Welcome to Africa Now, your weekly newsletter for Africa, presenting the most important developments in the continent - news that matters.
COMMENTARY
Africa’s dilemma in the Russia-Ukraine crisis
On March 2, the UNGA in New York voted on a resolution calling for the withdrawal of the Russian military from Ukraine; 141 countries out of 193 voted in favour of the resolution criticising Russia during the summit. Click here to read...
NEWS
UK to give illegal migrants a one-way ticket to Rwanda
British Home Secretary Priti Patel in the Central African nation to sign the controversial deal condemned by critics as shameful. Click here to read...
New Members of Somalia's Parliament Sworn In
More than 80% of Somalia's new parliament members were sworn in Thursday, following repeated poll delays and an ongoing feud between the president and the prime minister. Click here to read...
Ivory Coast prime minister and government resign
President Alassane Ouattara accepts resignation and says he plans to slim down the size of the cabinet, with appointments to be made next week. Click here to read...
DRC: M23 rebels ready to retreat from captured villages
The March 23 Movement (M23) rebellion announced on Sunday its withdrawal from the villages that came under its control at the end of the week in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Click here to read...
Germany tells Mali to halt work with Russian mercenaries
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also made continued German support contingent upon holding fresh elections during a trip to the crisis-ridden state. The military junta has postponed elections for at least five years. Click here to read...
Departure of second US envoy for Horn of Africa exposes Ethiopia and Sudan policy rifts
Disagreements within the State Department are understood to have hindered David Satterfield, making him the second ambassador to leave the position. Click here to read...
Algeria accuses Morocco of killing three in Western Sahara
Algeria accused its neighbour Morocco of killing three people in an attack on the edge of the contested territory of Western Sahara on April 12. Click here to read...
Gambia: National Assembly to Swear in Newly Elected Members Today
The National Assembly of the Gambia will today 14th April 2022, swear in the newly elected members, marking the beginning of the Sixth Legislature. Click here to read...
Zimbabwe: Mnangagwa is losing key allies who sanitised the military coup
After coming to power through a military coup that ousted long-time ruler Robert Mugabe in November 2017, President Emmerson Mnangagwa attracted businesspeople both at home and abroad with his mantra: Zimbabwe is 'open for business'. Click here to read...
Uganda to be blacklisted over money laundering – Reports
Uganda’s financial industry risks being blacklisted by international systems for failure to put in place measures that can effectively prevent financial crimes like money laundering. Click here to read...
South Sudan President Kiir integrates rival’s officers into army
A unified army is a central pillar of the long-running peace process in the world’s youngest nation. Click here to read...
US approves arms sale to Nigeria despite human rights concerns
The United States has approved a nearly $1bn weapons sale to Nigeria after legislators had put a hold on the deal over concerns about possible human rights abuses by the Nigerian government. Click here to read...
Egypt steps up support to Sudan ahead of Nile dam third filling
Egypt sent aid and logistical and humanitarian support to Sudan as the two countries stress the need to continue consultations and mutual coordination on Ethiopia’s controversial Nile dam. Click here to read...
395 dead, dozens missing after 'apocalyptic' floods batter South Africa
"Sadly, the number of fatalities continues to increase with the latest figure standing at 395," regional head of the disaster managing ministry Sipho Hlomuka said in a statement. Click here to read...
Democratic Republic of Congo invites Big Oil to world’s second-largest rainforest
The DRC government gave the green signal to auction 16 oil blocks in Cuvette Centrale, a sensitive ecosystem in the Congo rainforest, last week. Click here to read...
Draghi Bets on Africa for Italy’s Exit from Russian Gas
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi is chasing a raft of natural gas deals in Africa as he seeks to cut energy ties with Russia. Click here to read...
Italy and Spain Hold Talks to Head Off Tension Over Algerian Gas
Diplomats from Italy and Spain are holding talks after Rome’s move to secure large volumes of Algerian gas stoked concerns in Madrid that its own access to the key fuel could be affected, according to people familiar with the situation. Click here to read...
Italy to Buy More Algerian Gas in Bid to Cut Russia Reliance
Italy will boost natural gas imports from Algeria as the European country seeks to reduce its dependence on Russian energy following the invasion of UkraineClick here to read...
