Category: Africa

East Africa: How Covid-19 Has Increased Fertility, Adolescent Pregnancy and Maternal Deaths in East and Southern African Countries

LUANDA, Angola, MBABANE, Eswatini, PRETORIA, South Africa and LUSAKA, Zambia–“Young people are able to access [sexual and reproductive health] services but not as much as they used to before the lockdown,” said Kondelwani Kamanga, a 27-year-old student from Zambia. Globally, weaknesses in health-care systems have been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the provision of

Africa: Covid-19 Death Toll Exceeds 150,000 Across Continent

Cape Town — As of July 10 confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 55 African countries reached 5,869,127 while over 37,004,431 vaccinations have been administered across the continent. Reported deaths in Africa reached 150,483 and 5,067,406 people have recovered. South Africa has the most reported cases 2,157,687 and 63,873 people died. Other most-affected countries are Morocco (539,839), Tunisia (481,735), Egypt (282,864),

Zimbabwe: Jah Prayzah Ropes in Local Acts for Album Launch

Musicians Trevor Dongo, Mwenje Mathole, Mbeu and Feli Nandi will be the supporting acts for tonight’s Jah Prayzah virtual “Gwara” album launch performances on Gateway Stream music platform. Last weekend, Jah Prayzah released the audio songs for his new album “Gwara” on the same platform and promised fans a virtual performance today. IThe three-hour long

Africa: Iconic African Curator – Okwui Enwezor

Often credited for turning global attention to the rich and expansive art of the Global South, he battled fiercely against the deeply embedded and reductive nature of the Euro- and Western-centric art world. This week, our Maverick Life Art School series takes a closer look at the undeniably iconic Okwui Enwezor Curator: Okwuchukwu Emmanuel Enwezor

Africa: Gambia Chairs Africa Group At the United Nations

BANJUL, 6 July 2021: The Republic of The Gambia has been nominated to chair the Africa Group of Permanent Representatives at the United Nations in New York for the month of July. The Africa Group at the United Nations is made up of 54 African Union Member States. The bloc coordinates efforts on various topics,

Botswana: Covid-19 and New Directions in Corporate Botswana Social Spend

‘Clearly, the time has come for social spend to be approached in ways that are smarter and more sustainable, delivering long-term positive Impact’ (Zim, 2018) Gobe Taziba* Corporate social spend has been ongoing in Botswana since time immemorial. Scattered documentation of such spend can be found in various annual, CSI, and project reports. This is

Africa: A Call to Action – Statement from the International Rescue Committee on the Generation Equality Forum Paris

New York — After three days of meetings of the Generation Equality Forum (GEF) from Paris, the international community has agreed on a Global Acceleration Plan to achieve gender equality. The GEF Paris, hosted by the Government of France from 30 June – 2 July, brought together heads of state, civil society, and activists to

Africa: Tracing the History of Farming Across Africa Gives Clues to Low Production Outputs

Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa is under-performing, leaving 30% of people in the region food insecure. Food insecurity means that not all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs. Many reasons have been put forward for this state of

DJIBOUTI/ETHIOPIA : Addis Ababa and Djibouti about to call for bids for a second interconnection line

State-run electric companies Electricité de Djibouti (EdD) and Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) recently began looking for a consultant to work on a project to build the second power interconnection line between Ethiopia and Djibouti. Source link

Africa: Why Private Foreign Security Companies Are Booming in Africa

The UN Security Council accuses Russian mercenaries of human rights violations in the Central African Republic. Western mercenaries and companies also operate in Africa — often in a highly opaque manner. March 2020: A regiment of the French Foreign Legion patrols the Malian desert. The armored vehicles are moving in the dangerous border area with

South Africa: Victory for the Rule of Law – the Warriors Leading the War Against State Capture

The Constitutional Court judgment against former president Jacob Zuma, and the strengthening of key institutions such as the South African Revenue Service and the National Prosecuting Authority, showing early signals of success in the fight against State Capture. First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper. State Capture eviscerated the very organs of state

Africa: Covid-19 – Africa Plans a Vaccine Revolution

Very few vaccines have found their way into the arms of Africans as they struggle with a surge in COVID-19 infections. Several countries now want to start producing vaccines on the continent. Can they succeed? The third wave of coronavirus is rolling through much of Africa — and it could be the most severe of

South Africa: Law and Riot, Riot and Law

The law has no absolute character and always reflects the balance of social forces at the time it was written. It is a terrain of struggle, not a replacement for struggle. Three forms of oppressive authority, all intensely patriarchal, have met significant challenges in recent weeks. The judgment that the high court in Pietermaritzburg handed

Africa: Delta Variant Drives Africa Covid Threat to ‘Whole New Level´ – WHO Warns – ‘Dominant’ in Europe By August

With cases now doubling in Africa every three weeks, the Delta variant of COVID-19 has spread to 16 countries and it is present in three of the five nations reporting the highest caseloads. The variant is the most contagious yet – up to 60% more transmissible than other variants. Along with Alpha and Beta, Delta

Mozambique: Municipal Police Condemned for Attack On Journalists

Maputo — The Mozambican chapter of the regional press freedom body MISA (Media Institute of Southern Africa) has strongly condemned the municipal police in the northern city of Nampula for a physical attack against four journalists on Tuesday. According to a MISA-Mozambique press release, the victims of the police assault all work on private television

Africa: Religion and Development in Africa – Blessing or Curse?

