<div style="max-width: 100%;"></div>
<p><script src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/c0AOssA7_default/index.min.js">
</script></p>
<p>According to a report by GSMA, in 2019, 50 million sub-Saharan Africans created a mobile-money account via a mobile phone, representing a 12 per cent increase compared to 2018. Moreover, data from the Central Bank of Kenya indicates more than 6.5 million Kenyans registered new mobile money accounts in the 11 months through November 2020 bring the total number of mobile money accounts to 65.766 million.  Economic Analyst, Reginald Kadzutu joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


How East Africa can build financial resilience through mobile money


<p>A mutated and more infectious&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/12/coronavirus-live-updates.html">coronavirus</a>&nbsp;strain first identified in South Africa is “disturbing” and could pose a threat to antibody treatments that are used to prevent people from falling seriously ill from Covid-19, White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday.</p>



<p>New coronavirus strains first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/06/south-africa-covid-strain-a-guide-to-what-you-need-to-know.html">have caused some concerns among scientists</a>&nbsp;who say the mutated variants are highly infectious, though they don’t appear to be any deadlier compared with previous strains.</p>



<p>So far, health experts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">have said there’s no evidence</a>&nbsp;the mutations alter the effectiveness of current vaccines. However, there’s some concern that the variant found in South Africa, known as 501Y.V2, might be more resistant to monoclonal antibodies, which have helped some people fight the virus when administered early on in their infection.WATCH NOWVIDEO02:30Our Covid antibody treatment will work against new strains: Vir CEO</p>



<p>Through discussions with health experts in South Africa, Fauci said preliminary data shows there’s “more of a threat” the strain would evade some of the protections antibody treatments provide.</p>



<p>“It could be having some impact on protection for the monoclonal antibodies and perhaps even for the vaccine. We don’t know that,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a Q&amp;A session at Schmidt Futures’ Forum on Preparedness.</p>



<p>He added that researchers in laboratories at the National Institutes of Health and across the country are quickly trying to determine the possible impact of the strain found in South Africa.</p>



<p>“People ask me, ‘Are you worried about it?’ These are not the kind of things I worry about, but it’s the kind of thing that I take very seriously,” Fauci said.</p>



<p>As viruses spread, they’re expected to mutate over time as the spikes on their surfaces change, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says</a>. The 501Y.V2 variant gets its name from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/csr/don/21-december-2020-sars-cov2-variant-united-kingdom/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the N501Y mutation</a>&nbsp;found in the spike protein that the virus uses to gain entry into cells within the body.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This mutation is also seen in the variant U.K. health authorities identified in December, known as B.1.1.7. While both variants found in the U.K. and South Africa shared the N501Y mutation, they are different, according&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/csr/don/21-december-2020-sars-cov2-variant-united-kingdom/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">to the World Health Organization</a>.</p>



<p>Fauci has previously said the mutated Covid-19 variations could pose a risk to the coronavirus therapeutics. Unlike vaccines, which trigger an immune response that attacks different parts of the virus, monoclonal antibodies target a very specific component, Fauci&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/30/california-has-identified-first-case-with-new-covid-strain-newsom-says-.html">told California Gov. Gavin Newsom i</a>n late December.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=LLY">Eli Lilly</a>&nbsp;Chairman and CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lilly.com/leadership/executive-committee/david-ricks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dave Ricks</a>&nbsp;told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/12/covid-variant-found-in-south-africa-could-evade-eli-lillys-antibody-drug-ceo.html">CNBC earlier Tuesday that he expects</a>&nbsp;the company’s monoclonal antibody treatment to be effective against the variant found in the U.K., though the one in South Africa could pose more challenges. Eli Lilly’s drug was given emergency authorization in the U.S. in November and was followed by another drug from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=REGN">Regeneron</a>.</p>



<p>“The South African variant &#8230; is the one of concern. It has more dramatic mutations to that spike protein, which is the target” of these antibody drugs, Ricks said on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/squawk-box-us/">“Squawk Box.”</a>&nbsp;“Theoretically, it could evade our medicines.”</p>



<p>The CDC has yet to identify any strains of the 501Y.V2 variant in the United States, though the agency has found at least 72 cases with the B.1.1.7 strain found in the U.K. as of Monday, according to data from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant-cases.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the CDC</a>.</p>



<p><em>— CNBC’s&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/holly-ellyatt/"><em>Holly Ellyatt</em></a><em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/kevin-stankiewicz/"><em>Kevin Stankiewicz</em></a><em>&nbsp;contributed to this report.</em></p>


