Rethinking VAT for developing economies

The outcomes of VAT implementation varies depending on whether the nation is developed or resource-rich and developing The value-added tax (VAT) is one of the most widely implemented tax innovations of the past 70 years. First piloted in the early...

How cocoa production is driving ‘colossal’ deforestation in Liberia

Published on 08/10/2025 - 15:00 GMT+2 Producing cocoa takes a major toll on the environment. Farmers will often clear tropical forests to plant new trees, causing significant environmental damage. A new investigation from The Initiatives for...

Cocoa Farmers Association Pleased With New Price Increase Decision

Stevenson Anane Boateng, President of the Ghana National Association of Cocoa Farmers, has said his association is satisfied with the latest cocoa price announced by the Finance Minister and has written a letter of appreciation to the government....

Rice sector stocks struggle with short-term challenges

Rice sector stocks struggle with short-term challenges Recent disruptions in rice imports from the Philippines and Indonesia have created immediate hurdles for Vietnamese exporters, which could dampen the outlook for rice sector stocks in the...

As E1 Powerboat Championship Puts Lagos on Global Tourism Map

Lagos hosting of Africa’s first E1 electric powerboat championship has positioned the State as a competitive destination for global tourism and sports investment, writes Charles Ajunwa After recording a huge success in last year’s Detty December,...

Gov Bala @67: Shaping Bauchi’s Future through Investment

Global leaders like South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and Ivory Coast’s government have successfully attracted investments to their countries. President Ramaphosa secured commitments from Chinese and Indian car companies to upgrade their...

iciHaiti - Politic : UN Appoints New Resident Coordinator in Haiti

iciHaiti - Politic : UN Appoints New Resident Coordinator in Haiti 05/10/2025 10:29:50 On Friday, October 3rd, 2025, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Nicole Flora Boni Kouassi of Côte d'Ivoire as...

Eight expectations about football from 25 years ago that have proven misguided

In 2000, World Soccer magazine commemorated the new century by interviewing FIFA president Sepp Blatter. One of the questions forced him to reach for his crystal ball: “What will the next 100 years bring?” “I cannot look that far ahead,” Blatter...

When Talent Meets the Street: Why Some of Sierra Leone’s Artists Turn to Risky Hustles

When Talent Meets the Street: Why Some of Sierra Leone’s Artists Turn to Risky Hustles By Zainab Tunkara Clarkson ( AKA Zee) In Sierra Leone, the creative dream often begins with a beat — and ends with a struggle. For many young musicians, actors,...

Chocolate prices are scary this Halloween; here's what's driving it

A recent study suggests that eating chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is linked to lower odds of depressive symptoms. A new report reveals that U.S. consumers will likely face elevated chocolate prices this coming Halloween. The findings were...

World Press Photo Celebrates 70 Years of Photojournalism With Upcoming Print Sale

Rohan Kelly, 2015. A massive shelf cloud moves towards Bondi Beach. The cloud was part of a weather front that brought violent thunderstorms, with local media reporting damaging winds, hailstones the size of golf balls, and heavy rainfall. A...

EU entry-exit system: Which airports are busiest for biometric checks – and when?

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...

Zenith Bank Rewards Shareholders with N1.25 Kobo Interim Dividend, Poised for record-breaking full-year returns

Zenith Bank Plc, on Friday, October 10, 2025, made good on its promise as it paid a total interim dividend of N51.3 billion to its shareholders for the Half Year (H1) 2025, at N1.25 per share. This significant payout represents over 60% increase...

Mauritius driving expansion of Africa’s bond market

In a groundbreaking development for sustainable finance in Africa, MCB Capital Markets has spearheaded the issuance of the continent’s first sustainability-linked bond for CIEL Limited, a diversified investment holding company based in Mauritius....

GCA Host Country Agreement Lawfully Granted, Says Foreign Ministry

NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 12 – The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has clarified reports surrounding the granting of Host Country Status to the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA), an international non-governmental organization headquartered in...

Africa has ‘unlimited’ solar potential. Off-grid power could help light up the continent

Globally, more than 660 million people still lack access to electricity — and 85% of them reside in sub-Saharan Africa. Washikala Malango was one of these people. Malango was born and raised in Baraka, a village on the shores of a vast lake in the...

Syria's Foreign Minister in Lebanon as Damascus seeks 'new approach' in relations

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani met top Lebanese officials in Beirut on Friday, becoming the most senior figure from Syria's new government to visit Lebanon since the fall of the Assad regime last December. Damascus and Beirut are seeking...

Europe's Palestine supporters to 'stay in the streets' despite Gaza ceasefire

Pro-Palestine protests are expected to continue in Europe despite a US-brokered ceasefire that is set to bring a halt to Israel’s two-year war on Gaza. Campaigners view the fragile truce deal as a “first step”, but they remain committed to...

AD Bank approves $22.8 m Mozambique rice production grant 

ELLEN MLAMBO-MANYENYEREKWA ABIDJAN- The African Development Bank Group has approved a $22.8 million grant from its concessional African Development Fund to strengthen Mozambique’s rice value chain and enhance climate resilience, targeting 30,000...

Why chocolate prices will spook you this Halloween

00:00 Speaker A The spookiest thing about Halloween this year might be chocolate prices. 00:03 Speaker A Consumer brands like Hershey, Lindt and Nestle have all raised prices, some in double digits recently. 00:09 Speaker A And that's because...