President Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday cautioned that the ambition for Eco regional currency could be in ‘serious jeopardy,’ unless member states complied with agreed processes of reaching the collective goal.
Dillibe Onyeama
The headmaster of Eton College has told the BBC he is “appalled” by the racism experienced by the first black person to complete his studies at the prestigious British public school.
Evariste Ndayyishimeye
Burundi's new president who was elected last month has been hastily sworn in to replace his late predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza, but who is Evariste Ndayyishimeye?
Mr. Onyeama
NIGERIA – With palpable anger in Nigeria over the perceived weakness or inability of the federal government to implement reciprocal or definitive measures over last Friday’s demolition of buildings of the Nigerian High Commission, Accra, Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, on Monday met Chargè d’ Affaires of the High Commission of Ghana to Nigeria, Ms Iva Denoo to demand urgent explanations.
Senate in session
WORLD STAGE – The Nigerian House of Senate has considered a bill seeking to give legislative backing for the establishment of the Federal College of Traditional, Complimentary and Alternate Medicine as an agency under the Federal Ministry of Health.
A 95-year-old Ghanaian World War Two veteran is to be honoured by Queen Elizabeth for his fundraising efforts.
The expansion of Ghana’s economy by 4.9 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020 and the detection of 32,756 suspected cases of multiple registrations dominate the headlines of Ghanaian newspapers on Thursday.
The Graphic reports that Ghana’s economy expanded 4.9 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020 compared to 6.7 percent in the same period last year, driven mainly by the services sector.
Sickle Cell patient Caleb from Ghana
SWITZERLAND – Novartis and its partners have announced the expansion of the Africa Sickle Cell Disease program to East Africa with the signature of two new memoranda of understanding with the Ministries of Health of Uganda and Tanzania. The program, first launched in Ghana in November 2019, aims to improve and extend the lives of people with sickle cell disease (SCD) in sub-Saharan Africa, with plans to reach a total of 10 countries by 2022.
(WorldStage Newsonline) The ECOWAS Ministerial Coordination Committee on Transport, Logistics and Trade has recommended a harmonised and gradual reopening of land, air and sea borders for restoring cross border economic activities.
MALI – Suguba (www.Suguba.org) is organizing their second 6-month investment readiness program in West Africa to support the 8 most promising startups in the digital sector in Francophone West Africa.
Paris Saint-Germain and France striker, Kylian Mbappe has been rated as the most valuable player in the world.
The brand’s latest launches are just a few of the innovative ways MAGGI is meeting its consumers’ digital and nutritional appetites
GHANA – Nestlé (www.Nestle.com) brand MAGGI has launched a first-of-its-kind website in Central and West Africa, offering fresh new twists to well-known African dishes.
In total, 136 fashion entrepreneurs, digital innovators and creative minds joined the discussion - Vanessa Moungar (Photo AfDB)
IVORY COAST – The Fashionomics Africa (www.FashionomicsAfrica.org) an initiative of African Development Bank held its first webinar discussion on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the total 136 participants were fashion entrepreneurs, digital innovators and creative minds.
The lack of access to clean water, or money to buy it, is among the major risk factors for migrants transiting through Djibouti. Photo: IOM/Alexander Bee.
Nairobi – Only 30 per cent of Ethiopian migrants seeking to find work in Saudi Arabia are aware that Yemen – the one country they must cross —is in its sixth year of conflict, while less than 50 per cent know of the dangers of boats capsizing at sea.
President Buhari
(GUN) – President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday said global solidarity was the hope for humanity, and called on developed countries and international financial institutions to cancel the debts of ”needy countries” especially in Africa to enable them reverse the devastations of Coronavirus (COVID-19) to the human race.
Swiss President Samaruga
Switzerland earmarks a total of CHF 994 million to the coffers of the International Development Association (IDA/World Bank) and of the African Development Fund (ADF) to help fight poverty, promote sustainable development and deal with the health, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the world’s poorest countries, and also to the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI).
A displaced family stand outside their makeshift shelter in one of Yemen’s many displacement sites. Photo: O. Headon/IOM 2019
Geneva – We are increasingly alarmed about the situation in Yemen. COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across the country already experiencing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, driven by an unabated conflict. But we are ready to stay and deliver life-saving assistance to those who need it.
