Welcome to Africa Now, your weekly newsletter for Africa, presenting the most important developments in the continent - news that matters.
COMMENTARY
The returning of Africa and Europe’s ghosts
The time has come for the restitution of African art and artefacts looted in the colonial era and selfishly kept in Europe’s museums and universities. Click here to read...
A moment of opportunity: Can the UN’s new special representative for Libya break the country’s cycle of devolution?
While a precarious ceasefire has uneasily prevailed in Libya since the end of its third bout of civil war in 2020, the country is increasingly showing signs of an eventual relapse into conflict today. Click here to read...
NEWS
Trudeau at French-speaking summit in Tunisia amid 'battle of influence' for Africa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began a brief visit to Africa on Saturday as part of what his foreign affairs minister described as a fight for power on the continent between democratic and authoritarian statesClick here to read...
Leaders of French-speaking countries hold summit in Tunisia
Leaders of French-speaking countries gathered Saturday on a Tunisian island to discuss debt relief, migration, food and energy shortages amid a soaring cost-of-living crisis across Africa, Europe and the Middle East due to Russia’s war on Ukraine. Click here to read...
Thousands displaced as M23 rebels near key DRC city of Goma
Fighting between the M23 and the DRC army has led to a looming humanitarian crisis as thousands have been displaced in the country’s volatile east. Click here to read...
Kenya sends 1st batch of troops to rebel-hit eastern Congo
Kenyan troops deployed under the banner of a regional bloc arrived Saturday in troubled eastern Congo, where government forces are battling a violent rebel group that now controls some territory. Click here to read...
UN extends Somalia arms embargo amid government dissatisfaction
The United Nations Security Council has voted to maintain an arms embargo on Somalia over strong objections from its government, saying al-Shabab still seriously threatens peace and stability in the region and sanctions are needed to degrade its activities. Click here to read...
Angry protesters try to storm French Embassy in Burkina Faso
Police in Burkina Faso fired tear gas on Friday to disperse angry protesters who attempted to storm the French embassy in the capital Ouagadougou, local media reported. Click here to read...
Sudan's difficult path to democratic transition
Over the past few weeks, the calls from protesters in Sudan have become louder. Carrying signs that say "Volker out!" and "No to foreign interference," thousands of Sudanese people have indicated that they would like to see the back of German diplomat Volker Perthes, who heads the United Nations' Integrated Transition Assistance Mission Sudan (UNITAMS). Click here to read...
Equatorial Guinea's Obiang: World's longest-serving president eyes re-election
The world's longest-serving president is seeking re-election to continue his 43-year rule in Equatorial Guinea. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 80, has presided over a regime marked by alleged human rights abuses including torture and disappearances. Click here to read...
First international aid arrives in Ethiopia's Tigray since ceasefire
Ethiopia's Tigray region on Tuesday welcomed the first international aid delivery since a truce to end fighting, with the International Committee of the Red Cross driving two medical trucks to the capital of the war-ravaged area.Click here to read...
Ethiopia govt says aid flowing to Tigray but rebels deny
The restoration of desperately needed humanitarian assistance to the region is one of the key planks of a peace deal between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) to end two years of brutal war in northern Ethiopia. Click here to read...
UK withdraws troops from Mali early blaming political instability
The UK is withdrawing troops from Mali earlier than planned due to political instability in the country, Defence Minister James Heappey has said. Click here to read...
Germany deliberates pulling out of UN's Mali mission
Germany's government is heatedly debating whether to withdraw troops from the United Nation Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Click here to read...
Libya risks partition amid delayed elections: UN envoy
There is a risk that Libya may be partitioned almost a year after the postponement of elections, the country's U.N. envoy warned Tuesday. Click here to read...
Somalia: Overcoming Somaliland's Worsening Political Crisis
Somaliland is going through considerable political turmoil. The government and opposition disagree over the sequencing of two forthcoming high-stakes elections, and both sides are digging in. International partners should push the two sides to reach consensus, while standing by to mediate if talks fail. Click here to read...
EU Eyes ‘Military Partnership Mission’ for Niger
The European Union aims to set up a “military partnership mission” in the coming months to help bolster Niger’s forces as they battle jihadists, a senior EU official said Friday. Click here to read...
