BOI holds clinic for businesses in Osun state

The 20-month US entry ban due to COVID-19 is finally a thing of the past. German companies are happy to return to business as usual.

French fashion businesses here in France tend to go one of two ways: either they fail, or they thrive, before being bought up by a powerful luxury group. But some companies do manage to resist that fate – weathering economic crises, the challenges of a globalised economy and now the pandemic, all on their own. So how exactly do they do it and what makes them tick? We went to meet independent shoemakers Arche in the Loire Valley and Paris-based Weston to find out.

Covid-19 has impacted businesses around the world. But despite rising costs, labour shortages and supply chain problems, French bosses are feeling more positive that at any point since the year 2000, according to a November survey. Stephen Carroll meets two entrepreneurs who are making and selling products in France: Christèle Merter, founder and CEO of the eco-conscious clothing company La Gentle Factory; and Benjamin Kuentz, who makes French whisky under his own label Maison Benjamin Kuentz.

Covid-19 has impacted businesses around the world. But despite rising costs, labour shortages and supply chain problems, French bosses are feeling more positive that at any point since the year 2000, according to a November survey. Stephen Carroll meets two entrepreneurs who are making and selling products in France: Christèle Merter, founder and CEO of the eco-conscious clothing company La Gentle Factory; and Benjamin Kuentz, who makes French whisky under his own label Maison Benjamin Kuentz.

French Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire has announced plans to widen financial aid for firms hit by the pandemic, as surging Covid-19 cases put increasing pressure on the wider economy.

Refugees in Ivory Coast are starting to rebuild businesses affected by the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, through initiatives sponsored by the United Nation refugee agency (UNHCR), to help integrate refugees in the West African country.

With a slowly recovering economy, the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in India is affecting both the retail and service sectors.

Nigeria to hold second interest rate meeting of 2022 on the back of an upsurge in inflation and fragile growth. Persistent double-digit inflation could pile pressure on the central bank to reconsider its dovish stance on rates.

At least four people died in the city of Beersheba when a man rammed his car into one person and stabbed several others. Police said the Arab assailant was shot dead by a civilian.

61% of small business owners in the US say that the current state of the economy is making it difficult for them to stay open. This is according to a survey of over 500 small business owners commissioned by Clarify Capital.

While most advanced economies are recovering from the worst effects of the pandemic, labour markets are facing a new and unexpected challenge: a shortage of workers. It's one of the issues business leaders are discussing at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Christophe Catoir, President of Adecco, tells FRANCE 24's Business Editor Kate Moody that the problem could persist for several years to come.

Small business owners in South Africa's Soweto say power outages - some of the worst to hit South Africa - have forced them to cut hours and staff.