On 24 September 2024, the Royal Thai Embassy in Cairo together with the ASEAN Committee in Cairo (ACC) organized the “Brown Bag Session on ASEAN” at the American University in Cairo (AUC). There were over 80 attendees including the faculties, AUC and ASEAN students. Singapore as the Chair of ACC gave a briefing on the history and economic integration of ASEAN and the relations between ASEAN and Egypt. Afterwards, three selected groups of students presented their analyses of ASEAN’s digital economy, economic agreements and ASEAN policy towards SMEs. In addition, the ACC members exchanged views with the students after the presentations. The “Brown Bag Session on ASEAN” was initiated by Thailand and co-organised by the ASEAN Committee in Cairo and the leading universities in Egypt. This seminar, held for the fourth time since 2023, aims to promote awareness about ASEAN in Egypt.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Royal Thai Embassy, Cairo, Egypt.

At the 8th Africa Animal Welfare Conference, the call for collective action to enhance animal welfare and environmental sustainability rang clear through the speech delivered by AU-IBAR’s Director, Dr Huyam Sahil during the opening of the conference. The theme, “Partnership Actions to Improve Animal Welfare and Environmental Sustainability,” framed the conversation, underscoring the critical links between animal welfare and Africa’s broader development goals. This focus aligned with key global and continental frameworks such as the UNEA 5.2 Resolution and Agenda 2063, setting the stage for transformative discussions.

While the potential of animal resources to boost food security and socio-economic development was recognized, significant challenges—like underinvestment, outdated infrastructure, and limited capacity—continue to hinder progress. To address these barriers, AU-IBAR is championing several key frameworks, including the Livestock Development Strategy for Africa (LiDeSA), the Animal Health Strategy for Africa (AHSA), and the Animal Welfare Strategy for Africa (AWSA).

An update on AWSA’s implementation revealed slow progress due to gaps in monitoring and coordination. A recent stock-taking exercise highlighted obstacles such as weak institutional frameworks and inadequate funding. To overcome these, revitalizing the African Platform for Animal Welfare (APAW) was emphasized as essential for ensuring well-coordinated efforts across the continent. Strengthening partnerships was a central message, calling for deeper collaboration to promote policy adoption and ensure long-term sustainability.

Participants were encouraged to actively engage in advancing the animal welfare agenda, working towards a future where humans, animals, and the environment coexist in harmony. The vision was clear: a united effort can pave the way for a healthier, more sustainable Africa.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The African Union – Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR).

The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) (http://ICIEC.IsDB.org), a Shariah-based multilateral insurer and member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan (CBAR).

The MoU was signed by Dr. Khalid Khalafalla, Officer-in-Charge of ICIEC, and Mr. Taleh Kazimov, Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This agreement aims to provide a general framework to facilitate cooperation between the two parties to enhance and deepen Islamic insurance services in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Under the MoU, both institutions are committed to exchanging expertise on Islamic insurance to foster mutual understanding and development. They will organize trainings and workshops to build capacity and share knowledge, as well as conduct mutual visits to strengthen the partnership and explore further areas of collaboration.

This cooperation is expected to contribute to the broader use of new financial tools in Azerbaijan, thereby accelerating investment inflows and fueling sustainable economic growth.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC).

Media Contact:
Rania Binhimd
Strategic Planning and Communications Division
Email: Rbinhimd@isdb.org

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About The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC):
ICIEC commenced operations in 1994 to strengthen economic relations between OIC Member States and promote intra-OIC trade and investments by providing risk mitigation tools and financial solutions. The Corporation is uniquely the only Islamic multilateral insurer in the world. It has led from the front in delivering a comprehensive suite of solutions to companies and parties in its 50 Member States. ICIEC, for the 16th consecutive year, maintained an “Aa3” insurance financial strength credit rating from Moody’s, ranking the Corporation among the top of the Credit and Political Risk Insurance (CPRI) Industry. Additionally, ICIEC has been assigned a First-Time AA- long-term Issuer Credit Rating by S&P with Stable Outlook.  ICIEC’s resilience is underpinned by its sound underwriting, reinsurance, and risk management policies. Cumulatively, ICIEC has insured more than US$ 114 billion in trade and investment. ICIEC activities are directed to specific sectors – energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, healthcare, and agriculture.

