44 African Nations Sign Pact Establishing Free Trade Area: AU (SEE KAGAME'S KEYNOTE SPEECH FULL TEXT)

A deal to create an African free trade area was signed by 44 AU member states Al Jazeera

Forty-four African countries have signed an agreement establishing a free trade area seen as vital to the continent’s economic development, the head of the African Union said Wednesday.

African Union‏ @_AfricanUnion  Mar 20 Keynote Address by President Paul Kagame @PaulKagame, Chairperson of the @_AfricanUnion, at #AfCFTA Business Forum on Leveraging the Power of Business to Drive Africa’s Integration #AfCFTA2018 @ 

Activists Mount Pressure On ILO To Sever Ties With Big Tobacco

The UN health agency warned that tobacco’s killer toxins also wreak havoc on the environment. 

Tobacco control advocates are mounting pressure on delegates attending the 332nd session of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Governing Body in Geneva to sever ties with tobacco companies.

World Needs ‘Greener’ Water Policies As Demand Rises: UN

In its 2018 World Water Development Report, the UN calculated that an estimated 3.6 billion people live in areas where water can be scarce at least one month per year

Governments should focus on "greener" policies to improve the supply and quality of water as climate change and a growing global population threaten the water security of billions, the United Nations said on Monday.

Countries that are short of fresh water

Nigeria Skips African Summit In Blow To Free Trade Deal

President Mohammadu Buhari will not attend the African Union summit in Rwanda this week in a blow to plans to launch a major free trade treaty across 54 countries

President Muhammadu Buhari will not attend the African Union summit in Rwanda this week, an official statement said Sunday, in a blow to plans to launch a major free trade treaty across 54 countries.