<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="429" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Caryba-Hair-_-Agnes-Chimanzi-820x429.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-595640" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Caryba-Hair-_-Agnes-Chimanzi-820x429.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Caryba-Hair-_-Agnes-Chimanzi-300x157.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Caryba-Hair-_-Agnes-Chimanzi-160x84.jpg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Caryba-Hair-_-Agnes-Chimanzi-768x402.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Caryba-Hair-_-Agnes-Chimanzi.jpg 1199w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Agnes Chimanzi, Founder &amp; CEO of Caryba Hair at the FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit 2024 at the Emperors Palace Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.</figcaption></figure>



Agnes Chimanzi—the Zimbabwean born visionary, founder, and CEO of Caryba Hair—is revolutionizing the hair styling industry by empowering women to express their individuality through their hairstyles.



As a key player in the global wig and hair extensions market, Caryba Hair is not only committed to providing high quality luxury wigs and hair extensions, they are creating a space for women to embrace their hair choices, while also prioritizing their own hair and scalp health.



&#8220;Hair is a powerful tool for self-expression,&#8221; Chimanzi says. &#8220;Our hair choices reflect our personal stories and shape how we feel about ourselves and how we present ourselves to the world. Whether you wear hair extensions or your natural coils and curls, the versatility of hair lies in its endless styling options.&#8221;



She continues, &#8220;It&#8217;s not about policing which hairstyles are best for women, it&#8217;s about encouraging women to love and care for their hair.&#8221;



Chimanzi details how her transformative hair journey sparked the creation of Caryba Hair:&nbsp;



&nbsp;“My hair journey began with sitting between my mother’s legs as she threaded my hair with wool, to sitting in uncomfortable salon chairs for hours, trying to keep up with the latest hairstyles of the season. It was almost guaranteed that you’d leave that salon chair with a severe headache, scalp sores and a receding hairline.”



“I wanted to create a space that offers a holistic approach to hair care, providing women with expert guidance on wig styling, maintenance, and overall hair care tips. There&#8217;s a growing demand for personalized hairstyling services and hair educational services,” she says.



Currently available online, Caryba Hair is set to expand its services to cater to women&#8217;s hairstyling needs across Africa. In the near future, Chimanzi plans to open salons in Southern Africa, providing access to professional hairstyling services and expert advice. This move will not only provide essential hair care services, but it will also create employment opportunities and stimulate economic growth in the region.



“As a young entrepreneur and aspiring medical doctor, I encourage the African youth to dare to dream and explore entrepreneurship. There is enough room for innovative ideas that can drive Africa’s growth and development.”



In addition to its business endeavors, Caryba Hair is committed to female empowerment through partnerships with organizations like the Forbes Woman Africa Leading Women Summit 2024 and Miss Teen Universe South Africa.



&#8220;We&#8217;re proud to support organizations that share our values and mission,&#8221; Chimanzi says. &#8220;Last year at the Leading Women Summit, we were honored to celebrate International Women’s Day with inspiring women. By uniting as a continent, we can amplify women’s empowerment.”



Caryba Hair is also dedicated to sustainability, recognizing the need for eco-conscious practices in the hair extensions industry.



&nbsp;&#8220;The rapid growth of the wig and hair extensions industry has led to waste problems,&#8221; Chimanzi notes.&nbsp;



&#8220;With proper care and maintenance, our wigs can last over three years without showing significant wear and tear. Because our hair extensions are made from 100% virgin hair, they are biodegradable, making them a more sustainable choice. Unlike synthetic wigs made from plastic, our wigs can be recycled and disposed of properly.”



Chimanzi adds, &#8220;As a business owner, I&#8217;m committed to sustainable practices that prioritize the environment. We all have a role to play in reducing waste and promoting eco-friendly practices.&#8221;



With a focus on customer satisfaction, Caryba Hair offers luxury wigs in a variety of textures to meet the unique needs of each customer. From lace front wigs to glueless wig options, they have something for every woman.



