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Recently, Uganda&#8217;s Ministry of Health has notified the public that it has isolated four foreign nationals at the Entebbe Referral Hospital with flu and cough symptoms. This comes at a time when new cases have been reported in both Senegal and Tunisia. Editor of Daily Monitor, Qatahar Raymond Mujuni joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


How Uganda is preparing for coronavirus

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Last year around this time as collaboration between the NBA and FIBA, plans to establish the Basketball Africa League were discussed – fast forward to this past weekend during the NBA AllStar weekend in Chicago, Illinois and the 12 inaugural teams of BAL were officially announced with the season slated to kick off on March 13th in Dakar, Senegal. Michael Mugisha, Analyst of Michael Mugisha Podcast joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


How sport on the continent is growing with official launch of Basketball Africa League

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<p>The Basketball Africa League (FIBA) announced cities in Egypt, Senegal, Nigeria, Angola, Morocco and Tunisia as the host and the host city for the first-ever BAL Final Four and BAL Final will be Kigali. Additionally, Nike and Jordan Brand will be the exclusive outfitter of the new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa and scheduled to begin play in March 2020. Amadou Gallo Fall, Basketball Africa League President, joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall on how sport is driving economics on the continent

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<p>On the side-lines of the IMF&#8217;s International Conference in Senegal which focused on sustainable development and debt sustainability – CNBC Africa&#8217;s Frederic VandeVyver caught up President and CEO of NSIA, Jean Kacou Diagou for an assessment insurance business in Africa.</p>


Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development, Sustainable Debt: NSIA CEO Kacou Diagou on company’s expansion plans into Central Africa

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<p>Senegal’s Minister for Economy, Planning and International Corporation, Amadou Hott, says when African countries borrow, they have to make sure the debt is mostly used for acquiring assets that generate both social and economic returns. CNBC Africa&#8217;s Kenneth Igbomor caught up with him on the sidelines of IMF&#8217;s International Conference in Senegal which focused on sustainable development and debt sustainability.</p>


Sustainable Development, Sustainable Debt: Debt must acquire assets that generate social & economic returns – Amadou Hott

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<p>Deputy Secretary-General of United Nations (UN), Amina Mohammed says the context, quality and the use of debt matters. She discussed Africa&#8217;s progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with CNBC Africa&#8217;s Kenneth Igbomor on the sidelines of IMF&#8217;s International Conference in Senegal which focused on sustainable development and debt sustainability.</p>


Sustainable Development, Sustainable Debt: The context, quality and the use of debt matters, says UN’s Amina Mohammed

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<p>CNBC Africa&#8217;s Kenneth Igbomor caught up with IMF&#8217;s Deputy Director for Africa Department, Dominique Desruelle to get the IMF&#8217;s thinking on debt sustainability and Africa&#8217;s development challenges on the sidelines of IMF&#8217;s International Conference in Dakar Senegal.</p>


Sustainable Development, Sustainable Debt: Understanding debt sustainability & Africa’s development challenges

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<p>President of Global Development Network (GDN) and Member of Circle of Economists, Pierre Jacquet says sustainable development and debt sustainability should be constantly in the minds of African policymakers and sustainability is about the quality of investments that are financed through debt. CNBC Africa&#8217;s Kenneth Igbomor caught up with Pierre Jacquet for more.</p>


Sustainable Development, Sustainable Debt: Sustainability is about quality of investments financed through debt – Jacquet

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<p>IMF&#8217;s new Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva says Africa is halfway to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and needs to accelerate the speed of development to get there. CNBC Africa&#8217;s Kenneth Igbomor spoke with her on the sidelines of the International Conference on Sustainable Development and Debt Sustainability in Dakar, Senegal for more.</p>


Sustainable Development, Sustainable Debt: IMF’s Georgieva on achieving SDGs to accelerate development

