Welcome to Africa Now, your weekly newsletter for Africa, presenting the most important developments in the continent – news that matters.
COMMENTARY
Simplifying peace-making in a complex world
Three former heads of state of Nigeria, South Africa, and Ethiopia reflect on what it takes to end conflict in a meaningful way. Click here to read…
At 20, African Union Has Achieved Much but The Work Goes On
The launch of the African Union on July 9, 2002, was met with great optimism. The AU has since accomplished much to unlock Africa’s potential and secure prosperity, but there is more to do. Click here to read…
NEWS
Biden, Egypt’s al-Sisi discuss cooperation, global supplies of food, energy
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and US President Joe Biden discussed cooperation between the two countries, the repercussions of the global food crisis, and the disruption of energy supplies. Click here to read…
French, Nigerien Ministers Meet, Discuss Security
A French delegation led by Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and Minister for the Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecornu, met with Niger President Mohamed Bazoum in Niamey. Click here to read…
Congo-Brazzaville Ruling Party Wins Parliamentary Vote
The Republic of Congo’s ruling party won a majority in last week’s parliamentary election, based on provisional results seen by AFP on Saturday as opposition groups alleged electoral fraud. Click here to read…
Algeria to provide Italy with additional gas, official source says
Algeria will provide Italy with an additional four billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas this year, on top of the 21 bcm planned previously, an official source told Reuters. Click here to read…
Libya oil chief says full output to resume after deal
Libyan oil output will resume from all shuttered fields and ports, the Tripoli government’s newly installed head of National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Friday after meeting groups that have blockaded the facilities for months. Click here to read…
Egypt to withdraw troops from Mali peacekeeping mission: UN
Cairo’s decision comes after seven Egyptians peacekeepers were killed in Mali since the start of this year. Click here to read…
In Kenya, elections have lost their shine
The country may now appear to be caught in the grip of election fever, but there is little expectation for real and sustainable change after next month’s polls. Click here to read…
Zambia plans to cancel over $2 billion projects to rein in debt
Zambia is cancelling more than $2 billion worth of projects financed by commercial loans to reduce the risk of accumulating more non-concessional debt. Click here to read…
Mozambique Receives US$300 Million from the World Bank to Promote Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Recovery
The World Bank Board of Directors approved today a US$300 million grant in support of the Mozambique Institutions and Economic Transformation Development Policy Financing (DPF) operation. Click here to read…
Nigeria’s Tinubu picks Muslim senator as presidential running mate
The move by Tinubu, who is also Muslim, breaks with past practice where presidential candidates from major political parties have chosen running mates from a different religion in a bid to foster unity in the country. Click here to read…
South Africa police say 14 killed in bar shooting
A mass shooting at a tavern in Johannesburg’s Soweto township has killed 14 people and left three others in critical condition, according to police. Click here to read…
Angola’s José Eduardo dos Santos, once one of Africa’s longest-serving rulers, dies
José Eduardo dos Santos, once one of Africa’s longest-serving rulers who during almost four decades as president of Angola fought the continent’s longest civil war and turned his country into a major oil producer as well as one of the world’s poorest and most corrupt nations, died Friday. He was 79. Click here to read…
Top Chinese diplomat meets Zimbabwe President, hopes to make inroads in Africa
Top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi met with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa where both the leaders spoke of cooperation in expanding their partnership to a new high, reports said. Click here to read…
‘I will not get intimidated’, says South African President Ramaphosa as Opposition calls for impeachment
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that he will not get ‘intimidated or bullied into submission,’ after the Opposition party announced that it would seek his impeachment in Parliament over allegations of corruption. Click here to read…
Ethiopia holds first meeting of peace committee
A body charged by the Ethiopian government to look into possible peace negotiations with Tigrayan rebels has held its first meeting, a top aide to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said. Click here to read…
Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta hosts Guinea Bissau, Somalia presidents
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta is hosting two visiting presidents on diverse agenda. As he received the Guinea Bissau leader Umaro Sissoco Embaló at State House on Friday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), his first official visit to Kenya since he was elected in May. Click here to read…
Zimbabwe’s gold coins available from July 25
In a statement, the Central Bank Governor, Dr. John Mangudya announced the features and characteristics of gold coins which are to be introduced soon. Click here to read…
