Africa Now – Weekly Newsletter (Week 36, 2022)

Welcome to Africa Now, your weekly newsletter for Africa, presenting the most important developments in the continent – news that matters.

COMMENTARY

Marikana and its aftermath

In August 2022, South Africa commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Marikana Massacre. On 16 August 2012, South African Police shot down labourers of the Marikana platinum mine. Click here to read…

Japan’s opportunity to build a new legacy in Africa

At a time when China, the United States, and Russia are competing in Africa in ways reminiscent of Cold War rivalries on the continent, Japan, whose eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) has just ended in Tunis, is entering the arena too. Click here to read…

The Biden Administration’s New Africa Policy

Imagine you’ve just been confirmed to be the US ambassador to a small country in Africa. However, before departing to take up your assignment, you learn that the administration doesn’t yet have an official policy for that country. Click here to read…

NEWS

TICAD 2022: Japan’s Deepening Partnerships in Africa

The international context has changed markedly since the last TICAD in 2019. How is Japan approaching African countries today? Click here to read…

Japan, Africa leaders wrap up TICAD talks, vowing to tackle food crisis

Leaders from Japan and African nations on Sunday said the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine has caused a food crisis on the fast-growing continent, without referring to Moscow by name. Click here to read…

Kishida vows $30 billion over next three years for Africa as China and Russia loom

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday pledged $30 billion over the next three years for African development, with a focus on investing in human capital and fostering quality growth in a continent where China and Russia are exerting their influence. Click here to read…

Kenya election 2022: Were results sheets altered as Odinga claims?

William Ruto was declared the winner of Kenya’s presidential election over two weeks ago with 50.5% of the vote, but his opponent Raila Odinga is challenging the result, claiming it was fraudulent. Click here to read…

Angolan opposition files legal challenge, seeks annulment of vote

Angola’s main opposition party has filed a case with the country’s constitutional court to seek the annulment of last month’s election in which the ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) was declared the winner. Click here to read…

Ethiopia, Eritrea forces launch new offensive in Tigray: TPLF

Ethiopian and Eritrean government forces have launched an attack in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray, targeting rebel forces. Click here to read…

Biden to Meet South Africa Leader Amid Differences on Russia

President Joe Biden will host South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House this month as the administration looks to draw African nations closer to the U.S. Click here to read…

France’s Macron concludes Algeria visit with new pact

French President Emmanuel Macron and his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune have declared a “new, irreversible dynamic of progress” in their nations’ ties, concluding a visit by Macron aimed at ending months of tensions. Click here to read…

‘Air strike’ rocks Mekelle city in Ethiopia’s Tigray region

Ethiopian government officials were not immediately reachable for comment but officials at Ayder Referral Hospital say the midnight strike near Mekelle general hospital caused casualties. Click here to read…

New U.S. ambassador arrives in Sudan after 25 years of absence

The new U.S. ambassador John Godfrey arrived in Khartoum on Wednesday. He arrives after a 25-year absence of a US envoy in Sudan due to diplomatic differences between the two countries. Click here to read…

Mozambique reaffirms commitment to bilateral relations with Portugal

The Portuguese prime minister and the President of the Republic of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, have expressed satisfaction with the resumption of bilateral meetings, and António Costa reaffirmed “every commitment” to continue working with that African country. Click here to read…

Morocco, Japan reiterates rejection of Tunisia’s invitation to separatist entity

Moroccan and Japanese foreign ministers reaffirmed in the strongest terms their denunciation of Tunisia’s unilateral invitation of the Algeria-backed Polisario entity to the Japan-Africa summit TICAD last Month. Click here to read…

1st Ukraine grain ship for Horn of Africa reaches Djibouti

The first ship carrying grain from Ukraine for people in the hungriest parts of the world has docked at the Horn of Africa port of Djibouti as areas of East Africa are badly affected by deadly drought and conflict. Click here to read…

South Africa’s Ruling ANC to Win 2024 Vote Even as City Support Plunges, Survey Shows

South Africa’s governing party is likely to win the country’s next national elections in 2024 even as its support slips further in major cities, a survey showed. Click here to read…

South Sudan’s former rebels join unified army

Thousands of former rebels swore an oath of loyalty in a ceremony held under tight security in South Sudan. Click here to read…

Egypt to Organize ‘Arab Labor Conference’ With Participation of 21 Countries

Egypt is preparing to host this month the work of the forty-eighth round of the Arab Labor Conference (ALC) to be attended by the labor ministers, delegations, organization and unions of 21 Arab countries. Click here to read…