Tracking Dr. Anthony Fauci’s Comments On Coronavirus

Dr. Fauci warns Covid variant found in South Africa could pose threat to antibody drugs

<div style="max-width: 100%;"></div>
<p><script src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/c0AOssA7_default/index.min.js">
</script></p>
<p>As people embrace the work-from-home concept, trends in the housing market are changing. The preferences of home buyers are shifting, with people relying on technology more for work, education and connecting with loved ones. This will have implications on home prices in many locations. Joining CNBC Africa to discuss the changes in the housing market is Siphamandla Mkhwanazi, Senior Economist at FNB.</p>


Here’s how working remotely is impacting SA’s real estate sector

<div style="max-width: 100%;"></div>
<p><script src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/c0AOssA7_default/index.min.js">
</script></p>
<p>As mentioned earlier, South Africa’s manufacturing output slid by 3.5 per cent year on year in November 2020. On a seasonally adjusted basis, production declined by 1.3 per cent, compared with October. Joining CNBC Africa to discuss the headwinds and opportunities in the sector is Miyelani Maluleke, Economist at ABSA Corporate &#038; Investment Banking.</p>


How will a second wave affect manufacturing recovery in SA?

<p>JOHANNESBURG, Jan 12 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s alcohol industry, reeling under a renewed liquor sales ban since end December, on Tuesday called for a deferment of excise duty to stave off a wave of business closures and job losses.</p>
<p>President Cyril Ramaphosa extended an existing countrywide ban on alcohol sales on Monday saying it has helped to reduce trauma cases in hospitals and keep staff and facilities available for COVID-19 patients.</p>
<p>He did not give a definitive date on when the ban would be lifted.</p>
<p>&#8220;The South African wine industry faces a grim picture of business closures, job losses, downward price pressure, structural damage to subsectors,&#8221; Vinpro, which represents 2,500 local wine producers, said in a joint statement issued by several alcohol associations in South Africa.</p>
<p>The government had banned the sale of alcohol for over four months from April but had later deferred 5 billion rand ($325.48 million) in excise taxes for July and August.</p>
<p>The alcohol industry in South Africa pays on an average of 2.5 billion rand per month in excise tax, the statement said, adding that the ban has left the industry in a &#8220;precarious&#8221; state.</p>
<p>&#8220;The industry &#8230; faces an enormous financial crisis, and its capacity to make these payments is severely constrained,&#8221; said the South African Liquor Brandowners Association, which represents companies such as Distell Group, Diageo Plc, Pernod Ricard among others.</p>
<p>The alcohol ban was introduced in December for the second time in nine months as coronavirus infections spiked in the country.</p>
<p>South Africa, which has more than a third of all coronavirus cases in the continent, reported record-high daily new cases last week, with total cumulative infections having topped 1.2 million and with more than 33,000 deaths.</p>
<p>($1 = 15.3619 rand) (Reporting by Promit Mukherjee. Editing by Jane Merriman)</p>
<p>(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


South Africa’s drinks industry seeks tax relief after new sales ban

<div style="max-width: 100%;"></div>
<p><script src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/c0AOssA7_default/index.min.js">
</script></p>
<p>Tema LNG Terminal Company says its floating regasification unit has arrived in Ghana. The unit will allow the company to start delivering Liquefied Natural Gas to customers through its unique energy terminal in the first quarter of the year. Kwaku Boakye-Adjei, Director at Tema LNG Terminal joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Ghana set to commence first LNG-to-power project in sub-Saharan Africa

<div style="max-width: 100%;"></div>
<p><script src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/c0AOssA7_default/index.min.js">
</script></p>
<p>The Nigerian Stock Exchange has charged a five-man panel to serve as an independent alternative dispute resolution mechanism which will review and determine the claims with respect to any assertion of rights in the shares of the demutualised exchange. Chairman of the panel, George Etomi, joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Demutualisation: Understanding the task ahead for NSE’s five-man claims review panel

<div style="max-width: 100%;"></div>
<p><script src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/c0AOssA7_default/index.min.js">
</script></p>
<p>South Africa&#8217;s rand has pulled back to two-month lows even as economic activity picks up after the Christmas break and a benign global backdrop. Bianca Botes, Executive Director at Peregrine Treasury Solutions joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


What lies ahead for the South African rand in 2021?