Morocco considers onshore, offshore options for LNG import facility
Morocco is studying options at several ports to build a floating or land-based facility to import liquefied natural gas (LNG), Energy Minister Leila Benali said on Friday. Click here to read...
75 Years of Operations: A Brief History of Sudan Airways
Sudan Airways is one of the oldest African airlines in operation, but there's a reason you don't see it too often. Click here to read...
Tunisia offers to sell its shares in Nouvlair airline firm
Tunisia on Friday offered for sale its shares in the Nouvlair airline company confiscated from a son-in-law of late President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who was toppled in the 2011 uprising, Karama Holding Company said. Click here to read...
Africa’s Narco-State: An Attempted Coup and Drug Trafficking in Guinea-Bissau
On February 1, 2022, men armed with machine guns and assault rifles attacked the presidential palace in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. Click here to read...
Coup: Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea given timelines to return to democratic rule
An extraordinary meeting of the ECOWAS Commission has ended in Accra with heads of states giving extended timelines to the coup countries of Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea to initiate processes towards the return to democratic and constitutional rule. Click here to read...
Russians unlikely to leave Libya, despite Ukraine war
Despite rumours that Russia’s Wagner will fight in Ukraine, analysts expect the paramilitary group to stay in Libya. Click here to read...
Brutal murder highlights rise of South Africa’s xenophobic vigilantes
Organised groups fill gap with violence as authority of ruling African National Congress wanes. Click here to read...
Prayers but no peace talks: Chad rivals bide time in Qatar
In the month since Chadian rebels and envoys of the military government started peace talks in Qatar, the two sides have prayed together most days but refused to face each other across the negotiating table. Click here to read...
Guinea junta turns up the heat on bauxite miners
The military junta that took control of Guinea in September is heaping pressure on multinational miners to refine raw bauxite, a raw material used to make aluminium, to more advanced materials before export. Click here to read...
Angola sets its sights on the global coffee market
Angolan coffee is a brew long coveted by aficionados around the world. In the 1970s, around a quarter of a million tonnes of this original Angolan black gold was produced a year. Click here to read...
Botswana detects new coronavirus variant
A new variant of Covid-19 discovered in Botswana is believed to be a mutation of the Omicron variant first detected in southern Africa late last year. Click here to read...
Kenya Airways Gets a Government Bailout To Allow Reorganization
Kenya Airways will receive another round of help from the government as it battles extreme financial struggles to stay afloat. The state treasury will loosen its purse strings once again just weeks after approving more than $170 million for the airline. Click here to read...
Africa’s dilemma in the Russia-Ukraine crisis
On February 24, as Russia began its air and missile assaults in Ukraine's Donbas area, it escalated into a full-fledged war. Most western countries condemned the attack, and economic measures were imposed. Click here to read...
Ethiopia: Seizing the fragile opening for peace
While the situation remains fragile, the conditions for peace seem to have ripened in Ethiopia. Click here to read...
Africa investors reveal agribusiness opportunities in Zambia, Ghana and beyond
The local production of processed food items that are currently imported presents attractive opportunities in Zambia, according to Tue Nyboe Andersen, managing director of Lusaka-based Kukula Capital. Click here to read...
Cameroon Cholera vaccination campaign ends
A Cameroon five-day campaign to complete cholera vaccination for over 800,000 Cameroonians concludes today. Click here to read...
Turkey says normalising relations with Egypt 'vital'
"Relations with Egypt must be improved. The two countries' ties are significant for many regions. Reciprocal reappointment of ambassadors is possible," Click here to read...
Draghi Heads to Algeria as Italy Seeks to Cut Russia Gas Imports
Mario Draghi will visit Algeria on Monday as part of a plan to wean Italy off Russian natural gas. Click here to read...
Zambia Starts Mass Export of Avocados to Europe
Zambia has started the mass export of avocados to Europe with the first consignment of over 37 tons, a senior government official said Friday. Click here to read...
Togo: Government allocates new monthly allowance for preschool and primary school directors
In Togo, the State will now allocate a new monthly allowance of 12,000 CFA francs to directors of preschools and public elementary schools. Click here to read...
