Africa Now - Weekly Newsletter (Week 20, 2022)

Welcome to Africa Now, your weekly newsletter for Africa, presenting the most important developments in the continent - news that matters.

COMMENTARY

It’s Africa’s Century—for Better or Worse

Since the 1990s, the idea that we might be entering an “Asian century” has preoccupied and disorientated the West. However, once we take in view the long sweep of history, the return of China and India to the centre stage of world affairs is less a revolution than a restoration. Click here to read... [2]

Why Is Madrid Pandering to Morocco?

Spain has traded five decades of neutrality on Western Sahara while getting nothing but a spyware scandal in return.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/05/13/spain-sanchez-morocco-polisario-western-sahara-algeria/" target="_blank">Click here to read...

Aapravasi Ghat: Witness to the Great Indian Migration to Mauritius

The largest human migration in history occurred between 1834 and 1923 when the British in its experimental bid to abolish slavery brought mostly Indians as indentured labourers to work in the sugarcane estates of Mauritius. Click here to read... [3]

NEWS

Somalia set to hold overdue presidential election

Somalia is set to hold its long-delayed presidential vote this weekend, ending the convoluted electoral process that raised tensions in the country when the president’s term expired last year without a successor in place. Click here to read... [4]

Somalia police announce 33-hour curfew in capital Mogadishu during Sunday's Presidential vote

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is facing 37 opponents in the vote, including two former Presidents, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who analysts see as the frontrunnersClick here to read... [5]

Ivory Coast: President Ouattara sets the agenda at COP15 summit in Abidjan

The COP15 against desertification began Monday in Abidjan in the presence of several African heads of state, to try to take concrete action against the rapid degradation of land and respond "to the climate emergency. Click here to read... [6]

vGuinea announces three-year transition period before restoring civilian rule

Guinea's legislative body on Wednesday announced there would be a three-year transition period before civilian rule is restored, defying regional partners who have called for a swifter timetable following a coup. Click here to read... [7]

Sudanese protests against military rule persist

Sudanese demonstrators are back on the streets to protest against the military in power and ask for the implementation of a civil government.

First group of illegal migrants will be sent to Rwanda within a fortnight

The first people have been notified of the government's intention to relocate them under the new migration and economic development partnership where their claims will be processed in Rwanda. Click here to read... [8]

Mali: Thousands in new demonstration to show support for junta

Several hundred Malians gathered Friday in Bamako to support the junta, the army and the military cooperation with the Russians, denounced by the West. Click here to read... [9]

Can Niger become the main Western ally in the Sahel?

Niamey has consistently presented an image of a friendly and reliable partner to the international community and used Western aid to boost its military strength. Click here to read... [10]

Uganda’s plans for first nuclear power station approved

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has approved Uganda’s plan to build East Africa’s first nuclear power station. Click here to read... [11]

China cuts down investment pledges for Africa amid mounting debt fears

While infrastructure projects are one of the main priority areas in China-Africa cooperation, Beijing has cut down on its investment pledges for the continent for the first time in December 2021, according to reports. Click here to read... [12]

Sierra Leone launches bid for UN Security Council seat

Sierra Leone on Monday launched a bid for a seat in the Non-permanent category of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Click here to read... [13]

Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Is Paramount to Regional Economy, Politics

The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project is of critical importance for inter-Africa development and integration as it would significantly address regional energy security issues. Click here to read... [14]

Guinea Coup: You can be free, but you will have to wait three years

The military junta in Guinea said its transition back to civilian rule would probably take more than three years, a proposal likely to upset West Africa's political bloc that has called for a swift return to constitutional order.

Germany to increase military presence in Mali as part of UN mission

Germany is ready to increase its military contingent in Mali as part of the UN mission Minusma, a government spokeswoman announced Wednesday. Click here to read... [15]

As Wheat Prices Soar, Africa Pivots to Cheaper Alternatives

Global wheat prices are so high that African consumers are starting to ditch the grain from their diet and Food companies using rice, manioc flour and sorghum in recipes. Click here to read... [16]

AFC Plans $2 Billion Fund to Support Africa Economic Revival

Africa Finance Corp. is setting up a $2 billion fund to help institutions on the continent recover quickly from the pandemic and overcome challenges posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Click here to read... [17]

Museveni woos Turkish investors to Uganda

President Museveni yesterday made a case for Uganda as a favourable and profitable investment destination, rallying investors to set up business across different sectors of the economy. Click here to read... [18]

Africa roundtable unites with European allies

Politicians from African and European countries gathered in Berlin on Thursday for The Africa Roundtable to discuss strategies to cope with common challenges. Click here to read... [19]

Kenyans are protesting plans by tax authority to snoop on their online chats

There is outrage across Kenya after the country’s tax authority announced on May 11 that it plans to start mining data from digital devices in a bid to combat tax and financial fraud. Click here to read... [20]

At least 35 killed in attack on DR Congo gold mine: local sources

Raiders killed at least 35 people in an attack on a gold mine in Ituri, in the strife-torn northeast of Democratic Republic of Congo, local sources said Sunday. Click here to read... [21]

