Mali had some 30mn chickens, ducks, guinea fowl and turkeys in 2005, but not enough protein-rich poultry products are consumed locally, according to the government and nutritionists.

Exxon Mobil Corporation, through its affiliate Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited (Esso Angola), have announced $3.5mn in grants for public health and education programmes in Angola.

Africa’s largest micro-financier, Blue Financial Services (Blue) has announced that its Nigerian venture with Intercontinental Bank has won the prestigious Platinum Award at the first African Quality Excellence Awards held in Lagos, Nigeria.

International mergers and acquisitions are forecast to decline by 56 per cent in 2009 compared with 2008, the largest year-on-year decline since 1995.

Representatives from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Access Bank Tanzania (ABT) gathered recently to sign a grant of US$660,000 from the Fund for African Private Sector Assistance (FAPA).