(WorldStage Newsonline) – Lagos State Government is supporting local production of metres to enhance power capacity in the state, according to the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Olalere Odusote.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
(GUN) –The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank on 25 May, 2020 approved a $500,000 emergency assistance grant to Egypt to provide food relief, and to contribute to restoring the livelihoods of vulnerable populations severely affected by Coronavirus (COVID 19).
Evelyn Anite ( Photo: THE INDEPENDENT Uganda)
Uganda's Minister of Finance, Investment and Privatization, Evelyn Anite has announced that the East African country has officially begun exporting mobile phones made locally.
AfDB President Adesina
(GUN) - President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, on Wednesday maintained his innocence and integrity after the bank’s board succumbed to pressure from the United States government by ordering “a new and independent probe” of his activities in the bank.
Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, CEO, ITFC (Source: ITFC))
Report highlights impact of US$ 5.8 Billion financing towards Advancing Trade in Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member Countries
Saudi Arabia: The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, has released its 2019 Annual Development Effectiveness Report (ADER). In 2019, ITFC approved US$5.8 billion trade financing, a 12% increase from the previous year, to advance trade in member countries.
VP Osinbajo
The Nigeria’s Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has asserted that although the Coronavirus pandemic has affected lives and livelihoods of Nigerians in different ways, “it however offers an opportunity for the Nigerian people and government to reset the critical sectors of the country’s economy and social services.”
(Ecofin Agency) - Over the first quarter this year, international tourist arrivals dropped by 22% due to the coronavirus pandemic, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reported. This resulted in a decrease of 67 million in international arrivals and about $80 billion in revenue. The most impacted regions are Asia and the Pacific with a drop of 33 million arrivals, and Europe with a drop of 22 million arrivals.
Four thousand CFC’s Flash Mobile Wallet Agents Can Now Send and Receive Western Union Global Money Transfers for their Customers.
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Sierra Leone’s Julius Maada Bio (Photo: www.mfwa.org)
An Interview with the creator Giselle Rufer
DELANCE SWISS WATCHES
UAE makes Avani Barbarons Resort Available to Seychelles
SEYCHELLES, 04 April 2020
Under the directive of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the ‘Avani Barbarons Seychelles Resort’ will be made available to the Government of Seychelles to be used by the Department of Health as a facility to accommodate their health personnel and supporting frontline service members, in the efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19.
In addition to our weekly brief on the spread of COVID-19 and the actions that Africa CDC is taking to help member states, Africa CDC has begun to share a weekly brief detailing the latest changes in scientific knowledge and public health policy changes, as well as updates to the latest guidance from WHO and others.
SOUTH AFRICA – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has admitted that his government had made missteps in efforts to control the coronavirus pandemic, but the lockdown was needed to lessen the disease from spreading among the people.
WorldStage Newsonline – The Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) have urged the Federal Government to intervene in the heavy import duties they used to pay for imported meters.
The Rwandan Ministry of Education is considering the recruitment of 7,200 teachers to support the development of a 12 year basic-education especially in remote rural areas as schools are set to reopen in September, an official source confirmed Tuesday to APA in Kigali.
According to Dr Irenée Ndayambaje, the Director General of the Rwanda Education Board, the recruitment intends to bridge the student-teacher ratio which stands at 59:1 in primary and 29:1 in secondary schools.
The new joint military and police operation tagged “Operation Accord” to root out bandits in some northern states and the new upward review of electricity tariff are the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers recently.
Namibia has been hit by an outbreak of red locusts in the central part of the country, a senior official announced recently.
Morocco's economy is expected to contract by 5.2 percent in 2020, followed by a rebound of 4.2 percent in 2021, according to predictions by the central bank.
Angola expects to implement a USD 400 million two-phase project in the clean energy segment, funded by the World Bank and the French Development Agency
(Togo First) - Togo’s ministry of culture, tourism, and leisure will rehabilitate the Kara hotel in the northern part of the country.
