Welcome to Africa Now, your weekly newsletter for Africa, presenting the most important developments in the continent – news that matters.
COMMENTARY
Africa has had eight coup attempts in recent months. What’s behind the ‘coup epidemic’?
Last week, soldiers in Guinea Bissau surrounded the government palace, attacking President Umaro Sissoco Embaló during a cabinet meeting. Although the coup attempts ultimately failed, the firefight resulted in numerous fatalities. Only a week earlier, widespread mutinies in Burkina Faso prompted army officers to depose another competitively elected African president. Click here to read…
NEWS
African Union postpones debate on Israel’s observer status
The African Union (AU) has suspended a debate on whether to withdraw Israel’s accreditation as an observer to the bloc, avoiding a vote that risked creating an unprecedented rift in the 55-member body. Click here to read…
African Union to Establish Permanent Mission in Beijing
Following a heads of state meeting in Addis Ababa, the African Union has announced it will open a permanent mission in Beijing this year. The proposal had been set forth by the Council of Ministers in an effort to engage more directly with Africa’s largest trading partner and diplomatic-ally. Click here to read…
Guinea-Bissau arrests ex-navy chief linked to drug trade over failed coup
Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo on Thursday accused a former Guinean navy chief with links to the drug trade and two accomplices of being behind a failed coup in the west African nation on February 1. Click here to read…
UN Security Council calls for release of Burkina Faso President
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has expressed grave concern about Burkina Faso’s “unconstitutional change of government,” and has called for President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and other government leaders to be released and protected. Click here to read…
Sudan’s military rulers step up crackdown, arrest activists
Amira Osman, a Sudanese women’s rights activist, was getting ready for bed a few minutes before midnight when about 30 policemen forced their way into her home in Khartoum last month. Click here to read…
Guinea transitional assembly holds first post-coup session
Guinea’s transitional assembly has held its first session, five months after the military overthrow of democratically elected President Alpha Conde. Click here to read…
Diplomatic flurry as crunch time on Western military role in Mali nears
Western foreign ministers will hold crunch talks on their countries’ future presence fighting Islamist militants in Mali on Monday, four European sources said, with three saying regional and international leaders will also meet on Wednesday. Click here to read…
Libyan parliament elects new PM to replace interim government
The Libyan House of Representatives, on Thursday unanimously voted for Fathi Bashagha as the country’s new prime minister. Click here to read…
Libyan PM survives assassination attempt as car shot: Sources
Assailants struck Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah’s car with bullets early on Thursday but he escaped unharmed, a source close to him said, amid intense factional wrangling over control of the government. Mauritius Presses Claim for Indian Ocean Islands Under ‘Unlawful’ UK Administration
A delegation from Mauritius is set to sail Tuesday to the Chagos Islands to press the country’s claim for the strategically important Indian Ocean archipelago, which is also claimed by Britain and is home to an American military base. Click here to read… Taiwan will host a high-level delegation from Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland region this week, the government said on Monday, as the island pursues diplomacy in Africa in the face of Chinese pressure to limit its international footprint. Click here to read… A suicide bomber targeting a minibus full of delegates involved in Somalia’s parliamentary elections killed at least six people in Mogadishu, the ambulance service said, as the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab armed group claimed responsibility for the attack. Click here to read… The Central African Republic’s prime minister has been sacked, the presidency confirmed Monday, against the backdrop of tensions between pro-Russian and pro-French factions within the government of the poor, unstable country.Click here to read… The Biden administration is intensifying its campaign to persuade Equatorial Guinea to reject China’s bid to build a military base on the country’s Atlantic Coast. Click here to read… The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), signed the $10bn AfCFTA Adjustment Fund on Wednesday in Cairo. Click here to read… It is the first African scheme in the EU’s €300 billion “Global Gateway” infrastructure plan, the bloc’s response to China’s Belt and Road strategy.Taiwan to host Somaliland ministers in Africa diplomacy push
Several killed in attack targeting Somalia election delegates
Central Africa PM fired amid tensions over Russia-France tug of war
US aims to thwart China’s plan for Atlantic base in Africa
AfCFTA Adjustment Fund agreement signed in Cairo
EU unveils €1.6 billion investment in Morocco
https://www.dw.com/en/eu-unveils-16-billion-investment-in-morocco/a-60710607″ target=”_blank”>Click here to read…
French president voices support for Egypt’s regional development and anti-terror efforts
French President Emmanuel Macron said that his country remains committed to the continued enhancement of joint cooperation with Egypt in a number of fields, and to supporting Cairo’s efforts to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development, and combat terrorism and extremist ideology in its region. Click here to read…
Tanzania: Victory for media freedom as ban on four newspapers lifted
The lifting of ban on four newspapers that had been barred from publishing since 2016 and 2017 for exposing alleged corruption and human rights violations is a positive step, but the Tanzanian authorities must do more to guarantee media freedom going forward, Amnesty International said today. Click here to read…
Ethiopia’s telco battle will take place in the mobile money arena
Safaricom opened an office in Ethiopia last month, as Kenya’s largest mobile operator aims to take on one of Africa’s most sought-after telecoms markets. Click here to read…
‘Fragile Five’ Indebted Africa Nations Flagged by Top Lender
