TANZANIA: Tigo Tanzania has launched a service that connects Tigo Pesa customers to all major mobile money services in the East African region making transactions for cross-border remittance easy.
Sierra Leone’s Julius Maada Bio (Photo: www.mfwa.org)
I sent a WhatsApp message to an old acquaintance, a nurse, requesting to know the state of vaccination in Sierra Leone. Unlike other messages to her in the past, her response did not take long in coming and it was via a voice call.
The purpose of the eSummit is to continue the Shared Value conversation, learn from each other and explore insights that can lead to solutions
We hope our message below finds you well and healthy!It’s unbelievable, it is 5 years since we launched the Miss.Africa Digital Seed Funding Award program. Time really flies by when good things happen. Anniversaries are indeed a time to celebrate, to look back at where we come from, and also to reflect on how we’ve changed.
Merck Foundation in partnership Ghana First Lady support casual and daily workers affected by Coronavirus lockdown
GHANA: Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany together with Ghana’s First Lady H.E. Rebecca Akufo-Addo Foundation presented relief items to more than 1000 persons living with disabilities, HIV/ AIDS and casual and daily workers with special focus on women who are most affected by the Coronavirus (COVID -19) lockdown to curb the spread of the pandemic in Ghana.
Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC (FMN Group) COVID-19 Response Operations: Presentation of relief items
FMN, Nigeria’s biggest food business and agro-allied group brings its biggest strength to the table to fight the COVID-19 virus
Switzerland’s President Simonetta Sommaruga. (Photo: File copy)
SWITZERLAND: The Federal Council has decided to increase the guarantee assistance programme for COVID-19 bridging credit facilities by additional 20 CHF billion making in total CHF 40 billion according to government release.
CHINA: TECNO Mobile recently released its new camera phone, CAMON 15 series through an online launch event, which became a milestone event in the smartphone industry as the first online product launch in Africa.
In Sotheby’s First-Ever Online-Only Auction for this Category; With World Auction Records for 5 Artists, including Bertina Lopes and Samuel Fosso (Source: Sotheby’s)
UNITED KINGDOM: Newly converted to an online-only format, Sotheby’s sixth sale of Modern & Contemporary African Art realised £2,359,375 / $2,881,741, featuring over 100 works from 58 artists across 21 countries. The auction saw a 46% increase in the number of bidders in comparison to the equivalent sale last year.
Akinwumi Adesina (Photo: Ecogreen News)
IVORY COAST, The African Development Bank’s (AfDB) “Fight Covid-19” social bond listed on London Stock Exchange (LSE) is now available through its Sustainable Bond Market.
On the same day President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone announced the country’s confirmation of its first COVID-19 victim, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) also announced that a senior minister in the Bio Administration had been charged to court for the missing 49,000 bags of rice donated by China to assist the government in feeding hundreds of thousands malnourished school children across the country according to Sierra Leone Telegraph.
“Passenger road transport is the backbone of the global economy. It contributes to the success of numerous sectors, but not limited to, the tourism industry and is essential to business and leisure travel.
(Ecofin Agency) - Ralph Mupita, Head of MTN Group, announced the company plans to sell 15% of its stake in MTN Nigeria. If the operation is completed, MTN will hold 64% in the subsidiary.
Zurab Pololikashvili (Ecofin Agency)
(Ecofin Agency) - The stringent restrictive measures adopted by governments to control the propagation of the novel coronavirus pandemic across the world are expected to drop international tourist arrivals by 20% to 30% this year, compared to the last one. This, in turn, could cost between $300 billion and 450 billion, or about one-third of the $1.5 trillion generated in 2019.
Photo: African Energy Chamber
SOUTH AFRICA: The African Energy Chamber has named the five most vulnerable African countries amid the Covid-19 and oil price plunge. In its recent analysis the chamber named the countries as Angola, Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria.
