The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s state-owned mining firm, Gecamines, and Canadian company Ivanhoe Mines have resumed operations at the high-grade Kipushi zinc-copper mine (https://apo-opa.co/4bZo9ij). The mine is expected to produce up to 140,000 tons of zinc concentrate this year and up to 278,000 tons annually over the next five years, with upgrades to the mine’s new concentrator currently underway. This resumption of production, following more than 30 years of maintenance, demonstrates the DRC’s commitment to maximizing the production of its vast critical mineral resources, including copper, lithium, and cobalt, to meet the growing global demand for energy transition metals.

In alignment with the DRC’s efforts to expand its mining industry, the upcoming Critical Minerals Africa (CMA) Summit (https://CriticalMineralsAfrica.com) will feature a spotlight on the country, highlighting lucrative opportunities for global investors in the country’s critical mineral sector.

The Critical Minerals Africa 2024 summit on November 6 – 7 serves to position Africa as the primary investment destination for critical minerals. The event is held alongside the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energy 2024 conference (https://AECWeek.com) on November 4 – 8, offering delegates access to the full scope of energy, mining and finance leaders in Cape Town. Sponsors, exhibitors and delegates can learn more by contacting sales@energycapitalpower.com.

Untapped Potential and Investment Prospects

The DRC is seeking investors to unlock over $460 trillion worth of untapped mineral deposits, including the world’s largest cobalt reserves an its significant lithium, nickel and rare earth mineral resources. In January 2024, the DRC reached an agreement with China’s state-owned Sinohydro and China Railway (https://apo-opa.co/4bWswKP) to invest $7 billion in infrastructure development, in exchange for a 68% stake in the Sicomines copper and cobalt mine joint venture. Additionally, the European Union announced a 54.1 million investment in the DRC’s critical minerals sector (https://apo-opa.co/4bW7tIk) in March 2023. The Lobito Atlantic Railway, operator of the Lobito Corridor, announced a $100 million investment in July 2023 to enhance the DRC’s logistics infrastructure and services. The CMA Summit will host high-level panel discussions, project showcases and exclusive networking sessions, connecting the DRC’s projects with global investors.

Critical Mineral Demand and GDP Growth

The DRC seeks to capitalize on the growing demand for critical minerals globally – which is expected to triple by 2030 and quadruple by 2040 ­– for economic growth, with the industry accounting for 30% of GDP and over 90% of the country’s export revenue. Gecamines has begun marketing and selling its share of copper from the Chinese-operated Tenke Fungurume mine independently to increase profits from mineral monetization. The state-owned mining firm plans to market its copper share from Glencore’s Kamoto operation and the Chinese-owned Sicomines project starting in 2024.

The DRC is also advancing exploration activities to increase its critical mineral reserves and projects to meet growing global demand. In February 2023, President Felix Tshisekedi announced the start of exploration operations for nickel and chrome in the Kasaï Province. As the official platform for discussing and maximizing the DRC’s critical mineral prospects, the CMA Summit will showcase investment opportunities across the country’s entire mining value chain.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital&Power.

The Central African Republic (CAR) continues to implement public finance management and governance reforms, despite the particularly difficult socio-economic context and significant financing needs; In the very short term, the main challenges concern the country’s fuel supply and the control of budgetary risks; The implementation of the reforms planned under the CAR program supported by the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) remains the best path to macroeconomic stabilization in the medium term.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team, led by Mr. Albert Touna Mama, visited Bangui from July 10 to 17, 2024, to take stock of the recent macroeconomic developments and the implementation of structural reforms, as well as to discuss the major budget allocations for the upcoming revised 2024 finance law.

Mr. Touna Mama issued the following statement at the end of the discussions:

“The positive progress in domestic revenue mobilization since the start of the ECF program continued, reaching a record level of CFAF 80 billion during the first half of this year. The prospects for budget financing also continue to improve, aided by ongoing discussions with technical and financial partners, which could lead to new budget support programs. Likewise, fiscal reform has gained momentum, as illustrated by the strategic orientations resulting from the recent seminar on digital reforms organized by the Ministry of Finance and Budget.  

“However, significant challenges continue to weigh on the economic outlook and public finances. A first major and recurring challenge concerns the fuel supply campaign via the Ubangi River which is still struggling to get started. A failure of this campaign, for the third consecutive year, would contribute to slowing down economic activity, hampering government revenues, and delaying macroeconomic stabilization by at least two semesters given CAR’s import structure.

