Commentary
Africa wants to benefit from its lithium boom: it must find ways to tame the dragon
For clean and sustainable energy in the future, energy storage systems are becoming increasingly important. And, Lithium-based batteries are anticipated to be the most significant component of Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) in the electricity and transportation sectors. Click here to read...
China is winning Africa’s “white-gold” rush for lithium
A visit to the district of Goromonzi, in north-east Zimbabwe, is a lesson in economic history. Click here to read...
China’s First Political School in Africa
The Nyerere Leadership School, supported by China’s Central Party School, provides ideological training to cadres from African liberation parties that have governed uninterrupted since independence. Click here to read...
Dream or mirage: Can South Africa’s white-led opposition win in 2024?
South Africa’s largest opposition party believes it is the government in waiting, ahead of the 2024 election. Analysts doubt that. Click here to read...
News
‘Corpses on streets’: Sudan’s RSF kills 1,300 in Darfur, monitors say
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) besieged a camp for displaced people on November 2 after attacking a nearby army base in West Darfur. Click here to read...
Sudan fighting destroys strategic Khartoum Bridge
A strategic Nile bridge in Sudan’s capital has collapsed, the army and rival paramilitaries said in separate statements Saturday, trading blame for its destruction nearly seven months into their devastating war. Click here to read...
Fresh M23 rebel clashes displace thousands in eastern DR Congo
Clashes between M23 rebels and the Congolese army have been resuming in the province of North Kivu since early October. Against this backdrop, the UN peacekeeping mission in the east of the country, MONUSCO, has announced the launch of Operation Springbok: a joint MONUSCO-Congolese armed forces operation aimed at halting the M23 advance. Click here to read...
Canada embassy explosion: Two people killed in blast in Nigeria
An explosion at Canada's High Commission in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, has killed two people and injured two others, Nigerian officials say. Click here to read...
Cameroon: at least 20 dead in attack by English-speaking separatists (government)
Around twenty people, including women and children, were killed on Monday in a new attack on a village by English-speaking separatists in western Cameroon, where these rebels and the army have been fighting each other for seven years, the government said. Click here to read...
Niger: military regime asks Togo to mediate
The military regime that emerged from a coup d'état in Niger asked Togo on Monday to act as a mediator in its negotiations with the international community, in particular with the West African countries that sanctioned it last summer. Click here to read...
Translators for German UN troops in Mali fear Taliban-style fate
Translators who work for German peacekeepers in Mali have told the BBC they fear for their lives as the UN mission winds up its mission in the West African country. Click here to read...
Suspected Islamic Extremists Hold Dogon Ethnic Group Hostage in Central Mali
Suspected Islamic extremists are holding about 30 men from the Dogon ethnic group hostage after ambushing several public transport buses in central Mali. Click here to read...
Several killed in Guinea jailbreak that briefly freed ex-president
Authorities in Guinea have confirmed that at least nine people have been killed during an armed jailbreak in which a former president was briefly freed. Click here to read...
Uganda Unrest: UK, US issue fresh security alert
The United States and United Kingdom’s diplomatic missions on Tuesday issued a warning to their respective nationals about going to big events, especially religious services. Click here to read...
New alliances shape up politics in Liberia ahead of Tuesday runoff
Liberian president George Weah will face political veteran Joseph Boakai on Tuesday in a presidential election run-off. Click here to read...
Police disperse opposition demonstrators in Madagascar
Just a few days before the first round of presidential elections in Madagascar, demonstrators faced off against the police on Saturday. Click here to read...
Senegal's electoral commission calls opposition leader Sonko
Senegal's electoral commission on Tuesday asked that sponsorship forms be given to main opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, whose candidacy for the upcoming presidential election has been called into question over the past year amid a series of criminal charges. Click here to read...
Algerian president appoints Nadir Larbaoui as the new prime minister
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune appointed Nadir Larbaoui as the country’s new prime minister, replacing Aymen Benabderrahmane. Click here to read...
Ghana: Bawumia makes history as NPP’s first Muslim flag bearer
Ghana’s Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has won the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) primary elections and will consequently lead the ruling party in the 2024 presidential ballot. Click here to read...
Prosecutors seek life sentence for Burundi’s ex-premier
Public prosecutors in Burundi asked a court to sentence the country’s former Prime Minister Alain Guillaume Bunyoni to life in prison as his trial concluded Thursday. Click here to read...
Zimbabwe: Opposition still holding out for power-sharing deal
Zimbabwe remains in crisis after the elections as efforts to create a power-sharing deal with the opposition are foundering. Click here to read...
Tunisia Arrests Ex-minister, Businessman On Graft Charges
Tunisia has arrested former minister Abderrahim Zouari and businessman Marouane Mabrouk, who was the son-in-law of ex-president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, on corruption charges, media reports said Wednesday. Click here to read...
