Africa Now - Weekly Newsletter (Week 51, 2022)

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

COMMENTARY

Where is Tunisia headed after its latest elections?

A 91 percent abstention rate from Tunisia's parliamentary elections indicates a growing gap between Tunisians and the North African country's politics. Click here to read... [2]

A shift in the US perspective on Africa

China was the elephant in the room as the Biden administration sought to regain trust among African leaders gathered in Washington this week. Analysts say the US made some progress to that end. Click here to read... [3]

NEWS

US, Africa seal $15 billion in trade investments during Washington summit

The United States committed to $15 billion worth of two-way trade deals with several countries in Africa during a summit in Washington this week, the White House said on WednesdayClick here to read... [4]

US-Africa Leadership Summit: Nigeria & Rwanda become first African signatories of Artemis Accords on space collaboration

Nigeria and Rwanda became the first African signatories of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-led Artemis Accords on space collaboration, according to statement by the US White House December 13, 2022. Click here to read... [5]

Battle for African Union leadership plays out at US-Africa Summit

With East Africa in line to select the AU chairman at its next annual leadership rotation in February, regional powerhouse Kenya is facing off with the island nation of Comoros. Click here to read... [6]

Angola hosts 10th summit of the OACPS, represents 79 states

The Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states, which represents 79 countries, held its penultimate meeting in Angola's capital Luanda on Friday. Click here to read... [7]

South Africa’s Ramaphosa re-elected as leader of ruling ANC party

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party despite being mired in scandal and facing calls to step down as president. Click here to read... [8]

Tunisian election, dismissed by Saied critics as charade, draws just 8.8% turnout

Only 8.8% of Tunisian voters cast ballots in Saturday's parliamentary elections, authorities announced, after most political parties boycotted the vote as a charade aimed at shoring up President Kais Saied's power. Click here to read... [9]

Nigeria 2023: Will Nigerians see a peaceful transition of power?

Next year, Nigerians will go to the polls in what some regard as the most significant election for decades. Click here to read... [10]

Biden backs African Union becoming permanent G20 member

US also pledges $165m to help support elections and good governance as African nations prepare to hold votes next year. Click here to read... [11]

Biden announces presidential visit to Africa next year

President Biden announced Thursday he would make his first presidential visit to Africa next year as he seeks to convince African leaders that the United States is serious about engaging them in international decisions and countering China’s rising influence in the region. Click here to read... [12]

US Hits Zimbabwe President's Son With Sanctions

The Biden administration on Monday slapped corruption sanctions on the son of Zimbabwe's president as the U.S. prepares to host a major summit of African leaders in Washington. Click here to read... [13]

DR Congo floods leave more than 120 dead in Kinshasa

More than 120 people have been killed following the worst floods in years in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, the authorities say. Click here to read... [14]

Uganda to nationalise electricity utility as private contracts conclude

The government of Uganda is to form the Uganda National Electricity Company Ltd after contracts with Eskom and Umeme come to their conclusion. Click here to read... [15]

Sudan, Ethiopia joint committee discusses railway connecting two countries

The Sudanese-Ethiopian Joint Technical Committee held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the feasibility study of a railway project linking the two neighbouring countries. Click here to read... [16]

North gets lion’s share as Nigeria, US sign energy deal

At least 360 rural communities and 16 others have been earmarked nationwide for the construction of 5,000MW of solar power generation and 2,500MWh of battery energy storage power plants. Click here to read... [17]

1st African Country to Provide Military Support To Ukraine, Morocco Could Send T-72 Tank Spare Parts To Kyiv

Morocco has reportedly decided to send military aid to Ukraine after the US secretly convinced Rabat to transfer spare parts for T-72 tanks to Kyiv. If true, this would make Morocco the first African country to provide military assistance to Ukraine.