The following link will take you to the FOPH’s official main page. There you will find information on the current situation in Switzerland and abroad, FAQs, recommendations for travellers and for the workplace, and information for health workers.
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Members at the meeting
The meeting and urged Member States to put in place National Preparedness and Response Plans and encouraged preventive measures
2nd from left VP Osinbajo and Dr. Jumoke Oduwole,
Robust collaboration would help improve business climate, says VP. - To further improve the country's business climate, there will now be a direct connection between the anti-corruption agenda of the Buhari administration and the reform efforts of the Federal Government, in a bid to secure the reforms through criminal investigation and prosecution of public complaints.
The Federal Councilors at the press conference on Monday
SWITZERLAND: As a result of the increased spread of the coronavirus, (COVID-19) the Swiss government has declared a state of emergency “extraordinary situation” and taken extraordinary measures to counter the spread of the virus across the country.
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The participants at the meetingThe participants at the meeting
President Museveni (Photo: ste.india.com)
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.
Initiative builds on current efforts to disseminate health messages through the joint WHO-ITU BeHe@lthy BeMobile initiative
SWITZERLAND: The World Health Organization (WHO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), with support from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), are set to work with telecommunication companies to text people directly on their mobile phones with vital health messaging to help protect them from COVID-19. These text messages will reach billions of people that aren’t able to connect to the internet for information.
(Ecofin Agency) - The Central Bank of Ghana (BoG) has postponed the implementation of the minimum capital requirement for electronic payment service providers to 31 December 2020. The measure, which was scheduled for 30 June at the latest, was reviewed due to the impacts of the current Covid-19 on economies and investments.
(Ecofin Agency) - West Africa recorded $10.2 billion in private equity transactions between 2014 and 2019, ahead of all other African regions. Overall, the continent had 1,046 PE transactions over the period for an amount of $25.3 billion, according to the African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA).
NIGERIA: Ringier Africa Digital Publishing (RADP.Africa), an Africa’s media groups is unifying its assets across the continent to form one integrated media company under the name Pulse.
TOGO: Ecobank Group, the pan-African banking group, is inviting African fintech entrepreneurs to enter the 3rd edition of the Ecobank Fintech Challenge. The Fintech Challenge gives African start-ups the opportunity to promote their fintech solutions, and potentially partner with Ecobank to roll-out their solutions across Ecobank’s 33 markets in Africa as well as France.
(Ecofin Agency) Ivan G. Brown, the Director-General of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), has recently -signed the country's Act of Accession to the Memorandum of Understanding on Basic Principles for the Implementation of Free-Roaming as part of the ECOWAS Roaming Reduction Initiative. This was in Conakry, at the premises of the Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (Arpt) of Guinea, which currently coordinates the free-roaming initiative in the region.
(Togo First) - At the end of 2019, the property registration process in Togo took only five days on the average, against eight at the beginning of the same year, recent data from the national land registration office shows.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday slammed remarks made by South Africa's last apartheid-era leader, F.W. De Klerk, saying it was "treasonous" to deny race segregation was a crime against humanity.
[ANGOP] Luanda -Of the 60 positive cases of covid-19 registered in Angola, eight have begun to present a new clinical condition in recent days, announced Friday here, the Secretary of State for Public Health, Franco Mufinda.
[Monitor] On Monday, health workers at Princess Diana Health Centre IV in Soroti District, went on strike protesting failure by the authorities there to provide them with personal protective equipment (PPE). The nurses had by Thursday morning not returned to the wards.
[Capital FM] Nairobi -Kenya's COVID-19 infections rose to 1,192 Saturday after President Uhuru Kenyatta announced 31 new cases.
[Daily News] Despite the coronavirus pandemic, health workers responsible for immunisation services in Pangani District, Tanga Region, have continued providing essential services while taking precautionary measures against the novel virus.
[Citizen] News of coronavirus has captured the world's attention for the past six months and Tanzania has not been an exception, with cases being reported since mid-March.
