News & Events

Cyprus has announced plans to subsidise private hotel desalination plants to address water shortages during peak tourist seasons. The initiative comes as the Mediterranean island faces critically low water levels following its second-driest winter in a decade.

The government will provide £2.6 million (€3 million) over two years to support hotel desalination projects, simplifying regulations for small-scale plants in the tourism and agricultural sectors. An additional £6.9 million (€8 million) will be invested in repairing water infrastructure to reduce significant leakage issues, currently estimated at 40%.

The country is expanding its desalination capacity, with four mobile plants due to begin operating in October. These will complement the existing network of four permanent facilities, though one remains inactive due to fire damage. Currently, the permanent plants produce 235,000 cubic metres of fresh water daily.

Cyprus’s dam network, the most extensive per capita in Europe, is operating at just 24.6% capacity, compared to 47.2% last year. With tourism contributing 13.5% to the nation’s GDP and visitor numbers reaching record levels exceeding 4 million in 2023, the water security measures are deemed crucial for the island’s economic stability.

Read the original article here: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/cyprus-to-fund-desalination-plants-at-hotels-to-reduce-impact-of-water-shortages-on-tourism/ar-AA1BHQMX?ocid=BingNewsVerp

Starting this April, Namibia is set to end visa-free travel privileges for more than 30 nations, including the US and the UK.

The decision, approved by the Namibian cabinet last July, will affect numerous European countries, notably Germany, Namibia’s primary source of tourism. The policy shift, implemented shortly after President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s inauguration, stems from the lack of reciprocal visa-free arrangements for Namibian citizens, despite concerns from the local tourism sector about potential visitor decline.

The American Embassy in Namibia has advised its citizens to secure tourist visas before travelling, recommending use of Namibia’s online visa portal for applications. This change marks a significant shift from the previous arrangement, where both the US and UK enjoyed visa-free access to approximately 180 countries worldwide.

Read the original article here: https://businessday.ng/news/article/namibia-removes-us-uk-others-from-visa-free-list/

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has launched the construction of its first trade centre outside Africa, marking a historic development in Africa-Caribbean relations.

The US$180 million facility in Bridgetown, Barbados, will house Afreximbank’s CARICOM office, conference facilities, and a technology incubator. The Barbadian government provided 6.4 acres at Jemmotts Lane for the project. Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley noted the site’s historical significance as Barbados’ first hospital for emancipated slaves in 1844.

The complex, part of Afreximbank’s wider trade hub initiative, will include a 100-room hotel, exhibition centre, and Digital Trade Gateway. It joins eight other planned centres across Africa, including Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Egypt sites. The project aims to strengthen South-South trade relations and enhance economic integration between Africa and the Caribbean Community.

This development follows Afreximbank’s 2018 Board decision to establish trade facilitation hubs in key commercial capitals, supporting international trade and investment connections.

Read the original article here: https://afreximbank.africa-newsroom.com/press/afreximbank-breaks-ground-on-historic-stateoftheart-afreximbank-african-trade-centre-aatc-in-barbados-first-outside-africa?lang=en