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<p>At the Africa Oil Week underway in Cape Town this week, Senegal announced a new oil and gas licensing round. CNBC Africa’s Fifi Peters spoke to Senegal’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Mouhamadou Makhtar Cisse for more.</p>


Africa Oil Week: Senegal announces oil & gas licensing round

By <span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/maurice-soudieck-dione-831524">Maurice Soudieck Dione</a>, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-gaston-berger-3991">Université Gaston Berger</a></em></span>

<p>Earlier this year Senegal’s president, Macky Sall, embarked on his second term as president <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2019/04/senegal-macky-sall-starts-term-call-dialogue-190402170119221.html">pledging</a> “constructive” dialogue with the opposition. This followed tense elections in which Sall was <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47400711">accused</a> of preventing some of his main rivals from running.</p>

<p>In principle, political dialogue is essential. But in Senegal it’s often used as a way to manipulate public opinion and provide breathing space for a government under fire for its authoritarian tactics.</p>

<p>Throughout Sall’s tenure it has given cover to multiple encroachments on Senegalese democracy. This includes <a href="https://www.jeuneafrique.com/791019/politique/senegal-controverse-apres-le-desaveu-de-lue-sur-le-systeme-des-parrainages/">tampering with the rules of the electoral system</a>, empty promises of dialogue and violations of the <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2018/04/19/au-senegal-une-manifestation-reprimee-l-ancien-premier-ministre-idrissa-seck-interpelle_5287772_3212.html">rights and freedoms of the opposition and government opponents</a>.</p>

<p>These tactics threaten national cohesion, progress and stability in the country. </p>

<h2>Broken promises</h2>

<p>On taking office in 2012, President Sall cast aside a charter of structural reforms for national governance, the <a href="http://www.assisesnationales.org/?ans=doc">National Conferences Charter</a>, that he himself had signed. </p>

<p>He also backtracked on his <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2016/02/17/macky-sall-ira-finalement-jusqu-au-bout-de-son-mandat-de-sept-ans_4866925_3212.html">oft-repeated</a> <a href="https://www.voaafrique.com/a/senegal-president-senegalais-renonce-a-reduire-son-mandat-en-cours/3193669.html">commitment to reduce his term in office</a> from seven to five years. </p>

<p>Then, despite opposition and in a very short timeframe, in March 2016 he organised a <a href="https://www.pressafrik.com/Referendum-du-20-mars-C-est-parti-pour-sept-jours-de-campagne_a147321.html">constitutional referendum.</a>. </p>

<p>But the proposed changes – which would have led to the balance of power being distributed more evenly, thus <a href="https://www.financialafrik.com/2018/08/03/senegal-une-exception-democratique-a-lepreuve-de-lhyper-presidentialisme/">streamlining</a> the country’s extremely top-heavy political system – failed to generate a strong consensus. In the end, no serious reforms <a href="https://fr.allafrica.com/stories/201711220787.html">were ever implemented</a> that would temper the president’s political, legal and institutional supremacy over executive and judicial power. </p>

<h2>Opposition persecution</h2>

<p>As a way to demonstrate his commitment to inclusive government,  Sall then <a href="http://www.chinafrica.cn/The_Latest_Headlines/201605/t20160520_800057264.html">launched a</a> national dialogue on May 28 – the day after the referendum. This brought together representatives of the political class, civil society, the private sector, trade unions and religious and traditional leaders. Some members of the opposition took part in good faith. </p>

<p>The talks led to the quick release, <a href="https://www.jeuneafrique.com/336456/politique/senegal-gracie-macky-sall-karim-wade-parti-qatar/">through presidential pardon</a>, of Karim Wade, the son and former minister of ex-President Abdoulaye Wade. </p>

<p>But Wade’s release shouldn’t be interpreted as signalling that the dialogue initiative was effective. </p>