Congo Republic’s ruling party dominant in legislative elections
The Congolese Labour Party of President Denis Sassou Nguesso won nearly 110 seats out of 151, according to provisional results published by the minister of territorial administrationClick here to read…
Gambian court hands down death sentences for Jammeh-era murder of political activist
A Gambian court on Wednesday sentenced five former members of the intelligence service to death for the murder of a political activist during the rule of ex-dictator Yahya Jammeh. Click here to read…
Authorities Target ‘Mafia’ to End Power Outages in South Africa
South Africa is set to tackle “mafia” groups that have compromised power utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd.’s operations and contributed to nationwide blackouts. Click here to read…
Chad sets August for national dialogue including armed groups
The Chadian government has said it will hold a national dialogue starting from August 20, a precursor to elections promised by interim president Mahamat Idriss Deby who ascended to power following his father’s death last year. Click here to read…
Algeria-Tunisia border crossings reopen after 2 years of closure
Several cars and signs celebrating Tunisian-Algerian friendship marked the reopening on Friday of land borders between the two countries, more than two years after they closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Click here to read…
Somali military trainees officially appear for the first time in Eritrea
The Eritrean government has for the first time officially announced providing military training to thousands of Somali national army members. Click here to read…
The Ivorian power triangle shuffling the presidency for 30 years
President Alassane Ouattara, 80, and his predecessors Laurent Gbagbo, 77, and Henri Konan Bédié, 88, meet for the first time in 12 years in gathering which could define the next chapter in Ivorian politics. Click here to read…
A Chinese port in Nigeria will change the world economy
In November 2010, little-known Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping gave a speech in South Africa promoting the creation of “a new type of China-Africa strategic partnership for a better future.” Click here to read…
Sudan tribal clashes near Ethiopia border leave 31 dead
At least 31 people have been killed in clashes this week between two tribes in Sudan’s Blue Nile state bordering Ethiopia, the security services said on Saturday. Click here to read…
AU deploys 160 new police officers to beef up security in Somalia
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said Thursday it has deployed some 160 police officers from Nigeria to support stabilization efforts in the country. Click here to read…
US Withdraws from Peace Monitoring Groups in South Sudan
The United States has pulled out of the systems that monitor the peace process in South Sudan because of the country’s failure to meet reform milestones, the State Department said Friday. Click here to read…
Kohavi to visit Morocco on Monday, in first official trip by Israeli military chief
Israel Defense Forces chief Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi will travel to Morocco on Monday, in a first-ever official trip by an Israeli military head to the north African nation. Click here to read…
Algeria Stirs Backlash for Attempting to Hijack Rwanda’s Bid to Host African Medicines Agency
The Algerian regime is again at the center of a controversy for challenging an AU vote that granted Rwanda the rights to host the African Medicines Agency. Click here to read…
Central African Republic launches ‘Sango Coin’ cryptocurrency amid industry rout
Central African Republic will start selling a cryptocurrency it says will be worth $21 million next week, it said on Friday, amid a wider rout in the industry and scepticism over the project’s feasibility in a poorly connected, war-torn country. Click here to read…
Moroccan firm donates 15,000 tonnes of fertilisers to Rwanda
Moroccan firm, OCP Group, has donated 15,000 tonnes of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertilisers, a development that will support the country’s fertiliser use and increase farm productivity efforts. Click here to read…
Jihadists kill dozens across northern Togo
Over the last three days, almost 30 people have been killed by suspected jihadists in attacks on five separate villages in northern Togo. A sixth attack, a reported improvised explosive device (IED), was also recorded in the littoral West African country. Click here to read…
Jihadist blow up two crucial bridges in Burkina Faso
Two bridges were blown up by armed groups in Burkina Faso on Friday night by suspected Jihadists in the West African nation. Click here to read…
Six people killed in rare attack near Malian capital Bamako
Six people have been killed in Mali, including two gendarmes and a police officer, in a rare attack near its capital Bamako, the security ministry has said. Click here to read…
Gabon and Togo Commonwealth entry is latest dent to French influence
The Anglophone pivot comes on the back of successive coups in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso to remove pro-French leaders. Click here to read…
Japan seeks a hearing by Africa
On Tanzania’s much venerated national holiday; ‘’SABA SABA DAY’’ (the 7t day of the 7th month), His Excellency Matsunaga Kazuyushi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, treated me to a generous dialogue in his Office at the Embassy of Japan in Abuja.
