AFCFTA: Africa’s free trade agreement in limbo

With diesel costs rising, especially amid the war in Ukraine, Nigerian businesses are said to be increasingly abandoning generators for solar.

Russia and Ukraine made enough progress on resolving their dispute over blocked grain exports that "a final agreement" could be reached next week, the UN and Turkey said after face-to-face talks in Istanbul.

North Macedonia's Assembly voted in favor of France's proposal to open the door to talks to join the European Union. The proposal will help overcome Bulgaria's objections to the prospect of North Macedonian membership.

Nigeria attracted about $223.3 million as foreign direct investments in the first five months of this year. Niyi Falade, Group Executive Director of Custodian Investment, joins CNBC Africa for more.

Algeria will supply "very big volumes of gas" to Italy through a $4 billion deal, President Abdulmadjid Tebboune said on Monday, hailing a "strategic partnership" with Rome during a visit by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

Headline consumer inflation in South Africa surged to 7.4% in June, higher than analysts' predictions and ahead of a central bank interest rate announcement. Rhiannon Oliver has more.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) banned trade in ivory in 1989. That decision has helped the endangered African elephant increase its population, but Zimbabwe says it wants the ban relaxed so ivory stockpiles can be sold.

The pandemic and a weak economic recovery have pushed back progress on closing the gender gap around the world. Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, says that issues including family care policies, an increasingly digital economy, and ongoing struggles in certain industries have all been setbacks for women. The WEF Global Gender Gap Report 2022 now projects it will take 132 years to reach gender parity.

Free agent James Harden has agreed to a two-year deal to return to the Philadelphia 76ers. The contract is valued at $68.6m and will see Harden earn $14.5m less this coming season compared to his previous deal. The 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player will take less salary this season in order to help the team improve elsewhere.

Like many seeking to capitalize on the growing success of music from Africa, Universal Music Group has launched a new service dedicated to independent labels and artists, and to digitizing out-of-print music catalogues.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) banned the trade of ivory in 1989. That decision has helped increase the population of endangered African elephants, but Zimbabwe says it wants to relax the ban so ivory stockpiles can be sold.

The plan, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, allows Ukrainian ports to restart grain exports. A monthslong Russian blockade has pushed prices higher and threatened global food shortages.