-not-there-yet-but-a-way-forwa","lastModified":1702895901},{"id":2432766,"cid":8100668,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"231211_CMWB_54179050","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"America is failing Africa by not taking COP28 seriously","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"America is failing Africa by not taking COP28 seriously","titleListing2":"VIEW | If the US is not willing to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to climate finance, then it\u2019s very possible other wealthy nations could follow suit, Abdoulie Ceesay writes.","leadin":"Washington's decisions still largely signal the status quo to other nations in the Global North \u2014 and if the US is not willing to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to climate finance, then it\u2019s very possible other wealthy nations could follow suit, Abdoulie Ceesay writes.","summary":"Washington's decisions still largely signal the status quo to other nations in the Global North \u2014 and if the US is not willing to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to climate finance, then it\u2019s very possible other wealthy nations could follow suit, Abdoulie Ceesay writes.","keySentence":"","url":"america-is-failing-africa-by-not-taking-cop28-seriously","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/2023\/12\/11\/america-is-failing-africa-by-not-taking-cop28-seriously","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Last month's landmark agreement at COP28, under the guidance of Dr Sultan Al Jaber, to operationalise the Loss and Damage Fund was a momentous step forward. After all, the fund is a lifeline for developing countries ravaged by climate change. \n\nHowever, the enthusiasm was dampened by the glaring inequity in financial commitments, particularly by the United States. \n\nThe contrast is stark and unsettling. The UAE and the UK stepped forward with significant pledges of $100 million (\u20ac92.9m) and $60m (\u20ac55.8m), respectively.\u00a0 \n\nIn stark contrast, the US, the world's largest economy and a major historical emitter, contributed a mere $24.5m (\u20ac22.8m) \u2014\u00a0an amount that can only be described as paltry and embarrassingly inadequate. \n\nAs an African leader, I must express profound disappointment and concern. Washington's contribution reflects a disturbing disregard for the scale of the crisis facing climate-vulnerable nations.\u00a0 \n\nIt is a failure to recognise the disproportionate burden these countries bear\u00a0\u2014 a burden largely created by the industrialisation and prosperity of more affluent nations. \n\nBut this is not just a shortfall in funds; it's a glaring shortfall in moral leadership and global responsibility.\u00a0 \n\nAfter all, Washington's decisions still largely signal the status quo to other nations in the Global North\u00a0\u2014 and if the US is not willing to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to climate finance, then it\u2019s very possible other wealthy nations could follow suit. \n\nThere is no other way to put it: America is failing Africa. \n\nUnconscionable and gross dereliction of responsibility \n\nAfrican nations only account for 3.9% of global emissions but endure climate-induced crises around food insecurity, displacement, and natural disasters more frequently and fiercely than anywhere else in the world. \n\nThe $429m (\u20ac400m) allocated to this fund is a welcome starting point for Africa and other developing nations that bear the brunt of climate change.\u00a0 \n\nYet, given the relative size and wealth of developing nations, this is unconscionable and a gross dereliction of responsibility. Even Germany and the EU committed $100m (\u20ac92.9m) and $245m (\u20ac228m), respectively. \n\nIn the new realm of climate diplomacy, the US is falling tragically behind the UAE and other nations who are doing more both to transition away from fossil fuel dependency and invest in clean energy.\u00a0 \n\nThe UAE invested $23.8bn (\u20ac22.1bn) into Africa between 2016 and 2020, making it the second only to China. And already this COP, the UAE announced a $30bn (\u20ac27.9bn) climate finance fund today\u00a0\u2014 separate from Loss and Damage\u00a0\u2014 which will help reach its goal of tripling global investments in renewables by 2030. \n\nOn the other hand, US President Joe Biden is skipping COP28, and at home, he continues to fail to deliver the climate action he promised during his 2020 campaign.\u00a0 \n\nFor example, the Biden administration pledged to reach net zero by 2050 and stop drilling on federal land. Yet, since his election, he has failed to pass the emergency climate legislation to make the former possible\u00a0\u2014 and as to the latter, he has approved more oil and gas drilling permits than his predecessor Donald Trump. \n\nEurope could do a little more, too \n\nIt's clear that the path forward requires more than token gestures; it demands a deep, committed response commensurate with the magnitude of the crisis we face. \n\nThis means that the US, and other major economies, must not only acknowledge their pivotal role in this crisis but must act decisively and substantially to ensure a just transition. Their contributions should mirror their capacities and their historical responsibility. \n\nFor the EU, this was an opportunity to utilise its expertise and leadership in climate technologies and set a new standard for climate finance.\u00a0 \n\nAlthough their contribution outsized the US, more\u00a0\u2014 such as France and Kenya\u2019s joint climate venture\u00a0\u2014 could be done. Beyond making financial contributions, EU member states should be considering how policies aimed at reaching net zero by 2050 could negatively impact Africa. \n\nFor example, there have been calls at COP28 to exempt Africa from the EU\u2019s planned carbon tax \u2014 which would implement tariffs on imports\u00a0\u2014 as this could devastate African economies and put punitive measures above constructive ones. \n\nCollective political willpower and financial muscle needed \n\nUltimately, Africa is at the vanguard in terms of the climate crisis\u00a0\u2014 while we shoulder most of the burden, we are also home to many of the solutions.\u00a0 \n\nFor example, Africa has incredible wealth in untapped resources and great potential when it comes to renewable energy like solar.