Togo boosts airpower with Russian Mi-35M and Mi-17 helicopters

The Togolese military has taken delivery of three Mi-35M combat helicopters and two Mi-17 transport helicopters in early November from Russia. Click here to read... [18]

Guinea's ex-military leader denies role in 2009 stadium massacre

Guinea's ex-military leader Moussa Dadis Camara on Monday denied charges that he was responsible for a 2009 stadium massacre, as he took the stand for the first time in a long-awaited trial. Click here to read... [19]

Libya PM admits role in Lockerbie suspect’s transfer

Libya’s Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbaiba has admitted that his administration was involved in the transfer of Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir al-Marimi, a Lockerbie bombing suspect, to the United States last week. Click here to read... [20]

Burkina Faso aware of the dangers of Wagner force -France

France's foreign ministry said on Thursday the Burkina Faso government was fully aware of the risks of working with mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group after Ghana alleged on Wednesday that Ouagadougou had hired the group. Click here to read... [21]

Uganda army says 11 Islamist militants killed in cross-border raid

A group of 11 Islamist militants based in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo were killed in clashes with Ugandan forces overnight during a cross-border raid, Uganda's army said on Tuesday. Click here to read... [22]

Russian culture center head wounded in Central African Republic assassination attempt

The head of a Russian cultural center in the Central African Republic was taken to hospital in the capital Bangui on Friday after an assassination attempt, the Russian Embassy said. Click here to read... [23]

Two UN peacekeepers shot dead near Timbuktu in Mali

An unidentified gunman has shot and killed two officers from the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali while they were on patrol near the city of Timbuktu. Click here to read... [24]

US gifts SAFE International patrol boat to Mozambique

As part of the U.S. commitment to assist Mozambique in stabilizing the conflict-ridden Cabo Delgado province, the U.S. government this week donated a patrol boat to the Mozambican navy. Click here to read... [25]

Botswana Develops Security Strategy to Counter Terrorism Threat

Botswana is developing a national security strategy amid fears of heightened terrorism threats. Click here to read... [26]

Bodies of 27 migrants, including children, found in Chad desert

The bodies of 27 migrants, including four children, have been found in the Chadian desert, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which said they died of thirst. Click here to read... [27]

IMF Approves $3 Billion Loan to Egypt

The International Monetary Fund has approved a deal that will provide a USD 3 billion support package to cash-strapped Egypt over a period of almost four years. Click here to read... [28]

Ghana expects $3 bln IMF loan approval early in 2023

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is poised to lend Ghana $3 billion as the African nation grapples with its worst economic crisis in a generation, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta said on Tuesday. Click here to read... [29]

Body of Zambian national killed fighting in Ukraine returns home

The body of Lemekani Nathan Nyirenda, a fighter recruited by the mercenary group Wagner for combat operations in Ukraine, was returned to Zambia on Sunday. Click here to read... [30]

Shell begins drilling offshore Namibia

Shell Upstream Namibia BV, a subsidiary of Shell Plc, is advancing drilling offshore Namibia with delivery of Northern Ocean Ltd.’s Deepsea Bollsta semisubmersible drilling rig. Click here to read... [31]

Bangladesh could import gas from Mozambique

Bangladesh and Mozambique have the opportunities to increase bilateral trade, such as of agricultural products and fish, alongside tourism. Click here to read... [32]

Microsoft targets internet expansion in Africa, longer-term cloud adoption

Microsoft targets internet expansion in Africa, longer-term cloud adoption. Microsoft Corp aims to secure internet access for 100 million more people in Africa by 2025, teaming up with a satellite provider and setting the stage for longer-term cloud adoption. Click here to read... [33]

Visa Pledges to Invest $1 billion in Africa to Accelerate Digital Transformation

During US-Africa Business Forum, Visa outlines pledge to invest $1 billion in Africa by 2027 to scale operations, deploy new innovative technologies and deepen collaboration with partners. Click here to read... [34]

Tunisia judge orders arrest of former prime minister

Ali Larayedh, vice president of opposition Ennahdha party, is arrested days after Tunisia’s legislative elections. Click here to read... [35]

Ruto pitches Kenya Airways sale to Delta

Kenyan President William Ruto reportedly has pitched a plan to Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) to save Kenya Airways (KQ, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta) as the government seeks to divest entirely from the struggling carrier. Click here to read... [36]

Sudan strikes deal with UAE firms for $6 billion port

Sudan's military government signed a $6 billion preliminary agreement with two firms from the United Arab Emirates Tuesday to construct a new port on the Red Sea coast, Sudanese state media said. Click here to read... [37]