<p>A year earlier, Wade had been <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2015/03/23/senegal-karim-wade-condamne-a-six-ans-de-prison_4599445_3212.html">sentenced to six years in prison</a> for mis-appropriation of funds, by a special anti-corruption court. Established in 1981, and revived by Sall in 2012 after a long period of dormancy, the special court has been <a href="https://www.fidh.org/fr/regions/afrique/senegal/15499-senegal-la-crei-une-juridiction-d-exception-qui-ne-garantit-pas-le-droit-a">heavily criticised</a>.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/FR/Issues/Detention/Pages/WGADIndex.aspx">UN stated</a> that <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/FR/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=16997&amp;LangID=F">Wade’s imprisonment was arbitrary</a> and the West African States Community Court of Justice <a href="https://www.jeuneafrique.com/172087/politique/enrichissement-illicite-la-cedeao-recadre-dakar/">found that</a> constitutionally, as a former minister, he should have been brought before the Senegalese High Court of Justice. </p>

<p>Sall therefore had no choice but to free Wade. But he also clearly took this opportunity to force Wade – a strong contender in the presidential elections – into <a href="http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20180114-senegal-avenir-s-assombrit-karim-wade">exile</a> in Qatar. </p>

<p>Khalifa Sall – then mayor of Dakar and another leading opposition contender – was then arrested in 2017 for allegedly embezzling US$3 million in public funds. Critics accused Macky Sall of making up the charges to remove him. Khalifa <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49873340">was released</a> on a presidential pardon last month. </p>

<p>Sall’s government has also continued its authoritarian tactics with <a href="http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20140420-senegal-interdictions-manifestations-multiplient-dakar-libert%C3%A9s-publiques-macky-sall">systematic bans on opposition protests</a>.</p>

<p>Furthermore, Sall’s promise to institutionalise political dialogue failed to materialise: there was just one round of talks during his first term. </p>

<h2>Crisis of confidence</h2>

<p>Parliamentary elections, held in July 2017, are seen to have contributed to the crisis facing the country. There were accusations of <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2017/07/30/au-senegal-les-elections-legislatives-se-sont-deroulees-dans-une-relative-confusion_5166696_3212.html">major irregularities</a>. And after the chaotic elections Sall <a href="https://fr.allafrica.com/stories/201901020554.html">refused</a> the opposition’s request for a non-partisan Minister of the Interior. The position is meant to be free of party affiliation, as it had been for <a href="https://www.lequotidien.sn/deces-du-general-lamine-cisse-fin-de-mission-dun-soldat/">about</a> 20 years. </p>

<p>Sall then <a href="https://www.jeuneafrique.com/mag/560940/politique/senegal-les-parrainages-de-la-discorde/">pushed through a reform introducing electoral sponsoring, without consultation</a>. This requires all candidates standing in presidential elections to collect the signatures of at least 1% of the registered voters before being validated. This made it much harder for candidates to run.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2018/04/19/senegal-la-loi-sur-le-parrainage-votee-dans-un-climat-de-forte-contestation_5287952_3212.html">Opposition protests were subject to crackdowns</a> and their leaders were arrested. </p>

<p>This new sponsoring law proved to be a boon to the government during the 2019 presidential elections because it limited the number of candidates. </p>

<p>Candidates <a href="https://www.lepoint.fr/afrique/senegal-nous-voulons-des-elections-fiables-30-12-2018-2282538_3826.php">did not have access to the electoral roll</a> to confirm the validity of their sponsor signatures and thousands of sponsor signatures were invalidated on the false claim that they were not registered to vote. <a href="https://www.jeuneafrique.com/698797/politique/presidentielle-au-senegal-pourquoi-19-dossiers-de-parrainage-ont-ete-ecartes/">As many as 19 electoral hopefuls had their applications rejected</a> by the Constitutional Council. In the end <a href="https://www.bbc.com/afrique/monde-46863956">only five candidates were able to run</a>.</p>



<p>Today national dialogue is at a standstill, and it’s not surprising given the political manoeuvring that undermines it. This presents a worrying future scenario for Senegal. </p>

<p><em>Translated from the French by Alice Heathwood for Fast ForWord.</em><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124380/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important" /></p>

<p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/maurice-soudieck-dione-831524">Maurice Soudieck Dione</a>, Enseignant-chercheur en sciences politiques, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-gaston-berger-3991">Université Gaston Berger</a></em></span></p>

<p>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/senegals-president-uses-political-manoeuvres-to-mask-authoritarian-tactics-124380">original article</a>.</p>

Is Senegal’s president using political manoeuvres to mask authoritarian tactics ?

