Welcome to Africa Now, your weekly newsletter for Africa, presenting the most important developments in the continent – news that matters.
COMMENTARY
Africa: Looking Back at 2021 and Likely Trends in 2022
For the second year in a row, countries across the world battled to cope with the negative economic impacts of covid. Though African continent handled the initial impacts of Covid-19 relatively well, in 2021 it suffered immensely from Covid-19 outbreaks and the resulting lockdowns. While governments across the continent took several measures including complete economic lockdown to stop the spread of the mutating virus, people struggled to come up with the devastating loss of life and livelihoods.Click here to read…
NEWS
Russian Troops Deploy to Timbuktu in Mali After French Withdrawal
Russian soldiers have deployed to Timbuktu in northern Mali to train Malian forces at a base vacated by French troops last month, Mali’s army spokesperson said Thursday. Click here to read…
China plans peace envoy for conflict-riven Horn of Africa
China said on Thursday it would appoint a special envoy to foster peace in the turbulent Horn of Africa and wanted to shift focus on the continent to trade over infrastructure. Click here to read…
Morocco and China agree to implement the Belt and Road initiative
Morocco and China have enhanced their cooperation as they signed on Wednesday the joint Belt and Road implementation plan. Click here to read…
Why Equatorial Guinea May Host China’s First Atlantic Naval Base
Since mid-2021, U.S. defence officials have warned that China is considering whether to build a naval base in the Central African nation of Equatorial Guinea. If built, it would be China’s second such facility in Africa and its first in the Atlantic. Click here to read…
Chinese, Comorian FMs hold talks over bilateral relations
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday met with Comorian Foreign Minister Dhoihir Dhoulkamal in Moroni, capital of the Comoros.
Click here to read…
Wang Yi’s Kenya trip shows importance of bilateral ties, offsets US’ ’empty checks’ and ‘politicized schemes’
Concluding a visit to Eritrea, where Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi signed a joint statement on opposing hegemonic interference, Wang’s new year trip moved on to Kenya. Click here to read…
Fire burns South Africa’s Parliament building in Cape Town
Firefighters battled a blaze at South Africa’s national Parliament complex on Sunday that sent a dark plume of smoke and flames into the air above the center of Cape Town. Click here to read…
Ethiopia releases several political prisoners
Ethiopia released several political prisoners on January 7 in a bid to jumpstart a “national dialogue” amid a gruelling civil war. The unexpected move to release political prisoners, including some from Tigray, the region whose forces are at odds with the federal government in Ethiopia, comes amid a pause in the conflict. Click here to read…
What next for Sudan after PM Hamdok’s resignation?
Amid mounting unrest, analysts expect ruling military to co-opt new civilian figure to avoid missing out on crucial foreign aid.’ Click here to read…
Three Chinese nationals abducted in Nigeria, police say
Police in Nigeria said gunmen abducted three Chinese nationals working in the country’s north central region, the latest incident in a cycle of violence in Africa’s most populous nation. Click here to read…
Morocco has advanced weaponry, so Algeria wants a Chinese defence system
The Algerian army has bought a sophisticated Chinese electronic warfare system because Morocco has obtained advanced weapons systems from Turkey and other sources. The Chinese system is capable of blocking enemy communications and detecting radar at a range of hundreds of kilometres. Click here to read…
Two years of COVID-19 in Africa: lessons for the world
In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa’s rapid and coordinated response, informed by emerging data, was remarkable. Now, in 2022, as vast vaccination campaigns have enabled the global north to gain some control over the pandemic, Africa lags behind.Click here to read…
Foundation stone laid for $1.1bn deep water port in Senegal
Macky Sall, the president of the West African country, laid the foundation for the 300ha facility on Monday. The ceremony follows a concession agreement signed in December 2020 between the Dubai-based logistics company and the government of Senegal. Click here to read…
Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and UAE join Security Council
Albania is joining for the first time while Brazil is taking an 11th turn. Gabon and Ghana each have been on the council three times before and the UAE once. Click here to read…
INDIA IN AFRICA
Egyptian, Indian FMs discuss furthering cooperation, urge boosting coordination on int’l issues
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, discussed continuing to boost and expand bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Click here to read…
Agri trade is booming this fiscal, but April-Oct basmati exports fell 23% since last year
APEDA says basmati exports have dipped due to stock pile-up. But a top industry leader says high freight charges and issues over maximum residue levels in pesticides are to blame. Nepal, Bangladesh and African nations like Benin, Senegal and Togo were top importers for India’s non-basmati rice. Click here to read…
Indian Navy Ship lands in Comoros to provide technical assistance
Indian Naval Ship Kesari arrived at the port of Moroni, Comoros on Friday to extend technical assistance to the Comorian Coast Guard. Click here to read…
Congo Hold-Up: A Group of Indians in Spotlight for Illicit Money Transfers
Some of the chief operators of the alleged illicit money transfers are persons of Indian origin based in Congo, according to analysis of a data leak by Radio France International. Click here to read…
Karnataka: Ugandan national caught carrying Rs 1.5 crore worth drugs in Cerelac boxes
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested a Uganda national and have seized methamphetamine worth Rs 1.5 crore in Karnataka on Friday.Click here to read…
India, Somalia and Madagascar may join to become one continent in 200 million years: Study
The collision will lead to the ‘formation of a long mountain range along the modern west coast of India’ which the team named ‘Somalaya’. Click here to read…