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Yemen’s Sabafon Moves HQ to Aden

Yemen’s Sabafon Moves HQ to Aden
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Yemen’s Sabafon Moves HQ to Aden

Yemen’s Sabafon Moves HQ to Aden

Yemen’s first GSM Network operator, Sabafon, announced that it will officially relocate its headquarters from Houthi-held Sanaa to the war-torn country’s interim capital, Aden. The move came in response to an invitation made by the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

Sabafon, through the move, seeks to gain independence from the control of Iran-backed Houthi militias.

Houthi militants, in areas of their control, have looted and plundered Yemeni state institutions and terrorized the private sector.

“Secure mobile communications services in the liberated areas have been launched through a communication network independent of Houthi control in Sana'a,” Sabafon said in a statement.

Although it said that only basic services had been launched, Sabafon confirmed that its staff is working closely with the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology to launch more services, some of which are related to fourth and fifth generation technology.

Sabafon said that it faced many challenges and obstacles while operating from Houthi-held territory. An administrative team linked to the Houthi leader Saleh Al-Shaaer, a logistics official in the Houthi-styled defense ministry, was appointed to oversee Sabafon’s operations in Sanaa.

Houthis have also been reported to having stolen Sabafon assets and revenues.

More so, Houthi militias have attempted to block the operator’s move to Aden by targeting its networks and seizing its equipment, in addition to committing fraud crimes against Sabafon.

Houthi hostilities and aggression has pushed the operator to seek refuge in government-controlled areas and to cooperate with state ministries to establish a safe and independent network away from the violence.

Sabafon vowed to reboot service features lost to subscribers in the near future. The operator is actively working to compensate for lost and lacking equipment.

“Houthi militias have taken over communication sectors through organized crime, and have seized revenues collected from the sector to funnel them into its war effort and leaders,” Najib Ghallab, undersecretary at Yemen's information ministry, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Ghallab added that Houthis had imposed information control on Yemenis living in areas they run.

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Africa Leads Growth in Solar Energy as Demand Spreads Beyond Traditional Markets, Report Says 

Solar panels are seen on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 1, 2023. (AP)
Solar panels are seen on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 1, 2023. (AP)
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Africa Leads Growth in Solar Energy as Demand Spreads Beyond Traditional Markets, Report Says 

Solar panels are seen on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 1, 2023. (AP)
Solar panels are seen on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 1, 2023. (AP)

Africa was the world’s fastest-growing solar market in 2025, defying a global slowdown and reshaping where the momentum in renewable energy is concentrated, according to an industry report released in late last month.

The report by the Africa Solar Industry Association says the continent's solar installed capacity expanded 17% in 2025, boosted by imports of Chinese-made solar panels. Global solar power capacity rose 23% in 2025 to 618 GW, slowing from a 44% increase in 2024.

“Chinese companies are the main drivers in Africa’s green transition,” said Cynthia Angweya-Muhati, acting CEO of the Kenya Renewable Energy Association. “They are aggressively investing in and building robust supply chains in Africa green energy ecosystem.”

Some of that capacity has yet to be rolled out. Africa has only 23.4 gigawatts peak (GWp) of working solar capacity even though nearly 64 GWp of solar equipment has been shipped to the continent since 2017. A gigawatt peak represents 1 billion watts of maximum, optimum power output under ideal conditions.

“Africa's growth is driven by changing policies and enabling conditions in a number of countries,” said John Van Zuylen, CEO of the Africa Solar Industry Association.

“Solar energy has moved beyond a handful of early adopters to become a broader continental priority,” he said recently on the sidelines of the Inter Solar Africa summit in Nairobi. “What we are seeing is not temporary. It is policies aligning with market dynamics.”

Historically, South Africa dominated solar imports in Africa, at one point accounting for roughly half of all panels shipped to the continent. The latest data show its share has slipped below a third as demand surged elsewhere. Last year, 20 African nations set new annual records for solar imports, as 25 countries imported a total of at least 100 megawatts of capacity.

Nigeria has overtaken Egypt as Africa's second-largest importer as solar energy and battery storage provide a practical and affordable alternative to diesel generators and unreliable grid power. In Algeria, solar imports soared more than 30-fold year-on-year. Imports also surged in Zambia and Botswana.

At least 23 African countries, including South Africa, Tunisia, Kenya, Chad and the Central African Republic, are now generating over 5% of their electricity from solar energy, the report said.

Prices have fallen both for solar panels and batteries, mostly from China, enabling households and businesses to rely on solar plus batteries for round-the-clock electricity, the report said. Battery storage costs in Africa fell to $112 per kilowatt-hour in 2025 from an average of $144 per kilowatt-hour in 2023 as improved technology made storage systems more flexible and longer lasting.

“This ever-decreasing price of storage has game-changing implications for Africa, which has a dire need for stable and baseload power,” said Van Zuyken.

The gradual removal of diesel subsidies in Nigeria in the past two years also has helped accelerate adoption of solar energy. The policy was implemented sector by sector to cushion its impact, making diesel increasingly expensive and nudging businesses and households toward solar. In September, Nigeria announced plans for a 1 GW solar panel factory, the largest in West Africa. Similar facilities are under construction in Egypt, South Africa and Ethiopia.

As Africa moves to build its own manufacturing capacity, the industry is looking to China to transfer knowhow to help alleviate Africa’s dependence on imported equipment and technology.

Jobs won't be confined to manufacturing.

“The solar jobs boom is occurring in services including installation, maintenance, distribution and financing, where thousands of small and medium enterprises are emerging to meet rising demand,” Van Zuylen said.

