The rate of coronavirus cases is rising in many parts of Africa, where governments face alarming shortages of funds and vaccines. German Development Minister Gerd Müller is getting a closer look. German Development Minister Gerd Müller’s first stop on his weeklong tour of West Africa trip was Lome, the capital of the small country of
Africa: Reuters’ Hot List of Climate Scientists Is Geographically Skewed – Why This Matters
June 16, 2021
The Reuters Hot List of “the world’s top climate scientists” is causing a buzz in the climate change community. Reuters ranked these 1,000 scientists based on three criteria: the number of papers published on climate change topics; citations, relative to other papers in the same field; and references by the non-peer reviewed press (for example
Africa: Nigeria-South Africa Trade Hits U.S.$2.9 Billion
June 16, 2021
The volume of trade between Nigeria and South Africa hit $2.9 billion last year with expectation of it rising further with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. Nigeria’s Consul General, Malik Abdul, in a statement noted that Nigeria accounts for 64 per cent of South Africa’s trade in West Africa and is one
Africa: How African Union Members Came to Share Power Despite Themselves
June 13, 2021
The African Union (AU) held its first summit in 2002, establishing itself as a new international organisation. It also launched a new vision for African security cooperation. Nearly two decades later, it is worth reflecting on the process that produced that vision. It may have something to teach us about international negotiations. The vision is
Africa: Cogent, the Largest Supplier of Internet Transit to Africa, Seeks to Expand Its Presence in Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria
June 13, 2021
London — Sub-Saharan Africa is no longer the poor Cinderella of international internet markers. Growth in both supply and demand and a growing data centre ecosystem mean that international companies providing low cost, high speed internet access and private networks are increasingly having a local presence. Russell Southwood spoke to Dave Schaeffer, CEO, Cogent about
Africa: Aviation Stakeholders Mull Over High Cost of Air Travel in Africa
June 12, 2021
Frequent air travelers within Africa agree that the cost of air tickets is too high. So serious is this issue that top African aviation stakeholders met virtually early this year to discuss factors responsible for the high cost of airfares and to come up with suggestions on how to address such factors. At a webinar
Africa: Climate Change Is a Threat to Africa’s Transport Systems – What Must Be Done
June 11, 2021
Transportation infrastructure, such as roads and railway systems, is one of the sectors most threatened by climate change. Extreme weather events – such as flooding, sea level rises and storm surges – repeatedly wreak havoc on transport networks. In Africa, extreme weather is a threat that can cause extensive structural damage. It can also accelerate
TURKEY/AFRICA : AU keeps Ankara waiting over Turkey-Africa summit
June 11, 2021
Despite Ankara’s intense lobbying of the African Union (AU), the pan-African organisation has still not confirmed the date of the third Turkey-Africa summit, which should in theory take place in the autumn. Source link
Africa: Pan-African Parliament’s Woes Reflect a Crisis in Leadership
June 10, 2021
Chaotic scenes at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in Johannesburg last week have prompted a strong reaction from across the continent. African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat called for PAP activities to be suspended until the issues around electing a new PAP president and bureau were settled. The incidents have exposed an institution that,
Gaborone — The 22nd edition of the African Senior Athletics Championships is in limbo following withdrawal of Nigeria from hosting the competition, which was to be staged in Lagos from June 23-27. The country had agreed to host the championships after initial hosts, Algeria pulled out as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Algeria
HORN OF AFRICA : World Bank considers billion-dollar investment in electricity infrastructure for Horn
June 7, 2021
The five Horn of Africa countries – Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan – could be in line for financing to the tune of $1.035bn from the World Bank. Source link
Africa: Dams and the Technology-Development Nexus – the Case of the GERD
June 6, 2021
The business of national economic development is always multi-faceted with blurry lines, with politics, economics, technology and ecology interacting all the time. There is a peculiar additional complexity when we deal with strategic national resources such as water. This complexity is amplified when there are other stakeholders to the same resource but outside the national
South Africa: Plan to Protect Sharks Needs an Urgent Update
June 6, 2021
When great white sharks disappeared from two well-known congregation areas on South Africa’s coast recently, the possible reasons were hotly debated. The appearance of a pair of shark-eating killer whales in the area was one. Another was the decline in numbers of smaller shark species that great whites prey on. Coupled with this was the
South Africa: Urban South Africa Is Ill-Prepared for the Coming Climate Change Storm
June 5, 2021
South Africa is no stranger to the devastating impacts of weather-related hazards such as floods, wildfires, storms and droughts. These events have wreaked havoc on infrastructure and communities, causing devastating economic and social losses. Without urgent adaptation measures, South African cities and towns will be hard hit, leaving millions exposed and vulnerable to climate change.