Niger welcomes German Foreign minsiter
After visiting Mali, Germany’s top diplomat ANNELINA BERBOCK was in Niger as part of her tour to strengthen her country’s relations with leaders in the Sahel region. Click here to read...
Gota’s gotta go, Lankans say, Destination Uganda?
Visitors to one of the many homes of the embattled President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa — now facing a wave of street protests over a crippling economic meltdown — almost always stop to admire an unusual ‘aquarium’ in the living room. Click here to read...
Tanzania’s First Female President Wants to Bring Her Nation in From the Cold
Samia Suluhu Hassan became the only female head of government in Africa when her predecessor suddenly died. She is setting a new course. Click here to read...
South African army extends mission against Mozambique rebels
The deployment of South Africa's military in northern Mozambique has been extended while its role has shifted from aggressively fighting Islamic extremist rebels to a peacekeeping effort. Click here to read...
INDIA IN AFRICA
Biden nominates Indian-American diplomat Rachna Sachdeva as his envoy for Mali
US President Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American diplomat Rachna Sachdeva Korhonen as his envoy to Mali, the White House has said, the third such nomination of an Indian-American in over a month. Click here to read...
India-Kenya conducts round 2 of foreign office consultations, reviews bilateral ties
In a key development, India and Kenya held the second round of Foreign Office Consultations (FoC) and reviewed the bilateral relations in areas including politics and finance. Click here to read...
Egypt turns to India for wheat
Egypt has agreed to buy wheat from India following disruption in supplies because of the Ukraine war. The African nation is looking to import 1 million tonnes (mt) from India, with an order for 240,000 tonnes in April. Click here to read...
Ghana India Trade Advisory Chamber to support Youth in Agriculture
Mr Dominic Oduro-Antwi, the President of the Ghana India Trade Advisory Chamber, said the Chamber is ready to support and provide direction for the public, especially the youth, willing to venture into agriculture. Click here to read...
India's Haryana state explores textile trade opportunities in Ethiopia
Indian state of Haryana will soon begin consultations with textile industry to explore the feasibility of trade and investment with Ethiopia. Click here to read...
Egypt has approved India as a wheat supplier: Goyal
Egypt, one of the top importers of wheat from Russia and Ukraine, has approved India as a wheat supplier, commerce minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday. Click here to read...
India Teams with African Island Nation Madagascar to Fight Climate Change
Madagascar, the fourth-largest island in the world, is one its lowest emitters of carbon dioxide. Nevertheless, it is experiencing the cataclysmic effects of climate change first hand. Click here to read...
Indian Navy evacuates sick Seychelles Coast Guard official
The Indian Navy evacuated a crew member of a Seychelles Coast Guard ship after she reported a health problem when the vessel was on a voyage from Kochi to Victoria on Thursday, April 14. Click here to read...
Six Nigerian Army officers to get advanced flying training in India
This marks the continuation of a contract signed in April 2021 for imparting Phase-I flying training to six Nigerian Army aviation officers, which was successfully executed in December 2021. Click here to read...
EU defends IP waiver compromise amid pressure on India, South Africa to reject it
A broad international platform of activists, unions and experts has urged India and South Africa to reject the leaked compromise on intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines, which the European Commission considers the ‘most promising path’ to resolve the issue. Click here to read...
Industry Experts discuss the growth and future of Fintech in Nigeria and India in symposium by CLI College, Nigeria and Christ University, India
There are over 200 FinTech companies in Nigeria offering financial solutions and inclusion for Nigerians and indeed Africans. Click here to read...
‘Indianish but not Indian’ describes Mauritius best
From garam masala made with Madagascar spices to fritters stuffed with prawns and béchamel sauce, local meals in Mauritius are familiar yet so exotic. Click here to read...
India’s tech geeks face bleak future in Tanzania
For 34-year-old Maisam Raj, the biggest challenge of his job as a creative head at Jema Printers in Tanzania’s bustling city of Dar es Salaam is not the complex logos and designs he has to create to impress corporate customers, but the number of hours he must toil every day to get things done. Click here to read...
To counter China, India-US strengthen Western Indian Ocean partnership
This week, the foreign and defence ministers from India and the United States (US) met for a 2+2 meeting in Washington DC. Click here to read...
