Africa's walk to recovery 🐌

Hello Venturer, It is a good week to talk about the African economy. But before we get into it, we tr Africa's walk to recovery 🐌 By [VA Weekly]( • Issue #9 • [View online]( Hello Venturer, It is a good week to talk about the African economy. But before we get into it, we trust you have been keeping safe? Africa is fast becoming an economy to watch out for globally. But like every other economy, there are ups and downs. Over the years, several African countries have recorded growth in several sectors while some are working on innovative ideas to boost their economy. With this, Africa’s GDP is projected to grow by 3.4% in 2021. On the downside, however, there are other regions on the continent that still struggle with growth, due to security challenges, strict regulations that cripple businesses, and more issues of similar nature. While we celebrate the countries welcoming development, we hope the ones lagging behind will haul themselves back on board and catch up with the growth. Sheriff Oshin Social Media Manager The VA Pod: Herstory On the latest episode of Herstory, Nigeria’s Nnenna Nwakanma is improving women’s access to the internet. Listen to this and other stories [here.]( VA Video The Nigerian music scene has grown exponentially in recent years, and the wins for both Burna Boy and Wizkid at the 2021 Grammy Awards is proof of that growth. However, there are still challenges the sector faces which could hinder future progress. Watch till the end to see the transition of the Nigerian music scene from where it used to be to where it’s headed. [How digital streaming services have helped advance Nigeria‘s Music Industry]( How digital streaming services have helped advance Nigeria‘s Music Industry Sub-Saharan Africa will be the world’s slowest-growing region in 2021 - IMF Twice every year, the International Monetary Fund publishes its regional economic outlook report for sub-Saharan Africa. This year, the first report, titled Navigating a long pandemic, explains the challenges faced by the region and gives policy recommendations to deal with certain critical issues. Read the summary of the report [here.]( [Picture credit: Daily Sabah] Picture credit: Daily Sabah After a cautious start, Africa’s policymakers should accelerate the implementation and adoption of AFCFTA Africa’s policymakers need to ensure that the momentum behind the African Continental Free-trade Area (AfCFTA) is not lost following the trading bloc’s launch in January. This initiative could act as the much-needed stimulus for the continent’s economies in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Read more [here.]( [Picture credit: Africa Trade Finance] Picture credit: Africa Trade Finance Lesotho firm gets license to export medical cannabis to the EU Having met the manufacturing standards of the EU, Lesotho’s MG health has become the first African company to receive a license to export medical cannabis to the EU. The company can now export cannabis flower (bud), oil, and other extracts as active pharmaceutical ingredients. Read [here]( [Picture credit: Brett Levin] Picture credit: Brett Levin Regulation challenges for the Guinean mobile and digital ecosystem Early April, the Republic of Guinea Regulation Authority for Post and Telecommunications (ARPT) and the company Global Voice Group (GVG) made their new partnership official. The goal is to improve network quality and security and make it even more inclusive on a national scale through the deployment of digital supervision platforms. Read [here.]( [Picture credit: Austin Mason] Picture credit: Austin Mason #VANUGGET Remember to stay safe! Did you enjoy this issue? [VA Weekly]( By [VA Weekly]( Ventures Africa is an online business news site and community that produces stories about an evolving Africa. Our stories inspire people to positively shape their environment. We cover business, policy, innovation and culture in Africa. [Tweet](    [Share]( If you don't want these updates anymore, please unsubscribe [here](. If you were forwarded this newsletter and you like it, you can subscribe [here](. Powered by [Revue](