[Premium Times] Since the COVID-19 pandemic made a major landfall in the country early this year, the Nigerian science community has paved some fitful but significantly innovative paths in the bid to join a global community of peers wrestling with answers to the conundrum posed by perhaps the most transmissible virus in the recent history of the world.
[New Era] In a bid to decongest hospitals and quarantine facilities, the government last week announced the isolation period for patients with confirmed coronavirus infections has been reduced to 10 days, while a negative test on the seventh day will end quarantine.
[Daily Trust] Abuja and Zaria -- The quantity of chemicals in preserved beans sold across the country is unsafe for consumers, as its long term effects could lead to cancer and kidney-related diseases among others, Daily Trust investigation reveals.
[The Herald] TWO senior Zanu PF officials are in quarantine in adherence to the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines after attending a global conference in Tanzania recently.
[Namibian] Namibia on Sunday recorded 70 new Covid-19 cases and 16 new recoveries.
[The Herald] Harare Province yesterday recorded a staggering 337 Covid-19 cases, out of the 490 cases that tested positive.
[Zimbabwe Standard] Televangelist-cum-musician Prophet Tapiwa Freddy says he sees no harm in gospel musicians joining forces with secular musicians for a good cause.
[This Day] Young British-Nigerian rapper, Sammie Cash, is on a mission to introduce trap music, a subgenre of the American hip-hop music that gained prominence in the 2010s. He calls his own afro-trap, a blend of afrobeat and trap.
[Nairobi News] Gospel musician Bahati has announced that he has left the gospel music industry. However, Bahati has made it clear that leaving the gospel industry doesn't mean his faith and belief in God has been compromised.
[Lesotho Times] Gospel star Rorisang Motsamai recently released his first album under his Blue Records label.
[Premium Times] A Good Time, the third studio album by Nigerian pop star, David Adeleke aka Davido, has surpassed 1 billion streams across digital platforms.
[ANGOP] Luanda -- The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, highlighted, last Sunday, the importance of the "Live no Kubico", programme which takes four icons of Angolan music to the stage.
[Monitor] Uganda, like many African countries, faces major challenges in providing quality and accessible education through government-funded schools. This is why advocates of private schools speak of their ability to help rapidly increase access to quality education where government budgets or infrastructure are inadequate to meet the rising demand.
[SAnews.gov.za] The Department of Basic Education has released a revised school calendar for the 2020 academic year.
[New Era] Education minister Anna Nghipondoka yesterday said the suspension of face-to-face classes for early childhood development, pre-primary and grade 1 to 9 learners for 28 days should not be considered as a holiday.
[Daily Trust] Abeokuta -- Outrage erupted in Abeokuta, Ogun State as parents of students in private secondary schools in the state on Sunday protested against the payment of N25,000 as COVID-19 test charges by each student.
[Daily Trust] Kano -- Kano State Executive Council has approved the establishment of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Computer-Based Testing Centres (CBTCs) in the five Emirate Councils as zonal offices covering the 44 local government areas in the state.
[Premium Times] An Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has rejected the examination timetable recently released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for the conduct of the 2020 West African Secondary School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).
[Capital FM] Nairobi -- Tanzania has now blocked Kenya Airways from her airspace following Kenya's decision to exclude her passengers from flying in over fears of COVID-19.
[Capital FM] Nairobi -- Kenya resumed international flights on Saturday under tight COVID-19 regulations.
[Capital FM] Nairobi -- Kenya hs assured that it is ready for business, as it opened the airspace to international passenger flights.
[Citizen] Arusha -- Kenya and Tanzania moved yesterday to calm mounting anxiety over a standoff on each other's airspace use apparently arising from the management of the coronavirus pandemic.
[New Era] The Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) says it is delighted by government's decision to gradually reopen borders to help revive the tourism industry.
[Nation] Tanzania has banned Kenya Airways from flying into the country until further notice.
Calling "Uncle Tom's Cabin," a Berlin subway station, an insulting name, Afro-German Moses Pölking wants to rename it. What are the pros and cons?
[New Era] Sabati Popyeni has recently released a book, titled 'Let's work', which touches on his observation on customer services in Namibia. He writes as someone who has worked in the service industry over the years.