UN extends Central African Republic peacekeeping mission
The UN Security Council extended the nearly 17,500-strong UN peacekeeping mission in the troubled Central African Republican for a year on Monday, with Russia, China and Gabon abstaining. Click here to read...
Ivory Coast to withdraw from UN peacekeeping mission in Mali
Ivory Coast will gradually withdraw its troops from the United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali by August 2023, according to an official letter seen by AFP Tuesday. Click here to read...
Nigerian soldier kills aid worker, injures UN helicopter pilot
A Nigerian soldier has shot and wounded a United Nations helicopter co-pilot then killed a humanitarian worker and a fellow soldier at a military base in northeastern Nigeria. Click here to read...
Seven terrorists killed in Niger, 18 hoodlums arrested
The Niger State Police Command said it has killed seven terrorists in a joint effort with some vigilantes in the Kumbashi town of Mariga Local Government Area of the state. Click here to read...
US Africa Command Carries Out A Strike In Somalia; 17 Al-Shabaab Terrorists Eliminated
US Africa Command has released a statement saying that US military conducted a strike on Wednesday to neutralise Al-Shabaab terrorists in Somalia. Click here to read...
Kenya’s mounting Chinese debts causing serious consequences: Report
Kenya is going through an economic emergency due to mounting Chinese debts leading many to believe that the successive Kenyan governments have over-borrowed for over-priced projects. Click here to read...
China's Xi says wants to strengthen solidarity, cooperation with Senegal, Africa
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that China will continue to support Senegal's infrastructure construction, Chinese state media reported. Click here to read...
China is willing to continue to work hand in hand with Senegal: Xi
China is willing to continue to work hand in hand with Senegal on the road toward development and revitalization and support each other on issues involving each other's sovereignty, security and development interests, said Chinese President Xi Jinping. Click here to read...
South Africa: Ramaphosa panned as Beijing grabs lion’s share of major road deal
Three Chinese corporations, two of which are state-owned, have just bagged the lion's share of South Africa’s coveted road construction deal, which prompted domestic local bidders to demand that President Cyril Ramaphosa explain why they were given the cold shoulder. Can their reaction be dismissed as sour grapes, or do they have justified suspicions? Click here to read...
Tunisia, France ink financing agreement worth 200 mn euros
Tunisia and France have signed a 200-million-euro (about $206.9 million) deal to meet Tunisia's financing needs on the sidelines of the 18th summit of the International Organization of La Francophonie. Click here to read...
Belarus views Sudan as gateway to other African countries
Belarus has been actively developing relations with African countries in recent years, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko said. Click here to read...
Chad agrees debt plan with creditors, including Glencore
Chad has reached an agreement with its creditors, including Swiss commodities trader Glencore, paving the way for more funding from the International Monetary Fund, but stopping short of reducing the central African country's $3 billion in external debt. Click here to read...
IMF says Chad debt deal cuts risks, protects against oil price fall
The head of the International Monetary Fund on Sunday welcomed a long-awaited debt deal by Chad's creditors and said it would reduce the African country's risk of debt distress while guarding it against downside risks, including lower oil prices. Click here to read...
South Africa's Ramaphosa focuses on the poor as he seeks ANC re-election
President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the plight of poor South Africans left out of nearly three decades of post-apartheid prosperity, he promised on Sunday ahead of a governing party election that will decide if he can run for a second term. Click here to read...
Interpol issues arrest warrant for Angola's Isabel dos Santos, Lusa reports
Global police agency Interpol has issued an international arrest warrant for Angolan billionaire and daughter of the country's former president Isabel dos Santos, Portugal's Lusa news agency reported on Friday. Click here to read...
Ethiopia is now the largest Economy in East Africa : Abiy
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday alleged that Ethiopia has managed to become the largest economy in the East Africa region and the third giant in sub-Saharan Africa. Click here to read...
Ghana president fires junior finance minister over mining expose
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has sacked Charles Adu Boahen, the minister of state for finance, the presidency said on Monday. Click here to read...