Is landlocked Ethiopia starting another war over ports in Horn of Africa?
Ethiopia’s tone on access to a seaport is seen as either a distraction from domestic policy failures or the start of another regional war. Click here to read...
Burkina Faso: Rights groups slam conscription of critics
Burkina Faso's military junta is under fire from media organizations and rights groups over its plans to conscript journalists, activists and opposition party members to take part in government security operations. Click here to read...
Hamas chief Haniyeh arrives in Egypt for talks on Gaza
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived on Thursday in Egypt for talks about the war with Israel in the Gaza Strip since Israel's war began on 7 October. Click here to read...
Kenya says it won't deploy police to fight gangs in Haiti until they receive training and funding
Kenya’s government said Thursday that its police officers will not be deployed to Haiti until all conditions on training and funding are met in line with last month’s approval from the U.N Security Council to give the eastern African country command of a multinational mission to combat violent gangs in the troubled Caribbean country. Click here to read...
Angola inaugurates new international airport
Angolan President Joao Lourenco on Friday opened a long-delayed international airport outside the capital Luanda, with passenger flights scheduled to begin in early 2024. Click here to read...
Djibouti Launches First Satellite, Djibouti 1A
The Republic of Djibouti has launched its first satellite, Djibouti 1A, today, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on board the Space X Transporter-9 dedicated SSO rideshare mission. Click here to read...
Niger commissions oil pipeline to Benin
Niger's military leaders have commissioned a 2,000-kilometer-long crude oil pipeline linking the country's oilfield at Agadem to Benin port of Seme. Click here to read...
AfDB lifts financial sanctions off Gabon after Bongo removed in coup
Gabon says the African Development Bank has lifted financial sanctions on it after President Ali Bongo was removed from power in a coup in August. Click here to read...
Zambia debt deal hits fresh hurdle over official sector concerns
Official lenders led by the IMF and Beijing, have questioned a deal to restructure nearly $4bn-worth of Zambia’s debt, in a major setback for attempts by the country to move on from a 2020 default. Click here to read...
South Africa Urges US to Hasten Trade Pact with Two-Step Renewal
South Africa will seek to retain its preferential trade access to the US, which is due to expire in 2025, while also seeking ways to refine the treaty to allow more exports to the world’s biggest economy. Click here to read...
Importation of 46 Eswatini items to become tariff-free
The Legislative Yuan on Friday passed amendments to a bill that will allow the tariff-free importation of 46 different items from the Kingdom of Eswatini, including nuts and dried fruits, into Taiwan. Click here to read...
G7, AfDB, and AFC join forces for a $600bn trans-African railway to rival China’s Belt and Road
The United States and the European Union have collaborated with the African Development Bank (AFDB) and the Africa Finance Corporation to inaugurate the West's most recent effort to challenge China's Belt and Road Initiative. Click here to read...
China’s Win-Win in Zimbabwe: Lithium for Regime Legitimacy – Analysis
The People’s Republic of China has announced a massive USD 2.79 billion investment in its lithium mining operations in Zimbabwe. Click here to read...
Li Qiang Holds Talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali
On the morning of October 16, 2023, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council held talks at the Great Hall of the People with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali who is in China to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and pay an official visit to China. Click here to read...
Kenya hosts China-Africa investment summit amid call for green transition
The 2023 China-Africa Sustainable Investment Summit began in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, Thursday, with delegates renewing the call for enhanced collaboration aimed at securing a just and green transition. Click here to read...
Africa CDC and China CDC Commit to Deepen their Cooperation
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the China Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) leadership have committed to enhance their collaboration in advancing public health in Africa. Click here to read...
Conference on promoting China's peaceful reunification held in South Africa
The 2023 Overseas Chinese World Conference for Promoting Peaceful Reunification of China was held Tuesday in Johannesburg, South Africa, with the theme of "Adhering to the 1992 Consensus and striving for the early realization of the great cause of China's reunification." Click here to read...
The U.S. Response to China’s Dominance of African Critical Minerals
As part of its stated ambition to challenge China's dominance, the Biden administration saw an opportunity to revitalize a century-old rail line linking key African mines to an Atlantic Ocean port. Called the Lobito corridor, the US is investing hundreds of millions of dollars on the project. Click here to read...
‘The China Project’ media shuts, blaming ‘politically-motivated attacks’
The China Project, an independent media company known for its influential coverage of Chinese politics and society, has announced that it will shut its doors due to funding problems caused by “politically-motivated attacks”. Click here to read...
China’s investment in Africa’s energy sector reaches a 20-year low - here’s why
Due to growing financial distress concerns among numerous African nations and Beijing's domestic economic difficulties, China has slowed down supporting energy projects in Africa, bringing total loans to the continent down to less than $1 billion, the lowest level in over two decades. Click here to read...
