The United States Government’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA) brought together investors and financial experts from across Africa to explore the potential of Ethiopia’s newly-launched capital market. The conference, taking place from November 18 to November 22, aims to foster a deeper understanding of how this emerging market drives opportunities for the Ethiopian people, contributing meaningfully to peace and stability in the region.

The event serves as a platform for sharing best practices in capital market regulation, providing participants direct access to the expertise of the SEC. With decades of experience supporting the development of regulatory frameworks for capital markets worldwide, the SEC leads discussions on capital formation, insider trading, market abuse prevention, and conflict of interest mitigation. The goal is to create a vibrant and sustainable capital market ecosystem that promotes inclusive private sector growth, a priority for the U.S. government.

Representatives from the private sector and financial advisory groups from Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, and 16 other African nations are attending the conference. Including regional countries in the conference is a way to establish relationships and cooperation mechanisms across borders to ensure security of investments made in the capital markets.

The U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia, in partnership with the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences (EAS), marked International Education Week 2024 on November 18 and launched a $522,000 grant to the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences.  To support the transition of Ethiopian public universities to autonomous governance, this initiative will build on the success of the first phase, which focused on Addis Ababa University, and will assist leading public universities develop key framework policy documents.

Ambassador Ervin Massinga highlighted the role of education in fostering global understanding and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to strengthening educational ties with Ethiopia.   “Education bridges cultural divides, fosters mutual respect, and builds shared commitment to progress,” said Ambassador Massinga, adding, “International students enrich our campuses with diverse perspectives and experiences.”

International Education Week emphasizes the importance of educational exchange, providing opportunities to expand horizons and build international connections.   In 2023, over 3,000 Ethiopian students studied in the U.S., further strengthening the U.S.- Ethiopia educational partnership.

As global efforts to achieve a 30 per cent reduction in methane emissions by 2030 gain traction, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has launched a crucial guidebook to help developing countries incorporate agricultural methane reduction strategies into their climate plans. The guide will be presented during the high-level event “The NDC 3.0 Navigator: A Deeper Dive on Methane Reduction in Food Systems” at COP29 in Baku today.

The Practical Guide for Including Agricultural Methane Emission Reduction Targets in Nationally Determined Contributions helps countries to determine and integrate targets for the reduction of their methane emissions from livestock and rice production into their updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2025. The guidebook provides customizable strategies for methane reduction focusing on feasible and cost-effective actions such as improved water management in rice cultivation and feed additives for livestock, which can enhance productivity and reduce methane.

TikTok is deleting more videos in Kenya for violating community guidelines, as the company looks to avoid government scrutiny over content moderation for sexually explicit content. TikTok pulled down 360,000 videos in Kenya in the three months to June, according to its newly published Q2 enforcement report…The platform was compelled by Kenya’s government in April to share quarterly compliance reports because it faced a petition that threatened to see it banned in the country…TikTok’s enforcement report further disclosed that the platform banned nearly 60,000 accounts in Kenya for violating various community guidelines…In August TikTok set up an advisory council with experts drawn from across the continent to help inform its policies and improve its content moderation…The country’s technology ministry, however, told Parliament that it preferred to enhance regulation of the platform as opposed to a ban. (Semafor)