Crisis-hit Zambia secures $1.3bn IMF loan to rebuild stricken economy

The International Monetary Fund has approved a $1.3bn (£1.1bn) loan to Zambia, as the country scrambles to rebuild its crisis-hit economy after defaulting on its foreign debts in 2020. Click here to read…

UN Secretary General proposes Senegal’s Abdoulaye Bathily as envoy to Libya

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has nominated Abdoulaye Bathily to be the new UN envoy to Libya, and France’s UN ambassador said he thinks the Security Council will approve the minister. Click here to read…

Algeria’s move to English signals erosion of France’s sway

In the world of diplomacy, few details carry as much import as language. And few languages carry the diplomatic and cultural heft that French has long boasted. Click here to read…

Tunisia: Pro-Saied party calls for including military in gov’t

The July 25 Movement, also known as the National Youth Movement of Tunisia, on Wednesday called for the formation of a “national salvation government” that encompasses “military figures” in order to avoid a “social explosion” as a result of the current economic situation. Click here to read…

Zimbabwe government harasses opposition with arrests, jail

Opposition politicians languishing in prison. Journalists and government critics harassed and arrested. Public meetings banned. Click here to read…

Türkiye-Egypt rapprochement continues gradually

The normalization process between Türkiye and Egypt continues at a gradual pace. Discussions are being held at the intelligence level and extending the process over time does not mean that it is not progressing positively. Click here to read…

Rwanda flight migrants ‘include victims of torture and human trafficking

Out of the 17 people that doctors conducted clinical assessments for, 14 showed evidence of having been tortured and six were survivors of trafficking. Click here to read…

Ex-Botswana president Khama: plans in place to ensure Masisi removed from power

Former Botswana president Ian Khama on Friday said plans were in place to ensure the electoral defeat of current Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi at that country’s next elections in 2024. Click here to read…

Russian exports to Morocco double in 1H 2022

Russian exports to the Kingdom of Morocco doubled in the first half of 2022, Russia’s Trade Representative to the country Artyom Tsingamzgvrishvili told TASS on Friday. Click here to read…

Second UN helicopter crashes in eastern DR Congo in five months

There were no passengers on board and three crew members were injured, the UN’s World Food Programme said. Click here to read…

Terrorism: Nigeria ranked second despite N11tn security budgets

Nigeria budgeted a total of N11.18tn for security from 2015 to 2022, investigations by The PUNCH have revealed. Despite the high budgetary allocation, however, the country remains the second most attacked country by the Islamic State terrorist group globally, according to the data by Jihad Analytics. Click here to read…

Comoros President ‘Regrets’ Morocco’s Absence from TICAD in Tunisia

Azali Assoumani, President of the East African country Comoros, said today that he regrets Morocco’s absence from the 8th edition of The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). Click here to read…

Central African Republic: UN expert calls for end to impunity, urges armed groups to lay down arms

Armed groups in the Central African Republic (CAR) must lay down their arms and engage in political dialogue, a UN expert said today, urging the international community to strengthen efforts to restore State authority and end impunity in the country. Click here to read…

At least 32 dead in renewed Tripoli fighting

At least 32 people have died in renewed fighting in Tripoli, ending the relative peace that has held for the last two years and signaling the breakdown of a political process that’s brought Libya no closer to long-delayed elections and a unified stateClick here to read…

Madagascar police shoot 18 dead in albino kidnap protest: Medic

Since 2020, there have been more than a dozen abductions, attacks and murders of people with albinism in Madagascar, according to the UN. Click here to read…

Tanzania launches first 5G technology

Telecom company Vodacom Tanzania Plc has launched the country’s first 5G technology in what promises to be a transformational development in the country’s digital journey. Click here to read…

The ‘Big Four’ are leading Africa’s start-up scene—Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa and Kenya

Unperturbed by the COVID-19 pandemic, international investors have continued to pour money into the African continent’s start-up scene — but that influx of cash is not being distributed evenly. Click here to read…

E-Commerce Company Jumia Launches Drone Deliveries in Ghana

Africa’s largest e-commerce company, Jumia, launched the first commercial drone delivery service on the continent this week, offering delivery of products across Ghana. Click here to read…

Phase 2 of Senegal LNG project needs $5 bln: president

The second phase of Senegal’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) gas project will need investments worth around $5 billion and could start in 2024 or 2025, Senegal’s President Macky Sall said on Thursday. Click here to read…

