It was a slow night on talk shows yesterday, with the US-Africa summit in Washington leading the coverage by talking heads.

The shows zeroed in on the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington, Dc, where 49 African leaders have gathered, among them President Abdel Fattah El Sis. The first US-Africa summit was last hosted in 2014 by then-president Barack Obama, Kelma Akhira’s Lamis El Hadidi notes (watch, runtime: 14:45). “The question here is what Washington will offer to Africa,” El Hadidi said as she took note of American media reports of growing Chinese and Russian influence in Africa and sizable trade volumes with the continent.

The US has already some pledges for the continent ahead of the summit, Heba El Koudsy, who serves as Washington bureau chief for pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al Awsat, told El Hadidi, referring to statements by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on the US committing USD 55 bn to Africa over the next three years. Washington will fund initiatives sectors, including health, epidemic control, infrastructure, food security and renewables, El Koudsy said. “Washington has awakened to a new reality after 2014’s summit where China has increased its influence in the continent through a wide trade exchange and facilitated loans to African nations,” she said.

GERD not on the agenda? Asked whether GERD would be on the summit’s agenda, El Koudsy said it would be unlikely, given that Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed is not among the attendees. The attendance by the Ethiopian leadership is limited to a participation by Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, El Koudsy said, describing Zewde’s position as a “ceremonial role.” Sudan was also not invited to attend the summit, she said, adding that the Biden administration does not attach high priority to the dam crisis.

The summit is also getting a mention from Masaa DMC (watch, runtime: 3:57).

It’s crunch time for Morocco in Doha: Morocco’s World Cup semi-final showdown against France today was on the minds of several of the talking heads. Kelma Akhira’s El Hadidi described it as a “decisive game for all of us” while speaking with ON Time sports correspondent on latest preparations for the game and statements between both teams’ head coaches. Masaa DMC phoned Morocco’s former head coach Rachid Taoussi who described Morocco’s current manager Walid Regragui as the “champion of the tournament,” and said that weak points in the French defense could give Morocco an opportunity to advance (watch, runtime: 7:49).

Al Hayah Al Youm took note of four new companies submitting requests online to obtain the government’s golden license for industry (watch, runtime: 0:54). The unnamed companies’ activities are focused on food industries, agricultural products, furniture, wood and integrated waste management.

REMEMBER- The government announced last week it will allow companies to apply for golden license online through the Cabinet’s website. The website now includes an application form and a guide for how to obtain the single-approval licenses. Companies need to fill out the form, which asks for details including annual exports and local component usage, as well as upload the relevant documents.

The Education Ministry on Thanaweya Amma examinations kicking off on Saturday 10 June got a mention from Al Hayah Al Youm (watch, runtime: 6:59) and Masaa DMC (watch, runtime: 3:25).