“Caryba Hair was created for every woman to be part of a community that celebrates them. We’re excited to see the difference we’ll make in women’s lives and society at large.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="800" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Caryba-Hair-logo--800x800.png" alt="" class="wp-image-595641" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Caryba-Hair-logo--800x800.png 800w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Caryba-Hair-logo--300x300.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Caryba-Hair-logo--90x90.png 90w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Caryba-Hair-logo--768x768.png 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Caryba-Hair-logo-.png 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure>



Discover more at www.carybahair.com

Caryba Hair _ Agnes Chimanzi

CELEBRATING SELF-EXPRESSION THROUGH HAIRSTYLES

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="459" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/4DD3KSJUWZJVRLWSLRI4HQBDVE-820x459.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-595637" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/4DD3KSJUWZJVRLWSLRI4HQBDVE-820x459.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/4DD3KSJUWZJVRLWSLRI4HQBDVE-300x168.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/4DD3KSJUWZJVRLWSLRI4HQBDVE-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/4DD3KSJUWZJVRLWSLRI4HQBDVE-768x430.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/4DD3KSJUWZJVRLWSLRI4HQBDVE-1536x859.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/4DD3KSJUWZJVRLWSLRI4HQBDVE-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: A logo of the World Food Program is seen at their headquarters after the WFP won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, in Rome, Italy October 9, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



DAKAR, March 7 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The United Nations World Food Programme said on Friday it would halt food and nutrition assistance to more than 2 million people in Nigeria and the Central Sahel region next month without urgent funding to bridge shortfalls.



The U.N. food agency (WFP) said in a statement it required $620 million to continue supporting refugees in Chad and Mali and food-insecure people in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.



&#8220;The global shrinkage of foreign aid is posing a significant threat to our operations in Western Africa,&#8221; said WFP Regional Director Margot van der Velden.



The funding squeeze comes as the lean season &#8211; the period in between harvests when hunger peaks &#8211; is expected to hit earlier than usual across West Africa&#8217;s Sahel region south of the Sahara.



&#8220;With millions expected to face emergency levels of hunger at the peak of the lean season, the world must step up support to prevent this situation from getting out of control.&#8221;



Conflict, displacement, economic crises, and climate shocks such as devastating floods last year are driving a hunger crisis in West Africa.



An estimated 52.7 million women, men, and children are projected to experience acute hunger between June and August 2025, the WFP said. These include refugees in Chad, Mali, and Mauritania, of which around 700,000 are Sudanese refugees.



The proportion of the population facing extreme hunger in West and Central Africa is also projected to rise over 20% by June 2025.



The WFP receives half of its funding from the United States, which has been reviewing and cutting foreign aid programs.



The statement did not specify whether the lack of funding was linked to the U.S. It said West and Central Africa remained &#8220;chronically underfunded&#8221;.



(Reporting by Ayen Deng Bior; Editing by Sofia Christensen)

FILE PHOTO: World Food Program wins the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize

WFP calls for urgent funding to prevent food aid halt in West, Central Africa

F1 star Lando Norris and McLaren chief Zak Brown reveal how they staged the ultimate comeback

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="564" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1241299894-820x564.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-595588" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1241299894-820x564.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1241299894-300x206.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1241299894-131x90.jpg 131w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1241299894-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1241299894-1536x1057.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1241299894-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Samaila Zubair, Chairman &amp; CEO of the Africa Finance Corporation, speaks during a session Climate change adaptation: Finding appealing business models at the CEO Forum in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Monday, June 13, 2022.</figcaption></figure>



LONDON, March 10 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The African Finance Corporation said it is accelerating efforts to mobilise the continent&#8217;s own money for investments, and tapping investors in the Middle East and Asia, as developing nations grapple with seismic shifts in geopolitics and funding flows.



Samaila Zubairu, chief executive of the AFC &#8211; a development finance institution owned by Nigeria&#8217;s central bank and other African financial institutions &#8211; said in an interview the lender is ready to weather a world in which the United States and Europe cut financial aid and turn increasingly inward.