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<p>With four teams left in this year&#8217;s African Cup of Nations (AFCON), Nnamdi Obanya, Head of Rhythm FM Network joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


West Africa vs North Africa affair as #AFCON2019 enters semi-finals


<p> By Francois Conradie, Head of Research at NKC African Economics</p>



<p>On
Monday, January 14, the Constitutional Council published the final list of
candidates for the presidential election to be held on February 24. </p>



<p>Only
five contenders are on it, all men: President Macky Sall, running on the
platform of his coalition Benno Bokk Yaakar (BBY); Issa Sall of the Party of
Unity and Coming Together (PUIR); Ousmane Sonko of the Patriots of Senegal for
Work, Ethics and Brotherhood (Pastef); Madické Niang of the Senegalese
Democratic Party (PDS); and Idrissa Seck of Rewmi. </p>



<p>Notably
absent are Khalifa Sall of the Socialist Party (PS), a former mayor of Dakar
who is serving a jail sentence for illicit enrichment, and Karim Wade, son of
former President Abdoulaye Wade and the official candidate of the PDS. </p>



<p>Khalifa
Sall (no relation to the president) is ineligible because of his conviction,
and Mr Wade of the same reason, over a conviction for illicit enrichment in
2015. President Sall subsequently pardoned him and he is currently living in
Qatar; he is liable to pay a huge fine should he return to Senegal.</p>



<p>Issa
Sall and Mr Sonko are somewhat marginal figures, although the latter’s campaign
is interesting for its use of social media and suspicions that he is close to
Islamist currents in Senegal. </p>



<p>Mr
Niang, a former minister, will pull votes from some PDS supporters, but many
others will follow the party leadership’s injunction to boycott. </p>



<p>Thus
the strongest challenger to the president is Mr Seck. </p>



<p>The
two men have much in common: they were born two years apart (Mr Seck is the
elder), both joined former President Wade’s PDS, and both served as his prime
minister. </p>



<p>Mr
Seck split from the PDS in 2006, two years after being sacked as prime
minister. Both ran against the elder Mr Wade when he insisted in the face of
strong popular opposition to run for a third term in 2012. In the first round
of that election Macky Sall got 26.6% of the vote and Mr Seck 7.9%, so Mr Seck
then backed his rival in the second round, when he won.</p>



<p>The
exclusion of Khalifa Sall and Mr Wade had been expected since a change to the
electoral law, which was clearly made in order to keep them specifically out of
the race. </p>



<p>The
former Dakar mayor at one point looked like a serious challenger to the
president, and we think his trial and conviction had a political angle to them.
</p>



<p>With
the list of candidates being what it is, and the BBY coalition having a strong
presence across the country, we see very little chance of President Sall losing
the race.</p>


Why Macky Sall’s strongest challengers won’t run for Senegal’s presidential elections


<p>LONDON (Reuters) &#8211; BP and its partners have given the green light for the development of a large gas project off the coast of Mauritania and Senegal, a first for the two West African nations.</p>



<p>The Greater Tortue Ahmeyim development, Africa’s deepest at 2 kilometres below the sea’s surface, will consist of a complex floating vessel with a plant to super-chill natural gas into liquid, BP said in a statement.</p>



<p>This is the second major LNG project to get the go-ahead this year as energy companies bet on a sharp rise in gas demand, with rival Shell also deciding to press on with the development of a plant in western Canada.</p>



