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…

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

COMMENTARY

Israel’s Africa Conundrum: Bilateral Relations, Multilateral Opposition

In the first week of February, the annual summit of the African Union (AU) took place in Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, the headquarters of the African Union. The principal objective of the meeting was to evaluate AU’s achievements over the past one year. Click here to read…

NEWS

African leaders head to Brussels for 6th EU-AU Summit

African Heads of State and Government are expected in Belgium this week to meet their European counterparts at the 6th European Union-African Union Summit. Click here to read…

France announces military withdrawal from Mali

France and its allies in the anti-jihadi operation in Mali have announced a “coordinated withdrawal” of their forces. A joint statement cited “multiple obstructions” by the country’s ruling military junta. Click here to read…

Burkina Faso’s junta sworn in as president

Burkina Faso’s junta leader, Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, was sworn in as president Wednesday, less than a month after mutinous soldiers seized control of the West African country in a coup. Click here to read…

Mauritius formally challenges Britain’s ownership of Chagos Islands

Britain’s ownership of the Chagos archipelago has been formally challenged after the Mauritian ambassador to the UN, Jagdish Koonjul, raised his country’s flag above the atoll of Peros Banhos. Click here to read…

Kenyan Elections Will Struggle to Meet the Moment

Kenya’s August elections will undoubtedly be among the most consequential political events in Africa in 2022. In a turbulent region, Kenya’s stability, economic muscle, and diplomatic leadership are more essential than ever before. Click here to read…

Sudan: Burhan dismisses sanctions threats, lauds ties with Israel
Sudan’s military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has made comments in which he dismissed Western threats of sanctions tied to protests in the country and discussed meetings between Sudanese and Israeli officials he said were for security cooperation, not politics. Click here to read…

Will Libya have two prime ministers again?

Libya is facing political turmoil again. On February 10, the country’s parliament, the House of Representatives, voted to sack the current Prime Minister Abdulhamed Dbeiba and appoint Fathi Bashaga, the interior minister in the previous government and main architect of the resistance against General Khalifa Haftar’s attack on Tripoli in 2019. Click here to read…

Combat troops patrol in Kinshasa after failed coup attempt

Republican Guard combat troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo marched through the streets of the capital Kinshasa on Saturday, following a failed coup and the arrest of the alleged perpetrators. Click here to read…

Ethiopia parliament votes to lift state of emergency early

Ethiopia’s parliament has voted for an early end to a six-month state of emergency, declared last November when rebel Tigrayan forces were threatening to march on the capital, Addis Ababa. Click here to read…

Guinea-Bissau: Government critics under increasing pressure

After what authorities said was a coup by drug dealers aiming to kill President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, a new spate of violence against critics of the government is compounding the feeling of insecurity in Guinea-Bissau. Click here to read…

Terror Attacks Surge as Elections Drag in Somalia

A senior African Union official said Tuesday that while al-Shabab continues to be the main security threat in Somalia, the AU is also monitoring a possible resurgence of Islamic State. Click here to read…

Does new decree mark the end of judicial independence in Tunisia?

President Kais Saied’s new decree establishing a temporary judicial authority to replace the dissolved Supreme Judicial Council continues to draw widespread criticism in Tunisia in a setback for the rule of law. Click here to read…

Nigeria: 365 Days to Presidential Election, Aspirants Begin to Emerge

Today makes it exactly a year to the 2023 presidential election and aspirants in the two main political parties – the All-Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – as well as some other parties, are positioning for the most coveted office in the land. Click here to read…

“We were born free and we will stay free”: Somaliland is resisting pressure from China

Last week, a delegation from Somaliland went on a five-day tour of Taiwan, a trip that elicited a negative reaction from China. Click here to read…

Algeria’s fate is tied to the Ukraine crisis. Will a war extinguish hope for the country’s popular movement?

With international attention concentrated for weeks on Russian forces amassed at Ukraine’s borders, fewer resources have been spent anticipating the many second- and third-order effects that conflict between these two countries could trigger worldwide. Click here to read…

Guinea Must Put Justice At the Heart of Its Transition

The September coup was domestically popular. The junta can build on this and send a signal to the region by prioritising accountability. Click here to read…

Report finds rampant abuse of women in African parliaments

A study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the African Parliamentary Union has found that acts of sexism, harassment, and violence against women are common in African parliaments. Click here to read…

56 African heritage sites threatened by extreme coastal events: Study

Around 56 heritage sites in Africa are vulnerable to extreme coastal events and erosion, according to a new study. They are at the risk of being damaged by these factors and the number of exposed sites may more than triple by 2050, the report added. Click here to read…

Malawi Detects Polio, First Wild Case in Africa in Over 5 Years

Malawi has declared a polio outbreak after a case was detected in a young child in the capital Lilongwe, the first case of wild poliovirus in Africa in more than five years, the WHO said. Click here to read…

EU praises vaccine cooperation with Africa at summit

Speaking on the first day of an EU-Africa summit in Brussels, the head of the European Commission said the EU will continue to focus in the short term on the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines. Click here to read…

