Category: Africa

US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend the 2020 US Diversity Visa Lottery could have dramatic consequences on thousands of winners. On the shores of the Mediterranean in Alexandria, many Egyptian winners feel cheated. This is the case of this teacher. Islam Elrweny had to abandon his post in Saudi Arabia. I was shocked by […]

From a very early age, Emirati entrepreneur Dr. Sara Al Madani believed her ideas could turn a tidy profit. “I started my first business at the age of fifteen with only Dh20,000 ($5,445), and I’ve been financially independent ever since,” she told Rebecca McLaughlin-Eastham, anchor of Inspire Middle East. Since then, Her Excellency has made […]

Botswana remains one of Africa’s least impacted countries, one of a handful with less than 100 cases of COVID-19. Government has in the past month taken drastic measures including a strict lockdown. President Eric Masisi tested negative for the third time on June 1. The wholes parliament was quarantined at a point when a health […]

Ivorian Prime minister, Amadou Gon Coulibaly, returned home on Thursday after a two-month absence for medical treatment in France. The presidential candidate of the ruling Rally of Republicans party addressed the media upon his arrival at the airport saying he was ready to resume his duties alongside President Alassane Ouattara. “I am back home to […]

A sitting Ghanaian lawmaker and deputy minister has resigned his ministerial post after admitting to openly flouting COVID-19 protocols at a time he had tested positive. The presidency confirmed in a July 3 statement that Carlos Ahenkorah’s resignation as Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry had been accepted by the president. “This follows the admission […]

At the beginning of 2020, Africa, the world’s second fastest growing tourism industry, was projected to rake in billions of dollars. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought travel and tourism to a near-standstill. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation estimates that the pandemic will cost up to 2 million direct and indirect jobs in tourism […]

There are now more than over 400,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the continent, with a number of African countries imposing a range of prevention and containment measures against the spread of the pandemic. According to the latest data by the John Hopkins University and Africa Center for Disease Control on COVID-19 in Africa, the […]

Senegalese fishermen have joined forces to protect sea turtles. As one of the ocean’s most endangered species, the sea turtle is threatened by poaching, pollution and even fishing nets. “We sometimes catch turtles but we release them back into the ocean. It is not good to eat them because they contribute to the preservation of […]

Somalis on Wednesday (July 1) celebrated the country’s 60th independence anniversary amid calls for solidarity despite the challenges facing the Horn of Africa nation. In his message, President Mohamed Farmajo underscored the commitment of Somalis to remain focused, noting that despite the many hardships they continue to face, Somalis can take pride in the progress […]

After a snub on the list of 15 nations deemed ‘safe’ for their citizens to travel to the European Union, Senegal has reacted to the announcement. On Wednesday, Dakar announced that it would not reopen its air space to travellers from EU countries. The announcement was made by the Senegalese air transport minister without further […]

Nearly 78% of Russian voters officially approved the amendments to the country’s constitution that will allow Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036. The Russian Electoral Commission announced this Thursday after all the ballots were counted. According to the commission, there was no case of fraud reported. But the opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, is […]

Burundi on Wednesday (July 1) marked its 58th independence anniversary. The official ceremony in the capital Bujumbura featured colorful parades by security personnel and civilians. Presiding over the event was President Evariste Ndayishimiye who ascended to power in June following the death of President Pierre Nkuruzinza. He cautioned the nation against being used as “instruments […]

One of Algeria’s prominent figure for the protest movement, Karim Tabbour was released Thursday, his lawyer Abdelghani Badi told AFP. Badi said this follows a green light from the court of Algiers for a request of his client’s provisional release. Tabbou, was imprisoned on 26 September, 2016 and was sentenced on an appeal on March […]

Protesters gathered outside the University of the Witswatersrand in Johannesburg Wednesday against Africa’s first COVID-19 vaccine trial. With burned face masks, protesters sang and danced carrying banners which read “We’re not guinea pigs… No safe vaccine.” “It goes against all protocols. And even if people are going to consent, there has to be informed consent. […]

Letter of the Belgian king to Felix Tshisekedi on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the DRC. Nigeria’s Buhari warns his a large percentage of people in his country risks sliding into extreme poverty. Manu Dibango, the most sampled African artist of all time, with more than 125 samples and covers recorded, ‘according to […]

Desert locusts continue to threaten Kenya’s food supply after invading the north-western part of the country by the millions. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations works with Kenyan logisticians to search for and monitor dense areas of locust invasions in the country’s desert. Among them, Boris Polo and his team are using […]

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, as at end of June 2020 was Africa’s third most impacted country only behind South Africa and Egypt. As Africa’s biggest economy, the federal government has continued to enforce regulations across the board even though most state governments have moved to relax restrictions. The national response is led by the […]

Taiwan and Somaliland, Somalia’s northern autonomous region, have agreed to boost diplomatic relations between them. The main feature being the opening of Representative Offices in their respective capitals. “We’ve signed an agreement with Somaliland to establish good relations. A Taiwan Representative Office will be set up in this independent country on the Horn of Africa. […]

After almost 100 days of closure, the South African passenger rail service is operating again as the country’s lockdown restrictions ease up. Passenger numbers are limited, masks are mandatory, and the trains are sanitised after each trip. South Africa is still heading towards its COVID-19 outbreak peak, and some passengers worry that more could be […]