[Vanguard] Oyo State's cases of COVID-19 has reached 199, following the nine new infections.
[Zimbabwe Standard] As expected, musician Jah Prayzah's 10th album titled Hokoyo is a long shot at satisfying all who will bother to listen, including those who dislike him.
[DW] The Yeke Yeke singer who brought West African music to the world in the 1980s has died in his native Guinea. His son said the coronavirus travel restrictions prevented him from travelling to France for health treatment.
[Zimbabwe Standard] Rising Afro-fusion musician Aggabu Nyabinde has responded to calls for new music from his fan base through a sophomore album titled Basa iBasa that is set for release in a double Facebook live launch this afternoon.
[The Conversation Africa] Fela Kuti remains Nigeria's most famous musician. He pioneered Afrobeat - a genre blending jazz, funk, psychedelic rock, traditional West African chant and rhythms - into conscious music in the 60s and 70s. Fela's music continues to live today across the continents.
[RFI] Guinea's President Alpha Condé led the tributes on Friday to the Guinean musician Mory Kanté who has died at the age of 70. The vocalist and kora harp player's death was announced by two members of his family, according to the ActuJeune Guinean news website.
[The Herald] Some have devised the name "thumb piano" to try and give the mbira instrument an exotic name. It was in a similar vein that an allusion to "thick porridge" was made as reference to sadza.
[Botswana Daily News] Francistown -Minister of Basic Education (MoBE), Mr Fidelis Molao, says although there has been progress to ensure compliance to health protocols at both junior and secondary schools, primary schools needed to up game.
[Nation] The creative sector in the country has received a welcome boost with the launch of a film hub at the Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT).
[The Herald] The envisaged reopening of schools places a huge responsibility on all stakeholders, including learners, to ensure Covid-19 does not spread.
[This Day] Government should invest more in education
[Citizen] Dar es Salaam -The Higher Education Students' Loans Board (Heslb) has begun disbursement of the Sh63.7 billion food and accommodation expenses for the third quarter of the 2019/2020 academic year.
[Citizen] Dar es Salaam -The Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education (Form Six) exams have been scheduled to start on June 29 the minister of education Prof Joyce Ndalichako has announced.
[East African] Plane loads of tourists aboard Ethiopian, KLM and Turkish airlines are expected to land in Tanzania in the next one week, marking a critical milestone in the on-going re-opening of the country's economy following nearly two months of lockdown.
[New Zimbabwe] The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is drafting a'destination Zimbabwe tourism recovery plan' whose purpose will be to facilitate the recovery of the tourism sector post Covid-19.
[This Day] The UK Civil Aviation Authority may seize the operating licence of the charter airline, Flairjet, which violated the rules in Nigeria by illegally operating charter service instead of evacuation it got approval for a week ago.
[This Day] As the global Covid-19 pandemic drags on, travellers and crew on intercontinental flights are getting used to wearing face coverings in public spaces and adhering to other measures such as social distancing, imposed by airlines, airports and authorities to stop the spread of infection.
[This Day] The authorities should investigate the breach of the airspace in addition to the sanctions
[Daily News] HARDLY three days after the government announced its decision to reopen the air space for international flights, a first charter plane with Greek tourists landed at the Kilimanjaro International Airport yesterday.
Germany is showing a more relaxed side in the coronavirus era of working at home. Etiquette has taken a back seat as Zoom shows how the country lives — sometimes by accident.
The director of Bonn's Beethovenfest reveals her plans for the time during and after the coronavirus crisis. As Wagner explains, this is more than a matter of just reshuffling dates and appointments.
Australia's crisis management is showing effect, and the curve has been flattened — for now. Regional travel bans are slowly being lifted — a step welcomed by hotels and tour operators. But not everyone will benefit.