Africa: New Study Reveals the Origin of African Jackals
June 4, 2021
Dr Alberto Valenciano, a former researcher from the University of Cape Town (UCT), is the lead author on new research that has found the origin of some of the most emblematic groups of African carnivorous mammals: jackals. Dr Valenciano was joined by an international group of researchers, including Dr Romala Govender from UCT’s Department of
Africa: Global Food Prices Rise At Rapid Pace in May
June 3, 2021
Rome — FAO Food Price Index posts fastest monthly increase to reach highest value since September 2011 Global food prices rose in May at their fastest monthly rate in more than a decade, even as world cereal production is on course to reach a new record high, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Africa: Gender Violence Claims Rock Pan-African Parliament
June 2, 2021
Johannesburg, Claims of gender-based violence have rocked the Pan-African Parliament after representatives tussled over the next president of the institution’s bureau. The incident happened during a session on Monday as the legislators listened to a presentation by an ad-hoc committee formed to harmonise proposals on how to elect the next president. A clip aired by
Africa: Launch of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Support Center in Uganda and Malawi
June 1, 2021
The African Energy Commission (AFREC) in collaboration with the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) hosted two virtual kick-off meetings to launch the activities of the of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Support Center in Uganda and Malawi. The launch of the project took place on 15th April 2021 in Uganda and 26th May 2021
Africa: Update From the Seventy-Fourth World Health Assembly – 29 May 2021
May 31, 2021
New resolutions on: Local production of medicines Ending violence against children Addressing social determinants of health Strengthening local production of medicines and other health technologies to improve access Member State requests for WHO’s support in strengthening local production have been increasing in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has only served to highlight even more the
Africa: More Than 23.1 Million People Vaccinated Across the Continent
May 30, 2021
As of May 30, confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 55 African countries reached 4,821,436 while over 23,109,877 vaccinations have been administered across the continent. Reported deaths in Africa reached 130,120 and 4,355,268 people have recovered. South Africa has the most reported cases – 1,659,070 – and 56,363 people died. Other most-affected countries are Morocco (
Germany’s health minister, Jens Spahn, is in South Africa as part of an initiative to assist vaccine production on the continent. But improving manufacuting capacity is still set to be a long journey. German Health Minister Jens Spahn touched down in South Africa on Friday, as part of a trip focused on assisting local vaccine
Africa: How Covid in India Affects Patients in Africa
May 29, 2021
About 97% of Kenyans and many Nigerians depend on India to treat heart and kidney diseases. With travel restrictions to India, some ill Africans have been left stranded. Imelda Wambua has chronic kidney failure and cannot afford the high cost of treatment in Kenya. Under normal circumstances, Wambua would quickly hop in a budget airliner
Africa: U.S. Push for a Global Clean Energy Transition Can Start in Africa
May 28, 2021
Katie Auth is policy director at the Energy for Growth Hub and former deputy coordinator of Power Africa at USAID. Todd Moss is executive director at the Hub and a former deputy assistant secretary of State for African Affairs. Rose Mutiso is research director at the Hub and former senior fellow at the Department of
The Department of Agriculture is about to introduce a new Animal Welfare Act, but all non-agricultural stakeholders have been excluded from the working group drafting it, suggesting that the new Act will mainly benefit the farming industry but not necessarily the animals it’s intended to protect. The working group appointed to draft Animal Welfare Bill
Africa: Ecosocc Launches the Young Africans Writing Contest (Yawc)
May 27, 2021
The African Union’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) Secretariat yesterday, on Africa Day, launched the Young Africans Writing Contest (YAWC). The Young Africans Writing Contest (YAWC) is an ECOSOCC initiative in collaboration with ACCESS Bank, Zambia, that aims to bridge the gap between African Youth and the African Union. It is predicted that the
Africa: Liberia’s Vice President Jewel Taylor Calls for an African Industrial Revolution in an Interview With Africa Renewal, Ms. Taylor Also Discusses Liberia’s Development Priorities.
May 27, 2021
Jewel Cianeh Taylor is one of few women in top political leadership positions in Africa. In this interview with Africa Renewal’s Kingsley Ighobor, she discusses Liberia’s COVID-19 response, post-pandemic priorities, women’s empowerment in Africa, youth unemployment and other issues. These are the excerpts: How is Liberia dealing with COVID-19? As you know, Liberia is a
WEST AFRICA : ECOWAS finally moves forward with Praia-Dakar-Abidjan corridor project
May 27, 2021
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is currently looking for consultants to carry out several studieson the Praia-Dakar-Abidjan corridor project: Source link
South Africa: Taxi Drivers Bring Gqerberha to Standstill Over Covid-19 Funds
May 25, 2021
Taxi drivers disrupted parts of Gqeberha on Tuesday, with several roadblocks and violent protests. The drivers are demanding answers about their Covid-19 Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) funds. Seven taxi drivers were arrested, two vehicles torched and a truck was hijacked and looted during the protest. Nelson Mandela Bay Regional Taxi