Morocco-Nigeria Gas Pipeline Project Will Help Create Competitive Zone in North-West Africa

The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project, which is currently in its Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) phase, will contribute to the emergence of an integrated and competitive North-West African zone. Click here to read…

Ivory Coast Supplies the World With Cocoa. Now It Wants Some for Itself

A new generation of Ivory Coast chocolatiers is striving to change an industry that has long left cocoa farmers in poverty. Click here to read…

Angolans gather for funeral of ex-leader Dos Santos amid dispute over vote
Angolans and foreign dignitaries gathered on Sunday for the funeral of long-serving ex-leader Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who died in Spain in July but whose burial was delayed by a family request for an autopsy. Click here to read…

INDIA IN AFRICA

Serum Institute signs deal with Aspen to sell vaccines in Africa

The deal with Serum gives Aspen certainty on volumes, which will eventually more than cover an expected decline in revenues from its COVID vaccine contract with J&J, he said. Click here to read…

India, South Africa to set up a Joint Working Group on Education

Union Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held a bilateral meeting in Bali with Dr Bonginkosi Emmanuel “Blade” NZIMANDE, South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education, Science Innovation. Click here to read…

Nigeria seeks stronger ties with Indian textile industry

A 12-member delegation from Nigeria is on a week’s study tour to India. Nigeria is looking at strengthening its ties with Indian textile industry to revive its cotton integrated industry. Click here to read…

India, UAE working on joint health projects in Kenya and Tanzania

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are working on a joint initiative to establish health projects in Kenya and Tanzania and taking forward cooperation in food security within the I2U2 framework that includes the US and Israel. Click here to read…

Indian ambassador celebrates 75 years of diplomatic Egypt-India relations

India and Egypt are celebrating the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations on 18 August 2022. As two of the world’s most ancient civilisations, India and Egypt have enjoyed close contacts for many centuries. Click here to read…

Egypt, India to see significant progress in political, economic, and cultural ties: Ambassador Gupte

Indian Ambassador in Cairo Ajit Gupte expected that the political, economic and cultural relations between India and Egypt would see significant progress in the near future. Click here to read…

At UNSC, India Names Turkey for Violating UNSC Sanctions on Libya

Stating that Turkey’s ‘blatant disregard’ was a cause for serious concern, India’s permanent representative to the UN said that the country’s activities had contributed to the ‘enduring political stalemate.’Click here to read…

South Africa and India will make four vaccines without the help of rich western countries

According to the announcement, Aspen SA Operations signed a deal to produce vaccines for the African market by packaging bulk drug substance—the actual vaccine ingredients—produced by the Serum Institute. Click here to read…

APO Group partners with PR Wire India to provide high-quality Pan-African press release content to the Indian market

APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the leading Pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service, today announced a content partnership with PR Wire India (https://PRWireIndia.com) which will ensure all text, images, videos and soundbites distributed by APO Group are published on the PR Wire India platform. Click here to read…

UP Inc forges tie-ups in Africa, Europe to achieve $1 trn economy target

Aligning with the $-trillion economy goal set by the state government, the Uttar Pradesh Inc is forging industry and trade alliances with partners in the African, Latin American and European countries. Click here to read…

How Sunil Bharti Mittal turned Airtel around in Africa

In 2010, Bharti Airtel entered into a $10.7 billion deal to acquire Zain Telecom’s African operations in 15 nations. It was a bold move but challenges soon cropped up. Click here to read…

Airtel Africa aims to be continent’s biggest telco: CEO

Airtel Africa managing director and CEO Olusegun Ogunsanya said the telco, which operates in 14 countries, has captured the top spot in four and is No. 2 in nine others. Click here to read…

BPCL expects Mozambique project to take off next year

With the law and order situation improving considerably, Bharat Petroleum Corporation’s (BPCL’s) 12.88 million tonne per annum (mtpa) Mozambique LNG project should take off in the first half of next year, BPCL said on Monday. Click here to read…

Indian envoy Abhay Kumar discusses climate change with Madagascar Environment Minister

Indian Ambassador to Antananarivo Abhay Kumar met Madagascar Environment Minister Marie-Orlea Vina on Thursday and discussed several issues including ways to deal with climate change. Click here to read…

Made in India Suzuki Grand Vitara showcased in South Africa

The Grand Vitara for South Africa gets AllGrip AWD with automatic gearbox; joins a long list of made-in-India Suzuki cars sold there. Click here to read…