\u00a0 \n\nWe have all the tools we need; we just need the collective political willpower and the financial muscle to realise this potential. \n\nIn the end, the success of COP28 and the effectiveness of the Loss and Damage Fund hinge on genuine global solidarity and equitable action. It's time for the US to step up and demonstrate the leadership expected of a nation of its stature. \n\nThis is not just about finance; it's about justice, equity, and securing a sustainable future for all nations, irrespective of their size or wealth.\u00a0 \n\nAs we celebrate the achievements at COP28, let us also use this moment to catalyse a more profound and equitable global commitment to combatting climate change. \n\nAbdoulie Ceesay is the Deputy Majority Leader of the National Assembly of The Gambia and represents the Gambian Government at COP28. As an MP, he serves on committees for education, trade, youth, human rights, and constitutional matters. \n\nAt Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Last month&#039;s landmark agreement at COP28, under the guidance of Dr Sultan Al Jaber, to operationalise the Loss and Damage Fund was a momentous step forward. After all, the fund is a lifeline for developing countries ravaged by climate change.<\/p>\n<p>However, the enthusiasm was dampened by the glaring inequity in financial commitments, particularly by the United States.<\/p>\n<p>The contrast is stark and unsettling. The UAE and the UK stepped forward with significant pledges of $100 million (\u20ac92.9m) and $60m (\u20ac55.8m), respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In stark contrast, the US, the world&#039;s largest economy and a major historical emitter, contributed a mere $24.5m (\u20ac22.8m) \u2014\u00a0an amount that can only be described as paltry and embarrassingly inadequate.<\/p>\n<p>As an African leader, I must express profound disappointment and concern. Washington&#039;s contribution reflects a disturbing disregard for the scale of the crisis facing climate-vulnerable nations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It is a failure to recognise the disproportionate burden these countries bear\u00a0\u2014 a burden largely created by the industrialisation and prosperity of more affluent nations.<\/p>\n<p>But this is not just a shortfall in funds; it&#039;s a glaring shortfall in moral leadership and global responsibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After all, Washington&#039;s decisions still largely signal the status quo to other nations in the Global North\u00a0\u2014 and if the US is not willing to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to climate finance, then it\u2019s very possible other wealthy nations could follow suit.<\/p>\n<p>There is no other way to put it: America is failing Africa.<\/p>\n<h2>Unconscionable and gross dereliction of responsibility<\/h2><p>African nations only account for 3.9% of global emissions but endure climate-induced crises around food insecurity, displacement, and natural disasters more frequently and fiercely than anywhere else in the world.<\/p>\n<p>The $429m (\u20ac400m) allocated to this fund is a welcome starting point for Africa and other developing nations that bear the brunt of climate change.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yet, given the relative size and wealth of developing nations, this is unconscionable and a gross dereliction of responsibility. Even Germany and the EU committed $100m (\u20ac92.9m) and $245m (\u20ac228m), respectively.<\/p>\n<p>In the new realm of climate diplomacy, the US is falling tragically behind the UAE and other nations who are doing more both to transition away from fossil fuel dependency and invest in clean energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">US President Joe Biden is skipping COP28, and at home, he continues to fail to deliver the climate action he promised during his 2020 campaign.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//06//68//808x539_cmsv2_cb52fc8e-e47a-5a1f-889a-2473e4a84621-8100668.jpg/" alt=\"President Joe Biden salutes as he boards Marine One to depart the South Lawn of the White House, December 2023\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/384x256_cmsv2_cb52fc8e-e47a-5a1f-889a-2473e4a84621-8100668.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/640x427_cmsv2_cb52fc8e-e47a-5a1f-889a-2473e4a84621-8100668.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/750x500_cmsv2_cb52fc8e-e47a-5a1f-889a-2473e4a84621-8100668.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/828x552_cmsv2_cb52fc8e-e47a-5a1f-889a-2473e4a84621-8100668.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/1080x720_cmsv2_cb52fc8e-e47a-5a1f-889a-2473e4a84621-8100668.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/1200x800_cmsv2_cb52fc8e-e47a-5a1f-889a-2473e4a84621-8100668.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/1920x1281_cmsv2_cb52fc8e-e47a-5a1f-889a-2473e4a84621-8100668.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">President Joe Biden salutes as he boards Marine One to depart the South Lawn of the White House, December 2023<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Alex Brandon<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The UAE invested $23.8bn (\u20ac22.1bn) into Africa between 2016 and 2020, making it the second only to China. And already this COP, the UAE announced a $30bn (\u20ac27.9bn) climate finance fund today\u00a0\u2014 separate from Loss and Damage\u00a0\u2014 which will help reach its goal of tripling global investments in renewables by 2030.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, US President Joe Biden is skipping COP28, and at home, he continues to fail to deliver the climate action he promised during his 2020 campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8093654,8086936\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//07//is-something-special-happening-at-cop28-campaigners-and-delegates-are-divided/">Is \u2018something special\u2019 happening at COP28? Campaigners and delegates are divided<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//05//we-have-a-chance-now-to-create-a-fair-and-clean-global-energy-system/">We have a chance now to create a fair and clean global energy system<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>For example, the Biden administration pledged to reach net zero by 2050 and stop drilling on federal land. Yet, since his election, he has failed to pass the emergency climate legislation to make the former possible\u00a0\u2014 and as to the latter, he has approved more oil and gas drilling permits than his predecessor Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<h2>Europe could do a little more, too<\/h2><p>It&#039;s clear that the path forward requires more than token gestures; it demands a deep, committed response commensurate with the magnitude of the crisis we face.