&#8220;The only thing we want &#8230; to change, is to get domestic capital more available for investment within the continent,&#8221; Zubairu said.



&#8220;We would accelerate our initiatives to mobilize domestic capital from African pension funds, African institutional investors, to invest domestically,&#8221; he said, adding that in the long term, some $15-$20 billion could come from domestic pension funds.



U.S. President Donald Trump&#8217;s America First agenda, and cuts in U.S. aid money, could drain billions from projects in Africa. European countries are also slashing aid funding, with Britain redirecting much of it to boost defence spending.



Africa&#8217;s low savings rates and shallow markets have stymied efforts to mobilise local pools of cash.



Zubairu said the AFC, which deploys $2.5-$3 billion each year, would scale up fund allocation &#8220;prudently&#8221; by choosing projects other backers could pile into.



It launched the pilot project InfraCredit to support pension fund investments in much-needed infrastructure projects, with



oil-rich Nigeria&#8217;s sovereign wealth fund providing guarantees on local currency debt.



The project has mobilised some 230 billion naira ($152 million), including investments from 21 pension funds, which previously invested almost exclusively in government debt.



Zubairu said he expects to launch similar programs as early as this year in Botswana, Angola and Kenya.



&#8220;This is kind of program that we think needs to be replicated at scale,&#8221; he said. &#8220;If we do programs like this, then you see a lot more billions available for investment.&#8221;



Pension funds had also placed money in the Infrastructure Climate Resilience Fund, boosting a $52 million commitment from the European Investment Bank, he said.



Investors from the Gulf and Europe are also looking to place money in other AFC projects, such as ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms which designs and finances industrial projects.



Trump has yet to publicly signal his plans for U.S. investment in the Lobito Corridor &#8211; a railway project linking resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo with Zambia and Angola&#8217;s Atlantic port of Lobito.



Former U.S. President Joe Biden&nbsp;visited the site&nbsp;during his inaugural &#8211; and only &#8211; trip to Africa.



Zubairu said he was confident Trump would see the value in backing the corridor, though it was a strong, bankable framework that would move forward regardless.



($1 = 1,510.0000 naira)



(Reporting By Libby George and Karin Strohecker, editing by Clelia Oziel)

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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="720" height="480" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/COY2BEOYYZNMNCJM4URY33M2AY.avif" alt="" class="wp-image-594609"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A logo of Alstom is seen at the Alstom&#8217;s plant in Semeac near Tarbes, France, February 15, 2019. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



RABAT, March 7 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;France will lend Morocco 781 million euros to finance the purchase of 18 high-speed trains made by Alstom&nbsp;ALSO.PA, the French embassy in Rabat said on Friday.



The trains are part of a plan to extend the high-speed rail network from Kenitra on the western coast to Marrakech before the 2030 World Cup that Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.



Alstom will supply Moroccan state-owned rail operator ONCF, with Avelia Horizon double-decker trains that can carry 640 passengers with a speed of 320 km/h, the embassy said in a statement.



ONCF also aims to expand its network to double the number of cities it serves to 43, or 87% of the Moroccan population, by 2040.



In February, ONCF said it will also buy 150 trains under concessional loans from Spain and South Korea as it expands urban, intercity and high-speed rail networks.



South Korea&#8217;s Hyundai Rotem&nbsp;064350.KS&nbsp;will supply 110 urban trains worth $1.5 billion, while Spain&#8217;s CAF will build 40 intercity trains for $813 million.



The deals include investments in the country&#8217;s nascent rail industry, ONCF said last month.



(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

COY2BEOYYZNMNCJM4URY33M2AY

Marrakech Express upgrade – French loan to help Morocco buy 18 fast trains ahead of World Cup

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="720" height="433" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/V3GAS2DKHFO7PLO4JIKEEFCTKY-1.avif" alt="" class="wp-image-594606"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The retired coal-fired Komati Power Station, operated by Eskom, is seen near Komati village, in the Mpumalanga province in South Africa, May 9, 2024. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, March 7 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;South African power utility Eskom resumed scheduled power cuts on Friday and said they would last across the weekend, after outages at the country&#8217;s nuclear power station and one of its mammoth coal plants.