Unlike regions such as the Middle East, where governments publish clear 10 or 20-year energy roadmaps, many African markets lack consistent policy signals. So, uncertainty over policies remains a challenge. Solar firms operating across Africa say unpredictable tax regimes, shifting import duties and unclear long-term energy plans undermine investor confidence.

“The problem is not the opportunity. It’s visibility,” said Amos Wemanya, senior analyst on renewable energy at Powershift Africa. “If a government announces a plan, companies need to trust that it will remain in place.”

Business

US Reaches Trade Deal to Lower Taiwan's Tariff Barriers

Containers stacked at the port of Keelung in northern Taiwan (Reuters file photo)
Containers stacked at the port of Keelung in northern Taiwan (Reuters file photo)
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US Reaches Trade Deal to Lower Taiwan's Tariff Barriers

Containers stacked at the port of Keelung in northern Taiwan (Reuters file photo)
Containers stacked at the port of Keelung in northern Taiwan (Reuters file photo)

The Trump administration reached a trade deal with Taiwan on Thursday, with Taiwan agreeing to remove or reduce 99% of its tariff barriers, the office of the US Trade Representative said.

The agreement comes as the US remains reliant on Taiwan for its production of computer chips, the exporting of which contributed to a trade imbalance of nearly $127 billion during the first 11 months of 2025, according to the Census Bureau.

Most of Taiwan’s exports to the US will be taxed at a 15% rate, the USTR's office said. The 15% rate is the same as that levied on other US trading partners in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Japan and South Korea.

Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick attended the signing of the reciprocal agreement, which occurred under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States. Taiwan’s Vice Premier Li-chiun Cheng and its government minister Jen-ni Yang also attended the signing.

“President Trump’s leadership in the Asia-Pacific region continues to generate prosperous trade ties for the United States with important partners across Asia, while further advancing the economic and national security interests of the American people,” The Associated Press quoted Greer as saying in a statement.

The Taiwanese government said in a statement that the tariff rate set in the agreement allows its companies to compete on a level field with Japan, South Korea and the European Union. It also said the agreement “eliminated” the disadvantage from a lack of a free trade agreement between Taiwan and the US.

The deal comes ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China in April and suggests a deepening economic relationship between the US and Taiwan.

Cheng said Taiwan hopes the agreement will make it a strategic partner with the US “so as to jointly consolidate the democratic camp’s leading position in high technology.”

The agreement would make it easier for the US to sell autos, pharmaceutical drugs and food products in Taiwan. But the critical component might be that Taiwanese companies would invest in the production of computer chips in the US, possibly helping to ease the trade imbalance.

In a separate but related deal, Taiwan will make investments of $250 billion in US industries, such as computer chips, artificial intelligence applications and energy. The Taiwanese government says it will provide up to an additional $250 billion in credit guarantees to help smaller businesses invest in the US.

The investments helped enable the US to reduce its planned tariffs from as much as 32% initially to 15%.

Taiwan's government said it will submit the reciprocal trade deal and investment plans to its legislature for approval.

In Taipei, President Lai Ching-te told reporters that Taiwan had agreed to reduce tariffs on imports from the US but stressed that the rate on 93 items would remain unchanged to protect important agriculture and industrial sectors such as rice farming.

The US side said the deal with Taiwan would help create several “world-class” industrial parks in America in order to help build up domestic manufacturing of advanced technologies such as chips. The Commerce Department in January described it as “a historic trade deal that will drive a massive reshoring of America’s semiconductor sector.”

In return, the US would give preferential treatment to Taiwan regarding the possible tariffs stemming from a Section 232 investigation of the importing of computer chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

Business

Saudi Industry Minister Discusses Localization of Medical Device Manufacturing with Global Firms in Belgium

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef (center) during one of his meetings in Brussels on Thursday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef (center) during one of his meetings in Brussels on Thursday. (SPA)
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Saudi Industry Minister Discusses Localization of Medical Device Manufacturing with Global Firms in Belgium

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef (center) during one of his meetings in Brussels on Thursday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef (center) during one of his meetings in Brussels on Thursday. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef held talks in Brussels on Thursday with Pfizer Global President of Emerging Markets Nick Lagunowich and a number of the company’s leaders to discuss ways to boost industrial cooperation and explore opportunities to localize pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing in Saudi Arabia.

The meeting addressed areas of cooperation, the exchange of expertise, and the transfer of advanced technologies for the manufacturing of vaccines and biopharmaceuticals to the Kingdom, as well as boosting integration into pharmaceutical supply chains and developing joint investments in high-quality projects that support the Kingdom’s drug security objectives.

Alkhorayef toured Pfizer’s manufacturing units in Brussels, where he was briefed on the company’s operations, key investments, and operational tracks in the pharmaceutical and vaccine industry. Factory officials highlighted its pivotal role in producing vaccines and biopharmaceuticals globally and stressed their interest in transferring similar technologies to the planned factory in the Kingdom.

Alkhorayef also met with the president of Agfa HealthCare to discuss opportunities for cooperation in the manufacturing of medical devices and advanced industrial solutions.

He toured the company’s industrial facilities, reviewing its efforts to develop medical device solutions, digital health data management systems, and the latest radiology technologies, as well as its capabilities in producing specialty chemicals and green hydrogen membranes.

These meetings and field visits are part of the Alkhorayef’s official visit to Belgium and aim to bolster economic partnerships, attract high-quality investments, and transfer advanced technologies in the pharmaceutical and medical industries in line with the objectives of the National Industrial Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030.