<\/p>\n<p>This means that the US, and other major economies, must not only acknowledge their pivotal role in this crisis but must act decisively and substantially to ensure a just transition. Their contributions should mirror their capacities and their historical responsibility.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">Although their contribution outsized the US, more [...] could be done. Beyond making financial contributions, EU member states should be considering how policies aimed at reaching net zero by 2050 could negatively impact Africa.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//06//68//808x539_cmsv2_c708c752-4357-514d-93e7-585feb9d3e84-8100668.jpg/" alt=\"European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks at a session at the COP28 UN Climate Summit in Dubai, December 2023\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/384x256_cmsv2_c708c752-4357-514d-93e7-585feb9d3e84-8100668.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/640x427_cmsv2_c708c752-4357-514d-93e7-585feb9d3e84-8100668.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/750x500_cmsv2_c708c752-4357-514d-93e7-585feb9d3e84-8100668.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/828x552_cmsv2_c708c752-4357-514d-93e7-585feb9d3e84-8100668.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/1080x720_cmsv2_c708c752-4357-514d-93e7-585feb9d3e84-8100668.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/1200x800_cmsv2_c708c752-4357-514d-93e7-585feb9d3e84-8100668.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/1920x1281_cmsv2_c708c752-4357-514d-93e7-585feb9d3e84-8100668.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks at a session at the COP28 UN Climate Summit in Dubai, December 2023<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Kamran Jebreili<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>For the EU, this was an opportunity to utilise its expertise and leadership in climate technologies and set a new standard for climate finance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Although their contribution outsized the US, more\u00a0\u2014 such as France and Kenya\u2019s joint climate venture\u00a0\u2014 could be done. Beyond making financial contributions, EU member states should be considering how policies aimed at reaching net zero by 2050 could negatively impact Africa.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8077006,7925614\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//11//30//europe-has-a-pivotal-role-to-play-in-the-global-green-transition/">Europe has a pivotal role to play in the global green transition<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//09//27//this-is-a-rallying-call-it-is-time-to-help-the-global-south-deal-with-loss-and-damage/">This is a rallying call: It is time to help the Global South deal with loss and damage<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>For example, there have been calls at COP28 to exempt Africa from the EU\u2019s planned carbon tax \u2014 which would implement tariffs on imports\u00a0\u2014 as this could devastate African economies and put punitive measures above constructive ones.<\/p>\n<h2>Collective political willpower and financial muscle needed<\/h2><p>Ultimately, Africa is at the vanguard in terms of the climate crisis\u00a0\u2014 while we shoulder most of the burden, we are also home to many of the solutions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For example, Africa has incredible wealth in untapped resources and great potential when it comes to renewable energy like solar.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We have all the tools we need; we just need the collective political willpower and the financial muscle to realise this potential.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7875518,7963718\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//09//06//the-wests-view-of-africa-as-a-climate-victim-is-crippling-real-solutions/">The West\u2019s view of Africa as a \u2018climate victim\u2019 is crippling real solutions <\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//10//12//niger-is-the-latest-victim-of-africas-development-paradox/">Niger is the latest victim of Africa\u2019s development paradox<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>In the end, the success of COP28 and the effectiveness of the Loss and Damage Fund hinge on genuine global solidarity and equitable action. It&#039;s time for the US to step up and demonstrate the leadership expected of a nation of its stature.<\/p>\n<p>This is not just about finance; it&#039;s about justice, equity, and securing a sustainable future for all nations, irrespective of their size or wealth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As we celebrate the achievements at COP28, let us also use this moment to catalyse a more profound and equitable global commitment to combatting climate change.<\/p>\n<p><em>Abdoulie Ceesay is the Deputy Majority Leader of the National Assembly of The Gambia and represents the Gambian Government at COP28. As an MP, he serves on committees for education, trade, youth, human rights, and constitutional matters.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at <a href=https://www.euronews.com/news/\"mailto:view@euronews.com\">view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.<\/em><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1702289068,"updatedAt":1702305548,"publishedAt":1702305545,"firstPublishedAt":1702305548,"lastPublishedAt":1702305548,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Euronews","altText":"US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves prior to departure from Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, December 2023","callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"caption":"US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves prior to departure from Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, December 2023","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_f7643d0b-3d77-5487-b1f8-f099f9dbfd1e-8100668.