The loss of power from units at the Koeberg nuclear plant and Kusile coal station meant Eskom was 2,700 megawatts (MW) short of its generation capacity over the past 14 hours, the company said in a statement.



It will implement &#8220;Stage 3&#8221; outages, requiring up to 3,000 MW to be shed from the national grid, until Monday morning while it replenishes its emergency reserves.



&#8220;Eskom is focused on deploying extra engineering resources to expedite the repair of units currently offline,&#8221; it said in a statement, adding that it expected to return 6,200 MW of capacity to service by Monday evening&#8217;s peak in electricity demand.



Power cuts have been a regular feature of life in South Africa for more than a decade, with outages reaching record levels in 2023 when they occurred on more than 300 days in the year.



The power cuts stopped in March last year but have resumed intermittently since the end of January. Eskom said on Friday that the country was far from returning to the dark days of 2023.



&#8220;South Africa is in no way returning to the levels of loadshedding that we experienced in 2023,&#8221; said Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom&#8217;s group executive for generation, using a term for power outages.



The loadshedding stages Eskom implements are an incremental system where Stage 1 sees up to 1,000 MW of capacity cut from the grid and Stage 6 &#8211; with 6,000 MW cut &#8211; the highest level implemented to date.



South Africa&#8217;s electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa will brief reporters on Saturday on Eskom&#8217;s performance.



(Reporting by Tannur Anders; Editing by Alexander Winning and Hugh Lawson)

V3GAS2DKHFO7PLO4JIKEEFCTKY (1)

South African power cuts resume as key plants fail

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="720" height="486" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/NPXHFCMBVFI2FHKA2NZV6MMVN4.avif" alt="" class="wp-image-594603"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bottles of Heineken beer are displayed in a cooler at a bar in Gurugram, India, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Priyanshu Singh/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, March 7 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Soufflet Malt and Heineken&nbsp;HEIN.AS&nbsp;have entered into a commercial partnership in which the French grain group will invest 100 million euros ($108.51 million) to build a new malting factory in South Africa to supply malt to the Dutch brewer.



The malt factory, which is Souffle&#8217;s second in Africa, will be located next to Heineken&#8217;s Sedibeng Brewery near Johannesburg, and is set to be operational by mid-2027.



The partnership &#8220;means replacing 4,500 containers of barley coming from abroad for local barley from local shops, making sure that we got a shorter supply chain,&#8221; Heineken Managing Director Jordi Borrut said at the signing event.



Right now, Heineken imports all of its barley for its South African operations.



Soufflet Malt, one of the world&#8217;s largest malt makers, will source 100% of the barley locally from South African commercial and small scale farmers and will supply malt to Heineken&#8217;s operations in the country, Jeremy Antier the managing director of Soufflet South Africa said at the same event.



With a production capacity of nearly 100,000 tonnes, the facility will create 55 full-time jobs and support over 200 local South African barley growers, Jeremy said.



Jordi said the partnership also forms part of its merger commitments with wine and cider maker Distell to procure key inputs from local suppliers, producers and farmers.



($1 = 0.9216 euros)



(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)

NPXHFCMBVFI2FHKA2NZV6MMVN4

Soufflet Malt partners with Heineken on $108 million South African factory

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1499013244-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-594554" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1499013244-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1499013244-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1499013244-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1499013244-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1499013244-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1499013244-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">KYIV, UKRAINE &#8211; JUNE 16: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (R) attend a joint press conference on June 16, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. The delegation of African leaders led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Senegalese President Macky Sall arrived in Kyiv on a peace mission. (Photo by Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, March 7 (Reuters) &#8211; Ukraine&#8217;s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will hold talks in South Africa with President Cyril Ramaphosa on April 10, Ramaphosa&#8217;s spokesman said on Friday, as the Ukrainian leader tries to shore up international support after the U.S. halted all military aid.



