Welcome to Africa Now, your weekly newsletter for Africa, presenting the most important developments in the continent – news that matters.
COMMENTARY
Explaining Israel’s Africa policy
In February 2022, the annual summit of the African Union (AU) took place in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, also headquarter of the African Union. The principal objective of the meeting was to evaluate AU’s achievements over the past year, particularly in the context of the recent surge of military coups and the ways to recover from the pandemic. Click here to read…
NEWS
Somalia enters transition as Amisom gives way to ATMIS
After one and a half-decade of operation, the African Union Mission in Somalia, Amisom, will, starting end of this month, transition to the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). Click here to read…
Burkina Faso appoints interim government after January coup
The new government of 25 ministers includes Defence Minister General Barthelemy Simpore, who has retained the position he held under Kabore, according to the decree. Click here to read…
Malian army says dozens of its soldiers killed in jihadist attack
A jihadist attack on a military camp in central Mali on Friday killed 27 soldiers and 47 “terrorists” were “neutralised”, the country’s army said. Click here to read…
Ethiopia Brings Nile River Dam Online as Sudan, Egypt Object
Ethiopia has begun generating electricity at its new 5,000-MW roller-compacted concrete gravity-type dam on the Nile River. The first 375 MW went to the national grid on Feb. 20. Click here to read…
Sudan welcomes military base agreement with Russia in the Red Sea
Deputy Chairman of Sudan Sovereignty Council, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalu Hmidti, reported that he discussed cooperation with Russian officials on national security and political issues. Click here to read…
Libyan parliament swears in new PM as crisis deepens
A standoff between two rival governments in Libya risks resulting in the territorial division as the parliament in the east swore in a new administration while the incumbent in Tripoli refused to cede power. Click here to read…
Tanzania president, freed opposition leader vow to ‘build trust’
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and opposition leader Freeman Mbowe pledged to heal rifts and buttress democracy as they met hours after Mbowe was freed from jail in a surprise move. Click here to read…
Anti-junta and anti-France protest rallies hundreds in Chad
Some 500 people demonstrated on Saturday in response to a call from the opposition against the ruling military junta in Chad. Click here to read…
Tensions flare in Eswatini
Eswatini’s King Mswati III has suppressed unrest for now. But opposition voices will continue to push for democracy, possibly leading to a transition of power. Click here to read…
Mozambique announces new prime minister after cabinet reshuffle
Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi has appointed a new prime minister and filled several other posts, including the finance minister, as part of a cabinet reshuffle. Click here to read…
China’s Huawei in troubled waters in South Africa over Employment Equity Policy
The Department of Employment and Labour of South Africa last month filed court papers against Huawei Technologies South Africa for not complying with the Employment Equity Policy of the country. Click here to read…
President Kenyatta endorses Raila Odinga in upcoming presidential election
During an address before his Jubilee party supporters on Wednesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta said Raila Odinga “meant well for the country”.Click here to read…
More than 200 gunmen killed in Nigeria security operation
At least 200 gunmen were killed in the past three days in Nigeria’s central-northern state of Niger during a security operation to clear armed gangs from the area. Click here to read…
Algeria is Prepared to Fulfil Europe’s Gas Demand
Algerian oil and gas giant, Sonatrach, announced that it is prepared to supply Europe with an increased supply of oil and gas should Russia’s exports not meet Europe’s demand. Additional gas will be exported through the TransMed pipeline, which connects Algeria and Italy. Click here to read…
Ghana’s 65th Independence anniversary – The journey so far
Former Gold Coast, now Ghana is today, March 6, celebrating its 65th anniversary after attaining independence in 1957 from the British. Click here to read…
Chinese Company Removed as Operator of Cobalt Mine in Congo
A court has given the Congolese control of one of the world’s largest sources of cobalt while allegations against the mine’s Chinese owners are investigated. Click here to read…
Cameroon blast: At least five people killed, including senior official and mayor
A senior state official and a mayor were among five people killed by a road mine in a restive anglophone region of Cameroon on Wednesday, local sources said. Click here to read…
In a first, a female judge chairs a hearing in Egypt’s top court
In a first, Radwa Helmi on Saturday sat as the first female judge on the bench of Egypt’s state council. It is a top court in the Arab country. Helmi was among the 98 women who were appointed last year to join the council, after a decision by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Click here to read…
Shunned by Others, Russia Finds Friends in Africa
Africa’s largest arms dealer, Russia has ties to the continent that stretch back to the Cold War and helped Mr. Putin win rare support over the invasion of Ukraine. Click here to read…
Ivory Coast’s hope: Digital agriculture
Climate change, land degradation and deforestation have severely damaged Côte d’Ivoire’s natural surroundings. Many farmers are worried about their future. But Digitalization is bringing new hope. Click here to read…
Timber giant quietly converts Congo logging sites to carbon scheme
A major European logging firm may have illegally converted more than a dozen of its timber concessions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo into so-called conservation concessions, a new investigation can reveal. Click here to read…
History, politics and mercenaries: why so many African nations are quietly standing by Putin
President Putin’s authoritarian allies in Africa have given their quiet support to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations. Click here to read…
New Amazon Headquarters Sparks Feud Among Indigenous South Africans
The development, still under construction, sits on sacred land in Cape Town. But some Indigenous leaders have allied with the developers, prompting a debate over who speaks for First Nations people. Click here to read…
Hage Geingob: Is oil discovery off Namibia a blessing or a curse?
Namibia’s president discusses the recent discovery of an estimated one billion barrels of oil off his country’s coast. Click here to read…
WHO sees little impact on Covid-19 vaccine supplies to Africa from Ukraine war
The World Health Organization does not expect any immediate impact on vaccine supply to Africa from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Click here to read…
INDIA IN AFRICA
Second India-Africa defence dialogue on March 12 in Gujarat
The second India Africa defence dialogue is set to take place on March 12 on the sidelines of the DefExpo 2022 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Click here to read…
EAM Jaishankar extends greetings to Ghana on its national day
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday extended greetings to his Ghanaian counterpart Shirley Ayokor and his people on their national day. Click here to read…
Uganda to sign MoU with Naruvi Hospitals
The Ugandan government would soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vellore-based Naruvi Hospitals, said Grace Akello, Uganda Ambassador to India. Click here to read…
India, South Africa, Namibia oppose talks at WTO on e-commerce, investment, MSMEs
New rules cannot be introduced without fulfilling mandate of agreement by consensus, they argue. Click here to read…
Namibia wants ivory trade clause in deal for sending cheetahs to India
Namibia wants India’s support for lifting a United Nations ban on commercial trade of wildlife products, including ivory, for translocation of cheetahs to Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, a condition New Delhi is unlikely to be able or want to meet, Indian and Namibian officials familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Click here to read…
The lip-sync siblings from Tanzania, and why PM Modi praised them
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised a brother-sister duo from Tanzanian, now social media stars, for lip-syncing to the Indian national anthem on Republic Day and paying tribute to Lata Mangeshkar. Who are Kili and Neema Paul? Click here to read…
Event Report
The African Continental Free Trade Area and Opportunities for India
On 23rd February 2022, the Vivekananda Foundation organised a lecture on “The African Continental Free Trade Area and Opportunities for India”. The Continental Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) is a critical African project to accelerate the continent’s long-term integration and economic goal.Click here to read…