To fight coronavirus misinformation, Hollywood stars are handing over their social media accounts to experts from the US to Nigeria to straighten the record. Julia Roberts first passed the mic to Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Is that a smile, a grimace or a mocking grin? Thanks to the coronavirus, many parts of the worlds are beginning to get used to wearing a protective face mask. Suddenly, we're having to use our eyes more to communicate.
Travel to Germany is currently not possible because of the coronavirus restrictions. So let us show you, virtually, the German federal states. This time we are heading to Baden-Württemberg.
[This Day] Wife of the Ondo State Governor, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has congratulated Muslim women in the state for the successful completion of the Ramadan fast and the celebration of Eid-el-Fitri, just as she urged them to stay safe to curb the spread of Coronavirus pandemic.
[Premium Times] The United Nations (UN) Population Fund (UNFPA), says Nigeria records 12,000 new cases of Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF), yearly.
[New Era] The gender ministry has found safe shelter for a victim of gender-based violence following a New Era report yesterday.
[The Herald] Mvuma -Police and the elderly in communities must play an active role in fighting domestic violence, which has increased during this lockdown period, First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa has said.
[Nyasa Times] United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says services on gender based violence (GBV) should continue operating amid the coronavirus pandemic to save girls and women from the vice as Ministry of Gender, Child Development and Community Development has received 940 bicycles and 60 motorcycles from the United Nation's (UN) Spotlight Initiative for use by GBV service providers in communities.
[News24Wire] KwaZulu-Natal police have arrested a teenager and a woman for allegedly kidnapping a newborn baby boy in Umzimkhulu area this week.
Police have fired tear gas and deployed water cannon and armored trucks as thousands of demonstrators turned out to reject Beijing's latest plan. The protests are the biggest flare-up since Hong Kong's COVID-19 lockdown.
Plagued by COVID-19 and an economic crisis, Italy is now facing the possible resurgence of the Camorra clan. The crime syndicate, like others across Italy, is trying to exploit the post-lockdown vacuum.
Authorities say a third of Islamic State fighters who left Germany for Syria have since returned. Germany is taking a "holistic approach" in dealing with ex-jihadi fighters, including deradicalization and reintegration.
Muslims around the world have began celebrating Eid al-Fitr, a normally festive holiday, spoilt by stay-at-home orders and fears of fresh coronavirus outbreaks. DW looks at how countries have altered their plans.
Lockdown restrictions are continuing to ease as the European summer vacation season approaches. But as people gather on beaches and in bars, experts warn that large crowds could spark a fresh wave of infections.
The spat over the COVID-19 outbreak has heightened longstanding tension between Washington and Beijing. China's foreign minister says the Trump administration has fabricated too many lies about the Asian powerhouse.
[Monitor] May 25 is celebrated annually in Uganda and elsewhere on the African continent as Africa Day to commemorate the day on which the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was founded in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1963 by 32 sovereign states. On this auspicious occasion we celebrate and rededicate ourselves to African unity which is the primary and ultimate goal of pan-Africanism.
[East African] Zimbabwean authorities are fighting an image-damaging incident in which three female opposition activists were reportedly pulled from a police station and tortured.
[New Era] Highly infectious medical waste comprising of needles and syringes, circumcision blades, dirty linens and contraceptive implants were discovered about 50 metres from houses in Windhoek's Goreangab area.
[Capital FM] Nairobi -Catholic Bishops on Sunday expressed concern over the ongoing political bickering occasioned by the 2022 succession race.
[Vanguard] Lagos State Government, through the Office of Education Quality Assurance, has designed an initiative, "Read Aloud Lagos," to create and stimulate the interest of school children in reading.
[Vanguard] Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has sued Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and the Federal Government before the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja over what it termed; "brutal crackdown," repression, and grave violations and abuses of human rights of the people of Rivers State.
[Monitor] The Commercial Court has summoned three United Kingdom- based law firms who were the masterminds of the deal in which Tullow Oil plc avoided paying taxes worth $1.1 billion (about Shs4.1 trillion) to the Ugandan national treasury following an agreement with the central government and Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).