In normal years, tourism in Chile's natural paradise, Pucon, is thriving. But with travel restrictions amid a pandemic, residents whose livelihood is dependent on tourism are suffering — with no clear end in sight.
The Argentine dance known for sultry intimacy is now seen by some as something quite different: a high-risk activity. In Berlin, a global tango hotspot, dancers are trying to keep their passion alive during the pandemic.
Board games are loved the world over, and some have turned into true classics – like "Catan". But which board game is YOUR favorite?
We asked you which instrument the alphorn is most similar to. Find out here if you were the lucky winner of our wristwatch in an exclusive Euromaxx design.
[Daily Maverick] Suspending alcohol sales allows us to externalise the root of GBV as something 'out there', but that's allowing politicians who embody toxic masculinity to use it as a fig leaf at the expense of those who make a living off of it.
[Daily Trust] Osogbo -- Social development experts in Osun State have declared that gender-based violence (GBV) is as deadly as the coronavirus pandemic.
[New Era] Three young men from Gobabis, who are accused of taking turns to rape a woman at a local settlement on 6 March 2016, will hear their fate on 16 October after Windhoek High Court Judge Naomi Shivute heard arguments on the verdict on Friday.
[Observer] President Weah expressed how disturbed he was over the uncalled-for rise in rape and SGBV cases in Liberia and called for widespread actions across the country that will nip the crime in the bud
[Ambani] Women's month this year must go beyond symbolic gestures and achieve something tangible for women in the creative music industry, says Nicholas Maweni, chairperson of the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO).
[MAP] Dubai -- Two Moroccans are on Forbes magazine's "Women Behind Middle Eastern Brands" 2020 list.
Mayors are sounding the alarm in southern Italy: reception centers for refugees are overcrowded, and there is growing resentment in the population. Other Mediterranean states also report rising numbers of refugees.
Representatives of the Roma and Sinti communities, along with Jewish and Christian leaders, met at Auschwitz to honor the victims of the anti-Roma genocide. The Nazi regime killed some 500,000 Roma and Sinti.
Two US astronauts hit the water safely aboard a Dragon capsule off Florida, marking NASA's first splashdown landing in decades. The capsule was developed by private firm SpaceX, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
The new security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong and the ongoing political turmoil cast a dark shadow on the financial hub's competitiveness and attractiveness to international business.
Germany wants mandatory COVID-19 testing, while Sweden's restrictions are almost non-existent: EU travel rules are complicated these days. Which regions are high risk, and who sets the standards?
New Turkish champions Istanbul Basaksehir have shaken up the Super Lig and asked questions of the country's traditional giants. But the club's links to President Erdogan give the success a distinct political aftertaste.
[allAfrica] Cape Town -- The South African presidency has issued a statement saying that Deputy President David Mabuza is "home and well".
[Monitor] President Yoweri Museveni this week returned his nomination papers and was duly declared sole presidential candidate of the ruling NRM party for the 2021 general election.
[Zimbabwe Standard] MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora says his fight with MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa is not personal, but is fuelled by his desire to instil constitutionalism in the opposition.
[Mozambique News Reports And Clippings] The state of emergency, decreed on 1 April, expired at midnight on Wednesday 29 July. The constitution limits a state of emergency to a maximum of 120 days, and so Nyusi could not extend it. With the end of the state of emergency, many of the restrictive measures cease to have the force of law - but in his speech to the nation on Wednesday, the President urged people to continue obeying them anyway, as a matter of public health.
[New Dawn] Here, in Montserrado, the senatorial seat is currently being occupied by opposition Senator Abraham Darius Dillon of the Liberty Party, a constituent party of the Collaborating Political Parties headed by Mr. Alexander Cummings. The ruling Congress for Democratic Change of President George Manneh Weah had held a firm grip on the county since 2005, but lost one seat to Mr. Dillon last year in a by-election in a defeat the ruling Coalition is yet to recuperate from.
[New Dawn] President George Manneh Weah has asked his supporters from the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) to desist from acts of violence, days after they waged terror against opposition leaders Alexander Cummings and Rep. Yekeh Kolubah in the southeastern city of Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County.