<p>The Tortue floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility will produce 2.5 million tonnes of LNG per year. The field holds total gas resources estimated at around 15 trillion cubic feet.</p>



<p>Work on the project will begin in the first quarter of 2019, and first gas is expected to be produced in 2022.</p>



<p>The Tortue go-ahead was given after the governments of Mauritania and Senegal reached an agreement over the sharing of production from the development.</p>



<p>BP is the project’s operator, with a 60 percent stake in the development in Senegal and 62 percent in Mauritania. Other partners include Kosmos Energy, with a 30 percent stake in Senegal and 28 percent in Mauritania.</p>



<p>Societe des Petroles du Senegal (PETROSEN) and Societe Mauritanienne Des Hydrocarbures et de Patrimoine Minier (SMHPM) each hold a 10 percent stake on their side.</p>



<p>BP’s trading arm has been selected as the sole buyer of the project’s LNG.</p>



<p>Additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Jan Harvey</p>


The development of a large gas project off the coast of these West African countries given green-light by BP, what you need to know…

<p>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wycliffe-w-njororai-simiyu-293508">Wycliffe W. Njororai Simiyu</a>, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-texas-at-tyler-2703">University of Texas at Tyler</a></em></p>
<p>The 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament kicked off on June 14 in Russia. Africa has five representatives in this elite competition: Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal, Morocco, and Tunisia. The continent’s teams secured their spots after a long build-up involving a preliminary knock out phase followed by a four team round robin competition on home and away basis.</p>
<p>No African team has ever qualified for the World Cup semi-finals. Many pundits would argue that now is the time to change Africa’s World Cup story. The continent has always promised a great deal in the international showcase <a href="https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/11/world-cup-africa-football-teams-under-perform#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s">but delivered very little</a>.</p>
<p>Some of the reasons for failing to qualify for the semi-finals at the World Cup include <a href="https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/11/world-cup-africa-football-teams-under-perform#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s">poor preparation</a>, internal controversies as well as technical and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/piersedwards/2010/07/africa_fell_foul_of_familiar_m.html">tactical errors</a> at crucial moments in the knock out phases and <a href="https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/foreign-coach-xi-nigerias-11-expatriate-coaches-failures-successes/amp/#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s">recruiting foreign coaches at the last minute</a>.</p>
<p>Looking at the pedigree of the African teams, and their respective opponents, Nigeria and Senegal stand a good chance to qualify for the second round and possibly beyond.</p>
<h2>The contenders</h2>
<p>Here is a closer look at Africa’s five teams.</p>
<p><strong>1. Nigeria</strong></p>
<p>Compared to other African teams, Nigeria has been very consistent African representatives at the World Cup since their first appearance in 1994. The Super Eagles, as they are more popularly known at home, also played in the 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014 World Cup tournaments.</p>
<p>On the way to Russia, Nigeria eliminated Swaziland in the preliminary round and Zambia, Cameroon and Algeria in the group phase. The team has been under German coach Gernot Rohr since 2016 and prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation. Their most notable star is captain John Obi-Mikel, who previously successfully captained the under-20 and under-23 sides.</p>
<p>The other players to watch are Victor Moses of Chelsea, Kelechi Iheanacho and Ahmed Musa of Leicester as well as Alex Iwobi of Arsenal. Nigeria’s strength lies in its <a href="https://asia.eurosport.com/football/world-cup/2018/world-cup-2018-brazil-team-profile-how-they-qualified-star-man-world-cup-record-fixtures_sto6791463/story.shtml">solid midfield play and potent attack</a>.</p>
<p>They face Croatia, Iceland and Argentina in the group stages. Good results against Croatia and Iceland can propel them to the second round – to which they also advanced in 1994, 1998 and 2014 – and even deeper into the tournament.</p>
<p><strong>2. Egypt</strong></p>
<p>Egypt makes a long awaited return to the World Cup. It is intriguing that despite being a dominant force at the Africa Cup of Nations, winning a record seven times, Egypt has only featured at the World Cup three times over 84 years – in 1934, 1990 and now in 2018.</p>
