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The manufacture of technical textiles is in its nascency across North Africa, even more so in sub-Saharan Africa, with the continent having long been considered a low-cost, cut-and-sew destination rather than a production hub for value-added items. But due to the trend by European and US brands for near-shoring and diversification away from east Asian production, and the ambitions of certain African countries to develop a full manufacturing chain, the potential for making technical textiles in Africa is gradually emerging.…

The European Parliament is reeling from the so-called ‘Qatargate’ cash-for-influence corruption and money laundering scandal that broke December 9 when Belgian police found over EUR1.5 million (USD1.6 million) cash in raids on locations across Brussels. In a December 15 resolution (1) on the suspicions of corruption by Qatar, passed by 541 votes in favour, two against, and three abstentions, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) agreed to suspend all work related to Qatar, notably on visa liberalisation and an aviation agreement, as well as to deny access to the Parliament for Qatari representatives.…

An African garment and textile sector rebounding from the Covid-19 pandemic has seen strong export growth in the first three-quarters of 2022 start to sputter through a tightening of retail demand in Europe and the United States. These remain Africa’s two primary export markets and their consumers are reducing spending as inflation and recession concerns grow.…

The African knitwear manufacturing sector has been regaining ground lost during the Covid-19 pandemic, with established manufacturing hubs capitalising on the growing demand for nearshoring in Europe and to a lesser extent the USA. There are major investments under way in developing production capacity, particularly in West Africa.…

Global progress on tackling the risks posed by money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF) is “paralysed” according to the latest annual index report (1) from the Basel Institute on Governance. Over the 11 years since the first report, AML risks “have changed depressingly little”, said Basel AML Index project manager Kateryna Boguslavska on October 4.…

Fraud is sometimes downplayed as a ‘victimless crime’, especially when companies are the direct victims. While that is obviously untrue, frauds associated with food that can directly harm consumer health give the lie to this statement. It is one reason why food fraud is a clear priority problem for international policy makers.…

Academics have stressed at an international conference in Tunisia the importance of ensuring African graduates secure jobs after their studies, ideally linked to the expertise they have gained during their courses. They spoke out at the second Annual Academic Summit hosted by the Honoris United Universities (HUU) network of private universities, which was staged on both campuses of Tunisia’s Central University (Université Centrale), Tunis, and the Ariana, Tunis-based ESPRIT: Ecole Supérieure Privée d’Ingénierie et de Technologies, from August 30 to September 2.…

Africa is the continent with the youngest population in the world, and so needs to expand effective higher education, Dr Jonathan Louw, group CEO of Honoris United Universities (HUU), the largest pan-African tertiary education network, has told UWN.

In an exclusive interview in Tunis, Tunisia, Dr Louw noted how the fact that almost 60% of Africa’s population is under 25 years old presents a huge opportunity for higher education in Africa.…

African environmental academics are struggling to get political and social support for their solutions to problems such as the desertification in North Africa and the Sahel region.

In Africa, there is a “disconnect” between policymakers and researchers, and “to some extent, even the community”, including research findings released by academics and even research institutes, said Sanusi Bello Shamaki, professor at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, north-west Nigeria.…

INTRODUCTION 

With the textile industry under pressure from consumers, regulators and standards to become more sustainable, companies are looking at all aspects of the supply chain – including upstream to fibre production. Digitalisation has a key role to play here, especially in supplier countries where the use of such technology is weak – such as in Africa.…