NEWS

Around Africa in seven stories…

AUTOMOTIVE AUDI UNVEIL OFF-ROAD SPEEDSTER

AUDI HAS REVEALED its significantly improved RS Q e-tron E2 off-road racer prototype, ahead of its Morocco Rally debut.

The brand-new car, which wears reworked body panels for greater aerodynamic performance, is an evolution of the previous Audi RS revealed in July 2021, which scored four stage victories at the 2022 Dakar rally in January.

The E2 part of the title refers to the second generation of Audi’s iconic Quattro rally cars used in the 1980s.

AEROSPACE

ECONOMY COINING A NEW CURRENCY

SOUTH AFRICA’S CABINET has approved new-look coins, the fourth time the country will have changed the design of its physical currency, and the first time since 1989.

The fresh design will feature inscriptions in all the official languages of South Africa, which will be rotated annually over the next decade. The country has 11 official languages: Zulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, Sepedi, Setswana, English, Sesotho, Xitsonga, Siswati, Tshivenda and Ndebele.

The word ‘South Africa’ will be inscribed on one side of the coins and printed in all 11 official languages. The new coins will begin circulating next year.

EMIRATES STANDS ITS GROUND

EMIRATES HAS ANNOUNCED that it has cancelled all scheduled flight operations in and out of Nigeria, due to its inability to collect outstanding funds from the West African country.

Nigeria’s aviation ministry says it is “working hard” to release trapped funds to Emirates after the carrier suspended all flights to Nigeria effective from September.

The decision follows Emirates’ ruling last month to reduce flights to Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, as the airline said it could not access its funds, amounting to $85 million withheld in the country.

ECONOMY

ZAMBIA MAKES BAIL

ZAMBIANS HAVE BEEN celebrating the clinching of the $1.3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after an excruciating seven-year wait.

This sees Zambia become the first African country to default on its debt, estimated to be over $16 billion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most importantly, the move is seen as the first step towards economic recovery, that will in return unlock the country’s expenditure within the social sector.

Zambians are now expecting a trickle-down effect on the back of a massive employment drive that has seen thousands employed in the health and educational sectors.

SUPPLY CHAIN A GRAIN OF HOPE

THE FIRST SHIPMENT of grain from Ukraine to East Africa since the conflict with Russia began recently docked at the Red Sea port in Djibouti.

While this latest shipment offers some relief for Ethiopia, where some of the grain is due to be transported, it will not make its way to shops and markets due to concerns that there’s still not enough. The United Nations hopes the shipment will boost confidence within the private sector, by proving it is possible to safely ship grain from the Black Sea to Africa.

TRANSPORT WOMEN TAKE THE DRIVER’S SEAT

AS EGYPT EXPANDS to a population of over 20 million, the Cairo metro has recruited the North African nation’s first ever female train drivers. This is a huge step forward in a country where few women have formal, full-time jobs.

Applications continue to flood in, as Egyptian women remain eager to become pioneers in a country where only 14.3 percent of women are in formal employment, according to 2020 figures.

Launched in 1987, the Cairo metro is the oldest in the Arab world, but Egypt has recently fallen behind other Arab countries in providing employment opportunities for women.

RETAIL PUMA’S GROWING FOOTPRINT

SPORTSWEAR AND ATHLEISURE brand Puma has expanded its physical retail footprint with the addition of five new stores across South Africa. This includes a full-price and factory outlet as well as one of the company’s popular new pop-up stores.

The new full-price stores open in October 2022, in the Mall of the North in Polokwane and at the Somerset Mall in Somerset West. Meanwhile, the full-price store in Menlyn has been enlarged and reopens in September 2022, with an updated layout hosting a variety of product options in Motorsport, Sportstyle, Teamsport and Kids.