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":900},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Kamran Jebreili","altText":"European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks at a session at the COP28 UN Climate Summit in Dubai, December 2023","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks at a session at the COP28 UN Climate Summit in Dubai, December 2023","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_c708c752-4357-514d-93e7-585feb9d3e84-8100668.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Alex Brandon","altText":"President Joe Biden salutes as he boards Marine One to depart the South Lawn of the White House, December 2023","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"President Joe Biden salutes as he boards Marine One to depart the South Lawn of the White House, December 2023","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/06\/68\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_cb52fc8e-e47a-5a1f-889a-2473e4a84621-8100668.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"cop28","titleRaw":"COP28","id":28576,"title":"COP28","slug":"cop28"},{"urlSafeValue":"loss-and-damage","titleRaw":"loss and damage","id":29268,"title":"loss and damage","slug":"loss-and-damage"},{"urlSafeValue":"climate-emergency","titleRaw":"Climate emergency","id":21982,"title":"Climate emergency","slug":"climate-emergency"},{"urlSafeValue":"africa","titleRaw":"Africa","id":3,"title":"Africa","slug":"africa"},{"urlSafeValue":"united-states","titleRaw":"United States ","id":13363,"title":"United States ","slug":"united-states"},{"urlSafeValue":"euroviews","titleRaw":"Euroviews","id":22480,"title":"Euroviews","slug":"euroviews"}],"widgets":[{"count":2,"slug":"image"},{"count":2,"slug":"quotation"},{"count":3,"slug":"related"}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Abdoulie Ceesay","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"climate","urlSafeValue":"climate","title":"Climate","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/climate\/climate"},"vertical":"green","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"green","id":8,"title":"Green","slug":"green"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":8,"slug":"green","urlSafeValue":"green","title":"Green"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"climate","id":"climate","title":"Climate","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/climate"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":34,"urlSafeValue":"climate","title":"Climate"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":123,"urlSafeValue":"gambia","title":"Gambia","url":"\/news\/africa\/gambia"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','gs_busfin','gs_science','gs_politics','progressivemedia','gs_science_geography','gt_negative','gs_science_environ','gs_busfin_economy','gs_science_environment','gs_busfin_indus','african_related_content_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook_q4','neg_facebook_neg4','climatechange','gt_negative_sadness'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet-web","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":1,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"VIEW COP28 US AFRICA EU","path":"\/green\/2023\/12\/11\/america-is-failing-africa-by-not-taking-cop28-seriously","lastModified":1702305548},{"id":2432122,"cid":8098722,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"231210_NWSU_54170260","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Egyptians vote for president, with el-Sissi almost certain to win","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Egyptians vote for president, with el-Sissi almost certain to win","titleListing2":"Egyptians vote for president, with el-Sissi almost certain to win","leadin":"Current President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has been in power since mid-2014 and it's expected this election will see him stay in the top spot until 2030.","summary":"Current President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has been in power since mid-2014 and it's expected this election will see him stay in the top spot until 2030.","keySentence":"","url":"egyptians-vote-for-president-with-el-sissi-almost-certain-to-win","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/12\/10\/egyptians-vote-for-president-with-el-sissi-almost-certain-to-win","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Egyptians have begun voting in a presidential election in which President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi faces no serious challenger and is almost certain to win another term, keeping him in power until 2030. \n\nThe election has been overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Almost all Egyptians' attention has been on the war on their country\u2019s eastern borders and the suffering of Palestinian civilians in the coastal enclave. \n\nThe three-day vote, beginning on Sunday, is also taking place amid a staggering economic crisis in Egypt. \n\nIt\u2019s a country where, among a population of some 105 million people, nearly a third live in poverty, according to official figures. \n\nThe crisis stems from mismanagement of the economy - but also from the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine, which has rattled the global economy. \n\nEl-Sissi faces three other candidates: Farid Zahran, head of the opposition Social Democratic Party; Abdel-Sanad Yamama, chairman of Wafd Party; and Hazem Omar, head of the Republican People\u2019s Party. \n\nAn ambitious young presidential hopeful, Ahmed Altantawy, dropped out of the race after he failed to secure the required signatures from residents to secure his candidacy. He blamed his failure on what he said was harassment by security agencies of his campaign staff and supporters. \n\nEl-Sissi voted at a polling centre in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis as soon as the polls opened at 9am local time. \n\nA runoff is scheduled for 8 - 10 January if no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, according to the National Election Authority, a judicial-chaired body that runs the electoral process. \n\nEgyptian expatriates have already cast their ballots earlier in December. \n\nAhead of the vote, the interior ministry, which oversees police forces, deployed thousands of troops across the country to secure the election. \n\nMore than 67 million people are eligible to