Egypt lengthening two-way portion of Suez Canal by 10 kilometres

Egypt is working to improve the Suez Canal by making an additional 10 kilometres accessible to two-way traffic, while widening and deepening another 30 kilometresClick here to read…

Amnesty Accuses Tigray Forces of Atrocities in Ethiopia’s Amhara

Rights groups Amnesty International says Tigrayan fighters have committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity as they were withdrawing from Ethiopia’s Amhara region. Click here to read…

No school In Zimbabwe after government suspends 90% of teachers

A strike by Zimbabwean teachers that has crippled learning entered a second week on Monday, with no resolution on sight after the government suspended 135,000 teachers for failing to report for work. Click here to read…

After Mali exit, Niger accepts foreign forces to secure border

President Mohamed Bazoum says Niger has accepted that French and European special forces will be deployed into its territory from Mali to boost security near the border with its neighbouring country. Click here to read…

Cameroon’s Rival Separatist Groups Clash, Kill Fighters

Rival anglophone separatist groups in Cameroon have clashed this month, causing an undetermined number of casualties. The fighting was triggered by power struggles within the separatist movement. Click here to read…

Applause in Tanzania After President Meets Exiled Opposition Leader in Belgium

Tanzanian political figures are applauding after President Samia Suluhu Hassan met in Brussels Wednesday with opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Lissu has lived in Belgium since a 2017 assassination attempt. 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…

INDIA IN AFRICA

Modi meets ex-Kenyan PM, expresses commitment to strengthen ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met former Kenyan premier Raila Amolo Odinga on Sunday and expressed his commitment to further strengthening the India-Kenya relations. Click here to read…

Defexpo 2022 India-Africa ministers’ meet from March 10

The second edition of the India-Africa Defence Ministers Conclave, will be one of the highlights of the 12th edition of biennial defence exhibition — Defexpo 2022, which will be held from March 10 to 13, at three different venues in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Click here to read…

NATHEALTH and African Health Federation organised second India Africa Health Summit

With an objective to strengthen the efforts towards the vaccination drive in Africa and share best practices, and exchange knowledge NATHEALTH – Healthcare Federation of India in collaboration with Africa Healthcare Federation organised the Indo-Africa Vaccine Summit on Friday – 11th February 2022 virtually.Click here to read…

Indian Railways exports Cape Gauge Diesel Locomotives to Mozambique

The Indian Railways has exported the four powerful Cape Gauge Diesel Locomotives, manufactured at Banaras Locomotive Works, to Mozambique now. Click here to read…

MOZAMBIQUE: India grants $10 million for water in Cabo Delgado

The Indian High Commissioner to Mozambique, Ankan Banerjee, has signed a memorandum of understanding worth $10 million with the Mozambican government. This funding supports a drinking water supply program that will benefit the populations of the Mueda district, in the Cabo Delgado province. Click here to read…

Africa applauds India’s technology inspired rapid vaccination drive

Healthcare Federation of India in collaboration with the Africa Healthcare Federation organised the Indo-Africa Vaccine Summit virtually. The summit saw participation from key dignitaries from both India and Africa to deliberate and to offer a framework to build resilience towards future emergencies and pandemics. Click here to read…

India’s Homegrown Direct Selling Brand Vestige Announces Foray into Ghana to Expand Global Footprint

After gaining a stronghold in India and several international markets, Vestige Marketing Pvt Ltd. has announced its foray into Africa by launching operations in Ghana. In the initial phase, the company will offer a range of health and wellness products from its bestseller categories – health supplements, personal care, home care and oral care. Click here to read…

Indian govt to partner Bono East become tourism hub in W/A

The Indian government says it would partner the Bono East Regional Coordinating Council (BERCC) to make the region a tourism hub in West Africa. Click here to read…

Airtel Kenya to pay local regulator $17.5 mn in out-of-court settlement

Under the settlement pact terms, Airtel Kenya will pay $17.5 million to the Kenyan telecom regulator for its licence renewal. The payment will happen over the next two years. Click here to read…

South African Tourism Kickstarts Travel Recovery Efforts in India

Reigniting its travel recovery efforts in India, South African Tourism launched its ‘More & More’ campaign today. Localized for Indian audiences, this campaign aims to highlight the variety and diversity of experiences that South Africa has to offer, ranging from 3000+ adventure activities to exciting culinary experiences and more, across its 9 provinces. Click here to read…

‘Will take Ayurveda to Africa’: Ex-Kenya PM Raila Odinga after daughter’s eyesight recovery

Raila Odinga, former Prime Minister of Kenya, who was in Kerala for his daughter’s eye treatment expressed his happiness and satisfaction from Ayurveda treatment. Click here to read…

India delegation heads to Namibia to discuss cheetah translocation

A delegation from India left for Namibia on Thursday to discuss cheetah translocation logistics with the Namibia government, according to people familiar with the development. Click here to read…