“Another major challenge concerns the control of budgetary risks, in particular those pertaining to weaknesses in budget planning and execution. These risks have already led to significant overspending during the first half of this year. The upcoming revised budget will therefore be an opportunity to take all appropriate measures to adapt to the economic situation and maintain a balanced budget.   

“Our macroeconomic projections remain anchored on a gradual acceleration of economic activity to 1.4% in 2024 and 2.9% in 2025. However, these growth prospects will depend crucially on the country’s fuel supply and the effective implementation of the reforms planned under the ECF program.             

“The mission would like to thank the Central African authorities for their warm welcome, openness and frankness in the discussions.”

The IMF delegation met with President Touadéra, Prime Minister Moloua, First Vice-President of the National Assembly Ngamana, Minister of Finance and Budget Ndoba, BEAC National Director Chaïbou and other senior officials, as well as representatives of the development partner community.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Since April 2024, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)-supported healthcare facilities in North-West and North-East Nigeria are recording unprecedented surges in admissions for acute malnutrition among children. While struggling to provide lifesaving medical care to an ever-increasing number of young patients, MSF teams also try to reinforce community-led responses. One example is in Kebbi state, where MSF outreach teams travel the roads to spread the ‘Tom Brown’ recipe.

Like all other states in the northern part of Nigeria, Kebbi state experienced a colossal spike in malnutrition cases this year. In May, close to 1,000 children were admitted for severe acute malnutrition in the inpatient therapeutic feeding centre (ITFC) set up by MSF in the Maiyama Hospital – an 80 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. The trend continued in June and July, with more than 260 patients admitted in the second week of July. The 210-bed facility is so overwhelmed that patients regularly must share beds.

In addition to this intensive treatment facility, more than 11,000 children were enrolled mid-July in the outpatient nutrition treatment programme supported by MSF in five smaller health centres in Kebbi state. 

“The level of this crisis calls for big efforts in prevention activities,” says Maryam Muhammad, head of the MSF health promotion team in Kebbi. “That is why we also run outreach activities at community-level, to help parents in avoiding the worst for their children.”

A local solution against malnutrition

Four days a week, Maryam and her team hit the long roads of Kebbi, travelling from community to community, their car packed with tables, saucepans, pots, spoons, and recycled soda bottles filled to the brim with soya beans, sorghum, moringa leaves, palm oil and groundnuts.  

“That’s all we need to make ‘Tom Brown’ demonstrations,” says Maryam, while on the way to Maishaika, a village located 40 kilometres from MSF’s inpatient feeding centre. “This, and some catchy songs to make sure the recipe remains in everyone’s head.”

Stemming from a traditional Nigerian recipe known as ‘Kwash pap’, Tom Brown is a flour blend consumed as a sweetened porridge. The meal is made with nutritious ingredients that are cultivated in northern Nigeria and available in local markets. The recipe has been improved over the years by nutritionists to become a useful and very efficient tool in the prevention and treatment of moderate acute malnutrition. Studies conducted in Nigeria in 2022 and 2023 showed positive results in the use of the recipe for children with moderate acute malnutrition, with Tom Brown potentially able reach more children for the same cost as ready-to-use therapeutic food such as peanut paste.  

Training mothers and fathers

After a 35-minute ride, the jeep pulls into Maishaika. Maryam and her teammates make their way to the village elder to greet him and confirm his approval for today’s demonstration.   

A few minutes later, the crew sets into motion. Tables, chairs and ingredients are unpacked and installed. Volunteers go from home to home to call on villagers. In a flash, the small village square transforms itself into a market stall and over 100 women covered with colourful scarves rapidly gather on chairs and on the ground to see what’s happening. 

Maryam, active as a health promoter for more than 15 years, knows how to catch and keep the audience’s attention. Full of energy, with a booming voice and a spoon in her hand, she starts explaining what acute malnutrition is and what they can do to fight it. 

Rapidly, she puts words into action and calls on a woman from the audience to start preparing with her what will help keep acute malnutrition at bay: Tom Brown. In Kebbi, the recipe is based on a simple ratio: 6 measures of sorghum or millet, 3 measures of soybeans and 1 measure of ground nuts. After a precise process of soaking, cleaning, drying and roasting, the ingredients are mixed for finer grounding into a powder. The powder is then mixed with clean water, poured into boiling water, and the resultant porridge is cooked over a fire for a few minutes.  

