Welcome to Africa Now, your weekly newsletter for Africa, presenting the most important developments in the continent - news that matters.
COMMENTARY
Zambia’s success will be Africa’s success
The year 2021 has been a landmark year for Zambia. Two important events occurred. The passing of the first president of independent Zambia, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, was mourned in June. Then, in the election in August 2021, the people of Zambia voted decisively for change. Click here to read...
East Africa: Was China’s foreign minister’s visit a success or failure?
Last week, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi concluded his tour of Eritrea, Kenya and Comoros – part of a 31-year-old tradition of Chinese foreign ministers visiting the continent for their first overseas trips in the new calendar year (or before the end of the lunar new year). Click here to read...
NEWS
Senegal Elects Mayors with Eyes on 2024 Presidential Election
Senegal votes in municipal and regional elections on Sunday, amid growing political tensions over whether President Macky Sall will seek to extend his rule beyond the two-term limit in a nation long considered one of Africa's most stable democracies. Click here to read...
Burkina Faso govt denies army takeover after barracks gunfire
Burkina Faso's government denied that the army had seized control of the country on Sunday after exchanges of gunfire took place at multiple army barracks, including two in the capital. Click here to read...
Ethiopia army planning to ‘eliminate’ Tigrayan forces, military official says
Ethiopia’s military is planning to enter the Tigray regional capital of Mekelle and “eliminate” rebellious forces, a top military official said late on Friday amid diplomatic efforts to end conflict in the country’s north. Click here to read...
Djibouti: Can IOG ‘finish the job’ during his last term in office?
In the very troubled Horn of Africa, the small Republic of Djibouti is an island of stability. Although Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (IOG) was re-elected thanks to a positive economic record, the expectations of the population - three-quarters of whom are under 35 - remain high. Click here to read...
Biden’s dangerous refusal to reverse Trump’s Western Sahara policy
Trump recognized the wholesale annexation of one country by another. If Biden lets that stand, the global implications are deeply troubling. Click here to read...
Sudanese hold ‘day for martyrs’ after anti-coup protest killings
Sudanese anti-coup protesters have held a “day for the martyrs”, gathering outside the homes of some of those killed in a bloody crackdown on demonstrations since an October military takeover. Click here to read...
Guinea junta establishes council to lead transition to elections
Guinea's junta on Saturday set up an 80-member council to act as a parliament during the country's transition to electionsClick here to read...
Arab League Summit postponed in blow to Algeria's diplomatic hopes
Algeria's President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, announced on Wednesday that the thirty-first Arab League Summit will be postponed. Click here to read...
Kenya is refusing to release the loan contracts for its Chinese-built railway
Kenya has declined to make public the loan contracts for its Chinese-built railway in response to a court petition by two activists, saying they have non-disclosure clauses and that releasing them would amount to breaching a bilateral agreement, impairing relations between Kenya and China. Click here to read...
The signs suggest that another uprising looms in Egypt
Many human rights organisations, political activists and reports point out unambiguously that the people of Egypt have lived under a brutal police state since the 2013 military coup. Click here to read...
Somali government spokesperson wounded in suicide bomb attack -police, state media
Somalia's government spokesperson was wounded on Sunday in an explosion at a road junction set off by a suicide bomber in the capital Mogadishu, police and the national news agency said. Click here to read...
Tunisian dies after protesting President Saied’s moves
A Tunisian man has died of wounds he sustained during a crackdown by security forces on anti-government protesters during a demonstration last week. Click here to read...
US AFRICOM Commander Says Russian Mercenaries in Mali
The U.S. has now confirmed reports that Russian mercenaries known as the Wagner Group have deployed in Mali and are supported by the Russian military. Click here to read...
Construction Starts on Congo, Central African Republic Sub-River Fiber Connection
As part of the Central African Backbone (CAB) development project, the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic (CAR) will be connected by a 285km steel-reinforced, sub-river fiber optic connection designed to enhance business and communications between Congo and the Central African region. Click here to read...