<div style="max-width: 100%;"></div>
<p><script src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/c0AOssA7_default/index.min.js">
</script></p>
<p>President Cyril Ramaphosa last night closed 20 of the country&#8217;s land borders including the busy Beitbridge border as corona virus infections surge after the holiday break. But with a weakened economy, the President resisted calls to impose further restrictions on economic activity by keeping the country on level 3. Political Analyst, Ongama Mtimka joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Ramaphosa faces difficult balancing act by keeping SA on level 3 lockdown

<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jXAv2cDkWAA" width="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2020, causing Congress to suspend proceedings to confirm the election of Joe Biden as president. The riot turned deadly when a woman who was shot by police died. The outbreak of chaos led to a historic day in America. Here&#8217;s a timeline of the U.S. Capitol breach, the riot that ensued, and how U.S. lawmakers returned to confirm Joe Biden&#8217;s victory in the electoral college.</p>
<p>» Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC<br />
» Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision<br />
» Subscribe to CNBC Classic: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCclassic</p>
<p>About CNBC: From &#8216;Wall Street&#8217; to &#8216;Main Street&#8217; to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more.</p>
<p>Connect with CNBC News Online<br />
Get the latest news: https://www.cnbc.com/<br />
Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC<br />
Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https&#8230;</p>


The Capitol Riots: An Hour-By-Hour Timeline

<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/acqUG4lCVO0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Nikhil Kamath’s trading platform has been dubbed the Robinhood of India, amassing millions of users and earning him billionaire status amid the pandemic. CNBC Make It’s Karen Gilchrist spoke to the co-founder of Zerodha about how it all started with a game of chess.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p>Subscribe to us on YouTube: http://cnb.cx/2wuoARM</p>
<p>Subscribe to CNBC In&#8230;</p>


How this 34-year-old chess champion became India’s youngest billionaire | CNBC Make It

105500770-1539253589126gettyimages-909184932

SOUTH AFRICA’S PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA SAYS  COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN COUNTRY AT ITS MOST DEVASTATING

<p>GENEVA, Jan 11 (Reuters) &#8211; The World Health Organization said on Monday it had been notified by Japan of a new variant of the coronavirus discovered there.</p>
<p>Japan&#8217;s health ministry said on Sunday it had detected a new coronavirus variant in four travellers from Brazil&#8217;s Amazonas state. The variant featured 12 mutations, including one also found in highly infections variants discovered in England and South Africa. (Reporting by Emma Farge, Stefanie Nebehay, John Miller Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Alison Williams)</p>
<p>(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


WHO says it was notified of new COVID-19 variant found in Japan

<div style="max-width: 100%;"></div>
<p><script src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/c0AOssA7_default/index.min.js">
</script></p>
<p>This week citizens in Uganda go to the polls in the presidential elections that pit the incumbent Yoweri Kaguta Museveni up against popular musician Robert Kyagulanyi also known as Bobi Wine, in campaigns that have been mired by arrest of opposition politicians, CNBC Africa spoke to the Uganda government Spokesperson, Ofwono Opondo on expectations from the polls.</p>


Ugandan head to polls amid rising repression

Ugandans head to polls amid rising repression, COVID-19 pandemic

<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2nqD-fFyOnE" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Vetiva Research expects Nigeria’s economy to rebound by 1.48 per cent this year. They also note that the need to revitalise economic growth will be the focus of the 2021expenditure plan. Mosope Arubayi, Economist at Vetiva joins CNBC Africa for more&#8230;.</p>