Female student killed by mob at Nigeria school over blasphemy claims

A female student in northern Nigeria was killed by a mob who stoned, beat and set fire to her for allegedly posting a blasphemous statement against the Prophet Mohammed, according to police. Click here to read... [22]

Head of Tunisian opposition party claims he is under investigation

The head of a Tunisian opposition party said on Friday he had been summoned for investigation over a radio interview and accused President Kais Saied of attempting to intimidate opponents. Click here to read... [23]

Ethiopia-China cooperation benefits both sides: Ethiopian Ambassador to China

Ethiopia's newly launched 10-year development plan opens the door to bilateral cooperation that will benefit both China and Ethiopia, said Teshome Toga Chanaka, the Ethiopian ambassador to China Click here to read... [24]

Burkina Faso's Junta Under Pressure to Deliver on Security Promises

The junta in power in Ouagadougou justified the 24 January coup by citing the inability of former president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré's government to provide security in Burkina Faso. By making security its primary objective, the regime raised people's hopes of a rapid return to peace and stability. Click here to read... [25]

Rwanda-Burundi relations to improve further

Rwanda-Burundi relations will improve when 2015 coup plotters, said to be hiding in Kigali, are handed over Gitega to face justice, said Burundian President Evariste NdayishimiyClick here to read... [26]

Spain, Morocco to open land borders next week after 2 years

The Spanish government says the land borders between Morocco and Spain’s North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla will reopen next week. Click here to read... [27]

Sinosteel signs $690 million deal for Cameroon iron ore mine

China’s Sinosteel Corp. has signed a $690 million contract to exploit an iron ore mine in southern Cameroon amid a push to cut Chinese reliance on Australian and Brazilian ore. Click here to read... [28]

South Africa's COVID-19 spike intensifies

As daily COVID-19 cases in South Africa topped 10,000 cases today, officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office said today. Click here to read... [29]

Algerian President Tebboune to visit Turkey to discuss bilateral cooperation

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is set to pay an official visit to Turkey on May 16-17 upon the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to a statement by the Algerian Embassy on Friday. Click here to read... [30]

Togo suffers its first deadly jihadist attack

It was probably only a matter of time, as terrorist groups are targeting the countries of the subregion one by one. Click here to read... [31]

Meet election deadline for smooth transition, South Sudan urged

South Sudan’s peace monitoring agency has appealed to the Revitalized Transitional Legislative Assembly to urgently enact legislations aimed at meeting the elections deadlines as stipulated in the 2018 revitalized peace deal. Click here to read... [32]

Europe looking to get a million tonnes of coal annually from Botswana, says President Masisi

Botswana has been inundated with inquiries to supply coal to Europe and estimates that demand from Western countries could top a million tonnes a yearClick here to read... [33]

Ghana’s President Strongly Supports African Development Bank’s Quest for More Resources to Accelerate Continent’s Transformation Agenda

Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has backed calls for more resources for the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org [34]) to accelerate its transformative role across the continent. Click here to read... [35]

Russia’s Growing Strategic Interest in Eritrea

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has reaffirmed Russia’s strategic interest to make coordinated efforts aim at building logistics hub along the coastline of the Republic of Eritrea. Click here to read... [36]

Zimbabwe's bank lending freeze will worsen economic crisis, business chamber says

Zimbabwe's decision to suspend bank lending in a desperate bid to arrest the rapid devaluation of its currency will worsen the economic crisis and expose borrowers to predatory loans. Click here to read... [37]

Will bitcoin succeed in the Central African Republic? Probably not

The Central African Republic has become the second country to adopt the cryptocurrency as legal tender, but experiences in El Salvador, the first nation to do so, point to a gloomy outlookClick here to read... [38]

World Bank to Give Mozambique $300 Million To Support Its Budget

By June the World Bank plans to provide $300 million to support the national budget of the Republic of Mozambique, according to the World Bank country director for Mozambique, Idah Pswarayi-Riddihough. Click here to read... [39]

Zambia wants to be a model for resolving Africa’s debt crises

After five unsuccessful attempts and a spell in prison on trumped-up charges of treason, Hakainde Hichilema was elected president of Zambia in August. Click here to read... [40]

Angola’s central province is massively behind the MPLA

The governing People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA, in Portuguese) received today the support of tens of thousands of people in the central province of Huambo, in a campaign rally for the next general elections in the country. Click here to read... [41]

Life in Egypt Is Getting Harder, but Don't Dare Protest About It

A new study predicts that Egypt’s public debt will climb to half a trillion dollars in coming years. But while economists offer pessimistic views, the public is likely to find itself in prison if it dares criticize the high cost of living

Mauritania to Become a New Global Gas Hub as Market Expansion Intensifies

Previous gas discoveries in Mauritania coupled with efforts by the government to make gas central to driving economic growth and poverty reduction have positioned the northwest African country as an emerging global gas hub. Click here to read... [42]