Zambia seeks answers from Russia after national dies in Ukraine war -foreign minister
Zambia has asked Russia to explain how one of its citizens who had been serving a prison sentence in Moscow ended up on the battlefield in Ukraine, where he was killed, Zambia's foreign affairs minister said on Monday. Click here to read...
Uganda’s President Museveni slams ‘Western double standards’ over coal mine plans
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has slammed Western countries over what he calls a “reprehensible double standard” in their response to the energy crisis brought about by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Click here to read...
British ship brings first gas exports from Mozambique to Europe
BP has begun shipping liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Mozambique's vast new reserves, opening up supplies that could help ease Europe's energy crunch. Click here to read...
Military Drills in Gas-Rich Algeria Put Focus on Russian Ties
Algeria and Russia began their first joint military exercises on Algerian soil amid Western concerns over Moscow’s deepening ties with the North African nation that’s a key energy supplier for Europe. Click here to read...
Nigeria-Morocco sign gas pipeline deal
A new energy-supply route for West Africa and Europe is on the horizon as Nigeria and Morocco sign an agreement that inches a long-standing proposal for a gas pipeline between the two countries closer to reality. Click here to read...
Benin tests power of a rural mini-grid with 1.7 MW solar project
Together they will work on a mini-grid project to provide electricity in 12 rural localities, including 3 MWh of battery capacity that will supply more than 5,000 homes and businesses with electricity and that should be completed within a year. Click here to read...
Africa Primed to Become Global Green Hydrogen Leader, Landmark Masdar Report Finds
Africa could capture as much as 10 percent of the global green hydrogen market, helping to create up to 3.7 million jobs and adding as much as US$120 billion to the continent's gross domestic product (GDP), according to a landmark report issued jointly by Masdar. Click here to read...
UN plans further Russian fertiliser exports to Africa, upbeat on ammonia pipeline
A U.N. official on Friday said she hoped that a shipment of Russian fertiliser exports to Malawi would lead to a further easing of a 300,000 tonne backlog in European ports, as the global body works to address Russian concerns that have threatened a Black Sea grains export deal. Click here to read...
Morocco, Djibouti to bolster cooperation in merchant marine
Morocco and Djibouti signed, Monday in Rabat, a cooperation agreement aimed at developing maritime relations between the two countries and at ensuring better coordination of bilateral maritime traffic and related maritime transport. Click here to read...
Orange launches 5G in Botswana
Orange has announced that its Botswana affiliate is the first on the African continent to offer 5G services. Orange Botswana launched 5G on November 11, 2022 with coverage in grater Gaborone and Francistown, offering 30% of the population with coverage. Click here to read...
Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone signs $500 mln contract for container handling terminal
Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone has signed a $500 million contract with the Suez Canal Container Company (SCCT) to establish a second container handling terminal in East Port. Click here to read...
The first satellites launched by Uganda and Zimbabwe aim to improve life on the ground
When Uganda's very first satellite was launched into space last week on Nov. 7, Bonny Omara, the lead engineer on the satellite development team, was filled with emotion. Click here to read...
Air Zimbabwe Hopeful of Getting Back Into IATA
Officials at Air Zimbabwe remain optimistic about a possible return to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which imposes industry policies and standards that promote safe, secure, and economical air travel operations. Click here to read...
Rwanda Secures €46 Million to Implement Climate Pledges
Rwanda has launched a €46 million facility that will finance government institutions working to implement Rwanda's climate action plan, also known as the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement.Click here to read...
Cameroon celebrates the legacy of cotton
In Cameroon, fashion week has kicked off in Yaoundé with an urban parade dedicated to the celebration of cotton. Click here to read...
Will cooperation between Israel and Morocco make world greener?
For years, Morocco has worked to become an international leader in renewable energy. Click here to read...
COP27 | India, China, Brazil, South Africa oppose ‘carbon border tax’
With the 27 th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP) in Sharm El Sheikh nearing its final stages and efforts being ramped up to arrive at a conclusive agreement, a consortium of countries that includes India has jointly stated that carbon border taxes, that could result in market distortion and aggravate the trust deficit amongst parties, must be avoided. Click here to read...