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Women in Tunisia: Has a female prime minister changed Tunisia?
Tunisia has seen a marked shift in attitudes towards women political leaders since Najla Bouden became the first female prime minister in the Arab world. Click here to read…
Firefighters struggle to contain wildfires in northern Morocco
Firefighters and the military struggled on Friday to contain three wildfires in northern Morocco that have killed at least one person, as hundreds of residents evacuated their homes because of flames that ravaged large swaths of pine forests. Click here to read…
Mysterious Ebola-Like Disease Kills 3 In Tanzania, Probe Launched
Three people have died from a mysterious Ebola-like disease in Africa’s Tanzania, prompting the government to dispatch a team of doctors to investigate it.
Click here to read…
INDIA IN AFRICA
African leaders to visit Delhi next week for key investment meet
A slew of African leaders will be in Delhi for a key investment meet next week that will be inaugurated by India’s Vice President Venkaiah Naidu in presence of External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Trade Minister Piyush Goyal. Click here to read…
India explores upgrade of Zimbabwe railways; NRZ team in South Asian nation
INDIA says it is currently exploring possibilities of partnering the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) in training, capacity building and upgrading of the railway system. Click here to read…
India, Madagascar sign MoU on tele-education
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Madagascar government and Telecommunications Consultants India Limited [TCIL] for participation in the e-VBAB (e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati) network project on Tuesday. Click here to read…
Huge business potential for Indian companies in Ivory Coast: India’s Envoy
It is the largest economy with 40 percent GDP of West African Economic & Monetary Union (WAEMU 8 countries) and remains Francophone West Africa’s economic hub with significant influence in the region. Click here to read…
Lt Gen M. Subramanian appointed Force Commander of UN Mission in South Sudan
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday announced the appointment of Lt Gen Mohan Subramanian of India as Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Click here to read…
India-Egypt Defence Ties: Why Modi Is Rekindling a Friendship Started by Nehru
Ties between India and Egypt had blossomed in the heydays of the non-aligned movement (NAM). Click here to read…
Nigeria’s Crown Flour Mills to Import 500,000 mt of Wheat from India
The milling company has also received government support for its request, as the ministry has written to the High Commissioner of India in Abuja on its behalf to consider the business’ importation request.
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After vandalism during unrest in South Africa, India-based Cipla reopens Durban manufacturing site
Indian generic drug manufacturer Cipla revealed that one of its plants in South Africa has reopened more than a month after it was vandalized during a period of civil unrest that claimed the lives of more than 300 and caused an estimated $3.3 billion in economic losses. Click here to read…
SRM University-AP Organized Embassy Connect with 14 Countries
The office of International Relations and Higher Studies at SRM University-AP organized an Embassy Connect Programme, in which ambassadors, education attaches, cultural attaches of more than 14 countries and joint secretaries, and deputy secretaries of various regions from the Ministry of External Affairs participated. Click here to read…
Snooping Storm Brews in Mauritius Over Indian Team Accessing Internet Landing Station
Mauritius’s political climate is currently seeing heated debate due to a major developing controversy that has brought into focus India’s close strategic relations with the Indian Ocean Island nation, especially New Delhi’s intimate ties with the current prime minister in Port Louis. Click here to read…
Eid Al Adha: Indian PM Sends ‘Warm Greetings’ to King Mohammed VI
Morocco and India have enjoyed flourishing bilateral cooperation since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1957. Click here to read…
Planning a Maasai Mara Safari from India Now Easier Than Ever
Recently, the governments of Kenya and India agreed to strengthen the relationship and collaboration between the two countries. Click here to read…
Ankita Konwar merges ancient knowledge of both worlds in Egypt, works on balance
In the middle of decayed temples and chapels, Ankita chose to merge ancient Indian knowledge of yoga with Egypt. She performed two yoga asanas in Karnak temple. Click here to read…