African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in partnership with the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the Ministry of Trade and Investment of Egypt, and the Department of Trade and Industry of South Africa, hosted the Africa Automotive Investment Forum on the sidelines of the Alamein Africa Forum held in El Alamein, Egypt recently.

The two-day Forum brought together high-level African automotive industry policymakers, private sector original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Africa-based component manufacturers.

The Forum sought to sensitise policymakers on the policy changes and reforms needed to develop the automotive sector, enable investors to engage directly with both policymakers and manufacturers, and facilitate potential joint ventures and supply agreements or engagements leading to future deals.

Published ahead of COP17, new international research by children’s rights organization KidsRights, has found that more than six in ten 13–29-year-olds across the globe say they are more worried now about biodiversity loss than they were three years ago. Among those 18 years or older, one in two young people say biodiversity loss is already affecting their lives and influencing major life choices, including whether to have children.

The State of Youth Global Preferendum, coordinated by independent research agency Glocalities, is one of the largest international studies of young people and biodiversity. The research includes seven nationally representative panels, surveying 2,189 young people aged 13 to 29 in Brazil, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Germany, Kenya and the United States. Alongside this, a separate open survey was completed by 10,527 self-selected young people across 77 countries, bringing total participation to 12,716.

COP17 in Armenia (19 – 30 October) aims to advance international biodiversity commitments, including the first Global Review of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. But as government ministers, heads of state and environmental experts gather in the capital Yerevan, young people from around the world have sent a stark warning to those attending the summit.

Gogo today outlined its long-term roadmap for Gogo Galileo at NBAA-BACE 2026, with significant improvements to extend the value of customers’ investments through the mid-2030s and beyond. For aircraft owners and operators, the roadmap provides a basis for investing confidently today, with a clear path to meet rising connectivity expectations over the life of their aircraft.

The roadmap positions Gogo Galileo as an enduring best-in-class connectivity platform purpose-built for business aviation and military/government aircraft, with a chassis architecture designed to support successive generations of technology. Customers installing Galileo today or in the near term, whether the HDX or FDX antenna, are assured of a defined, predictable path to higher performance as onboard technology and satellite networks advance. Customers are also expected to benefit from broader service availability over the next decade as additional countries authorize low Earth orbit (LEO) operations.

“Installing connectivity is a long-term investment in an aircraft’s capability, productivity and appeal,” says Chris Moore, CEO of Gogo. “Connectivity technology is evolving more rapidly now than ever before and our customers deserve to know their investment will serve them years from now. With Galileo, they are buying into a platform with a clear development plan, designed to deliver increasing value over the next decade, helping keep their multimillion-dollar aircraft productive and competitive as connectivity expectations evolve.”

Today nearly three-quarters of Africans live in either an urban or semiurban setting, according to new UN methodology that applies a consistent global definition. Some 42 per cent live in cities. There are 88 African cities with more than 1mn people, according to the UN, 17 in Nigeria alone. In 1950, there were 228mn people living in Africa, with about 33mn in cities. Today there are 1.6bn Africans, 19 per cent of the world’s total, of whom 670mn live in cities. Almost unnoticed, Africa has become an urban story. Cities are the crucible of modernity. Their rise in Africa will affect everything from income and economic growth to social attitudes and politics. … The unplanned nature squanders the efficiencies — and ultimately wealth creation — that occur in densely packed, well-planned, well-connected conurbations. “For the most part you’re seeing the growth of cities happen outward,” Paller says. “There’s very little state capacity, so you don’t see a lot of the benefits of what people tend to think of from cities.” FT