Vetiva: Nigerian economy to rebound 1.48% in 2021

<p>By Mohammed Omer</p>
<p>GAROWE, Somalia, Jan 11 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) &#8211; N early a third of Somalia&#8217;s parliamentary seats will be reserved for female lawmakers in an election next month, the prime minister said, a measure long demanded by women&#8217;s rights campaigners in the Horn of Africa nation.</p>
<p>While welcoming Saturday&#8217;s announcement by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, some women&#8217;s groups cautioned that implementing the measure in time for the Feb. 8 poll would be challenging and depended on the commitment of clan leaders.</p>
<p>Somalia has been riven by civil war since 1991, and due to the fragile security situation, elections consist of clan delegates choosing members of parliament as opposed to a one-person, one-vote electoral system.</p>
<p>Roble made the quota pledge after talks with female lawmakers &#8211; who currently hold 24% of the 329 seats in Somalia&#8217;s lower and upper houses of parliament, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).</p>
<p>&#8220;Somalia Prime Minster his Excellency @MohamedHRoble assured that the Federal Government of #Somalia is committed to ensuring a 30% quota for women in both houses of Somali parliament for the upcoming elections &#8230;,&#8221; government spokesman Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu said on Twitter on Sunday.</p>
<p>Ensuring that clan leaders nominate enough women representatives will be vital to securing the full 30% quota, women&#8217;s activists said.</p>
<p>&#8220;The seats are shared among clans &#8230; we want assurances that we will reach our target of 30% women in the next parliament,&#8221; said Suad Salah, co-founder of LeadNow, a grassroots movement aimed at increasing women&#8217;s political voice.</p>
<p>Somalia has high rates of child marriage and gender violence, including rape and female genital mutilation (FGM). The United Nations says 45% of women are married before 18, while 98% have undergone FGM.</p>
<p>Women&#8217;s rights groups say a stronger voice at the top would have a trickle-down effect, helping women at the grassroots level fight abuse, discrimination and inequality.</p>
<p>Ruqiya Muhiyadin, 38, who is aspiring to run as a candidate in the capital, Mogadishu, also expressed concern over whether the clan leaders would choose women candidates.</p>
<p>&#8220;Initially we doubted we would get our share in the next parliament. I appeal for our cultural leaders to consider the PM&#8217;s latest pledge for women.&#8221; (Reporting by Mohammed Omer; Writing by Nita Bhalla; Editing by Helen Popper. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly. Visit http://news.trust.org)</p>
<p>(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Somali PM reserves 30% of parliament seats for women in upcoming poll

<div style="max-width: 100%;"></div>
<p><script src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/c0AOssA7_default/index.min.js">
</script></p>
<p>Year-to-date returns in Nigeria&#8217;s equities market for 2020 reached its highest yearly gain since 2008 when the NSE All-Share Index gained 50.03 per cent to close the year. Meanwhile, trading under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement began on the first of January this year and has been touted as a key component of the continent&#8217;s economic recovery. Wale Olusi, Head of Investment Research at United Capital and Omotola Abimbola, Macro &#038; Fixed Income Analyst at Chapel Hill joins CNBC Africa to discuss what 2021 holds for the markets, trade and the economy.</p>


Newsletter

How East Africa can build financial resilience through mobile money

Dr. Fauci warns Covid variant found in South Africa could pose threat to antibody drugs

Here’s how working remotely is impacting SA’s real estate sector

How will a second wave affect manufacturing recovery in SA?

South Africa’s drinks industry seeks tax relief after new sales ban

Ghana set to commence first LNG-to-power project in sub-Saharan Africa

Demutualisation: Understanding the task ahead for NSE’s five-man claims review panel

What lies ahead for the South African rand in 2021?

Ramaphosa faces difficult balancing act by keeping SA on level 3 lockdown

The Capitol Riots: An Hour-By-Hour Timeline

How this 34-year-old chess champion became India’s youngest billionaire | CNBC Make It

SOUTH AFRICA’S PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA SAYS COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN COUNTRY AT ITS MOST DEVASTATING

WHO says it was notified of new COVID-19 variant found in Japan

Ugandans head to polls amid rising repression, COVID-19 pandemic

Vetiva: Nigerian economy to rebound 1.48% in 2021

Somali PM reserves 30% of parliament seats for women in upcoming poll

Outlook 2021: What the year holds for Nigerian economy, markets

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletter

How East Africa can build financial resilience through mobile money

Dr. Fauci warns Covid variant found in South Africa could pose threat to antibody drugs

Here’s how working remotely is impacting SA’s real estate sector

How will a second wave affect manufacturing recovery in SA?

South Africa’s drinks industry seeks tax relief after new sales ban

Ghana set to commence first LNG-to-power project in sub-Saharan Africa

Demutualisation: Understanding the task ahead for NSE’s five-man claims review panel

What lies ahead for the South African rand in 2021?

Ramaphosa faces difficult balancing act by keeping SA on level 3 lockdown

The Capitol Riots: An Hour-By-Hour Timeline

How this 34-year-old chess champion became India’s youngest billionaire | CNBC Make It

SOUTH AFRICA’S PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA SAYS COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN COUNTRY AT ITS MOST DEVASTATING

WHO says it was notified of new COVID-19 variant found in Japan

Ugandans head to polls amid rising repression, COVID-19 pandemic

Vetiva: Nigerian economy to rebound 1.48% in 2021

Somali PM reserves 30% of parliament seats for women in upcoming poll

Outlook 2021: What the year holds for Nigerian economy, markets

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletters