African countries plan a fresh push at international summits this year for standard measures of economic strength such as GDP to have better recognition of their vast natural assets and resources. The initiative is being driven by the African Development Bank in the hope that recalibrating GDP would automatically improve debt metrics and relieve borrowing market pressures that had triggered dozens of economic crises in recent decades. There has long been scepticism over how much hard cash precious ecosystems can generate for poorer countries. But the U.N. estimates that Africa, which makes up 20% of the world’s land surface, is home to one-quarter of all mammal species and one-fifth of bird species. It also has around one-sixth of the world’s remaining forests and those, along with mangroves, help lock away planet-damaging carbon emissions – a benefit that should be included in GDP calculations, the AfDB argues…The recalculation issue is likely to feature during South Africa’s G20 presidency this year…However, there are doubts over how much of an impact such a recalibration would have on investors and creditors given the leap still needed to monetize natural wealth via the likes of carbon credits. (Reuters)

The Bench, a global leader in hospitality investment events, is rebranding the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF) as Future Hospitality Summit Africa (FHS Africa). Doing so brings AHIF, Africa’s most influential tourism investment conference, under The Bench’s flagship Future Hospitality Summit, or ‘FHS’ brand, aligning it with FHS Saudi Arabia and the Dubai-based FHS World. This evolution is a response to a growing appetite for hospitality investment spreading across the whole Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.

 For over a decade, AHIF has shaped Africa’s hospitality industry, bringing together global investors, government leaders, and hotel developers to facilitate high-value deals and meaningful discussions, ranging from investment opportunities to government policy and infrastructure developments. The event has catalysed billions of dollars in investment, strengthened regional partnerships, and provided a dedicated space for investors to unlock opportunities in Africa’s rapidly expanding hospitality sector.

 The appetite for hospitality investment in Africa has never been stronger. The continent has a record-breaking pipeline of hotel developments, with over 300,000 new ‘keys’ projected by 2030. Cities like Nairobi, Casablanca, Cape Town, and Addis Ababa are leading this transformation, with Nairobi’s Average Daily Rate (ADR) increasing by 164% and Casablanca’s ADR rising by 141% compared to 2019. (Press Release)

A freelance journalist who was arrested in South Sudan’s capital late last month has been released from the detention center of the National Security Service (NSS). Adil Faris Mayat, a freelance journalist and former director of the country’s public broadcaster, South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation, was arrested on 23 January under unclear circumstances. Last week, the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) in Juba called on the authorities to expedite their investigations, grant Faris access to his family and lawyer, and adhere to the legal procedures outlined in the constitution…Human rights organizations have repeatedly urged the South Sudanese government to limit the NSS’s powers to intelligence gathering, as stipulated in the Transitional Constitution…The agency also continues to detain Emmanuel Monychol, the editor-in-chief of Juba’s daily English-language newspaper, The Dawn. Last year, South Sudan ranked 136th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Although any detainee must be brought before a judge within 24 hours according to the country’s constitution, this rarely happens. (Radio Tamazuj)

A senior commander of Islamic State’s Somalia wing was captured on Monday, police and state media said, two days after the IS leadership was targeted with U.S. airstrikes and as security forces continue a weeks-long offensive against them. In the last few years Somalia’s IS franchise has become an increasingly important part of the jihadist group’s worldwide network, growing in strength because of an influx of foreign fighters and improved revenue collection…Abdirahman Shirwac Aw-Saciid, head of the group’s assassination squad, surrendered to authorities on Monday in the Cal Miskaad mountains, in the northeastern Puntland state, Somalia’s state news agency SONNA reported…Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region announced a major offensive against Islamic State and a rival Islamist group, the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, in December and claims to have since captured several IS bases. An initial assessment of Saturday’s airstrikes by the U.S. indicated many militants were killed, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Sunday. (Reuters)