[Premium Times] The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has launched legal action against Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari at the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja over the "brutal crackdown, repression, and grave violations and abuses of the human rights of the people of Rivers State."
[Nation] The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has started investigating delays by some retailers in paying suppliers.
[Capital FM] Nairobi -President Uhuru Kenyatta Saturday hinted at a possibility of relaxing current COVID-19 containment measures which include a nationwide dusk-to-dawn curfew and restrictions of movement into and out of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale and Mandera.
[News24Wire] Another top scientist and member of Health Minister Zweli Mkhize's Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on Covid-19 has come out in support of Professor Glenda Gray, accusing the government of not consulting the country's top scientists on lockdown regulations.
[Monitor] At least 23 more Ugandans have tested positive for COVID-19 as the country's confirmed cases on Saturday rose to 198.
After defeat to Augsburg, Schalke are without a win in nine Bundesliga games and have only scored four goals since Christmas. The problems on the pitch are considerable, but there are even bigger questions at the club.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund impressed in their final games before Tuesday's crucial Klassiker. Elsewhere, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz inspired their teams to victories, but Schalke suffered another humiliation.
[Zimbabwe Standard] The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released a set of guidelines, developed by the governing body's medical advisory committee in consultation with members, for the safe resumption of the sport.
[Zimbabwe Standard] ZIFA'S First Instance Body (FIB) will this week embark on a preliminary inspection of Barbourfields Stadium to check on developments that have been done at the facility by Bulawayo City Council (BCC).
[Zimbabwe Standard] Former Warriors midfielder Gerald Takwara has revealed how a salary cut led to his unceremonious exit from South African club Ajax Cape Town halfway through his contract last year.
[Nation] On September 8, 2015, the national women's volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, jetted back into the country from Japan to a heroic welcome. The African Queens had made history by winning two matches at the FIVB World Cup, a first for the Kenyans.
[Observer] Mohammed Jeneka who spoke on behalf of the organization showcase some of the items donated.
[Ghanaian Times] The National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) has received close to 5,000 applications days after government launched the GH¢1 billion COVID-19 Alleviation Programme (CAP) business support scheme to cushion businesses negatively impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
[Shabait] Asmara -Nationals in various areas of the country are extending financial and material support to disadvantaged citizens with a view to ease the burden they might encounter due to the 'Stay at Home' guideline.
[Shabait] Asmara -Nationals inside the country and abroad are stepping up contribution to bolster the National Fund to fight COVID-19 pandemic.
[GroundUp] Provincial government says stakeholder engagement will take place on Thursday
[Africa Renewal] Mobility across the arid African Sahel region is a long-standing tradition and is considered a critical livelihood and adaptation strategy for millions in one of the world's harshest environments.
[South African Cultural Observatory] This research sought to examine the nexus between digital technologies, innovation, intellectual property, and diversity in the cultural and creative industries (CCIs). It is part of an international collaboration between the SA Cultural Observatory and researchers at the UK's Coventry and Newcastle Universities.
[This Day] The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has launched BrentPlus, a series of initiatives that will stimulate innovation in the oil and gas industry and ancillary sectors in Nigeria and create a platform for local creation of digital technologies.
[New Times] A quick tour in a room full of computer-guided fabrication tools, like laser cutters and mills for carving materials, gives one a glimpse into the future of technology and possibilities that could be created if innovators are empowered.
[allAfrica] Mwea Ngurubani County, Kenya -Mary Rigo has been a spinach and tomato farmer for the past decade a few minute's drive from here in Kirinyaga county, where she owns a two-acre farm about one hundred kilometres (just over 60 miles) northwest of Nairobi, Kenya's capital.
[The Herald] Young innovators under the banner SMBLO, have launched digital learning management system that enables schools to educate their students online.
[Nation] To support the fight against Covid-19, which continues to ravage the globe, a man in Uasin Gishu County has come up with a spraying booth.