Five key African economies will face debt risks over the next two years, according to the continent’s biggest bank, as an era of extraordinary pandemic-induced stimulus and relief for poor nations draws to an end. Click here to read…
UN’s top court orders Uganda to pay $325 million to DR Congo
Delivering its judgement, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) broke down the compensation, awarding the DRC $225 million for damage to persons, which includes loss of life, rape, recruitment of child soldiers and displacement of civilians. Click here to read…
E-levy Ghana: Ghanaians hit streets of Accra to protest against electronic transactions tax way government want to introduce
Protestors for Ghana hit the streets of Accra to register their displeasure with the new electronic transactions tax way government want to introduce. Click here to read…
Deaths Rise To 92 In Madagascar Cyclone, 112,000 In Need of Assistance
The death toll from Tropical Cyclone Batsirai has risen to 92 in Madagascar, authorities said Wednesday, as humanitarian organisations ramped up aid efforts with more than 110,000 people in need of emergency assistance. Click here to read…
Zimbabwe teachers go on strike days after schools’ resume classes
A teachers’ strike has paralyzed learning at many Zimbabwean schools, which opened this week after a prolonged closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read…
Demand for traditional Chinese medicine in Africa sparks fears for endangered species
Amid the rise in demand for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products in African countries has sparked fear for poaching of endangered species. Click here to read…
Nigeria Islamic police destroy nearly 4 mn beers
Religious police in northern Nigeria’s city of Kano have destroyed nearly four milllion bottles of beer, on grounds that sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited in the predominantly Muslim region. Click here to read…
‘White Malice’: How the CIA Strangled African Independence at Birth
In her latest book, historian Susan Williams ruthlessly reveals through factual evidence the unsavoury machinations of the CIA in Africa during the Cold War until the late 1960s. Click here to read…
Explained: Why Africa embraces Huawei tech despite security concerns
Huawei is popular across Africa, but its systems could also appeal to authoritarian regimes hoping to cling to power. Click here to read…
Should Bangladesh Lease Land from South Sudan?
For a long period of time, Bangladesh has been striving to ensure food security at home by planning to shop farmland abroad. Recently, South Sudan, an African country, has expressed interest in leasing a vast area of its fallow land to Bangladesh in order to collaborate in agricultural production, processing, and marketing in the central African countries. Click here to read…
U.S. reaches out to foreign producers in Algeria on gas options -sources
The U.S. government has asked to meet Eni, Total Energies (TTEF.PA) and other energy companies operating in Algeria to see if more gas can be sourced from the country, sources familiar with the matter said. Click here to read…
WHO Chief visits South Africa’s mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub
World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus today visited the groundbreaking mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in Cape Town and also met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to discuss progress in making Africa self-sufficient in the production of COVID-19 vaccines and related treatments. Click here to read…
China’s StarTimes injects 1.76 mln USD to boost local content in Kenya
Chinese pay television firm, StarTimes on Thursday announced injection of an additional 200 million shillings (about 1.76 million U.S. dollars) to boost development of indigenous content in Kenya. Click here to read…
Zambia on course to launch satellite in 2023
Zambia on Friday said it is on course to launch a satellite in 2023. According to a statement by Science and Technology Minister Felix Mutati, moving to digital technology will enhance digital economic activities and help the government plan ahead in meeting challenges such as climate change, flooding, and health issues. Click here to read…
INDIA IN AFRICA
Indian envoys hold virtual meeting with Comoros FM to review progress in bilateral ties
Indian envoy to Moroni Abhay Kumar held a virtual meeting with Comoros Foreign Minister Dhoihir Dhoulkamal and reviewed the progress made in bilateral ties between the two countries. … Recently INS Kesari visited Comoros in January 2022 to help repair a Comorian shipClick here to read…
Liaison officer from Mauritius posted at Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre
A liaison officer from Mauritius was on Thursday posted at the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre (IFC) which has emerged as a key hub in tracking developments in the Indian Ocean. Click here to read…
Tanzania set to export avocado to India
Tanzania is set to begin exporting avocado to India, as the country seeks to strengthen bilateral trade ties and enable farmers to get higher returns for their produce. Click here to read…
Here is Why this Former PM of Kenya is Grateful to an Ayurvedic Hospital in Kerala
Former Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinka, who was in Kerala recently, thanked Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Kerala for restoring his daughter’s eyesight. She had become blind after a stroke in 2017 and had spent two years in total darkness. Click here to read…
Ramaphosa’s hope of making S Africa major cell phone producer dashes as factory owned by Indian-origin entrepreneur shuts
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s hopes of the country becoming a major producer of mobile phones or Africa have been dashed with the closure of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility owned by a Rwanda-based Indian-origin entrepreneur. Click here to read…
Mozambique: Harare, Maputo Deepen Economic Ties
Zimbabwe and the rest of SADC countries are set to benefit from infrastructural development being undertaken by Mozambique, with President Mnangagwa and President Felipe Nyusi committing to facilitate the emancipation of their people through economic development. Click here to read…Stranded in Mali: Relieved, say workers on their return to Jharkhand
Weeks after their distress calls, the first batch of seven Indian workers out of the 33 who were stranded in Mali without their earnings and their passports returned to the country on Saturday. Click here to read…