Gabon: 2023 presidential candidate Mike Jocktane asks for "free and transparent elections"

Gabonese bishop and politician Mike Jocktane held a press conference in the capital, Libreville to talk about his candidacy for next year’s presidential electionClick here to read... [43]

Liberia: ANC’s Stalwart Abraham Sesay Gets Huge Support Ahead Of 2023 Elections

Executives and supporters of fallen Brewerville City Mayor George Varney Curtis, who was defeated in the 2017 general and presidential elections, have endorsed the representative bid of top Liberian humanitarian and businessman Abraham Carlison SesayClick here to read... [44]

Namibia launches sovereign wealth fund following oil discoveries

Namibia launched a sovereign wealth fund, months after oil discoveries by oil giants TotalEnergies and Shell off its coast. Click here to read... [45]

Botswana: Former president Khama claims continued harassment by President Masisi

The Botswana government has rubbished claims by former president Ian Khama that his successor, Mokgweetsi Masisi, was harassing him. Masisi himself refuses to speak on the matter himself. Click here to read... [46]

INDIA IN AFRICA

Mauritius PM inaugurates second phase of Metro Express project spearheaded by India

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, along with PM Jugnauth inaugurated the first phase of the metro via video-conferencing in October 2019Click here to read... [47]

Mozambique-India joint working group on defence back on track to tackle terrorism, drug trade

Mozambique and India intend to revive its joint working group on defence as part of counter-terrorism efforts and at the same time promote their respective blue economies and curtail drug trafficking. Click here to read... [48]

Egypt in talks with India on wheat export ban exemption

Egypt is in talks with Indian officials about getting an exemption from India's decision to ban wheat export. Click here to read... [49]

Kenya mulls ending India wheat import ban as prices soar

Kenya is set to send a team of inspectors to India with the aim of ending along standing wheat import ban from the Asian nation amid low global supply. Click here to read... [50]

Gravita's Ghana unit commences waste rubber recycling plant

Gravita India announced that its step-down subsidiary in Ghana, Recyclers Ghana has started commercial production and recycling of waste rubber with an annual capacity of around 6,000 MTPA. Click here to read... [51]

Prasar Bharati inks MoU with Madagascar for broadcasting collaboration

The MoU aims at exchange of programmes, exploring co-production of programmes and training and exchange of personnelClick here to read... [52]

Deployment of ins gharial to Seychelles – mission Sagar ix

As part of ongoing deployment of Indian Naval Ship Gharial in South West Indian Ocean, under Mission SAGAR IX, the Ship called at Port Victoria, Seychelles from 11 to 14 May 22. Click here to read... [53]

Indian Navy’s P-8I begins 5-day mission to La Reunion Island in Southern Indian Ocean

The Indian Navy’s P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft arrived on Monday at the La Reunion Island in the southern Indian Ocean on a five-day mission to undertake coordinated surveillance with French warships in the region. Click here to read... [54]

INS Kolkata visited Djibouti as part of anti-piracy patrol by Indian Navy

INS Kolkata visited Djibouti from May 4-7, 2022, as part of the anti-piracy patrol being undertaken by the Indian Navy to ensure safe transit of merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden. Click here to read... [55]

India, Madagascar planning direct flights between Mumbai and Antananarivo

"Ambassador Abhay Kumar met M Rolland Ranjatoelina, Hon'ble Minister of Transport and #Meteorology of Madagascar today. They discussed the possibility of starting a direct flight between #Mumbai and #Antananarivo," Click here to read... [56]

Kenya Welcomes Indian Travellers as Tourism Recovery Takes Shape

The tourism sector has received a major boost from the Indian market with a visit of about 300 tourists for an excursion of the country's tourism products. Click here to read... [57]

India Keen to Cement Ties with Ethiopia

The Director-General of the Middle East, Asia, and Pacific at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gebeyehu Ganga (Ph.D.) had a meeting on Thursday with the Ambassador of the Republic of India, Shri Robert Shetkintong. Click here to read... [58]

Indian envoy Abhay Kumar talks cooperation with Madagascar in mining sector

India imports many thousand tonnes of nickel every year which is a key ingredient in EV batteries. Madagascar can be a source of nickel and cobalt import for India as well as coal and goldClick here to read... [59]

Indian 'Military Base' In Agalega: New Satellite Imagery Shows Hangars Large Enough to House Navy's Submarine Hunting P-8I Aircraft

India is building military infrastructure on Mauritius' Agalega Island to increase its presence in the western Indian Ocean. Click here to read... [60]

South Africa court bars some ArcelorMittal workers from strike

South Africa's labour court has ordered workers at ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd's steel plants, blast furnaces and coke batteries to be excluded from an ongoing job boycott, after the company argued these are essential services barred from striking by law. Click here to read... [61]

Vedanta challenges Zambia's appointment of new KCM liquidator

Vedanta Resources has challenged Zambia's appointment of a new Provisional Liquidator for Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) following the resignation of the previous office holder. Click here to read... [62]