<p>The Pharaohs booked their ticket after <a href="http://www.africanews.com/2018/05/10/road-to-russia-egypts-qualification-route-to-2018-world-cup//">overwhelming</a> Chad at home and away to qualify for the group stage. Egypt overcame Congo, Ghana, and Uganda in the group stages. Hector Cuper, who coached Valencia of La Liga and Inter of Serie A, is the man tasked with leading Egypt at Russia 2018.</p>
<p>The team relies on patient build up and opportunistic breakaways to score via their star player Mohamed Salah of Liverpool. Mo Salah, who <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/05/13/liverpool-vs-brighton-live-score-plus-premier-league-goal-updates/">scored a season record number of goals</a> in the Premier League, is the man to watch. But his <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/mohamed-salah-liverpool-injury-update-real-madrid-egypt-world-cup-2018-how-long-lesion-a8371031.html">injury</a> during the Champion’s League final against Real Madrid has dampened the euphoric hopes of Egyptian fans. Other star players include Mohamed Elneny of Arsenal and Ahmed Hegazi of West Bromwich Albion.</p>
<p>Although this team looks thin on star power, their <a href="https://news.sportsinteraction.com/soccer/story/2018-world-cup-odds-and-prediction-egypt-team-betting-preview-74093">collective understanding</a>, solid defence and team chemistry should put fear in their opponents in the group stage: Uruguay, Russia and Saudi Arabia.</p>
<p><strong>3. Tunisia</strong></p>
<p>Tunisia makes their fifth appearance at the World Cup, having previously featured in 1978, 1998, 2002 and 2006.</p>
<p>Coached by Nabil Maâloul, the Eagles of Carthage qualified after beating Mauritania to enter the Africa group stage where they overcame stiff resistance from Guinea, Libya and DR Congo.</p>
<p>Unlike other African sides with one or two outstanding individual players plying their trade in the big five European Leagues, the Tunisians play in lower ranked leagues. These include Saif-Eddine Khaoui and Wahbi Khazri. Formerly at Sunderland, Khazri seems to have <a href="https://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL8N1SE4L0">rediscovered his form</a> on loan at Rennes last season, scoring nine goals in 24 league games.</p>
<p>The team’s <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/0/tunisia-world-cup-2018-squad-team-guide/">resourcefulness, grit and spirit</a> will be fully stretched in their fixtures against England, Belgium and Panama. However, it will require a major upset for them to progress to the second round given their opposition’s pedigree.</p>
<p><strong>4. Morocco</strong></p>
<p>Morocco last played in the World Cup 20 years ago and have represented Africa four times at the tournament. Their 1986 squad was the first African team to not only qualify for the second round but to do so as leaders of a pool that had England, Portugal and Poland.</p>
<p>Coached by Hervé Renard, Morocco narrowly eliminated Equatorial Guinea in the preliminaries. But they proved their worth when they over-powered the highly-rated Gabon, Ivory Coast and Mali to earn qualification.</p>
<p>Only six of the 23 players were born in Morocco. The rest were born in France, Spain, or the Netherlands, but have Moroccan heritage and have maintained a connection with Morocco. Key players include national team captain and Juventus centre back Mehdi Benatia and attacking midfielder Mbark Boussoufa, a two-time Belgian Golden Shoe winner and former player on the Chelsea youth team back in 2006.</p>
<p>Morocco’s talented team face Iran in their opening match. It’s a must-win game given that they will next be up against highly-rated Spain and Portugal.</p>
<p><strong>5. Senegal</strong></p>
<p>Senegal shocked the footballing world when they brought down France during the debut at the World Cup in 2002. They followed that up by qualifying for the quarter-finals, the second African team to do so. As such, the Lions of Teranga must be looking forward to their second World Cup under coach Aliou Cisse, who captained the legendary 2002 team.</p>
<p>Senegal were held to a 2–2 draw away to Madagascar but recovered to eliminate them 3–0 at home. In the group stage, Senegal overpowered Cape Verde, Burkina Faso and South Africa.</p>
<p>Senegal has highly talented players who ply their trade in European leagues. These are led by <a href="http://www.africanews.com/2018/05/18/world-cup-2018-sadio-mane-leads-senegal-23-man-squad//">Sadio Mane</a> who has had a very successful season with Liverpool. Indeed, only the goalkeeper plays on the African continent.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/97954/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />They face Poland in their opening match, followed by Japan and Colombia.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wycliffe-w-njororai-simiyu-293508">Wycliffe W. Njororai Simiyu</a>, Professor, Health and Kinesiology, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-texas-at-tyler-2703">University of Texas at Tyler</a></em></p>
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/meet-the-five-teams-hoping-to-change-africas-world-cup-story-97954">original article</a>.</p>