The new security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong and the ongoing political turmoil cast a dark shadow on the financial hub's competitiveness and attractiveness to international business.
With the oil price down and the coronavirus pandemic taking its toll, Colombia faces its worst economic setback in a decade. Businesses are fighting to get into gear again after four months of partial lockdowns.
The economic damage caused by the virus pandemic is expected to tip thousands of companies across the world into insolvency this year. As governments dig deep to stem the looming tide, their policies differ widely.
Residents of the eastern Australian city are now under strict lockdown due to a surge in coronavirus cases. Hundreds of thousands of people will not be able to work for several weeks.
[Nation] If you have an illegally connected electricity meter, you will soon be cut off from supply, Kenya Power says.
[Capital FM] Nairobi, 30 July 2020 - Kenya Airways (KQ) today resumed international passenger services following the easing of movement restrictions as directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta. The first international flights depart today 1st August to the following international destinations; London, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Kigali, and Lusaka.
New Turkish champions Istanbul Basaksehir have shaken up the Super Lig and asked questions of the country's traditional giants. But the club's links to President Erdogan give the success a distinct political aftertaste.
Gianni Infantino's legal team condemned a criminal probe opened by Swiss investigators. The investigation centers around a meeting between the FIFA president and Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber.
[The Herald] The president of the Confederation of African Football, Ahmad Ahmad, has expressed shock over the untimely death of veteran Zimbabwean football administrator Chris Sambo.
[Nairobi News] Amani National Congress politician Eliud Owalo has gifted AFC Leopards Sh300,000 to pay players during the tough times of Covid-19 pandemic.
[Nairobi News] Former Gor Mahia forwards Meddie Kagere and Francis Kahata have been nominated for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Season Award in the Tanzanian Premier League.
[New Times] The storied footballing journey of Djabil Mutarabirwa began back in 1999 when the attacking midfielder ran onto the field for his first time in the colors of his hometown club Etincelles in Rubavu District, of the Western Province.
[Nation] The brutal killing of Esther Mwikali, a 57-year-old land rights activist whose mutilated body was found dumped near her home at Mithini village in Murang'a County in August last year, has seen Kenya remain in a list of countries considered hostile to land and environment defenders in the world.
[Daily News] ENGARESERO villagers are up in arms against a proposed plan to evict them from the shores of Lake Natron.
[Ghanaian Times] The enterprise unit of Vodafone Ghana, Vodafone Business has launched Business Runway Webinar Series to empower Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMEs) with the requisite skills, insights and opportunities that will enable them to manage and build thriving businesses.
[Namibian] A FISHCOR subsidiary that is largely owned by South African businessman Adriaan Louw says the company was not involved in money laundering linked to the Fishrot corruption scandal.
[IPS] Bangkok -- As lockdowns ease in countries across Asia and the Pacific in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is clear--a return to business as usual is unimaginable in a region that was already off track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The virtual High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development recently convened governments and stakeholders across the globe to focus on the imperative to build back better while keeping an eye on the Global Goals.
[The Conversation Africa] As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads in Kenya, measures to control it - such as school closures and partial lockdowns - continue. These can have adverse social and economic effects on vulnerable groups. One of these groups is young people, particularly those who live in Nairobi's low-income neighbourhoods.
[New Times] Two local young entrepreneurs are venturing into unmanned technology, starting with a tray robot. The duo hopes to put their autonomous carrier on the market next year.
[SAnews.gov.za] Mobilising support from medical experts, solidarity, and harnessing science, research and innovation have been highlighted as critical pillars in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
[SAnews.gov.za] Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel says the shortage of testing kits, ventilators and medical grade masks has underlined the importance of Africa developing a strong innovation and manufacturing capability, and building more resilient economies.
[Daily Maverick] The news that the University of Oxford has developed a Covid-19 vaccine, that appears safe and has triggered an immune response, is an encouraging step in our long journey toward returning to normality. It also provides the opportunity to join forces to tackle the pandemic and highlight Africa's scientific leadership.
[Daily News] INNOVATORS have been advised to use the lower middle-income economy status which the country has just attained to come up with systems that would foster further development.
[Govt of SA] South Africa to host national summit on Science and Innovation response to COVID-19