Nigeria and Angola at risk of 0.5% growth decline due to China's economic slowdown
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that China’s slow economic recovery will negatively affect the growth of Sub-Saharan African economies like Angola, and Nigeria, resulting in a 0.5 percentage point reduction in average growth. Click here to read...
China lent $1.34 trln in 2000-2021, focus shifts from Belt and Road to rescue finance-report
Chinese financial institutions lent $1.34 trillion to developing countries from 2000 to 2021, U.S. researchers at AidData said in a report that showed the world's biggest bilateral lender switching from infrastructure to rescue lending. Click here to read...
China’s Slowing Economy Will Hit Sub-Saharan Africa’s Growth
China has forged deep economic ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa over the past 20 years, making it the region's largest single country trading partner. Click here to read...
Navigating The Complex Terrain of China-Africa Debt Relations – Analysis
Africa’s mounting debt crisis could undermine the continent’s economic progress and stability. The problem has worsened with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Europe, and the impacts of climate change. Click here to read...
Will the Niger Crisis Pose a Threat to Turkey in Africa?
There is a potential for Turkey to become a more valuable actor in the region by providing diplomatic solutions and facilitating support in countries where it is already active. Click here to read...
UK Supreme Court to issue ruling on Rwanda migrant plan next week
The United Kingdom’s Supreme Court will, on Wednesday, November 15, deliver its ruling on whether the country can go ahead with its plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Click here to read...
Russia, Burkina Faso defense ministers discuss cooperation at meeting in Moscow
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu discussed military cooperation Tuesday with his counterpart from Burkina Faso, Col. Kassoum Coulibaly, at a meeting in Moscow. Click here to read...
Putin’s Move to Secure Libya Bases Is New Regional Worry for US
Russia is moving to expand its military presence in eastern Libya, a plan that could lead to a naval base, giving it a significant foothold on Europe’s southern doorstep. Click here to read...
Saudi Arabia leading the way on growing Arab-Africa ties
The city of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, will this week host two significant summits: the Arab-African Summit and the Saudi-African Summit. Click here to read...
Saudi Arabia commits hundreds of millions of dollars in African influence push
Saudi Arabia has committed hundreds of millions of dollars in loans and investments to African countries, as Riyadh seeks to expand its political influence on the continent and take advantage of the commercial opportunities that are available in Africa. Click here to read...
Saudi Arabia signs cooperation, political deals with Sierra Leone, Seychelles and Rwanda during Saudi-African Summit
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with his Sierra Leonean counterpart Timothy Musa Kabba on the sidelines of the Saudi-Africa Summit in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday. Click here to read...
Saudi Arabia, Ivory Coast sign deal to establish joint business council
Saudi Arabia and Ivory Coast signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Saudi-Ivorian Business Council to enhance trade and investment between the two countries, the official SPA news agency reported on Saturday. Click here to read...
Nigeria sees ‘immediate’ investments worth billions from Saudi
Nigeria says it sees “immediate” multi-billion-dollar investment flows from Saudi Arabia after it signed an agreement with the kingdom to establish a business council that could see the middle eastern nation funding several sectors of the West African country, including agriculture, oil and gas, energy, telecommunications and technologies. Click here to read...
Nigeria cancels Czech premier's visit, citing government's inability to provide adequate reception
Nigeria has canceled the visit of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and his business delegation at the eleventh hour, citing its government's inability to provide an adequate reception to them. Click here to read...
Why is North Korea shutting some embassies in Africa?
In late October, North Korea's ambassadors to Angola and Uganda both said their farewells to local leaders, with South Korean media speculating that more North Korean embassies across Africa may be forced to close in the coming months because of Pyongyang's financial difficulties. Click here to read...
Morocco debates how to rebuild from September earthquake that killed thousands
In Morocco, King Mohammed VI's cabinet pledged in a statement the week after the quake to rebuild “in harmony with heritage and architectural features.” Click here to read...
Once-in-a-century flooding swamps Somalia after historic drought
The United Nations has described floods that uprooted hundreds of thousands of people in Somalia and neighbouring countries in East Africa following a historic drought as a once-in-a-century event. Click here to read...
Senegal: President orders emergency measures to combat illegal emigration
Senegal's President Macky Sall has ordered emergency measures to be taken to stem the growing flow of migrants taking to canoes to reach Europe, his office said on Wednesday evening. Click here to read...
Trial over children's cough syrup deaths resumes in The Gambia
The trial in the adulterated syrups affair which caused the death of children last year in The Gambia resumed Tuesday (Nov. 07), before the Banjul High Court. Click here to read...
India in Africa
IIT Madras opens offshore campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania
The Zanzibar campus of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras was formally launched on Monday. Currently around 50 students have been admitted in the institute - 35 for Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science course and 15 students for M. Tech in AI and DS courses. Click here to read...