Meet the five teams that pundits want to change Africa’s World Cup story

<p>By Rachel Kyte, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All</p>
<p><a href="mailto:https://books.google.com/books/about/Africa_Rising.html?id=6V1wB4mze5QC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;source=kp_read_button%23v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">Africa Rising</a> is Africa’s clarion call for economic development across the continent and the rest of the world. With the economic case for expanding access to clean, reliable affordable electricity never stronger, 2018 is a year where we should see breakthroughs.</p>
<p>Sustainable Energy for All is working with partners across Africa to strengthen data and <a href="mailto:http://www.seforall.org/content/why-wait-report-quantifies-benefits-accelerating-electricity-access">evidence</a> to support government <a href="mailto:http://www.seforall.org/sites/default/files/Rel_RISE_report.pdf">policymakers</a> to shift towards more integrated energy plans that promote electricity access and exploit the remarkable plunge in renewable energy prices. We have also tracked the amount of <a href="mailto:http://www.seforall.org/content/reports-show-finance-needed-global-goals-2030">finance flowing</a> to close energy access gaps – hint, not enough is landing in African countries with the largest gaps in a form or a price that is useful. African governments are not investing enough in their own energy future, either.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-ZFOWgayPtc" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>The bad news then is that there is much to do. The good news is that it’s all within our reach. Across the continent, we see examples of policy reforms that are working, investment climates that are attracting long-term financing and innovation that is poised to grow exponentially. The priority for 2018 must be speed and scale.</p>
<p>Consider the positives – the trends that we must seize on:</p>
<ul>
<li>Solar and wind energy costs are plummeting, as are the costs of storage which opens more opportunities to deploy these technologies together.</li>
<li>More commitments by African leaders, including in Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal and Zambia, to prioritise making reliable, affordable and clean energy available to all, especially remote and marginalised populations.</li>
<li>Financial innovation backing clean energy growth and development, such as Nigeria’s first-ever <a href="mailto:https://www.reuters.com/article/nigeria-bonds/nigeria-to-issue-29-mln-debut-green-bond-next-week-environment-ministry-idUSL8N1OE4R3">green bonds</a> and the <a href="mailto:https://www.energybillcruncher.com/la/?tg_ref=tvma&amp;camp_id=key&amp;keyword=renewable%20energy&amp;sub2=http%3A%2F%2Fnewbusinessethiopia.com%2Fafrican-development-bank-finances-324-million-renewable-energy-projects%2F&amp;csg_ref=pagen">African Development Bank’s</a> new lending for off-grid electricity and partnerships to mobilize blended finance.</li>
</ul>
<p>With all that in mind, here’s are a few no-regret measures for 2018 that can help move us along even faster toward a sustainable energy future for all.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Embrace integration:</strong> Government leaders in Africa have a golden opportunity to re-think their national electrification strategies. Embracing integrated strategies, using both centralized and decentralized energy sources, will allow for a speedier and cheaper pathway to close energy access gaps, especially in rural area where grids are still a distant prospect.</li>
<li><strong>Embrace the moment:</strong> Across the world, we are seeing low auction prices for renewable energy projects. The IFC-backed <a href="mailto:http://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/news_ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/news+and+events/news/scaling-solar">Scaling Solar</a> program helped Zambia secure solar at 6 cents per kilowatt hour, the lowest solar prices to date in Africa. Others can learn from the success of Chile, Argentina and India, as well as South Africa, as they embrace grid connected renewables, and have effectively used power purchase agreements (PPAs) with transparent processes to attract long-term investors.</li>