South Africa seeks to project itself as non-aligned on the Ukraine war but has good relations with Russia, with both countries belonging to the BRICS group of emerging economies &#8211; which also includes China, India, Brazil and others &#8211; that is trying to challenge the Western-dominated economic order.



South Africa has refused to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin&#8217;s decision to invade Ukraine three years ago and has abstained from voting on U.N. resolutions on the war.



&#8220;The visit is a continuation of ongoing engagements held by President Ramaphosa with President Putin and President Zelenskiy on an inclusive &#8230; process that will provide a path to peace between Russia and Ukraine,&#8221; spokesman Vincent Magwenya told Reuters.



The U.S. ambassador to South Africa in 2023 accused the country of shipping arms to Russia in breach of its professed neutrality. An inquiry found no evidence that a Russian ship had collected weapons from a naval base near Cape Town.



Zelenskiy&#8217;s planned visit to South Africa comes at a pivotal moment in the war, following his public feud with Donald Trump in the White House last Friday and the U.S. president&#8217;s decision to halt Washington&#8217;s military aid to Kyiv.



Trump has stepped up efforts to end the war and also to improve U.S. relations with Russia, prompting European leaders on Thursday to back plans to spend more on defence and reaffirm their determination to stand by Ukraine.



(Reporting by Nellie Peyton; Writing by Tannur Anders; Editing by Alexander Winning and Gareth Jones)

Ukrainian President Zelensky Meets With African Leaders In Kyiv

Ukraine’s Zelenskiy to visit South Africa for talks in April

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1005" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/PWU3K5SDE5N4XBOT5CAUJSIEMM.avif" alt="" class="wp-image-594536"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Workers walk near a tugboat carrying coal barges at a port in Palembang, South Sumatra province, Indonesia, January 4, 2022, in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Nova Wahyudi/ via REUTERS/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



(Reuters) &#8211; The United States is withdrawing from the Just Energy Transition Partnership, a collaboration between richer nations to help developing countries transition from coal to cleaner energy, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Thursday.



Reuters reported on the withdrawal on Wednesday, based on several sources in key participating countries.



Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has withdrawn the U.S. from JETP agreements with South Africa, Indonesia and Vietnam, a department spokesperson said.



The move was consistent with an executive order President Donald Trump signed that said the U.S. had previously joined initiatives that &#8220;do not reflect our country&#8217;s values or our contributions to the pursuit of economic and environmental objectives,&#8221; the spokesperson said.



JETP, which consists of 10 donor nations, was first unveiled at the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland in 2021.



South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam and Senegal were subsequently announced as the first beneficiaries of loans, financial guarantees and grants to move away from coal.



Joanne Yawitch, head of the&nbsp;JETP&nbsp;Management Unit in South Africa, said on Wednesday that the United States had communicated its withdrawal from the plan there.



In Vietnam, two foreign officials with direct knowledge of the matter&nbsp;also said on Wednesday that&nbsp;Washington was withdrawing from JETP in the country.



Another source familiar with the matter said the U.S. had withdrawn from the JETP in Indonesia and South Africa.



&#8220;We have been informed by the U.S. of their withdrawal,&#8221; said another South Africa-based source in the donor group.



&#8220;There remains significant finance available, and the International Partners Group remains fully committed to supporting South Africa to deliver on its just energy transition through the partnership,&#8221; the person said.



Since Trump returned to office in January, Washington has slashed foreign aid and championed development of fossil fuels.



The sources declined to be named as they were not authorised to speak on the matter.



U.S. commitments for Indonesia and Vietnam exceeded $3 billion in total, mostly through commercial loans, while in South Africa the commitment was for $1.063 billion out of $11.6 billion pledged for the country.



