Sub-Saharan Africa

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2
Apr
One billion out of the world’s 1.2 billion youth (age 15-24) live in developing countries. Africa will represent the youngest region in the 21 st century at the time when the western population continues to age and by 2050, one-third of global youth will be in Sub-Saharan Africa. IFAD predicts that Africa’s share of the global rural youth population is expected to rise from 20% to 37% in the next 30 years , and agriculture remains the main source of employment for them in most low and middle-income countries. Of the 25 million young people entering the labor market in the region every year,...
25
Jan
The climate of Madagascar favors a wide range of agricultural activity, including crop and livestock production, fishery and forestry. In addition, approximately 70 percent of the total land area is arable ( FAO 2016 ) and the agricultural sector makes a significant contribution to the economy: at least 23 percent of the country’s GDP and 64 percent of total employment can be attributed to the sector ( ILO 2020 ). Most agricultural production is driven by smallholder farmers, who make up about 70 percent of the farming population ( FAO 2019 ). However, due its geographical location and the...
Mozambique is primarily an agricultural economy with more than 75% of the population engaged in rainfall-dependent farming, the majority of whom are smallholder farmers ( USAID, 2018 ). While agriculture contributes to 25% of the country’s GDP, due to Mozambique’s unique location and geography, it is subject to various climate risks such as drought in the southern part of the country, cyclones in the coastal areas and flooding during the rainy reason ( IGC, 2019 ). Most of the smallholder producers have been perilously unprotected against climate change-induced crop failures. GIIF’s...
26
Oct
While re-emerging from years of conflict and instability, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is still a fragile economy. Despite DRC’s abundant natural resources and a recent growth rate of 5.8 percent in 2018 (after a fifteen-year low at 2.4 percent in 2016) [1] , economic and social development remain limited, with widespread poverty. Regarding the insurance industry, the sector has very low penetration compared to regional levels. In addition, certain categories of insurance products, such as agriculture insurance, are not yet available in the country. Although agriculture contributes...
9
Jul
In May 2020, the World Bank Grroup (WBG) approved a $150 million IDA credit to support Senegal in boosting agricultural productivity and helping build resilient, climate-smart, and competitive food systems while improving the livelihoods of farmers and herders in the extended groundnut basin and agro-pastoral areas. In the country, the WBG’s Agriculture and Livestock Competitiveness Program for Results aims to increase exports of high-value crops such as shelled groundnuts and horticultural products as well as dairy farming productivity and reduce the mortality rate of small ruminants. The...
17
Feb
The African Federation of Insurance Companies (La Fédération des Sociétés d'Assurances de Droit National Africaines - FANAF) held its 44th Annual General Assembly in Libreville, Gabon, between February 17-20, 2020. This year’s high-level event provided a platform to approx. 1100 participants from (re) insurance companies, regulators, brokers, financial institutions to discuss the development of the sector in the continent in general, and their main challenges in operations, in particular. The event is also recognized internationally and praised for its technical panels on innovation,...
The African Federation of Insurance Companies (La Fédération des Sociétés d'Assurances de Droit National Africaines - FANAF) held its 44th Annual General Assembly in Libreville, Gabon, between February 17-20, 2020. This year’s high-level event provided a platform to approx. 1100 participants from (re) insurance companies, regulators, brokers, financial institutions to discuss the development of the sector in the continent in general, and their main challenges in operations, in particular. The event is also recognized internationally and praised for its technical panels on innovation,...
On February 4, 2020, GIIF clients AXA Cameroun and ACTIVA Assurances held the first compensation ceremony for insured cotton farmers who experienced production losses during the 2019 cropping season. The event was organized together with the umbrella association of Cameroonian cotton farmers (CNPCC) and SODECOTON, the main cotton company of Cameroon. The event was sponsored by IFC, through the Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF). The ceremony was chaired by the Governor of the Northern Region and was marked by an impressive turnout of close to a hundred participants, including staff from...
The linkage between agriculture and climate change is undeniable. Any change in the climate has significant effects on crop yields and livestock, which intensifies the agriculture sector’s vulnerability to weather and disaster risks. More frequent extreme weather events and natural disasters distress the poor and the vulnerable most heavily and, as a result, agricultural and index-based insurance products have increasingly been regarded as significant tools for smallholder farmers to protect themselves from financial losses. As we know, insurance normally provides valuable access to credit...
The linkage between agriculture and climate change is undeniable. Any change in the climate has significant effects on crop yields and livestock, which intensifies the agriculture sector’s vulnerability to weather and disaster risks. More frequent extreme weather events and natural disasters distress the poor and the vulnerable most heavily and, as a result, agricultural and index-based insurance products have increasingly been regarded as significant tools for smallholder farmers to protect themselves from financial losses. As we know, insurance normally provides valuable access to credit...
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