Based on market availability, preferences and what the family can afford, additional elements such as palm oil, moringa leaves, cow’s milk or meat can be added to provide extra energy and nutrients to the child. But with families facing rampant inflation – the highest in the three last decades – and a continuous increase in the price of food items over the past months, adding additional ingredients look like a luxury that many in Kebbi cannot afford.

The way to prepare the recipe is sung on repeat, and cups are handed over to children to taste-test the pap. Women are laughing and smiling. A few metres away, the village elder looks upon the event with curiosity. He is the only man from the village watching the demonstration.

“The men will have a dedicated session on another day. For cultural reasons, we must separate the sessions,” says Maryam. “But having them on board is key, as they are the ones who supply the family [with food]. We decided to have dedicated father-led sessions to show what we do and what we say. This helped a lot and now, men are showing real interest in such sessions.”

Recipes for life

After an hour of demonstration with the women, Maryam and her team pack their items up. They call on all the mothers to have their children screened for acute malnutrition through a rapid check, using the mid-upper arm circumference measuring tape known as a MUAC bracelet. Among the 28 children screened on that day, more than a third of them are referred to MSF’s therapeutic nutrition programme.

“This kind of cooking demonstration is crucial because people understand that they can prevent their children from becoming acutely malnourished rather than bringing them to a facility to treat them,” Maryam says, before jumping into the jeep. “Prevention will always be better than cure. MSF will not remain here forever, so sustainable approaches are needed to reduce severe acute malnutrition. And we know that the people we train today will pass the recipe to others.”

Between January and May 2024, Maryam and the health promotion team organised 554 demonstrations around Kebbi. More than 13,300 people attended these events, including 1,461 men.  

But these efforts, as important as they are, remain a drop in the ocean compared to the needs in this state and others in the northern belt of Nigeria. More must be done by the authorities and their partners to tackle malnutrition. Promoting adequate infant feeding is core to addressing malnutrition, alongside reinforcing access to healthcare, and food security. According to recent statistics, nearly 4.4 million children under five were suffering from acute malnutrition between May 2023 and April 2024 in North-East and North-West Nigeria.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a generous contribution of US$ 1.65 million from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The funding, part of a US$ 3 million allocation from CERF, will allow WFP to scale-up its humanitarian response to communities affected by the El Niño-fuelled drought in southern Angola.

The contribution will support WFP in providing life-saving food assistance and nutrition support to children with acute malnutrition and the most vulnerable families affected by the most severe drought in 40 years in Huíla and Cunene provinces. Through WFP’s community-based management of acute malnutrition programme, 63,000 children under the age of five will be screened, of which approximately 7,600 are expected to receive nutrition assistance under the targeted supplementary feeding programme. Additionally, WFP will provide food vouchers to around 5,000 food-insecure households over a period of two months.

“Millions of people in the southern region of the country are grappling with the impact of the El Niño-induced drought,” said José Ferrão, WFP Representative in Angola. “This crucial contribution from the Central Emergency Response Fund will assist WFP in addressing the far-reaching impacts of El Niño on food and nutrition security. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to CERF’s donors for their generosity, which will bring profound hope to affected communities and help build their resilience against future climate shocks.”

According to WFP’s hotspot analysis, in 2024, an estimated2.8 million people will be food insecure across southern Angola. The provinces of Huíla and Cunene have been heavily affected by prolonged drought conditions, which are compounded by El Niño’s adverse impact, resulting in failed crops, livestock losses, water shortages, inflation and increasing staple food prices. Many families now struggle to meet their basic food needs, with women and children leaving their homes in search of food and water putting their health, safety and education at risk.

“To complement the Government’s efforts, the United Nations (UN) mobilized resources through the Central Emergency Response Fund, a global humanitarian mechanism managed by the UN designed to provide rapid and effective financing for emergency response,” said Zahira Virani, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Angola. “The funding of US$ 3 million will help specialized agencies, WFP and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), to mitigate the consequences of the drought caused by El Niño. This allocation of funds will aim to catalyze a comprehensive, three-tier response strategy, ranging from immediate life-saving measures to anticipatory and long-term sustainment actions.”, she added.

Since 2021, WFP has been supporting the Government-led drought response by providing nutrition support and food vouchers to the families of malnourished children and other vulnerable groups and training health facility staff and community health workers to conduct nutrition screenings and deliver programmes to address moderate acute malnutrition. WFP also reaches primary school-aged children and their families with nutrition-sensitive school meals and take-home rations.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).