<li><strong>No more harmful subsidies: </strong>Don’t subsidize dirty energy for poor people; subsidize clean energy services for the poorest. Move more quickly to remove harmful fossil fuel subsidies and put in place systems that support those on low incomes to access clean cooking fuels and electricity. Those who have done it or who have experimented, from Morocco to Malawi, from Indonesia to Mexico to Angola, can be sources of inspiration and confidence.</li>
<li><strong>Lay the table:</strong> The recent <a href="mailto:http://www.seforall.org/content/rise-sustainable-energy-policies">RISE report</a> showed that African countries lagged behind their Asian peers in having supportive policy environments for attracting more renewable energy, energy efficiency and greater energy access. Among those moving to improve the fastest are <a href="mailto:http://www.seforall.org/content/new-heat-maps-show-promise-and-challenge-providing-electricity-access-neediest-countries">Kenya</a> and Morocco, which have made strong progress in recent years enabling grid-scale and decentralized renewable efforts to flourish. Replicating these successes, as well as ensuring that national investment climates are sound, is essential to increase financial flows into what should be a growth sector – a 600 million person market of low income Africans who don’t have energy services today.</li>
<li><strong>Don’t forget clean cooking: </strong>While finance flows for electricity access in Africa are weak, investment in clean cooking solutions is nearly non-existent, according to our recent <a href="mailto:http://www.seforall.org/content/reports-show-finance-needed-global-goals-2030">research</a>. It’s time to build big markets for clean cooking fuels in place of charcoal and other traditional biomass fuels whose use kills millions of people <a href="mailto:https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/these-cheap-clean-stoves-were-supposed-to-save-millions-of-lives-what-happened/2015/10/29/c0b98f38-77fa-11e5-a958-d889faf561dc_story.html?utm_term=.0a591ef0d960">worldwide</a> every year. Governments such as Rwanda’s, that have made clean cooking a high priority will benefit from a growing coalition of organizations and businesses who are scaling use of clean fuels, including with fuel pellets and liquid petroleum gas.</li>
</ol>
<p>Africa is at a crossroads on energy. For many decades, the path of choice for closing energy access gaps in Africa was centralized fossil fuel projects and costly distributed diesel and kerosene. Yet, after all that investment, Africa’s energy is not reliable and affordable enough – and far too many people are still in the dark with no power at all.</p>
<p>Today, there is a better path, and many are showing the way with more renewables into electric grids; a stronger embrace of off-grid solar for household access; and subsidy reforms. By embracing a viable, clean energy future, not a myopic dirty past, African governments can leapfrog into a new energy future and make Africa Rising a reality.</p>


A better path for Africa’s energy future

<p>Senegal’s GDP growth is expected to exceed 6 percent in 2017 for the third year in a row, the International Monetary Fund said in a statement on Monday.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-128139 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMF-Flickr.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="547" /></p>
<p data-reactid="40">The economy of the West African country is mainly driven by services, tourism and agriculture. Senegal issued $500 million in 10-year Eurobonds in 2014 at an interest rate of about 6 percent.</p>
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT" data-reactid="41">
<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw" data-reactid="42">Reporting by Aaron Ross; Editing by Peter Cooney</p>
</div>


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