(Reporting by Tim Cocks in Johannesburg, Francesco Guarascio in Hanoi, Fransiska Nangoy in Jakarta, additional reporting by Timothy Gardner in Washington; Writing by Sudarshan Varadhan; Editing by Tony Munroe, Sharon Singleton and Marguerita Choy)

PWU3K5SDE5N4XBOT5CAUJSIEMM

US withdraws from plan to help major global polluters move from coal

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-2194689009-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-594517" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-2194689009-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-2194689009-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-2194689009-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-2194689009-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-2194689009-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-2194689009-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Samsung Galaxy S25 smartphones during a media event ahead of Galaxy Unpacked in New York, US, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. Samsung Electronics Co. is banking on an artificial intelligence overhaul and tweaked hardware designs to sell its new line of Galaxy S25 smartphones. Photographer: Yuki Iawmura/Bloomberg via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Galaxy AI Integrates AI Agents, Allowing Businesses to Perform Complex Tasks Across Apps, Services &amp; Even Devices



JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 6 March 2025 – In today&#8217;s fast-paced and demanding work environment, businesses are looking for ways to simplify how they perform complex tasks. These intricate tasks can vary and involve anything from navigating multiple steps or business processes, dependencies, resources, stakeholders and uncertainties.



Samsung Galaxy S25 series has now set the standard for what an AI-enabled phone can do as a true AI companion. Galaxy AI capabilities are now able to integrate AI agents allowing businesses to perform complex tasks across apps, services and even devices.



Together with Google, Samsung is reshaping the future of Android and evolving it into the revolutionary AI-integrated OS1. This integrated collaboration is able to unlock powerful AI experiences that integrate diverse AI agents, such as Bixby, Gauss, Gemini, Chat GPT and Co-pilot. Samsung worked closely with Google to provide this latest, most cutting-edge AI innovations on Galaxy S25 series through One UI 72.



This partnership, which started from a very early development stage, introduces native integration of Gemini on Galaxy devices for the first time and transforms the Galaxy AI experience to be more intuitive through multimodal capabilities. Businesses can now look forward to Gemini &#8211; an innovative feature that performs seamless actions across multiple apps, so every task takes fewer steps.



To top this off – Intuitive, personalised AI is redefining how Samsung interacts with the world with the most natural, context-aware and personalised experiences. The Galaxy S25 series now also comes with up to six-months free access to Gemini Advanced. The direct business benefit of Gemini Advanced feature is that it comes with Samsung’s most capable AI models and priority access to the newest features like Gems, custom AI experts for any topic and Deep Research, which acts as your personal AI research assistant.



It is very clear from these ground-breaking business features that Samsung aims to deliver an optimised AI experience by leveraging a variety of these incredible AI agents effectively. The Galaxy AI platform introduced with Galaxy S25 series has now been optimised for AI from the framework level, allowing various AI agents to effortlessly control multiple apps. These AI agents are able to work seamlessly in the background to perform tasks tailored to the user’s needs, simplifying complex business tasks.



Many of these innovative Gemini features included in Galaxy S25 were developed to ensure an optimised user experience – thanks to the incredible collaboration that was formed with Google from the early stages. Bixby, Samsung’s voice-based AI agent specialised in device control, will now also play a pivotal role in advancing Home AI by enabling more intuitive and effortless control of Galaxy devices, as well as seamless connectivity and management of Samsung products like TVs and home appliances.



But, it does not end there. Samsung knows just how important data privacy and safety is to businesses. That is why it has also built a broader AI ecosystems with AI-integrated OS. The cloud-based AI security features, enhanced in collaboration with Google, uphold the highest standards of data privacy and give you the choice to enable or opt out of Google Gemini.



Users can now choose whether to enable Google Gemini or opt out based on their preferences. This cloud-based AI security feature now ensures that user input data is immediately deleted as soon as the output is created. No personal information is accessed without authorisation.