African countries are seen as being both deeply religious and underdeveloped. Could religion be the underlying problem? Or is the misrepresentation of faith a hindrance to greater development? Africa is host to the highest number of religious countries in the world, according to a recent Gallop poll. The survey appears to support the prevailing narrative

GUINEA : Conakry finds builder for southern bauxite export corridor

ANAIM, which coordinates the construction of transport infrastructure for mining projects in Guinea, has chosen a firm to develop the Source link

Africa: How Technology Can Help Combat Africa’s Brain-Drain!

For the first time, Africa-focused startup funding has crossed the $1 billion mark. Last year, African startups received a total of $1.3 billion, with over half of the total funnelled into fintech businesses. From banking to health care provision, startups are proving that technology can provide the solutions to the most challenging of problems. Brain

Africa: Is the International Criminal Court Going After the Wrong People?

Many of the ICC’s greatest triumphs have been in prosecuting war criminals in the eastern Congo. Yet relentless violence there continues. The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a region fabled for its verdant rainforests and rare wildlife. Unfortunately, it is equally notorious for being the theatre of some of the country’s fiercest violence,

Africa: Joint Communiqué by Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS

Rome — The following statement was released by United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and the Foreign Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS following today’s meeting. Begin text: The Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS, reconvening in-person after two years, met today in Rome at the invitation of Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and

South Africa: Over 185 000 Educators, Staff Vaccinated

More than 185 000 educators and staff have been vaccinated in the basic education sector, as the sector continues the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. In a statement on Sunday, the Department of Basic Education said 30 000 teachers and support staff in Limpopo, were vaccinated on Friday and Saturday. “The province has managed to administer the

Africa: President Cyril Ramaphosa – South Africa’s Response to Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic

Fellow South Africans, Our former President Nelson Mandela once wrote: “I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. “But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb”. As

South Africa: Study Shows a Huge Burden of Undiagnosed Disease in a Rural South African District

South Africa’s massive effort over the years to test and treat people for HIV has drastically improved public health. But in that process, other diseases that are highly prevalent may have been neglected. The country has been reporting lower rates HIV-related deaths. But more South Africans are presenting with noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and

ETHIOPIA : The final obstacles on the road to Ethio Telecom's privatisation

On 14 June, the Ethiopian government kick-started the tendering process for the future partial privatisation of the state-owned telephone operator Ethio Telecom. Source link

Zimbabwe: RBZ Facility Enables U.S.$22.5 Million Afdis Debt Settlement

A FACILITY provided by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has enabled African Distillers Limited (Afdis) to pay US$22.5 million to the South Africa based partner, Distell Limited. Details contained in the Independent Auditor’s report to Afdis shareholders for the period ended March 31 2021 show that the central bank facility enabled the company to

Africa: National Assembly Approves Ratification of African Continental Free Trade Area, Opening Door Between Seychelles and 1.2 Billion Customers

Businesses in Seychelles will be able to access a market of 1.2 billion people after the National Assembly approved the ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a top government official said on Friday. This agreement aims to create a single continental market for goods and services, with free movement of business people

Zimbabwe: Chinamasa Says Zanu-PF Won’t Surrender Bond With Military

ZANU PF acting political commissar Patrick Chinamasa says the ruling party was not ready yet to surrender what he said was an unbreakable bond with the country’s military. He was addressing the media at the party headquarters in Harare Thursday. “Always be mindful that there is this unbreakable continuity between the liberation struggle and Zanu

African Union Strategy for Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment

Laying the foundation for promotion of gender equality in Africa The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Constitutive Act of the African Union underscore the principle of promoting gender equality on the continent as a prerequisite for achieving inclusive and sustainable development on the continent.

Southern Africa: Communiqué of the Extraordinary Summit Of SADC Heads of State and Government, 23rd June, 2021

Maputo — 1. The Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was held at Joaquim Chissano International Conference Centre in Maputo, Republic of Mozambique, on the 23rd June 2021. 2. Summit was officially opened by H.E. Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of the Republic of Mozambique and

Africa: WHO Supporting South African Consortium to Establish First COVID mRNA Vaccine echnology transfer hub

Geneva/Johannesburg/Paris: Geneva/Johannesburg/Paris — The World Health Organization (WHO) and its COVAX partners are working with a South African consortium comprising Biovac, Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, a network of universities and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish its first COVID mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub. The move follows WHO’s global  call