vote - and authorities are hoping for a high turnout to give the election legitimacy. \n\nA career military officer, el-Sissi was first elected as president in mid-2014, a year after he, as defence minister, led the military overthrow of an elected but divisive Islamist president amid widespread street protests against his one-year rule. \n\nEl-Sissi was reelected in 2018 for a second, four-year term. \n\nThen, he faced only one challenger, a little-known politician who joined the race at the last minute to spare the government the embarrassment of a one-candidate election after several hopefuls were forced out or arrested. \n\nIn 2019, constitutional amendments, passed in a general referendum, added two years to el-Sissi\u2019s second term, and allowed him to run for a third, six-year term. \n\nUnder his watch, authorities have launched a major crackdown on dissent. Thousands of government critics have been silenced or jailed, mainly Islamists but also prominent secular activists, including many of those behind the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. \n\nThe economy has become a headache for el-Sissi\u2019s government which initiated an ambitious reform programme in 2016. \n\nThe programme, supported by the International Monetary Fund, has aimed to reverse longstanding distortions in the country\u2019s battered economy. \n\nIt\u2019s included painful authority measures like subsidy cuts and the flotation of the local currency. In return, Egypt received a series of loans from the IMF, and recognition from the west. \n\nHowever, such austerity measures sent prices soaring, exacting a heavy toll on ordinary Egyptians. \n\nThe war in Ukraine has added to the burdens as the Middle Eastern nation has run low on foreign currency needed to buy essentials like fuel and grain. Egypt is the world\u2019s largest wheat importer and has traditionally imported most of its grain from Ukraine and Russia. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Egyptians have begun voting in a presidential election in which President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi faces no serious challenger and is almost certain to win another term, keeping him in power until 2030.<\/p>\n<p>The election has been overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Almost all Egyptians&#039; attention has been on the war on their country\u2019s eastern borders and the suffering of Palestinian civilians in the coastal enclave.<\/p>\n<p>The three-day vote, beginning on Sunday, is also taking place amid a staggering economic crisis in Egypt.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a country where, among a population of some 105 million people, nearly a third live in poverty, according to official figures.<\/p>\n<p>The crisis stems from mismanagement of the economy - but also from the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine, which has rattled the global economy.<\/p>\n<p>El-Sissi faces three other candidates: Farid Zahran, head of the opposition Social Democratic Party; Abdel-Sanad Yamama, chairman of Wafd Party; and Hazem Omar, head of the Republican People\u2019s Party.<\/p>\n<p>An ambitious young presidential hopeful, Ahmed Altantawy, dropped out of the race after he failed to secure the required signatures from residents to secure his candidacy. He blamed his failure on what he said was harassment by security agencies of his campaign staff and supporters.<\/p>\n<p>El-Sissi voted at a polling centre in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis as soon as the polls opened at 9am local time.<\/p>\n<p>A runoff is scheduled for 8 - 10 January if no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, according to the National Election Authority, a judicial-chaired body that runs the electoral process.<\/p>\n<p>Egyptian expatriates have already cast their ballots earlier in December.<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of the vote, the interior ministry, which oversees police forces, deployed thousands of troops across the country to secure the election.<\/p>\n<p>More than 67 million people are eligible to vote - and authorities are hoping for a high turnout to give the election legitimacy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//09//87//22//808x539_cmsv2_5dde2906-31e3-56eb-a6a9-53b32b7273ba-8098722.jpg/" alt=\"Egyptian voters line up to cast their votes for the presidential elections at a polling station, in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/09\/87\/22\/384x256_cmsv2_5dde2906-31e3-56eb-a6a9-53b32b7273ba-8098722.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/09\/87\/22\/640x427_cmsv2_5dde2906-31e3-56eb-a6a9-53b32b7273ba-8098722.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/09\/87\/22\/750x500_cmsv2_5dde2906-31e3-56eb-a6a9-53b32b7273ba-8098722.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/09\/87\/22\/828x552_cmsv2_5dde2906-31e3-56eb-a6a9-53b32b7273ba-8098722.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/09\/87\/22\/1080x720_cmsv2_5dde2906-31e3-56eb-a6a9-53b32b7273ba-8098722.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/09\/87\/22\/1200x800_cmsv2_5dde2906-31e3-56eb-a6a9-53b32b7273ba-8098722.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/09\/87\/22\/1920x1281_cmsv2_5dde2906-31e3-56eb-a6a9-53b32b7273ba-8098722.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Egyptian voters line up to cast their votes for the presidential elections at a polling station, in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Amr Nabil\/The AP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>A career military officer, el-Sissi was first elected as president in mid-2014, a year after he, as defence minister, led the military overthrow of an elected but divisive Islamist president amid widespread street protests against his one-year rule.<\/p>\n<p>El-Sissi was reelected in 2018 for a second, four-year term.<\/p>\n<p>Then, he faced only one challenger, a little-known politician who joined the race at the last minute to spare the government the embarrassment of a one-candidate election after several hopefuls were forced out or arrested.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, constitutional amendments, passed in a general referendum, added two years to el-Sissi\u2019s second term, and allowed him to run for a third, six-year term.