And then, there’s the remarkably seamless actions across apps/Gemini Live feature that is able to achieve the most cutting-edge AI experiences on Galaxy S25 series. In this case as well, Samsung has worked closely with partners that include both Google and Qualcomm to enhance AI capabilities and boost device performance.&nbsp;Together, these partners have been able to bring Gemini and Gemini Live to Galaxy S25 series, making it simpler for businesses to not only perform complex tasks, but also be context-aware.&nbsp;



The Multimodal Search, on the other hand is a new mobile search experience based on Galaxy S25 series’ capacity to interpret text, voice, images, video and even gestures. Businesses can now stop searching and instead be able to start finding more of what they want. The all-enhanced Circle to Search3 feature now understands the context of everything on your screen to anticipate your needs. It transforms the way we use devices with a new conversational, multimodal user interface, now introduced on Galaxy S25 series.



Galaxy AI is now integrated naturally into every touch point of the interface and with One UI 7, Samsung has created an experience where every interaction feels effortless.&nbsp;Also, complemented by AI Select that is built mainly for contextual search – it now suggests solutions, next actions and useful information based on what’s on your screen – all of this without having to manually activate relevant apps.



And furthermore, the barrier-breaking communication capability that is able to record and analyse calls with on-device transcript and AI summary for calls + on-device transcript and AI summary – allows businesses to communicate freely across countries with increased language support. And with the introduction of Samsung’s innovative Galaxy AI – this comprehensive artificial system is now able to not only enhance but elevate individual and business experiences across their Galaxy devices.



Importantly, Samsung’s Galaxy AI vision remains. The global electronics giant seeks to democratise the benefits of mobile AI innovation so that its business users can enjoy barrier-free communication, maximise their productivity, unleash creativity and better track their health in their daily lives.



Availability



The Galaxy S25 series is available for official retail sale in South Africa. Galaxy S25 Ultra comes in the following colours4 in Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver and Titanium Gray. Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ is available in Navy, Silver Shadow, Icyblue and Mint4. South African customers can purchase the Galaxy S25 series through Samsung’s official online store, Samsung Shop App and participating retailers &amp; network operators.

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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/108111301-1741188979477-gettyimages-2203436333-markets595936_cby69c3q-820x547.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-594202" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/108111301-1741188979477-gettyimages-2203436333-markets595936_cby69c3q-820x547.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/108111301-1741188979477-gettyimages-2203436333-markets595936_cby69c3q-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/108111301-1741188979477-gettyimages-2203436333-markets595936_cby69c3q-135x90.jpeg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/108111301-1741188979477-gettyimages-2203436333-markets595936_cby69c3q-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/108111301-1741188979477-gettyimages-2203436333-markets595936_cby69c3q-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/108111301-1741188979477-gettyimages-2203436333-markets595936_cby69c3q-scaled.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Traders across the globe are monitoring updates to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policy. Spencer Platt | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Government borrowing costs rose across the globe on Thursday, with German bonds resuming the sell-off that sparked the biggest daily jump in yields since the country’s reunification 35 years ago.



Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions, meaning that yields tick higher when the value of the asset declines.



Yields on German government bonds — known as bunds — skyrocketed on Wednesday, with the yield on the 10-year debt instruments adding around 30 basis points. The sell-off came after lawmakers from parties widely expected to form Germany’s next coalition government agreed to plans to reform historic debt policy rules to allow an increase in national defense spending.  



German government borrowing costs continued to rise on Thursday across the board. The yield on the 10-year bund, seen as a benchmark for the wider euro zone, was 7 basis points higher at 12:28 p.m. London time, paring earlier highs. The yields on 5- and 20-year bunds were up by 4 basis points and 6 basis points, respectively. Simultaneously, the DAX index — home to Germany’s biggest companies — touched on a record high.



Deutsche Bank Research Strategist Jim Reid said in a note to clients on Thursday morning that Germany’s political gear shift had helped fuel a greater appetite for riskier assets in Europe.



“In terms of reactions, the rise in the 10-year bund yield was the biggest daily jump since German reunification in 1990,” he said, noting that the euro and Germany’s DAX index had jumped in the wake of the news. “There’s no doubt that markets are pricing in a once-in-a-generation policy regime shift, which has brought about a huge risk-on move for European assets.”