India’s trade with Africa in excess of USD 100 billion, is fairly evenly balanced: EAM Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar has said India’s trade with Africa today is in excess of USD 100 billion and is fairly evenly balanced. Click here to read...
Jaishankar Stresses India's Commitment to Multipolar World, Emphasizes Africa's Role in India
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar today emphasised that the multipolar world will be multipolar for India, only when Africa is also one of the poles. Click here to read...
Remarks by EAM, Dr. S. Jaishankar at event marking significance of African Union’s membership of the G20, Yashobhoomi
Let me say what a great pleasure it is to welcome you all here. As we gather together to really celebrate and appreciate the importance of the African Union's permanent membership of the G20. To truly understand that, I think it's important that we think back of the journey that India and Africa have gone together. Click here to read...
India keen to collaborate with Ethiopia on digital payments, local currency trade
India has sought to collaborate with Ethiopia, one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, in digital payment solutions used by the two countries -- India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) and Ethiopia’s Ethswitch. Click here to read...
Explore settling trade transactions in local currency: India asks Ethiopia
India has urged Ethiopia to explore possibility of settling bilateral trade transactions in local currency as it will help boost bilateral trade and conserve foreign exchange, an official statement said on Wednesday. Click here to read...
SAIL eyes $150-200 million investments to ramp up capacities at Mozambique mines
Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) along with its other partners in International Coal Ventures Ltd (ICVL) is eyeing an investment of $150–200 million as a capacity ramp-up is planned across coal mines in Mozambique, Africa. Click here to read...
Plans to Double Production Capacity of Mozambique-Based ICVL To 4 MTPA: SAIL Chairman
There are plans to double the production capacity of International Coal Ventures Pvt Ltd (ICVL) to 4 million tonnes per annum at an investment of &150-200 million, SAIL Chairman Amarendru Prakash said. Click here to read...
Indian government tries to push telecom gear in Angola, Gambia and Mauritius
The Indian government’s Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) is trying to woo service providers in Angola, Gambia and Mauritius to use Indian telecom gear to upgrade networks and replace Chinese gear, according to media reports. Click here to read...
Ambassador of Republic of Tunisia met Chairman, ISRO / Secretary, DOS
Her Excellency Mrs. Hayet Talbi Ep Bilel, Ambassador of The Republic of Tunisia visited ISRO Headquarters on November 07, 2023 and had a meeting with Shri Somanath S, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) / Secretary, Department of Space (DOS). Click here to read...
MRIC and ISRO Partner to Develop Satellite for Mauritius
The Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have signed an MoU that will see ISRO design, assemble, integrate, test, launch and operate an Earth Observation satellite for Mauritius. Click here to read...
Mauritius receives shipment of long grain white rice from India
In a significant development, the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Protection, Marie Christiane Dorine Chukowry, accompanied by the Indian High Commissioner in Mauritius, K Nandini Singla, conducted a site visit at the State Trade Corporation’s warehouse in Mer Rouge. Click here to read...
Ivory Coast looks to India for increasing rice production
Cote d Ívoire (Ivory Coast) has firmed up plans to become a rice surplus country in the next few years to overcome a perennial shortfall in domestic supplies and production. It has reached out to India to help it in achieving the production and milling target. Click here to read...
India’s solar energy experience pivotal to Africa outreach, says International Solar Alliance D-G
India’s significant advancements in solar energy have positioned it as a pivotal player in shaping the policies of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the alliance’s outreach to Africa and “small island developing states”. Click here to read...
First lot of Malawi mangoes arrive in Vashi APMC market
The first batch of Malawi mangoes, similar to Alphonso Mangoes, has arrived in Vashi APMC fruit market from East Africa. A total of 598 boxes were delivered and will be sold at wholesale yard for prices ranging from Rs 4,500 to Rs 5,500 per box. Click here to read...
Telugu poet Chigurumalla Srinivas launches Santhi Sadbhavana Yatra in Botswana
In a historic inaugural meeting held at the office of the Indian High Commission in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, the Peace Goodwill World literary Tour to 100 nations, also known as Santhi Sadbhavana Yatra, was officially launched. Click here to read...
Jawan mania reaches Nigeria, fans declare the Shah Rukh Khan starrer a 'blockbuster'
Another fan said, “You mean you have a Netflix account and you haven’t watched JAWAN, what are you waiting for.” Another wrote, “Jawan is that movie, too Nigerian for an Indian story.” Click here to read...
Tycoon Mittal’s Uganda IPO Flops as Investors Prefer Bonds
Indian billionaire Sunil Mittal’s Airtel Uganda Ltd. failed to sell about half of the shares on offer in its initial public offering as investors stayed away, preferring high-yield government bonds. Click here to read...