For more information, visit: http://ICIEC.IsDB.org

Africa Collective and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat are happy to announce African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank (www.Afreximbank.com) or the Bank) as their Host Partner at Davos 2025, on the margins of the World Economic Forum.  

The strategic partnership between Afreximbank, Africa Collective and the AfCFTA Secretariat was borne out of a mutual vision to showcase public and private sector trade and investment opportunities present in Africa on a global platform. It also underpins the importance of mutually beneficial global collaborations towards realising Africa’s development.  

Africa Collective is a platform for pan-African and international stakeholders that was established to facilitate exchange of information and ideas on the opportunities in Africa as well as encourage collaboration among its stakeholders.   

The 2025 Davos edition of Africa Collective’s gathering will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel Davos and will be made up of a series of events, including thematic roundtables and networking receptions. Various African institutions are expected to be in attendance.    

While commenting on the partnership announcement, Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Afreximbank said: “The Bank is pleased to join Africa Collective and the AfCFTA Secretariat as a Host Partner at Davos 2025. We trust the partnership will increase the visibility of the continent and facilitate high-quality engagements with development partners on the sidelines of the event. The World Economic Forum is a critical platform for discussing key global and regional challenges and now, more than ever, it is important for Africa to be at the table, when those discussions are ongoing. We welcome collaborations such as this one, as it will help us drive our collective continental Agenda as well as better shape the African narrative.”  

“As Africa Collective’s Patronage Partner, we are excited to have Afreximbank join as a Host Partner. Given the Bank’s impressive history and wide African and diaspora footprint, we are confident of this partnership’s impact in bringing African topics into sharper focus at Davos and beyond,” highlighted H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary General, AfCFTA Secretariat. 

After a successful series of five events organised in Davos in 2024, Africa Collective, Afreximbank and the AfCFTA Secretariat look forward to amplifying their pan-African-led activities at Davos 2025. 

Please visit the LinkedIn page for more information about Africa Collective and for updates on new partnerships and activities in Davos and beyond.  

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

About the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat:
The AfCFTA is the world’s largest free trade area bringing together the 55 countries of the African Union (AU) and eight (8) Regional Economic Communities (RECs). The overall mandate of the AfCFTA is to create a single continental market with a population of about 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP of approximately US$ 3.4 trillion. The AfCFTA is one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, the African Union’s long-term development strategy for transforming the continent into a global powerhouse. 

The AfCFTA Secretariat coordinates and facilitates the implementation of the AfCFTA agreement among African states.  It also engages stakeholders to promote the AfCFTA and undertakes trade and investment promotion activities to enhance intra-African trade, among other duties. 

For more information, visit: www.AU-AfCFTA.org 

About Afreximbank:
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra-and extra-African trade. For 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialization and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. 

Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank is setting up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2023, Afreximbank’s total assets and guarantees stood at over US$37.3 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$6.1 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa1), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure (together, “the Group”). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt. 

For more information, visit: www.Afreximbank.com 

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About Africa Collective:
Africa Collective is an information, exchange and collaboration platform for Africa. Its network, events and publications are focused on advancing the African continent globally. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat is the Patronage Partner of the initiative. Africa Unlimited is the Management Partner of the initiative. 

Africa Collective was formed during a high-level business roundtable on Africa in Davos, Switzerland, at the time of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in January 2020. Based on the impactful discussions between pan-African and global leaders held on the occasion, Africa Collective was formally launched together with the AfCFTA Secretariat as a patronage partner and in the presence of H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, at an inaugural luncheon held on 19 January 2023. 

The Africa Collective Davos presence was scaled up in 2024 to include a whole week of activities, including thematic sessions, a cocktail reception and a closing&outlook luncheon, bringing together CEOs and senior executives representing leading international and pan-African companies and African Ministerial delegations. Africa Collective Davos 2024 was supported by Lead Partners Novartis and Standard Bank; partners Old Mutual Group, Tristar Group and Ringier AG; supporting partners OmniBiz and Fin; and media partners Business Insider Africa (Lead Media Partner), CNBC Africa and African Business. 

For more information, visit: www.AfricaCollective.xyz