<\/p>\n<p>Under his watch, authorities have launched a major crackdown on dissent. Thousands of government critics have been silenced or jailed, mainly Islamists but also prominent secular activists, including many of those behind the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.<\/p>\n<p>The economy has become a headache for el-Sissi\u2019s government which initiated an ambitious reform programme in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>The programme, supported by the International Monetary Fund, has aimed to reverse longstanding distortions in the country\u2019s battered economy.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s included painful authority measures like subsidy cuts and the flotation of the local currency. In return, Egypt received a series of loans from the IMF, and recognition from the west.<\/p>\n<p>However, such austerity measures sent prices soaring, exacting a heavy toll on ordinary Egyptians.<\/p>\n<p>The war in Ukraine has added to the burdens as the Middle Eastern nation has run low on foreign currency needed to buy essentials like fuel and grain. Egypt is the world\u2019s largest wheat importer and has traditionally imported most of its grain from Ukraine and Russia.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1702196842,"updatedAt":1702199665,"publishedAt":1702199649,"firstPublishedAt":1702199665,"lastPublishedAt":1702199665,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Amr Nabil\/The AP","altText":"A minibus passes under a billboard supporting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi for the presidential elections, in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"A minibus passes under a billboard supporting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi for the presidential elections, in Cairo, Egypt on 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flooding.","keySentence":"","url":"watch-severe-floods-ravage-eastern-africa","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/12\/07\/watch-severe-floods-ravage-eastern-africa","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"The World Food Programme said the severe floods in East Africa are threatening to escalate food insecurity and worsen the hunger crisis. \n\nEthiopia, Kenya, and Somalia have experienced raging floods that have been made worse by the El Ni\u00f1o phenomenon. 130 people have died across the three countries.\u00a0 \n\nHundreds have died across the region and millions have been displaced since the rains began in late October. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>The World Food Programme said the severe floods in East Africa are threatening to escalate food insecurity and worsen the hunger crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia have experienced raging floods that have been made worse by the El Ni\u00f1o phenomenon. 130 people have died across the three countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Hundreds have died 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- SOMALIA FLOODS","path":"\/video\/2023\/12\/07\/watch-severe-floods-ravage-eastern-africa","lastModified":1701974469},{"id":2429742,"cid":8090924,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"231206_C2SU_54125896","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Take a look at the oldest royal mummy in history at the renovated Imhotep Museum in Egypt ","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Imhotep Museum in Saqqara reopens to the public after restoration","titleListing2":"Take a look at the oldest royal mummy in history at the renovated Imhotep Museum in Egypt ","leadin":"Considered one of the most significant archaeological museums in Egypt, the Imhotep Museum, in the Saqqara necropolis complex, reopens its doors after renovation.","summary":"Considered one of the most significant archaeological museums in Egypt, the Imhotep Museum, in the Saqqara necropolis complex, reopens its doors after 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- saqqara egypt museum reopens","path":"\/video\/2023\/12\/06\/take-a-look-at-the-oldest-royal-mummy-in-history-at-the-renovated-imhotep-museum-in-egypt","lastModified":1701874061},{"id":2144694,"cid":7238938,"versionId":5,"archive":0,"housenumber":"221208_NASU_49453087","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Jonathan the Tortoise: World\u2019s oldest living land animal celebrates 191st birthday\u00a0","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"World\u2019s oldest living land animal celebrates his 191st birthday","titleListing2":"Jonathan the Tortoise: World\u2019s oldest living land animal celebrates 190th birthday\u00a0","leadin":"St Helena\u2019s national treasure, who predates the telephone, is in good health and expected to reach his third century.","summary":"St Helena\u2019s national treasure, who predates the telephone, is in good health and expected to reach his third century.","keySentence":"","url":"jonathan-the-tortoise-worlds-oldest-living-land-mammal-celebrates-190th-birthday","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/2023\/12\/04\/jonathan-the-tortoise-worlds-oldest-living-land-mammal-celebrates-190th-birthday","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"The world\u2019s oldest living land animal - a Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan - has just celebrated his 191st birthday. \n\nJonathan\u2019s estimated 1832 birth year predates the invention of the postal stamp, the telephone, and the photograph. \n\nThe iconic creature lived through the US civil war, most of the reign of Queen Victoria, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, and two world wars. \n\nBut the giant tortoise - who has lived on the island of Saint Helena since 1882 - has taken it all in his stride. \n\nHe\u2019s even found time for romance, developing a 26 year partnership with a fellow male tortoise . \n\nWhen is Jonathan the Tortoise\u2019s birthday? \n\n\nJonathan is not only the world\u2019s oldest living land animal, but he is the oldest chelonian - a type of reptile class including tortoises, turtles, and terrapins - ever recorded. \n\nIn St Helena, he is a national treasure , featuring on the reverse of the local five pence coin. \n\nNow blind and without a sense of smell, he spends his days roaming free in the grounds of the Governor\u2019s house. \n\n\u201cJonathan is in good health and all the indications at present make us hopeful that he will reach his third century - if indeed he hasn\u2019t done so already!