“In terms of the drivers behind the sell-off, anticipation of a fiscal boost to demand was front and center as evidenced both by the outperformance of German stocks and the rise in inflation expectations,” analysts at RaboBank said in a note out on Thursday morning, pointing to 10-year euro zone inflation swaps jumping by 14 basis points in the wake of political news out of Germany.



Dampened appetite to lend to governments was seen across Europe on Thursday, with yields edging higher on bonds across the region.



The upward move in European borrowing costs also come ahead of the latest monetary policy update from the European Central Bank. Markets are anticipating a quarter-point rate cut when the central bank announces its decision later on Thursday, which would bring the euro zone’s core interest rate down to 2.5%.



Italian 10-year bond yields jumped 8 basis points by 12:29 p.m. in London, while French 10-year bond yields were up 7 basis points, and Swiss 10-year yields jumped by around 5 basis points during early afternoon trade.



The yield on U.K. 10-year government bonds – known as gilts – was up by around 6 basis points. Earlier this year, U.K. government borrowing costs hit multi-decade highs amid rising economic uncertainty.



Further afield, the bond sell-off extended into Japanese markets, with the yield on Japan’s 10-year government bonds gaining 7 basis points during Thursday trading hours.



Naeem Aslam, chief investment officer at London’s Zaye Capital Markets, told CNBC that traders should monitor bond yields in Japan, some of which came near 16-year highs on Thursday.



“Watch Japan’s rising yields despite capped rates — [they] could signal broader market tension,” he said in emailed comments.



In the U.S., the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury was last seen trading 4 basis points higher at around 4.311%.



Marc Ostwald, chief economist and global strategist at ADM Investor Services, told CNBC on Thursday that he saw two main drivers behind the global bonds sell-off.



“One is the fear that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/05/trump-tariffs-live-updates-china-says-its-ready-to-fight-any-type-of-war-us-wants-till-the-end.html">Trump’s tariff wars</a>&nbsp;will be inflationary,” he said in emailed comments.



He added that the ″‘whatever it takes’ 2.0″ approach to European defense of Friedrich Merz, who is likely to become Germany’s next chancellor, was also piling pressure on bond prices.



″[This], which along with EU commitment to ramp up defence spending by [around] 800 billion euros ($864 billion), implying a big increase in government borrowing, [comes] at a time where debt loads outside of Germany are at record levels, Ostwald said.



Ralf Preusser, global head of G10 rates and FX strategy at Bank of America Global Research, told by email on Thursday that markets were struggling with three areas of uncertainty globally: tariffs, geopolitics and U.S. fiscal policy.



“While the details of all of these matter, for now the uncertainty shock dominates, in a way the rates market is finding difficult to price,” he said. “The Fed may struggle to deliver quick cuts given inflation risks, Europe is no longer funding the U.S. fiscal expansion, but its own, [and] tariffs and geopolitics are still more damaging for the rest of the world than the U.S.”



In Europe specifically, Preusser said Germany’s new political footing was challenging Bank of America’s outlook.



“Germany is delivering a paradigm shift in its fiscal stance,” he said. “We believe 10y bund [yields] could reach 2.75% in response. This considerable departure from our base case is not the only challenge to our assumptions for 2025: the correction in U.S. equity markets and the rally in front-end U.S. rates suggest we may need to rethink the risks around our forecasts more broadly.”



Emmanouil Karimalis, rates strategist at UBS Investment Bank, also said that the market had “clearly” responded to Germany’s proposed fiscal reforms, as well as the EU’s ReArm Europe plan.



&nbsp;“These plans suggest a significant increase in issuance patterns due to the urgent need to boost defence spending in Europe,” he said in emailed comments on Thursday. “Consequently, investors demand higher premia to absorb the expected increase in supply. While there are also implications for growth and inflation, we believe that the fiscal news and supply considerations have dominated this week.”

108111301-1741188979477-gettyimages-2203436333-markets595936_cby69c3q

Global bonds sell off as investors react to Trump’s tariffs and a German ‘paradigm shift’

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