Gabon Targets a Huge Payday With Carbon Credits
The African nation of Gabon, one of the most densely forested on earth, is launching the world’s biggest sale of carbon-offset credits. The plan could net the country billions of dollars and upend the fast-growing market for carbon credits. Click here to read...
Germany complains to Egypt over COP27 snooping: report
The German embassy in Cairo accused Egyptian security officials of monitoring and filming events at the German pavilion in the climate conference venue. Berlin has used its presence to highlight human rights issues.Click here to read...
INDIA IN AFRICA
Coherent response required to defeat terrorism in Africa: India at UN
India on Thursday, reiterated that a strong response reflecting the international community’s collective commitment is required for defeating terrorism in Africa. Click here to read...
ISA launches Solar X Grand Challenge in Africa to ease deployment
Through this, ISA seeks to create a group of entrepreneurs who will create locally relevant business models and a pipeline of projects. Click here to read...
Beta Group to invest $100 million in Guinea-Bissau in cashew biz
Beta Group, the Kerala-based food company, which owns the Nut King brand, will be setting up an industrial unit in the West African country of Guinea-Bissau for cashew business. Click here to read...
India promises to deepen cooperation with Seychelles, says diplomat
Connectivity, trade and cooperation between Seychelles and India will be taken further, the newly accredited Indian High Commissioner said on Tuesday. Click here to read...
Nigeria, India plan Jt fight against drugs
As many as 798 Nigerian nationals have been arrested across India in 2021 for their involvement in drug trafficking, cheating, forgery, violation of Foreigners Act among other crimes in India. The highest number of cases at 245 were related to drug trafficking, as per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 2021. Click here to read...
Mauritius-Hong Kong tax deal signed: HK funds may come to India via Mauritius
Hong Kong-based entities that put money into India may take an alternative route to invest into the country if a double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) between Mauritius and Hong Kong comes through. Click here to read...
India and France carry out joint surveillance mission in Mozambique
India and France have jointly carried out a maritime surveillance mission in the Mozambique Channel using P-8I Poseidon and Falcon 50 aircraft. Click here to read...
Dharmendra Pradhan to inaugurate UNESCO India Africa Hackathon on Nov 22
The Ministry of Education, Ministry of External Affairs, UNESCO and AICTE will jointly organize a four-day UNESCO India Africa Hackathon starting November 21 at Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Click here to read...
Ship Carrying Detained Indian Sailors Handed Over To Nigeria, Says Minister
Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that information received is that the ship has been handed over to Nigerian authorities and request will be made for consular access once it reaches the port. Click here to read...
Thanks to Namibia for cheetahs? India abstains on ivory trade vote
For the first time since joining the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) in 1976, India did not vote against a proposal seeking to re-open the ivory trade. Click here to read...
After India, Google Launches Crackdown on Illegal Loan Apps in Africa
After launching a crackdown on illegal loan apps in India, Google is looking to replicate the same in Kenya. The tech giant has ordered loan apps in Kenya to submit licenses for operations or get banned on the Play Store. Click here to read...
India-made Nissan Magnite Red Edition launched in South Africa
Three months after being launched locally, the India-made Nissan Magnite Red Edition has been launched in South Africa. It is available there only in the top-spec Acenta trim level with both MT and CVT transmission options. Click here to read...
How Indian Food Made A Place For Itself In Kenya
Indian traders have been living along the east coast of Africa for centuries. When Vasco da Gama was on his voyage to discover a sea route to India, he encountered Indian traders in Malindi, a coastal town in present day Kenya.Click here to read...
Indian-origin minor girl abducted in S Africa's Cape Town, triggers protests by residents
The abduction of an eight-year-old Indian-origin girl in South Africa's Cape Town and the alleged inaction of the police in probing the case has triggered protests by the residents of the city. Click here to read...
South African Indian-origin abducted girl found safe and unharmed
Cops could not confirm some reports that five suspects had been arrested during search operation which came after residents in the Cape Town suburb protested demanding action. Click here to read...
Narayan Murthy says death of Gambia children due to Indian cough syrup shameful
Infosys founder, Narayan Murthy says that the death of children in Gambia due to Indian cough syrup brings shame to the country. Click here to read...