\u201d his vet Joe Hollins told the Guinness World Records. \n\n\nHis age is an estimate, based on the fact that he was fully mature (and hence at least 50) when he arrived on the island in 1882. \n\n\n\u201cPeople often ask us for the date of Jonathan\u2019s birthday. The answer is we don\u2019t know,\u201d the St Helena Island website reads. \n\n\u201c[But] there is precedent for this arbitrary assignment of a celebration date. Christians commemorate the birthday of Jesus on 25 December, but there is nothing to suggest that this is his actual birthday.\u201d \n\nWhat has Jonathan\u2019s life been like? \n\nAge is no barrier to living a full life - and amorous 191 year old Jonathon the Tortoise is living proof. \n\n\nJonathan became extremely irritable in the 1980s due to loneliness. He settled down after forming a relationship with a mate, Frederica, in 1991 - but they never had any offspring . \n\n26 years later, the mystery was solved: Frederica turned out to be male. \n\nJonathan still has a \u2018good libido\u2019 according to his long-time vet. \n\n\u201c[He] is seen frequently to mate with Emma and sometimes Fred - animals are often not particularly gender-sensitive!\u201d Hollins said. \n\nAnd the venerable old-timer is showing \"no signs of slowing down\" at life. \n\n\u201cIn spite of losing his sense of smell and being virtually blind from cataracts, his appetite remains keen,\u201d Hollins\u00a0 told the Guinness World Records, who keep up to date with Jonathan's movements. \n\n\u201cHe is still being hand-fed once a week with a fortifying helping of fruit and vegetables by a small, dedicated team. This not only supplements his calories but provides those essential drivers of his metabolism: vitamins, minerals, and trace elements.\" \n\nInventions that Jonathan is older than \n\n5. The revolver, 1836 \n\nSamuel Colt patented the first commercially successful revolver in 1836. The guns were used in wars like the US civil war (1860-64). \n\n4. The photograph, 1839 \n\nThe first \u2018daguerreotype\u2019 images were printed in 1839. Since then, 13 trillion photos have been taken. \n\n3. First powered airship, 1852 \n\nThe hot-air balloon was the first powered airship . It was a hydrogen filled balloon powered by a steam engine. \n\n2. The commercial lightbulb, 1879 \n\nElectricity was \u2018discovered\u2019 by Benjamin Franklin in 1752, when he realised that sparks from lightning strikes could generate power. But the lightbulb wasn\u2019t commercialised until 1879. \n\n1. The first modern bicycle, 1885 \n\nThe penny-farthing - the cumbersome original bicycle with a huge back wheel - was invented in the early 19th century. But the first modern bike with a chain was developed around 1885. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>The world\u2019s oldest living land animal - a Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan - has just celebrated his 191st birthday.<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan\u2019s estimated 1832 birth year predates the invention of the postal stamp, the telephone, and the photograph.<\/p>\n<p>The iconic creature lived through the US civil war, most of the reign of Queen Victoria, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, and two world wars.<\/p>\n<p>But the giant <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2022//08//31//four-galapagos-giant-tortoises-hunted-and-slaughtered-for-meat-by-illegal-poachers/">tortoise - who has lived on the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2022//11//19//not-only-islands-greece-asks-tourists-to-explore-beyond-the-islands-to-prevent-overtourism/">island of Saint Helena since 1882 - has taken it all in his stride.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s even found time for romance, developing a 26 year partnership with a fellow male <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2022//09//05//worlds-oldest-two-headed-tortoise-celebrates-his-25th-birthday-with-a-party/">tortoise./n

Extinct 'fantastic giant tortoise' found alive on the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//11//29//more-precious-than-gold-how-a-long-lost-mole-was-rediscovered-with-the-help-of-a-border-co/">/u2018More precious than gold\u2019: How a long lost mole was rediscovered with the help of a border collie<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>When is Jonathan the Tortoise\u2019s birthday?<\/h2><p>Jonathan is not only the world\u2019s oldest living land animal, but he is the oldest chelonian - a type of reptile class including tortoises, turtles, and terrapins - ever recorded.<\/p>\n<p>In St Helena, he is a <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2022//03//21//chile-s-patagonia-is-a-national-treasure-thanks-to-a-us-billionaire/">national treasure<\/strong><\/a>, featuring on the reverse of the local five pence coin.<\/p>\n<p>Now blind and without a sense of smell, he spends his days roaming free in the grounds of the Governor\u2019s house.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJonathan is in good health and all the indications at present make us hopeful that he will reach his third century - if indeed he hasn\u2019t done so already!\u201d his vet Joe Hollins told the Guinness World Records. <\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1730200704512332023\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>His age is an estimate, based on the fact that he was fully mature (and hence at least 50) when he arrived on the island in 1882. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople often ask us for the date of Jonathan\u2019s birthday. The answer is we don\u2019t know,\u201d the St Helena Island website reads.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[But] there is precedent for this arbitrary assignment of a celebration date. Christians commemorate the birthday of Jesus on 25 December, but there is nothing to suggest that this is his actual birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7989508,8036894\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//11//13//how-are-green-corridors-saving-one-of-brazils-most-endangered-species-from-deforestation/">How are green corridors saving one of Brazil\u2019s most endangered species from deforestation?<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//10//24//worlds-oldest-ever-dog-dies-in-portugal-what-was-bobis-secret-to-a-long-life/">World/u2019s oldest ever dog dies in Portugal: What was Bobi\u2019s secret to a long life?<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3>What has Jonathan\u2019s life been like?<\/h3><p>Age is no barrier to living a full life - and amorous 191 year old Jonathon the Tortoise is living proof. <\/p>\n<p>Jonathan became extremely irritable in the 1980s due to loneliness. He settled down after forming a relationship with a mate, Frederica, in 1991 - but they never had any <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2022//10//11//travelling-during-school-time-here-are-the-fines-parents-could-face-across-europe/">offspring./n