In Kenya, Meta sued for $2B for fueling ethnic violence

A lawsuit filed in a Kenyan court on Wednesday accused Meta of fueling political unrest in Africa demanding that the company pay over $2 billion in victims funds and make significant improvements to its service.’ Click here to read... [38]

Egypt: Fake antibiotics kill several children in Egypt

Several children have died in Egypt as a result of the use of fake antibiotics, reports Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

German FM to personally return 20 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

Germany's foreign minister will personally take 20 artifacts looted by Europeans during colonial times back to Nigeria when she visits to Africa's most populous country next week. Click here to read... [39]

Fiery violence after France trounced Morocco wasn’t random hooliganism but an obligation

Football, was once with some consideration, described as “socialism without the politics.” Click here to read... [40]

Fresh from World Cup game, France ends Morocco visa restrictions

France’s foreign minister Catherine Colonna said Paris has restored normal consular relations with Morocco following a year-long dispute linked to France’s decision to slash the number of visas for Moroccans visiting France. Click here to read... [41]

France and Algeria mend ties after months long visa row

France said Sunday it had ended months of tensions over a visa dispute with Algeria, just days after Paris and Rabat made a similar announcement. Click here to read... [42]

Kagame defends Africa’s right to a partnership with China

Rwandan President Paul Kagame was a vocal defender of Africa’s quest to expand its economic partnership with China, saying the continent has a right to seek partners and China is filling a gap for investment. Click here to read... [43]

INDIA IN AFRICA

Serum Institute of India dispatches 40k doses of Ebola vaccine to Uganda

Oxford’s Ebola vaccine candidate has been shipped to Uganda, just 80 days after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a Sudan Ebola virus outbreak. Click here to read... [44]

India launches ‘Group of Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers

India, Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco and Nepal are co-chairs of the ‘Group of Friends to Promote Accountability for Crimes Against Peacekeepers’. Click here to read... [45]

India Making for World! Modern Coach Factory receives order for AC coaches from Mozambique-PHOTOS

Modern Coach Factory (MCF) in Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli district has received a repeat order for 10 second class AC sitting loco hauled coaches from Mozambique Ports and Railways (CFM), Mozambique. Click here to read... [46]

Banks Looking At Possibility Of Rupee Trade With Bangladesh, African Nations

India imported goods worth USD 3,520.83 million from Egypt, of USD 1,004.24 million from Algeria and USD 2,725.08 million from Angola in the last financial year. Click here to read... [47]

India rupee settlement mechanism draws interest from more nations

India's rupee trade settlement mechanism, a means of using rupees instead of dollars and other big currencies for international transactions, is attracting interest from more countries. Click here to read... [48]

Africa struggling to reduce dependency on imported Indian rice

Outside Dak village in central Senegal women sing and dance as they scythe through rice stalks with sickle or knife. The harvest is under way in the west African nation, but there will not be enough for everyone. Click here to read... [49]

India contests Africa child death charge

India’s top drug regulator has accused the World Health Organisation of relying on a “premature deduction” to assert earlier this year that contaminated Indian-made cough syrups had caused child deaths in the Gambia. Click here to read... [50]

India says samples taken from pharma firm linked to Gambia deaths meet required standards

India has told the World Health Organization that samples taken from Indian pharmaceutical company Maiden Pharma, whose products were linked to the deaths of children in Gambia, have been found to comply with required specifications. Click here to read... [51]

Gambia child deaths: WHO stands by 'dangerous' India cough syrup claim

The WHO has said it stands by its action after India said that four cough syrups linked to child deaths in The Gambia complied with specifications when tested at home. Click here to read... [52]

Senegal struggles to break dependence on imported rice

Around the village of Dak in central Senegal, women cut rice stalks with sickles and knives, singing and dancing. In this West African country, which is a major consumer of the cereal, the current harvest will not cover all needs. Click here to read... [53]

No speedy resolution in sight as Indian businesses await South African visas

Indian High Commissioner Jaideep Sarkar previously assured Indian heads of companies represented in South Africa that the matter was being addressed with that country's authorities. Click here to read... [54]