Mali holds state ceremony for ex-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita
Mali has held a state ceremony for former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was removed in a 2020 coup and died last week. Click here to read...
U.S. Envoy Visits Coup-Hit Sudan in Bid to End Spiralling Unrest
A new U.S. envoy arrived in Sudan for crisis talks as expectations grow for a more robust response from Washington to the military’s crackdown on opponents of October’s coup that’s left dozens of people dead. Click here to read...
Macron says EU and Africa seek vaccines deal at February summit
The EU is working with African countries toward a deal to improve access to coronavirus vaccines, French President Emmanuel Macron said. Click here to read...
Appeal in 'Hotel Rwanda' hero's case can proceed without him, judge rules
A Rwandan court ruled on Tuesday that an appeal by prosecutors in a case involving Paul Rusesabagina, who was portrayed in the movie 'Hotel Rwanda' sheltering hundreds of people during the 1994 genocide, could proceed in his absence. Click here to read...
Elon Musk's Tesla Inks Mozambique Deal to Get Key Battery Component Outside China
Tesla is turning to Mozambique for a key component in its electric car batteries in what analysts believe is a first-of-its-kind deal designed to reduce its dependence on China for graphite. Click here to read...
Tanzania, Burundi Sign $900 Million Railway Deal to Boost Trade
Tanzania and Burundi have signed an agreement to build a $900 million railway that will connect the neighboring East African nations. Click here to read...
Angola to produce 10.5 mn carats of diamonds in 2022
Angola estimates to produce 10.5 million carats of diamonds in 2022 with a revenue of $1.4 billion, the country's National Diamond Company (Endiama) announced here. Click here to read...
Kenyan e-commerce company Copia Global raises $50M to ramp up African expansion
Kenyan B2C e-commerce company Copia Global has raised $50 million in a Series C equity round led by Goodwell Investments. Click here to read...
False banana: Is Ethiopia's enset 'wondercrop' for climate change?
Scientists say the plant enset, an Ethiopian staple, could be a new superfood and a lifesaver in the face of climate change. The banana-like crop has the potential to feed more than 100 million people in a warming world, according to a new study. Click here to read...
INDIA IN AFRICA
Development partnership key pillar of India-Mauritius ties: PM Narendra Modi
Jointly inaugurating multiple development projects in Mauritius, along with the country’s Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that Mauritius is “integral” to India’s approach to the Indian Ocean, and that the development partnership is a key pillar of the close ties between the two nations. Click here to read...
PM to launch India-assisted projects with Mauritius counterpart Jugnauth today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritius counterpart Pravind Kumar Jugnauth will jointly inaugurate an India-assisted social housing project in Mauritius during a virtual event on January 20. Click here to read...
India to send a battalion for peacekeeping ops in Africa
India will next month dispatch an infantry battalion for UN peacekeeping operations in the oil-rich Abyei region in Africa, which straddles northern and southern Sudan and is hotly contested by both. Click here to read...
Second defence export deal this month: India to supply ALH (MkIII) to Mauritius
Close on the heels of the BrahMos supply contract India has got another contract to supply Indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). Click here to read...
Devas shareholders to continue seizing Indian assets abroad
Unfazed by the Supreme Court upholding winding up of the company, shareholders of Devas Multimedia will continue to seek seizure of Indian government assets abroad to collect $1.2 billion the firm has been awarded by arbitration tribunals for cancellation of a satellite deal but are open for talks to settle the issue, counsel said. Click here to read...
At UNSC, India Urges All Sides to Find 'mutually Acceptable Solutions' To Normalise Sudan
India at United Nations Security Council (UNSC) highlighted that the resignation of Sudan Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok shows the "inherent challenges to the transition process." Click here to read...
J’khand workers stuck in Mali seek help for return home
Around three dozen residents of Jharkhand, working at a power transmission line laying project in the African country of Mali, have sought help from the authorities back home to ensure payment of their pending salaries and safe return to IndiaClick here to read...