26 years later, the mystery was solved: Frederica turned out to be male.<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan still has a \u2018good libido\u2019 according to his long-time vet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[He] is seen frequently to mate with Emma and sometimes Fred - animals are often not particularly gender-sensitive!\u201d Hollins said.<\/p>\n<p>And the venerable old-timer is showing \"no signs of slowing down\" at life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn spite of losing his sense of smell and being virtually blind from cataracts, his appetite remains keen,\u201d Hollins\u00a0told the Guinness World Records, who keep up to date with Jonathan&#039;s movements.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is still being hand-fed once a week with a fortifying helping of fruit and vegetables by a small, dedicated team. This not only supplements his calories but provides those essential drivers of his metabolism: vitamins, minerals, and trace elements.\"<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7298588\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//29//here-are-all-the-positive-environmental-stories-from-2023-so-far/">From wind-powered islands to urban forests: Positive environmental stories from 2023<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Inventions that Jonathan is older than<\/h2><h3>5. The revolver, 1836<\/h3><p>Samuel Colt patented the first commercially successful revolver in 1836. The guns were used in wars like the US civil war (1860-64).<\/p>\n<h3>4. The photograph, 1839<\/h3><p>The first \u2018daguerreotype\u2019 images were printed in 1839. Since then, 13 trillion <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2022//05//06//the-ultimate-bucket-list-destinations-according-to-a-blogger-who-travels-for-a-living/">photos have been taken.<\/p>\n<h3>3. First powered airship, 1852<\/h3><p>The hot-air balloon was the first powered <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2022//12//05//youll-soon-be-able-to-use-your-phone-on-flights-in-the-eu-but-is-that-really-a-good-thing/">airship. It was a hydrogen filled balloon powered by a steam engine.<\/p>\n<h3>2. The commercial lightbulb, 1879<\/h3><p>Electricity was \u2018discovered\u2019 by Benjamin Franklin in 1752, when he realised that sparks from lightning strikes could generate power. But the lightbulb wasn\u2019t commercialised until 1879.<\/p>\n<h3>1. The first modern bicycle, 1885<\/h3><p>The penny-farthing - the cumbersome original <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2022//09//05//electronic-biking-is-the-best-way-to-explore-the-swiss-alps-in-autumn/">bicycle with a huge back wheel - was invented in the early 19th century. But the first modern bike with a chain was developed around 1885.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1670507269,"updatedAt":1702128124,"publishedAt":1701689403,"firstPublishedAt":1670508312,"lastPublishedAt":1702128124,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AFP","altText":"n this file photo taken on October 20, 2017, Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, believed to be the oldest reptile living on earth, crawls around.","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"n this file photo taken on October 20, 2017, Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, believed to be the oldest reptile living on earth, crawls around.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/23\/89\/38\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_e7ec5ac6-31d8-5602-ad90-71384cc421f4-7238938.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"elton","twitter":null,"title":"Charlotte Elton"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"animals","titleRaw":"Animals","id":10233,"title":"Animals","slug":"animals"},{"urlSafeValue":"wildlife","titleRaw":"wildlife","id":24898,"title":"wildlife","slug":"wildlife"},{"urlSafeValue":"wildlife-conservation","titleRaw":"wildlife conservation","id":24900,"title":"wildlife conservation","slug":"wildlife-conservation"},{"urlSafeValue":"history","titleRaw":"History","id":4229,"title":"History","slug":"history"},{"urlSafeValue":"turtle","titleRaw":"Turtle","id":14592,"title":"Turtle","slug":"turtle"},{"urlSafeValue":"birthday","titleRaw":"birthday","id":14538,"title":"birthday","slug":"birthday"}],"widgets":[{"count":1,"slug":"twitter"},{"count":3,"slug":"related"}],"related":[{"id":2503890}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":null,"freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"nature","urlSafeValue":"nature","title":"Nature","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/nature\/nature"},"vertical":"green","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"green","id":8,"title":"Green","slug":"green"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":8,"slug":"green","urlSafeValue":"green","title":"Green"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"nature","id":"nature","title":"Nature","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/nature"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":33,"urlSafeValue":"nature","title":"Nature"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":[],"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gs_perscelebrations_birthday','neg_facebook_2021','gs_perscelebrations','neg_nespresso','gb_safe','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','neg_bucherer','castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','gs_home','gs_war_conflict','gt_positive','gv_military'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"GREEN_tortoiseold","path":"\/green\/2023\/12\/04\/jonathan-the-tortoise-worlds-oldest-living-land-mammal-celebrates-190th-birthday","lastModified":1702128124}]" data-api-url="/api/continent/africa">

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